Genetic parameters and genetic and phenotypic trends were estimated for weight at weaning (WW) and visual scores (VS) of conformation (C), precocity (P), musculature (M) and navel (N) for Angus × Nellore crossbred calves. It was used 39,676 records from pre-weaning phase of animals born from 1992 to 2002 in mid-western, southeastern and southern Brazil. The components of covariance were estimated using REML, in animal model, considering as random the maternal and direct additive genetic effects, and as fixed, the effects of contemporaneous group, the genetic group of the animal and of the cow, and as covariates the age of the calf at weaning and the age of the cow at calving, both on days and with linear and quadratic effects, besides direct (DH) and maternal heterosis (MH), both with only the linear effect. Estimates of direct and maternal heritability were 0.30 and 0.19, respectively, for WW, whereas VSs ranged from 0.16 to 0.20 and from 0.09 to 0.16, which indicates the possibility to obtain genetic gain through selection. It is expected answer correlated to C, P and for M when selection is practiced for weight at weaning is expected, as well as for P and M when selection is practiced for C. The direct and maternal genetic trends for WW (g/year) and for C, P, M and N (points/year) were: 221.0 and -312.0; 0.0022 and 0.00003; 0.0010 and 0.0001; 0.0013 and -0.0008; 0.0010 and 0.00009, respectively, while the phenotypic were: -685.2; -0.0102; -0.0219; -0.0256 and -0.0453, which highlights the need to adopt criteria for identifying young bulls of higher genetic value for WW and VSs.
beef cattle; cross-breeding; genetic evaluation; genetic progress; morphologic evaluation
