Random-effect meta-analysis of genetic parameter estimates for carcass and meat quality traits in beef cattle

Considerable variability of genetic parameter estimates is observed among different studies for the same trait, which is associated with the distinct effects included in the statistical model, population breed, and sample sizes. The random-effect meta-analysis summarizes genetic parameters considering the heterogeneity among studies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform a random-effect meta-analysis of heritability and genetic correlation estimates for carcass and meat quality traits in beef cattle. A total of 152 estimates of heritability and 83 genetic correlations for longissimus muscle area (LMA), back fat thickness (BFT), and marbling score (MRB) were used. High heterogeneity among published studies was observed for all traits, indicating the need of a random-effects model to perform the analysis. Estimates of heritability through the meta-analysis using the random-effects model were high (0.30 to 0.34), indicating that fast genetic progress can be obtained for these traits. However, genetic correlations had low magnitude (lower than 0.25), which suggested that all three traits should be included in the selection scheme.