Indian Journal of Animal Research

  • Chief EditorK.M.L. Pathak

  • Print ISSN 0367-6722

  • Online ISSN 0976-0555

  • NAAS Rating 6.50

  • SJR 0.263

  • Impact Factor 0.4 (2024)

Frequency :
Monthly (January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December)
Indexing Services :
Science Citation Index Expanded, BIOSIS Preview, ISI Citation Index, Biological Abstracts, Scopus, AGRICOLA, Google Scholar, CrossRef, CAB Abstracting Journals, Chemical Abstracts, Indian Science Abstracts, EBSCO Indexing Services, Index Copernicus
Submit

Research Article

Indian Journal of Animal Research, volume 52 issue 9 (september 2018) : 1353-1360

On-farm husbandry practices and phenotypic characteristics of indigenous Assamese buffaloes of India

Shafiqul Islam, Safeer Alam, Gujeet Kaur, Amulya Kr. Gogoi
1Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat-785 013, Assam, India.
Cite article:- Islam Shafiqul, Alam Safeer, Kaur Gujeet, Gogoi Kr. Amulya (2017). On-farm husbandry practices and phenotypic characteristics of indigenous Assamese buffaloes of India. Indian Journal of Animal Research. 52(9): 1353-1360. doi: 10.18805/ijar.B-3358.

ABSTRACT

Present investigation was conducted on 3310 Assamese buffaloes during the period 2009-13 to study on-farm husbandry practices and phenotypic characteristics. Fifty two breeders were randomly selected from 18 villages of three districts in its breeding tract in Assam, India. A pre-structured questionnaire was used to interview the breeders to generate data which included husbandry practices: housing and sanitation, feeding, breeding and general health management and body measurement: body length, body height, heart girth, paunch girth. The data collected were analyzed by descriptive statistics (percentages). The study revealed that the body length, height, heart girth and paunch girth for young and adult animals, ranged from 70.45±0.82 to 143.62±1.10, 81.34±0.60 to 136.31±1.00, 88.85±0.53 to 186.95±0.95 and 96.04±0.83 to 197.96±0.99 cm respectively. The results showed that the breeders have adopted good husbandry practices under existing farming situations in the area except sanitation and drainage was very poor. Feeding management was mostly extensive type (100%) for 8 hours (100%) and the Colostrum and milk feeding to young calves was practiced by 100% of the farmers. Whereas breeding is concerned, 46.15% breeders maintained 40-60 animals with 1-2 breeding bulls (78.85%) for natural breeding (100%). Buffalo breeders adopted deworming (40.38%) in young as well as adult animals and the vaccination of animals were practiced only 38.46%. The treatment of diseased animals was performed mostly by Veterinary Field Assistants (38.62%) and the Quacks (51.92%). Most common category of diseases was FMD, BQ and Parasites (36.54%) in the area. The animals are good for draft purpose and known for higher fat contents in its milk, hence recommended for its conservation and further development.

REFERENCES

  1. Ahmad, S.M.; Yaqoob, N.; Hashmi, M.A.; Zaman and Amjad, M.S. (2009). Farmer’s attitude towards interventions regarding buffalo calf health care and management practices under field conditions. Pakistan Veterinary J., 29(3): 125-128.
  2. Ahmad, N.; Abdullah, M.; Javed, K.; Khalid, M.S.; Babbar, M.E.; Younas, U. and Nasrullah. (2013). Relationship between body measurements and milk production in Nili Ravi buffaloes maintained at commercial farms in peri-urban vicinity of Lahore. Buffalo Bull., 32:792–795. 
  3. Anonymous, (1998). A field survey on the performances of swamp buffaloes of Assam, Final report, ICAR Ad-hoc research scheme, Department of Animal genetics and Breeding, College of Veterinary Science, Guwahati, Assam.
  4. Census, (2012). 19th Livestock Census, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, GoI, New Delhi.
  5. Das, Dharameswar. (2009). Buffaloes of assam and unexplored germ-plasm of north- east. Paper presented in National Symposium on Livestock Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization: Lesson from Past and Future Perspectives, held at NBAGR, Karnal on Feb.12-13, 2009: 68 – 72.
  6. Das, G.C.; Deori, S.; Das, B.K. and Goswami, R.N. (2007). Studies on certain seminal characteristics of Assam. Indian Veterinary Journal, 84(10): 1052-1053.
  7. Das, M.; Deka, D.K. and Islam, S. (2015). Pathology of Haemonchosis in a swamp buffalo calf. International Journal of Recent Scientific Research, 6 (11): 7541-7543. 
  8. Erat, S. (2011). Approach of linear, quadratic and cubic regression models to predict body weight from different body measurements in domestic cats. Int. J. Agric. Biol, 13: 419-422.
  9. Gokhale, S.B.; Bhagat, R.L.; Singh, P.K. and Gurmej Singh (2009). Morpho-metric Characteristics and Utility pattern of Khillar Cattle in breed tract. Indian Journal of Ani. Sciences, 79 (1): 47-51.
  10. GoP, (2006). Livestock Census, Agriculture Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Lahore.
  11. Goswami, R.N. (2009). Status and potentials in animal genetic resources of North-Eastern India. Paper presented in National Symposium on Livestock Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization : Lesson from Past and Future Perspectives, Feb.12-13,2009: 45 – 51.
  12. Gurkan, E.K.; Tuna, Y.T. and Soyal, M.I. (2011). The morphometric characterization of anatolian water buffalo according to body measurement. J Tekirdog Agri Faculty, 8 (2): 143-152.
  13. Gupta, J.J.; Singh, K.M. Bhatt, B.P. and Dey, A. (2014). A diagnostic study on livestock production system in eastern-region of India. Ind. J Ani Sci, 84 (2):198 – 203.
  14. Gupta, D.C.; Suresh, A. and Mann, J.S. (2008). Management practices and productivity status of cattle and buffaloes in Rajasthan. Ind J Ani Sci, 78 (7): 769-774.
  15. Kalita, R.; Dandapat, A.; Kamal, B.D.; Das, G.C.; Choudhury and Goswami, R.N. (2010). Confirmation traits of swamp buffalo of Assam at different age groups. Indian J. Anim. Res., 44(4): 300-302.
  16. Khalid, Javed; Abdullah, M.; Khalid, M.S.; Ahmad, N.; Bhatti, J.A. and Younas, M. (2013). Inter-relationship of milk constituents with body and udder measurements in Nili-Ravi Buffaloes raised at commercial farms of Pakistan. Buffalo Bulletin, 32(2): 1170-1173.
  17. Khan, M.; Rahim, I.; Rueff, H.; Jalali, S.; Saleem, M.; Maselli, D.; Muhammad, S. and Wiesmann, U. (2013). Morphological characterization of the Azikheli buffaloes in Pakistan. Ani Gen. Resources, 52: 65-70.
  18. Kishore, K.; Mahender, M. and Harikrishna, C. (2013). A study on buffalo management practices in Khamman district of Andhra Pradesh. Buffalo Bulletin, 32 (2): 97-119.
  19. Mishra, B.P.; Kataria, R.S.; Sadana, D.K.; Sunder, S.; Ahlawat, S.P.S.; Das, G. and Goswami, R.N. (2007). Genetic characterization of Assamese Swamp Buffalo: A Unique buffalo germplasm of North East. Paper presented in National Symposium on Role of Animal Genetic Resources in of Assamese Swamp Buffaloes. Rural Livelihood Security, held at BAU Ranchi on Feb.08-09, 2007: 343.
  20. Mishra, B.P.; Prakash, B.; Kataria, R.S.; Sadana, D.K.; Das, G.C.; Kathiravan, P. and Goswami, R.N. (2008). Microsatellite based diversity analysis and cytogenetic screening. Paper presented in National Symposium on Redefining Role of Indigenous Animal Genetic Resources in Rural Development, held at Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, Bidar on Feb.15-    16, 2008: 151.
  21. Mustafa, M.Y.; Shahid, M. and Mahmood, B. (2010). Management practices and health care of buffalo calves in Sheikhopura district, Pakistan. Buffalo Bulletin, 29 (3): 217-223.
  22. Qureshi, M.Y.; Tarar, A.A.; Ahmad, Z.; Younas, M. and Ali, T. (2003). An appraisal of the livestock production system in Punjab. Livestock Action Plan, University of Agriculture, Faislabad, Pakistan, FAO Project TCP/PAK/0168.
  23. Roychoudhury, D. (2000). Studies on certain physical, biochemical and performance traits of swamp buffaloes. M.V.Sc. Thesis submitted to Assam Agril. University, Guwahati, Assam.
  24. Sabapara, G.P.; Desai, P.M.; Singh, R.R. and Kharadi, V.B. (2010). Breeding and health care management status of dairy animals in the tribal area of South Gujrat. Ind J Ani Sci, 80 (11): 1148 – 51.
  25. Safeer, Alam; Singh, P.K.; Gurjeet, Kaur and Yadav, J.S. (2011). Belahi : An unexplored cattle germplasm of foothills of Northern Himalayan region. Indian Farming, 61 (9): 33-36.
  26. Sawarkar, S.W.; Borkar, S.V.; Upadhye, S.V. and Jadhao, A. (2001). Characteristics of dairy owners, their awareness, adoption and constraints in adoption of artificial insemination practices in Vidarbha region. Indian J Dairy Sci, 54:194-202. 
  27. Shankar, S. and Mandal, K.G. (2010). Genetic and non-genetic factors affecting body weight of buffaloes. Vet. World, 3: 227-229.
  28. Siddiquee, N.; Faruque, M.O.; Islam, I.; Mijan, M.A. and Habib, M.A. (2010). Morphometric measurements, productive and reproductive performances of buffalo in trishal and Companiganj sub districts of Bangladesh. Int. J. Bio. Res., 1(16): 25-27.
  29. Snedector, G.W. and Cochran, W.G. (1967). Statistical Methods, 6th end. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co, New Delhi.
  30. Tariq, M.; Younas, M.; Khan, A.B. and Schlecht, E. (2013). Body measurements and body conditions scoring as basis for estimation of live weight in Nili-Ravi Buffaloes. Pakistan Vet. J., 33(3): 325-329.
  31. Thiruvenkadan, A.K.; Rajendran R. and Muralidharan, J. (2013). Buffalo Genetic Resources of India and Their Conservation. Buffalo Bulletin, 32 (1): 227-235.
  32. Vohra, V.; Niranjan, S.K.; Mishra, A.K.; Jamuna, V.; Chopra, A.; Sharma, N. and Dong, K.J. (2015). Phenotypic characterization and multivariate analysis to explain body confirmation in lesser known buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) from North India. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences (AJAS), 28(3): 311-316. 
Reviewed By

Download Article
In this Article
    Contact us
    Follow us

    Editorial Board

    View all (0)