Angora rabbit wool production: Heritability and genetic correlations for fleece weight according to age.

Data on 1223 angora does which have made at least one wool harvest between the first and the fifth harvest were analysed in order to study genetic variability according to age. Heritability estimates of the total fleece weigth for the first, the second, the third, the fourth and the fifth harvest were 0.30, 0.32, 0.22, 0.18 and 0.14, respectively. A signicant maternal environment effect has been observed on each of the five first. Maternal environment estimates which were significant on each harvest, ranged from 0.08 to 0.20. Genetic correlations of the total fleece weight between the first harvest and the four following ones were low (from 0.16 to 0.28). But genetic correlation estimates between the four following harvests were moderate to high, and ranged from 0.52 to 0.93. The highest estimate (0.93) was between the second and the fifth harvest. The result suggest that the second harvest would be a good predictor of breeding value for total fleece weight in the adult Angora rabbit.