ESTIMATION OF CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS BETWEEN MILK YIELD AND MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS IN A POPULATION OF LACAUNE SHEEP.

The aim of the study was to estimate correlations between milk yield and growth traits. The biological material was 282 Lacaune ewes and traits studied were: milk yield (MY), body weight (BW), height at withers (HW), height at rump (HR), torso length (TL), chest width (CW), rump width (RW), chest depth (CD), chest girth (CG) and metacarpal circumference (MC). The data obtained were statistically processed and interpreted. Average values for milk yield was 120.86 kg for 135 days; average values for morphological traits was 65.10 kg for BW, 62.48 cm for WH, 63.23 cm for RW, 55.25 cm for TL, 25.04 cm for CW, 23.60 cm for RW, 24.06 cm for CD, 84.07 cm for CG and 6.91 cm for MC. Correlations were determined by Pearson test and correlation coefficients had values of +0.13 between MY x BW, -0.02 between MY x WH, -0.19 MY x RH, +0.12 between MY x TL, -0.03 between MY x CW, -0.08 between MY x RW, +0.03 between MY x CD, +0.002 between MY x CG and -0.06 between MY x MC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]