Choosing the system and breeds that fit your management and environment and operating the system correctly should result in profitable production. Crossbreeding's benefit is heterosis, or hybrid vigor. Heterosis is the difference between the average performance of the crossbred progeny and the purebred parents. To achieve heterosis, the crossbred progeny must perform significantly better than the parental breed average. If the performance levels are the same, then no heterosis exists.
Hybrid vigor is greatest for fitness traits.
Traits that involve maintenance of the species, such as reproduction, preweaning survival and growth and early pig performance, tend to be lowly heritable. Heterosis has a moderate effect on postweaning growth and very little effect on body composition and carcass traits. Body composition and carcass traits are affected more by the characteristics of the breeds used. The impact of heterosis on various traits is listed in Table 1. Heterosis advantage for production traits.