Relative performance for fibre diameter, clean fleece weight and liveweight
Running highly productive Merino sheep that grow heavier fleeces of finer wool will increase sheep enterprise profitability.
This report compares 59 Merino bloodlines based on their relative performance for:
- fibre diameter
- clean fleece weight
- liveweight.
Understanding this variation provides commercial Merino producers with the opportunity to increase the productivity and profitability of their flocks by:
- reducing fibre diameter without compromising clean fleece weight and liveweight,
- increasing average clean fleece weight without affecting fibre diameter,
- improving growth without impacting fibre diameter.
Introduction
Fibre diameter, clean fleece weight and liveweight are key traits that influence the profitability of Merino sheep enterprises.
- Fibre diameter and clean fleece weight are the primary drivers of the value of wool produced by each sheep in the flock.
- Liveweight is important as it influences ewe reproduction and profit from sale of stock as lamb or mutton.
The Merino bloodline used by a commercial producer determines the genetic basis of their flock’s performance. The choice of bloodline is a key factor influencing the profitability of a Merino enterprise.
Merino bloodlines differ in genetic performance and profitability due to the historical development of bloodlines based on:
- different foundation breeds
- geographical isolation
- differences in their breeding objectives
- differences in selection programs.
Method for comparing genetic differences between bloodlines
The phenotype of a sheep is a result of their genetics and the environment in which they have been raised.
This comparison of the performance of Merino bloodlines used data from 21 wether trials conducted over the past 15 years in New South Wales.
Bloodlines with multiple teams, both within and across trials provided linkage. This allows for environmental differences between years within each of the wether trials as well as between the wether trials to be accounted for.
Only the genetic differences between the bloodlines are left so their relative production for fibre diameter, clean fleece weight and liveweight can be quantified.
| Trial No. | Trial name | State | Trial years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Westblade Memorial Merino Challenge | NSW | 2010-2012 |
| 2 | Bathurst | NSW | 2009-2011 |
| 3 | Bookham Agricultural Bureau | NSW | 2011-2013 |
| 4 | Northern Tablelands | NSW | 2009-2011 |
| 5 | Parkes | NSW | 2010-2012 |
| 6 | Peter Westblade Memorial Merino Challenge 2 | NSW | 2013-2014 |
| 7 | Monaro | NSW | 2012-2014 |
| 8 | Bathurst | NSW | 2013-2015 |
| 9 | Northern Tablelands | NSW | 2013-2015 |
| 10 | Australian National Field Days | NSW | 2013-2015 |
| 11 | Peter Westblade Memorial Merino Challenge 3 | NSW | 2015-2016 |
| 12 | Bookham Agricultural Bureau | NSW | 2015-2018 |
| 13 | Australian National Field Days | NSW | 2016-2019 |
| 14 | Northern Tablelands | NSW | 2016-2018 |
| 15 | Peter Westblade Memorial Merino Challenge 4 | NSW | 2017-2018 |
| 16 | Northern Tablelands | NSW | 2019-2021 |
| 17 | Bookham Agricultural Bureau | NSW | 2019-2022 |
| 18 | Northern Tablelands | NSW | 2022-2024 |
| 19 | Bookham Agricultural Bureau | NSW | 2023-2025 |
| 20 | Parkes | NSW | 2020-2023 |
| 21 | Bathurst | NSW | 2020-2022 |
Summary of relative performances
Changes in clean fleece weight and fibre diameter can be made without impacting liveweight.
The tables below lists the 59 Merino bloodlines included in this report with relative performance for:
- clean fleece weight (CFW, %)
- fibre diameter (FD, µm)
- liveweight (LWT, %).
The formula used and example calculations are also shown.
Clean fleece weight (CFW) and liveweight (LWT) are reported as a percentage deviation from the overall average.
This means that the average value for CFW and LWT equals 100%.
- A CFW deviation of 10 means that the bloodline has a genetic value of 110% of the average.
- A CFW deviation of -10 means that the bloodline has a genetic value of 90% of the average.
Fibre diameter (FD) is reported as the deviation from the average.
| Bloodline | Code | CFW (%) | FD (µm) | LWT (%) | Teams (No.) | Records (No.) | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfoxton | 1 | -10.1 | -1.3 | -3.8 | 7 | 221 | H |
| AMM | 2 | -6.3 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 3 | 81 | H |
| Bobingah | 3 | 3.0 | -0.3 | -4.8 | 2 | 90 | M |
| Bogo | 4 | -1.5 | -0.6 | -0.6 | 21 | 628 | H |
| Bundilla | 5 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 4.1 | 4 | 109 | H |
| Bungoona | 6 | -1.5 | -0.3 | -0.9 | 2 | 37 | M |
| Bungulla | 7 | -3.5 | -0.5 | -1.6 | 6 | 176 | H |
| Cara | 8 | -5.4 | -0.2 | -3.1 | 3 | 90 | M |
| Centre Plus | 9 | -3.9 | -0.4 | 4.9 | 18 | 519 | H |
| Claremont | 10 | 2.4 | 1.2 | -1.8 | 3 | 91 | H |
| Corella | 11 | -0.9 | 0.4 | -4.9 | 2 | 51 | M |
| Cottage Park | 12 | 5.7 | -0.1 | -0.3 | 2 | 72 | M |
| Cressbrook | 13 | -5.6 | -1.3 | 0.6 | 14 | 444 | H |
| Darriwell | 14 | 4.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 5 | 144 | H |
| Deeargee | 15 | -11.5 | -1.3 | -4.7 | 2 | 75 | M |
| Egelabra | 16 | -2.2 | 0.2 | -0.9 | 14 | 459 | H |
| Emu Park | 17 | -3.5 | -0.8 | -1.9 | 2 | 59 | M |
| Fosterfield | 18 | -6.8 | -1.2 | -1.0 | 2 | 75 | M |
| Gaerloch | 19 | 1.0 | 0.1 | -4.8 | 2 | 61 | M |
| Glendemar | 20 | -7.2 | 1.3 | 6.0 | 3 | 89 | H |
| Grassy Creek | 21 | -3.5 | -1.0 | 0.4 | 5 | 160 | H |
| Grathlyn | 22 | -16.7 | -1.9 | -6.7 | 2 | 71 | M |
| Greendale | 23 | 4.1 | -0.5 | -3.1 | 14 | 462 | H |
| Greenland | 24 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 4 | 126 | H |
| Haddon Rig | 25 | 0.6 | 0.8 | -1.2 | 8 | 241 | H |
| Hazeldean | 26 | 3.1 | -0.1 | 0.5 | 15 | 444 | H |
| Karbullah | 27 | -7.0 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 2 | 57 | M |
| Karori | 28 | -12.9 | -1.9 | -3.2 | 6 | 189 | H |
| Koonwarra | 29 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 2 | 53 | M |
| Langdene | 30 | -1.2 | -0.6 | 0.9 | 3 | 81 | M |
| Leahcim Poll | 31 | -4.3 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 3 | 82 | H |
| Lemani | 32 | -10.0 | -1.0 | -2.4 | 2 | 60 | M |
| Longford | 33 | -5.7 | -1.2 | 1.2 | 3 | 86 | M |
| Lorelmo | 34 | -7.8 | -1.8 | -1.8 | 3 | 87 | M |
| Maisters Swamp | 35 | -1.0 | -0.9 | 0.9 | 2 | 59 | M |
| Merryville | 36 | -9.5 | -1.3 | -2.6 | 7 | 210 | H |
| Miramoona | 37 | -4.8 | -0.5 | -1.2 | 2 | 59 | M |
| Mirani | 38 | -11.1 | -2.3 | -2.9 | 2 | 60 | M |
| Nerstane | 39 | -4.0 | -0.9 | -0.2 | 16 | 467 | H |
| One Oak | 40 | 8.2 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 4 | 111 | H |
| Overland | 41 | 5.8 | -0.1 | 0.9 | 3 | 74 | M |
| Pastora | 42 | -1.2 | -0.8 | 1.2 | 35 | 1015 | H |
| Pooginook | 43 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 14 | 384 | H |
| Rockdale | 44 | -1.1 | -0.4 | 0.6 | 3 | 81 | M |
| Roseville Park | 45 | -1.2 | -0.4 | 0.6 | 8 | 240 | H |
| Shalimar Park | 46 | -8.1 | -1.7 | -1.1 | 6 | 177 | H |
| Springvale | 47 | 0.2 | -0.1 | -6.2 | 2 | 67 | M |
| Stanley Vale | 48 | -23.7 | -1.8 | -4.9 | 3 | 90 | M |
| Tallawong | 49 | -1.1 | -1.2 | -2.8 | 12 | 374 | H |
| Wallaloo Park | 50 | -2.3 | -0.2 | -1.0 | 4 | 118 | H |
| Wantana | 51 | 0.9 | 0.3 | -2.0 | 3 | 73 | M |
| West Vale | 52 | -7.9 | -1.0 | -5.9 | 4 | 133 | H |
| Willandra | 53 | 11.7 | 1.4 | 4.4 | 3 | 79 | H |
| Winyar | 54 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 3 | 91 | H |
| Woodpark Poll | 55 | -1.1 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 8 | 227 | H |
| Woolaroo | 56 | -0.4 | -0.7 | -1.0 | 10 | 292 | H |
| Wyuna | 57 | 2.4 | 1.3 | -2.5 | 2 | 72 | M |
| Yalgoo | 58 | -8.4 | -2.1 | -2.7 | 16 | 469 | H |
| Yarrawonga | 59 | 1.5 | -0.4 | -2.0 | 11 | 324 | H |
| Overall averages | 4.2 kg | 19.0 µm | 53.7 kg |
To calculate the average CFW in kg of a particular bloodline use the following formula where 4.2 kg is the overall average CFW:
CFW (kg) = (100 + CFW%) / 100 x 4.2kg
Examples:
1. Bloodline 29 has a CFW of 3.66 kg
(100 + (-12.9)) / 100 x 4.2
2. Bloodline 53 has a CFW of 4.69 kg
(100 + 11.7) / 100 x 4.2
To calculate the average FD in µm of a particular bloodline add the FD deviation for a particular bloodline to the overall average of 19.0 µm.
Examples:
1. Bloodline 57 has a FD of 20.3 µm
19.0 + 1.3
2. Bloodline 1 has a FD of 17.7 µm
19.0 + -1.3
Clean fleece weight and fibre diameter
There is a large amount of variation between Merino bloodlines in clean fleece weight and fibre diameter.
- 35% range in clean fleece weight
- 4 µm range in fibre diameter.
This graph shows the relative performance of 59 Merino bloodlines for clean fleece weight (CFW, %) relative to fibre diameter (FD, µm).
- Moving horizontally from right to left identifies bloodlines with lower fibre diameter.
- Moving vertically from bottom to top identifies those with higher fleece weights.
- Bloodlines located in the top left-hand quadrant are the most productive as they combine high clean fleece weight with low fibre diameter.
Image
There was a strong relationship (R2 = 0.55) between clean fleece weight and fibre diameter across bloodlines with an overall trend for clean fleece weight to increase as fibre diameter increases.
R2 is an indicator of how well a regression model explains variability in the data. Values range from 0 to 1 with a higher R2 suggesting a better fit.
The percentage change in fleece weight with every one micron increase in fibre diameter varied with fibre diameter.
- For fine bloodlines (≤ 19 µm), clean fleece weight increased by 7.7% for each micron increase in fibre diameter.
- For medium bloodlines (> 19 µm), clean fleece weight increased by 0.8% for each micron increase in fibre diameter.
There was significant genetic variation in clean fleece weight across the fibre diameter range, with greater variation at the finer end. This means that depending on the relative performance of their current bloodline, Merino producers can:
- identify alternative bloodlines with finer fibre diameter without compromising clean fleece weight, by comparing bloodlines horizontally (shown in red).
- identify alternative bloodiness with heavier clean fleece weight while maintaining fibre diameter, by comparing bloodlines vertically (shown in blue).
Image
Liveweight and fibre diameter
There was less variation between bloodlines in liveweight with a 12% difference in liveweight between the bloodline with the heaviest wethers and the bloodline with the lightest wethers. The 12% range in liveweight was equal to 6.8 kg.
Image
The relationship between liveweight and fibre diameter (R2 = 0.24) was not as strong as that between clean fleece weight and fibre diameter.
The general trend was for finer bloodlines to have lighter weights, with liveweight increasing by 3.6% for each one micron increase in fibre diameter. This relationship was consistent across the fibre diameter range.
Liveweight and clean fleece weight
The relationship between liveweight and clean fleece weight was weak (R2 = 0.17). The general trend was for the heaviest cutting bloodlines to have higher liveweights.
Image
Applying these production differences to profit
Merino producers can identify alternative bloodlines with finer fibre diameter or heavier clean fleece weight without compromising liveweight.
Read the report on Relative financial performance of Merino bloodlines which looks at the profit per hectare for a self-replacing Merino ewe flock based on each bloodline for 3 alternative wether enterprises:
- finish wethers on a grazing crop for the lamb market,
- run wethers for approximately 15 months to shear with a full fleece and then sell into the mutton market, or
- run wethers and sell after shearing at 4 years of age.
Things to consider when using this information
While this evaluation report is a useful tool for wool producers to support decisions regarding alternative bloodline sources that align with their flocks’ breeding objectives, note that:
- the information was based on wether trials conducted between 2010 and 2025. The relative performance of each bloodline represents the breeding policies of that stud and their commercial clients 5 to 15 years ago. Recent changes in breeding objectives or practices at the stud and commercial level will not be reflected in this information.
- the teams in an individual wether trial may have been entered by the bloodline’s ram breeding flock or from one of their commercial client’s flocks. This may potentially introduce some bias if the bloodline’s own flock provide most of the teams entered. Merino producers using this information to support their decisions regarding bloodline source should consider if the teams representing that bloodline were from their own ram breeding flock or their commercial clients.
- when using the information to evaluate one or more bloodlines it is important for Merino producers to contact the stud representing each bloodline directly and seek information that describes their bloodline’s breeding objective, selection process and genetic trends. For bloodlines that are represented in MERINOSLECT™ the genetic benchmarking tools Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) and Flock Profile test can provide useful information (see Benchmarking genetic performance for details of other genetic benchmarking tools).
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