The influence of environmental factors on dairy productivity features manifestation of cows of the Ukrainian Black-and-White dairy breed in dif-ferent zones of their breeding

Abstract

It is known that different levels of milk productivity characterize cows of the same breed in different farms or climatic breeding areas. Therefore, our work aimed to investigate the influence of environmental factors on dairy productivity features manifestation of cows of the Ukrainian Black-and-White dairy breed in different zones of their breeding. The research was conducted at PLC Agricultural Enterprise “On Volovikov's name” in Rivne region (Polissya zone, n = 1840), SE State Farm “Olexandrivske” Vinnytsia region (Forest-Steppe zone, n = 714), and SE “Research farm “Askaniyske” (Steppe zone, n = 926) on firstborn and adult cows (III lactation) of the Ukrainian Black-and-White dairy breed. The sample includes cows that have completed at least the third lactation on time studies. Features of milk productivity (yields, fat content in milk, and quantity of milk fat) were investigated by retrospective analysis of zootechnical accounting data for the last ten years. The influence of environmental factors (breeding area, the season of birth, and the season of the first calving of animals) on the formation of dairy productivity features were studied. The cows bred in the steppe zone had the highest fat milk yield for the first and the third lactation. According to these indicators, they probably (P < 0.001) outnumbered animals from the Forest-Steppe zone by 377 and 45.2 and 268 and 40.6, and from the Polissya zone – by 1042 and 66.6 and 1035 and 63.0 kg. Intergroup differentiation based on milk productivity as well depending on the season of birth and the season of their first calving between cows from different breeding zones was observed. Firstborn, who was born and calved in the autumn in the SE “Oleksandrivske” and PLC Agricultural Enterprise “On Volovikov's name” had the highest milk yields, and in SE “Research farm “Askaniyske” from cows born in summer with first calving in winter. In the third lactation in all breeding areas, cows born in autumn with the first calving in the steppe zone in the spring, in the forest-steppe zone, and Polissya – In the autumn were the most productive. The area of cows' breeding played the most significant role in their productivity, and the first calving season had the slightest impact. In this case, it should be noted that environmental factors studied in the research significantly affected the milk productivity features of firstborns, not adult cows.