Silage, which is anaerobically fermented green fodder, is valued throughout the world as a source of animal feed during lean months. Several farms in India use carbohydrate sources like jaggery or molasses at 2% for preparation of silage, and this increases cost of production. The present study was undertaken to assess the effect of jaggery on quality and intake of maize silage, with an objective to find out whether additional carbohydrate source is essential in preparation of silage using green maize. Three silage types, one without jaggery (A), the second with 1% jaggery (B), and the third with 2% jaggery (C) were prepared in cylindrical bins under similar conditions. They were compared for colour, pH, lactic acid bacteria count, lactic acid content, proximate composition and silage intake by sheep. Silage type C with 2% jaggery was significantly different from the other two types with values of 3.98 and 805.66 g for pH and mean silage intake, respectively. Even though the values of pH and dry matter intake for all three silage types were within normal levels, silage type C was significantly superior in terms of fermentation and palatability. The method of preparation followed could be ideal for small holder farmers requiring less quantity of silage.

The population of Nilagiri breed of Sheep is threatened and required micro breeding strategy for conservation and genetic improvement. Data on 4,619 Nilagiri lambs born during the 28 years (1993-2021) at the Sheep Breeding Research Station (SBRS), Sandynallah of the Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu, India were utilized for this investigation. Data on birth weight of lamb along with dam’s body weight at the time of lambing were collected. Relationship between different body weights of dam was investigated in terms of lamb’s birth weight using one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc test for different dam body weight pairwise comparison. Heatmap was drawn for P values between different dam’s body weights aiding in visualization of the possible compatibility between body weights of dam. The birth weight of lambs positively correlated with that of dam’s body weight. Heat map visual analysis revealed five different clusters viz. less than 23.00 kg, 23.01-26.00 kg, 26.01-29.00 kg, 29.01-32.00 kg and greater than 32.01 kg sets of patterns. This was the first study in sheep breed for applying heatmap tool for growth trait analysis.