Does crossbreeding improve the performance and carcass traits of Berganês sheep?

This study aimed to evaluate the performance and carcass of lambs of different genotypes through univariate and multivariate analysis. Intact male lambs of the Berganês (BG), Berganês x Santa Inês (BSI), and Berganês x Dorper (BD) genotypes and the control group Dorper x Santa Inês (DSI) were used. Eight lambs of each genotype were used, aged between 4 and 5 months, with an average initial weight of 27.52 ± 3.79 kg, distributed in a completely randomized design. Data were tested by analyzing variance, followed by Tukey’s test and principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis (DA). Slaughter body and average daily gain were higher for BD and BG than BSI ( P