No abstract

ABSTRACT...... The prostaglandin and its synthetic analogue are considered as drug of choice in reproductive management. A total of twenty Jaffrabadi buffaloes with reproductive disorders were selected from cattle breeding farm, Junagadh. All twenty buffaloes (Group I) were treated with single dose of Prostaglandin (synthetic analogue, clostrinol, 2 ml) while the animals which did not respond (Group II) to first injection of Prostaglandin were subjected to second injection of Prostaglandin 11 days after first treatment. A total of six animals (30%) responded to first dose of PGF 2 , while eight animals (57%) responded to second dose of PGF 2 . The mean time required for induction of heat in first and second group was 70.24 ± 1.44 hrs and 56.86 ±1.96. The mean duration of estrus proper in first group was 19.18 ± 0.69 hrs, while in second group the mean duration was 16.13±0.42 hr. The conception rate in the present study was 43.05 per cent for the first group of animals and 49 per cent for the animal that were treated with second dose of PGF 2 . In conclusion, administration of PGF 2  at eleven days interval causes faster heat induction and better conception rate.

The production records on 228 Gir cows with 680 lactations sired by 52 bulls, maintained at Cattle Breeding Farm, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh, for 24 years (1987-2010) were studied. The data were analyzed to study the effect of period of calving and season of calving as fixed effect on the reproduction trait viz., age at first calving. The average age at first calving in Gir cows was found to be 1490.50 ± 111.04 days. The analysis of variance revealed highly significant effect of period of calving on age at first calving indicating thereby that age at first calving was subjected to non-genetic factors. Season of calving did not affect significantly to this trait under study. Effect of season of calving was not significant on age at first calving indicating breed characteristic to adoption with environment. Age at first calving showed a significant rise over the period that indicate some selection measure require for age at first calving.

The present study was undertaken to construct a multiplex microsatellite panel for parentage testing in Mehsana buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). The study was based on a total of 212 Mehsana buffalos (100 dams, 100 daughters, and 12 sires). Genomic DNA was extracted from blood and semen samples. A panel of 10 microsatellite markers (CSSM61, ILSTS29, ILSTS17, ILSTS28, CSSM57, CSSM22, ILSTS61, CSSM8, ETH152, and ILSTS11) was amplified in a single multiplex reaction and analyzed by capillary electrophoresis on an automated DNA sequencer. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.642 to 0.833 (mean 0.762). The total exclusion probability using 10 microsatellite loci with 1 known parent was 0.993. Seven out of 10 microsatellite loci revealed relatively high polymorphic information content (>0.7). Eighty-one daughters out of 100 daughters qualified by compatibility according to Mendelism. The results suggest that multiplex microsatellite panel is a fast, robust, reliable, and economic tool to verify the parentage as well as to assign the putative sire to daughters under progeny testing with very high accuracy and hence can be used in routine parentage testing.

Breeding and lactation efficiencies (BE and LE), parity-wise production profile, productive herd life and lifetime milk production (LTMP) of Gir cows (N=309), based on 1363 calvings during 1991 to 2010 at Cattle Breeding Farm, JAU, Junagadh were studied. Age at first calving (AFC) and calving interval (CI) of Gir cows were 1527.76±14.17 and 481.22±4.86 days, respectively. CI ranged from 386 to 505 days among different lactations. When AFC and CI were taken into account together, BE of the cows as per Tomar (BE-T) was estimated to be 86.91±0.49 %. About 17 % of Gir cows in the herd calved for the first time at >42 months of age (Av. 37.04 month) and 38 % of the cows had less than 14 months of CI. Lactation period (LP) of Gir cows varied significantly (P>0.05) from 230 days to 335 days showing an increasing trend with increase in no. of parity. Overall LP of Gir cows was 281.02±4.56 days, LE being 61.07±1.10%. Total lactation milk yield (TLMY) and standard lactation milk yield (SLMY) of Gir cows averaged 2006.29±48.77 and 1819.73±45.44 lit, respectively. Milk yield increased significantly (P>0.05), with increase in no. of parity, reaching peak TLMY (2425 lit) and SLMY (2303 lit) in 5th lactation. TLMY was 2134 to 2362 lit, and SLMY 1950 to 2110 lit in 6th to 8th lactation. Productive herd life averaged 3107.87±81.40 days (8.51 years). Mean number of calvings during lifetime was 4.25±0.15. A total of 19- 25 % of the total cows performed in the herd for more than 12 years, (average being 14.6 years) and for > 6 lactations. Gir cows produced 9988.71±649.08 lit LTMP. LTMP of Gir cows was significantly associated with both, the BE and LE (r =0.23 to 0.25). MSLMY showed significant (P>0.05) correlation (r=0.31 to 0.37) with BE-W and LE. Association of AFC was significant with BE-T (r=0.26). The 1st and 2nd CI showed a correlation (r= 0.57 to 0.59, P>0.01) of high magnitude with BE-W. The findings revealed that Gir cows in the herd are worth- retaining in the herd till 8th lactation with satisfactory breeding efficiency of about 87 % for economically viable sustainable dairy farming.