Egg laying and egg quality in meat type quails in diallel crosses.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to assess egg laying and egg quality in quail lines in diallel crosses. We evaluated 16 genetic groups obtained from crosses of four strains of meat quails (L1, L2, L3, and L4) in a complete diallel. We assessed weekly egg number (WEN), egg yield (EY), egg weight (EW), and Haugh unit (HU) for 51-80, 81-110, 111-140, and 51-140 days (whole period) old. The general combining capacity (GCC) showed significance for WEN and EY, with the exception of the period of 111-140 days. In general, L3 had the highest positive GCC estimates. The additive genetic variability was significant for EW in all periods, as was HU, with the exception of the first period. The specific combining capacity was significant for HU, except in the second period. The largest estimates for GCC were submitted by L1 for EW, followed by L4, considering the whole period. For HU, L2 had the highest estimates for GCC. The more favorable cross for HU was L2xL3, in the whole period. In the third period, there was a significant reciprocal effect, where there was a positive estimate for the cross L2xL3.