A selection programme for meat rabbits is being carried out in three Egyptian and one Saudi Arabian research centres, each of them having the task to develop lines of rabbits in their local conditions. This is the largest programme executed in countries of hot climate with comprehensive efforts to develop new lines of meat rabbits, where heat stress is considered as one of the most important limiting factors to raise meat rabbits. The set of lines in the programme are four replicates of the Spanish V line; two
local breeds (Sinai Gabali and Saudi Gabali); and five synthetics originated from crossing V line with local breeds. The local breeds used to create the synthetic lines were Black Baladi, Red Baladi and Sinai Gabali in Egypt and Saudi Gabali in Saudi Arabia. The V line was replicated in four different locations, three in Egypt (Alexandria, Animal Production Research Institute (APRI), and Moshtohor)
and one in Saudi Arabia (Al-Qassim University). The synthetic Alexandria line is 87.5% from V line and 12.5% from Black Baladi; the synthetic APRI line is 50% from line V and 50% from Red Baladi; the synthetic Moshtohor line is 50% from V line and 50% from Sinai Gabali; the synthetic Saudi 2 is 75% from V line and 25% from Saudi Gabali and the Saudi 3 is 25% from V line and 75% from Saudi
Gabali. The lines and breeds are being selected by a BLUP methodology, under different local conditions, following different criteria of selection, depending on the Centres, aiming to develop maternal or paternal lines, giving special consideration of selection for milk production and growth
after weaning, in addition to litter size. Data of the last year for V line in four replicates, Sinai and Saudi Gabali and the five synthetics were only used for describing the performances obtained and to get a general idea about the expected productivity. Performances obtained verified that the most stable and convenient trait in all synthetic lines influenced by line V is referring to the prolificacy, which has
been around 9.0 total born, 8.5 born alive and 7.2 number weaned per litter in the majority of the locations. Post-weaning daily gains were also convenient and ranged from 34 g/d to 18 g/d in different locations studied. Outstanding performances in some synthetics seemed superior, in some cases, to local breed and the V line originating them.
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