Data related to weights of animals of the Tabapuã breed, born from 1959 to 1996, in several areas of Brazil, were analyzed with the objective of evaluating the direct and maternal genetic trends, for body weights adjusted for 205 (W205), 365 (W365) and 550 (W550) days of age. The (co)variance component estimates used in the calculation of the breeding values were obtained by the restricted maximum likelihood method (REML), with a model containing the random additive direct, maternal and permanent environmental effects, and the fixed effects of contemporary group (unit of the federation, farm, sex, season and year of birth of the animal) and the covariable age of the cow at calving (linear and quadratic effects). The genetic trends of the direct and maternal genetic effects were estimated by the regression of the breeding value annual means on year of birth of the animals. The genetic trends of the direct effects were 0.134, 0.199 and 0.276 kg/year, for W205, W365 and W550, respectively. The estimates of the maternal genetic trends were, in the same order, 0.019, -0.010 and -0.022 kg/year, respectively. Due to the existing genetic variability on the traits, the genetic changes attained are bellow the possible ones.
beef cattle; heritability; genetic change
