Growth curves of meat-producing mammals by von Bertalanffy’s model

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate how the parameterization and the application of different allometric values affect the obtention of the most adequate fit of von Bertalanffy’s model, in the description of the growth curve of meat-producing mammals (bovine, pigs, rabbits, and sheep). Among the nonlinear models, von Bertalanffy’s has been very often applied in several areas, with different parameterizations. This model has been commonly used with an allometric value of m = 2/3; however, for mammals, it is believed that this value can be m = 3/4. The analyzed data referring to the mass of meat-producing mammals according to their age were obtained from research institutions and from the literature. The results showed that von Bertalanffy’s model, with the allometric value of m = 3/4 and the used parameterization, provided better adjustments to quality evaluators. Besides, the model softened the overestimation of parameter a, giving a direct interpretation of parameter b, with the lowest values for curvature measurements, mainly for the parametric ones, and provided more reliable adjustments. Von Bertalanffy’s model can be used in the description of the growth curves of meat-producing mammals.