Performance of New Zealand dairy genetic lines in mid- and high-altitude Costa Rican dairy herds
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/k13ds021Keywords:
milk yield, reproductive efficiency, growth curves, predicted transmitting ability, pasture-based systemsAbstract
Introduction. New Zealand dairy lines are proposed as an efficient alternative for pasture-based milk production systems. Objective. To evaluate the productive performance of New Zealand dairy lines under the production conditions of Costa Rican dairy farms. Materials and methods. During 2019–2025, a population analysis was conducted to compare the progeny performance of twelve New Zealand bulls (NZL, eight Holstein and four Jersey) with that of bulls of other genetic lines (OTR) in 124 herds in mid- and high-altitude areas of Costa Rica. The effect of genetic line on eleven performance variables was analyzed using generalized linear mixed models, adjusting for breed and environmental effects. Results. Jersey cows inseminated with NZL bulls showed a 3.2 % higher non-return rate and a gestation length 3 days shorter than those inseminated with OTR bulls. No significant differences were observed between genetic lines in growth or survival. In Holstein, the age at first calving of NZL daughters was 1.4 months lower than that of OTR daughters. NZL daughters had 11 (Jersey) and 16 (Holstein) fewer days open than OTR daughters. In the first and subsequent lactations, OTR daughters produced 463 and 342 kg (Jersey) and 418 and 361 kg (Holstein) more milk at 305 days, respectively, than NZL daughters. In Holstein, the relative economic merit of NZL bulls was USD 172 higher than that of OTR bulls. Conclusions. In the context of the evaluated herds, characterized by pasture-based systems with substantial supplementation, the productive advantage of the OTR lines became more evident, while the strengths of the NZL lines were mainly expressed in reproductive traits. The choice of genetic line should align with the feeding system, input levels, and the producer’s economic objectives.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Bernardo Vargas-Leitón, Argerie Cruz-Méndez, Juan Arias-Castro, Carlos Salazar-Aguilar, Esther Donkersloot, Stephen Davis (Autor/a)
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