Effects of sample size and measurement interval on the goodness of fit of growth curve models in Hanwoo steers

Ji Min Kang; Shil Jin; Sung-Sik Kang; Jun Kyu Son; Hanwool Do; Yonghwan Kim; Jeong Il Won

doi:10.7744/kjoas.530309

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2026 Vol.53, Issue 3 Preview Page Next Page

Animal

Effects of sample size and measurement interval on the goodness of fit of growth curve models in Hanwoo steers

1 September 2026. pp. 407-418

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Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of sample size and measurement interval on the goodness of fit of growth curve models in Hanwoo steers using simulated body weight data. A simulated population of 2,000 animals was generated from the 2024 monthly reference body weights for Hanwoo steers, with random values assigned within ±15% of the reference weight at each month of age. From this population, 10, 30, 50, and 100 animals were randomly sampled under three measurement interval schemes: monthly, every 2 months, and every 3 months. Each sampling condition was repeated 10 times. Growth data were fitted using the Gompertz, von Bertalanffy, and Logistic models, and model performance was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R²) and root mean square error (RMSE). The results showed that the von Bertalanffy model consistently had the highest R² and the lowest RMSE across all sample sizes and measurement intervals, followed by the Gompertz model, whereas the Logistic model showed the poorest fit. As sample size increased, the variability of the mean growth curve decreased and model fit improved; however, the improvement became limited beyond 50 animals. In contrast, differences in model fit among measurement intervals were relatively small, indicating that growth patterns could still be described reasonably well using measurements taken every 2 or 3 months. These findings suggest that the von Bertalanffy model is the most suitable for describing average growth patterns in Hanwoo steers and that practical growth curve analysis may be possible with moderate sample sizes and less frequent measurements.

Keywords

growth curve model

Hanwoo

measurement interval

sample size

simulated body weight data

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Information

Publisher :Institute of Agricultural Science, Chungnam National University
Publisher(Ko) :충남대학교 농업과학연구소
Journal Title :Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
Journal Title(Ko) :농업과학연구
Volume : 53
No :3
Pages :407-418
Received Date : 2026-06-08
Revised Date : 2026-07-03
Accepted Date : 2026-08-12
DOI :https://doi.org/10.7744/kjoas.530309

Korean Journal of Agricultural Science ISSN:2466-2402(Print) 2466-2410(Online) 농업과학연구

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