Comparison of nonlinear models to describe growth in Blanco Orejinegro (BON) cattle

摘要

BON cattle is an important genetic resource. It is necessary to describe the productive behavior of BON to improve the use of this breed. The objective of this study was to determine the model that best fit BON growth. Nonlinear models (Gompertz, logistic, Brody and von Bertalanffy) were compared to determine the one with the best fit and estimate the parameters for each model. Brody showed the best fit, with the lowest sum of squared errors (SQE) for both Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC). Brody parameters were β0 (mature weight: 590 kg) and β2 (maturity index: 0.00153 ± 0.0000042 kg/day). The maturity index was similar and in some cases higher to that found in some crosses of commercial beef cattle, highlighting the precocity of BON, which reaches about 52.9% maturity at 12 months. Additionally, the age BON reaches 75% maturity was approximately 708 days, which shows its precocity and growth potential. This results highlight the importance of this breed as a valuable genetic resource for cattle farming in the tropics.