This study was conducted to assess the effect of breed, season, age and weight of doe at mating on reproductive performance of 4 broiler rabbit breeds, Grey Giant, White Giant, Soviet Chinchilla, and New Zealand White, reared under standard management practices in sub-temperate climatic conditions of India. They were first mated at 6 to 7 mo of age, whereupon an extensive breeding system (re-mating after weaning) was followed. Weaning was done 42 d after kindling. The data from the records on reproduction consisting of 503 matings and 377 kindlings were analysed. The parameters considered were fertility rate, litter size at birth (LSB), litter weight at birth (LWB), litter size at weaning (LSW), litter weight at weaning (LWW), doe weight at mating (DWM), gestation length and sex ratio. Among 4 breeds, the LSB, LWB and LSW were higher in Grey Giant followed by White Giant, Soviet Chinchilla and New Zealand White. The LSB and LSW in Grey Giant breed differed significantly (P<0.05) from Soviet Chinchilla and New Zealand White. Season had significant (P<0.05) effect on LSW with higher values during spring (5.68±0.24), followed by summer (5.29±0.30), winter (5.13±0.25) and autumn (4.17±0.49). The body weight of doe at service significantly influenced fertility. The fertility increased as body weight increased. The age of the doe at mating had a significant effect on LSW, with higher values for does more than 2 yr and less than 1 yr old compared to 1-to 2-yr old does. The parity did not affect any of the parameters studied. It is concluded that the factors studied affect the reproductive performance of rabbit does. Grey Giant breed showed the highest litter size at birth and weaning, and the highest litter size and weight at weaning was in spring.

ABSTRACT:The influence of season, parity, age and weight of doe at service on the reproductive efficiency of female German Angora rabbits has been studied. Nulliparous German Angora rabbits of 4 -5 months of age were imported from Germany in August, 1997 and reared under standard management practices. They subjected to an extensive breeding system (re-mating after weaning). The kits were weaned 42 days after kindling. The data from the reproduction records of 149 does, consisting of 398 matings and 238 kindlings during a period of five years, (1998 to 2002) were analyzed. The parameters considered were fertility rate, litter size at birth (LSB), litter weight at birth (LWB), litter size at weaning (LSW), gestation length and sex ratio. The overall fertility percentage, LSB, LWB (g), LSW (g), gestation length (d) and sex ratio percentage were 61. 18, 4.89, 253.88, 4.44, 31.95 and 53.94, respectively. The season of the year had a significant (P#0.05) effect on LSB, LWB, LSW and gestation length, with higher values of LSB, LWB and LSW in spring. The fertility rate was significantly higher (P#0.05) for the females of 1 to 2 years of age. Spring appears to be the most favorable season for efficient reproduction of German Angora rabbits under the sub-temperate climatic conditions found in India.

Trichobezoars (formations of hair balls that can not pass through the pyloric valve) are responsible of some of deaths observed in Angora rabbirs. A total of 160 trichobezoar deaths corresponding to 28.6% of total deaths were recorded during a reported period of five years. The highest mortality due to hair balls was recorded in 2001 (36.4 %) and was least in 1999 (9.4%). Of the four breeds, the highest trichobezoar death records were obtained in Russian Angoras and the lowest in German Angoras. Trichobezoars occur more frequently in winter months than other months. Besides trichobezoars, other causes of death recorded were pneumonia, suppurative pneumonia, peritonitis, rupture of stomach, gastroenteritis, cardiac failure and a small number of miscellaneous causes. In most of the cases, large, single trichobezoars were located in the stomach. The stomach contents of the trichobezoar deaths were mainly watery and scanty faeces and hard semisolid faeces. The ball obstructed the stomach occupying the opening of the pyloric valve. Pathomorphological lesions were noted in stomach, liver, lungs, heart and kidney.

This paper has assessed technology adoption and its impact on the agricultural productivity for small-scale full-time and part-time farm households in the subtropical region of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). We find only 24% of the farm households being exclusively dependent on farming for their livelihoods. For the remaining households, agriculture is a secondary economic activity. They are engaged in nonfarm economic activities, and use more of external inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides than do the fulltime farm households. The high-yielding varieties, irrigation, herbicides and nitrogenous fertilizers are identified as important determinants of crop yield.

The impact of procurement policy, introduced in the state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) in 2010 has been assessed on the rice growers' income. For study, a sample of 100 farmers selling their rice produce at the procurement centres established by the government and a matching sample of 50 farmers selling their market surplus rice in the open market was selected. The difference-in-differences (DD) quasi-experimental design was used to find the impact. The results revealed that for the farmers who sold their produce at the procurement centres, the DD was of ` 175/q for the coarse rice variety and of ` 77/q for the semi-fine variety compared to the control group. The farmers who chose to sell their produce at the procurement centres had an additional income of ` 6725/farmer. The education has been found to be the only socioeconomic variable that affects the farmers' decision to sell at of the government procurement centres (p < 0.05). The government intervention had thus ended the distress sale by the farmers, broken the monopoly of the private rice traders /millgroups, created market competition and even increased the prices of the Basmati varieties not procured by the government. The study has emphasized on the need of expanding education in the area so that farmers may take informed decisions on selling their produce.