Effect of Some Controllable Errors on Estimates of Genetic Parameters, with Special Reference to Early Post-Natal Growth in Merino Sheep

In this paper the effect of some controllable errors on the estimation of heritability and genetic correlation is investigated. It is concluded that, although these controllable errors generally do not bias estimates of genetic correlation, heritability estimates may sustain a severe negative bias. Controllable errors also tend to inflate the sampling variances of estimates of genetic correlation. These findings are illustrated numerically for the two characters birth weight and weaning weight in Merino sheep.