%0 Journal Article %T Estimation of genetic parameters and environmental effects on somatic cell count in Simmental and Holstein breeds %A Zdenko Ivki£¿ %A Marija £¿pehar %A Vesna Buli£¿ %A Pero Miji£¿ %J Mljekarstvo %D 2012 %I Croatian Dairy Union %X The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters and environmental effects on somatic cell count in Croatian dairy cows. Data consisted of 861,417 test-day records for Simmental and 656,272 for Holstein cows. For Simmental breed, number of animals in pedigree was 123,199, while pedigree file for Holstein breed included 94,294 animals. A single-trait repeatability fixed regression test-day model was used to estimate genetic parameters. Fixed effects in the model were parity and calving season. Days in milk was fitted using Ali-Schaeffer lactation curve nested within parity. Age at first calving was modelled as quadratic regression. Direct additive genetic effect, herd, herd-test-date, and permanent environmental effect of cow within parity were included in the model as random effects. Variance components were estimated using Residual Maximum Likelihood method as implemented in the VCE-6 program. Estimated heritabilities were 0.21 for Simmental and 0.15 for the Holstein breed. Permanent environmental effect explained 19 % of phenotypic variation in Simmental and 20 % in Holstein breed. Herd and herd-test-date accounted for another 9 % and 5 % of variability for Simmental breed. The effects of herd and herd-test-date explained 10 % and 5 % of phenotypic variance in Holstein breed. %K somatic cell count %K Simmental and Holstein breed %K environmental effects %K genetic parameters %U http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=124081