First study on phenotypic and morphological characteristics of Malaysian Kedah-Kelantan cattle (Bos indicus) and method of estimating their body weight

Abstract

Background and Aim: Indigenous Kedah-Kelantan (KK) cattle are well adapted with distinguished reproductive capabilities; they account for more than 70% of the domestic beef production in Malaysia. The published literature on the phenotypic and morphometric characteristics of KK cattle are sparse and require further improvement. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the phenotypic and morphometric characteristics of Malaysian KK cattle and method of estimating live body weight (BW). Materials and Methods: Morphometric and phenotypic measurements were taken from 184 KK cattle (102 males and 82 females) sourced from three regions. Each animal's color pattern was recorded for their coat, muzzle, face, eyelashes, horns, tail switch, hoof, and legs through visual observation. Length measurements were taken of the body, face, ear, horn, tail, and rump. Several morphological features such as length, width, and girth were measured using a measuring tape, while wither height and hip height were assessed with a measuring scale. Results: Brown is the predominant coat color in KK cattle (>82%). The overall means of head length, face width (FW), ear length, horn length, wither height, heart girth (HG), body length (BL), and rump length were 42.5±4.5, 17.3±2.9, 19.8±3.1, 9.9±4.4, 104.3±7.1, 127.4±13.2, 98.3±12.3, and 32.4±4.1 cm, respectively. Different morphometric parameters of length, width, and circumference were significantly (p<0.01) larger in males than females, except for tail length and TG. Correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis clearly revealed that BL is the best parameter for estimating live BW in KK cattle. Conclusion: Phenotypic and morphometric measurements in this study showed that Malaysian KK cattle generally possess a brown coat pattern with smaller body size, while BL revealed to be the best parameter to predict BW. The data generated from this study would be useful as baseline data for the identification and selection of KK cattle based on their phenotypical- and morphological-features for further improvement of this breed.

Geographical Distribution and Phenotypic Characterization of Malin Sheep in Three Selected States of Peninsular Malaysia.

“…According to Kalds [51], the Agouti gene (ASIP) controls the expression of yellowish color through the white or tan (A Wt ) dominant allele (due to phaeomelanin), whereas the recessive allele (A a ) controls expression of the brown and black WC through eumelanin. This coat color explains the connection to the animal's ability to adapt to environmental stressors, including heat stress, flies, and lice perch [52,48]. The coarse WT observed with Malin sheep in the present study is similar to that reported for other breeds, such as Ethiopian Menz sheep [53] and Garole sheep in India [54].…”

“…Recording morphological traits such as WC aids in the identification process and breed characterization [47]. Variations in morphological traits are likely affected by breed characteristics, geographical distribution, and the local environment [48], as well as the livestock management system. Factors such as body size, growth rate, and breed type are commonly considered in animal selection [49].…”

A first meta-analysis study on body weight prediction method for beef cattle based on digital image processing

“…Categorization based on breed and sex can enhance the reliability of prediction, with correlation coefficients reaching up to 0.96. The breed is considered an appropriate categorization indicator in predicting cattle body weight due to the distinct phenotypic and conformational characteristics of each cattle breed [ 25 ]. Future studies should consider the use of machine learning-based algorithms, as reported by Ruchay et al [ 26 ].…”

Morphometric features, seminal profile and diluters effect on post-thaw semen quality of Munshiganj cattle in Bangladesh

“…Body length (cm) : point of shoulder to the point-of-rump or pin bone [ 94 ]; Hearth girth (cm): around the animal at the point of smallest circumference just behind the forelegs [ 95 ]; Body weight (kg): measured using Shaeffer's formula, Live weight (kg)=(body length × (hearth girth) 2 )/(300 × 2.2); Height at wither (cm) : distance from the surface of the platform to the dorsal point (Os vertebrae thoracalis III) of the withers [ 96 ]; Head length (cm): the poll of the head to the rostral end of muzzle [ 95 , 97 ]; Head width (cm): broader portion of the head [ 97 ] ( Photo 3 ).

Photo 3 Head width measurement (Lomillos et al, 2020).

…”