Life daily gain of indigenous pig breeds in Serbia

Abstract

Indigenous breeds of pigs, in addition to representing genetic heritage, have great scientific, cultural and economic significance for every country. The Serbian indigenous breeds of pigs Mangalitsa, Moravka and Resavka are endangered breeds with little research interest, which resulted in insufficient data on their production results. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in the life daily gain (LDG) of male heads of Swallow Belly Mangalitsa breed of different body weights (20 kg - I group, 45 kg - II group and 100 kg - III group), as well as between males of Swallow Belly Mangalitsa, Moravka and Resavka in seven consecutive measurements, once a month, during the experiment. Within the Swallow Belly Mangalitsa breed, the third group (280 g/day) had a statistically significantly higher LDG compared to the first (110 g/day) and the second (200 g/day). In all measurements, Moravka had the highest LDG, and Mangalitsa the lowest, but the differences were not significant. It was to be expected that the Mangalitsa would have the lowest LDG because it is a fatty breed, unlike Moravka and Resavka, which are breeds of combined production abilities (meat and fat). By researching the production performance of indigenous pig breeds, it is possible to predict and improve production possibilities by selection measures while preserving the desired genetic structure.