Table 1.

Estimates of variance components and heritabilities for wool traits and live weight in Merino sheep

Trait (unit)	Number	Mean	SD	${\sigma }_a^2$	${\sigma }_e^2$	$h^2$ (SE)
MFD (µm)	5436	18.24	2.07	1.04	1.87	0.36 (0.04)
CVFD (%)	5414	21.98	2.80	0.32	6.44	0.05 (0.02)
CN (/2.5 cm)	5208	12.71	2.45	0.37	4.91	0.07 (0.03)
MSL (cm)	7135	10.26	0.98	0.22	0.58	0.27 (0.03)
GFW (kg)	6727	3.95	0.62	0.08	0.22	0.28 (0.03)
LW (kg)	6871	36.56	4.99	6.07	12.23	0.33 (0.03)

SD, standard deviation; ${\sigma }_a^2$, additive variance; ${\mathrm{\sigma }}_e^2$, residual variance; h², heritability; SE, standard error. MFD, mean fibre diameter; CVFD, coefficient of variation of the fibre diameter; CN, crimp number; MSL, mean staple length; GFW, greasy fleece weight; LW, live weight