GENETIC AND NON-GENETIC FACTORS AFFECTING MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS IN SEVEN RABBIT GENOTYPES

Résumé

The study was conducted to examine the influence of genetic and non-genetic factors on phenotypic plasticity (morphology) in seven genotypes of Rabbit. In achieving the objectives, linear body measurements were taken on the Rabbits using flexible tape. They are body weight (BW), body depth (BD), body length (BL), tail length (TL), fore-limb length (FLL), hind-limb length (HLL) and ear length (EL). The genetic factors are breeds and sex while the non-genetic factor is season of the year. The coefficient of variability of traits showed low to moderate variability and ranged from 9.24% for HLL to 15.73% for TL. BW had high variability (35.88%). The breed of the rabbits have a significant influence on the morphometric characteristics (P<0.01) with CalxNzw, Flemish giant, New Zealand Red and Dutch having the best performance. There was a significant effect of season on the morphometric characteristics (P<0.01) with the wet season having the best performance. Pearson correlation coefficient among the morphometric characteristics showed strong, positive and significant relationships with the 'r' value ranging from 0.38 (BDxEL) to 0.82 (BWxBL). It can be concluded that morphology in rabbits in being influenced by the breed they belong to and the season at which measurements were taken, therefore breed and season should be considered in rabbit production for maximum productivity and good phenotypic plasticity.