1996 ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES INFORMATIONin Mithun (Bos frontalis)9 B.P.S. Yadav & N.D. Verma Conservation of the Tswana cattle breed in Botswana 17 N. Mpofu Characterisation of the

ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES INFORMATION

BULLETIND’INFORMATIONSUR LE RESSOURCESGÉNÉTIQUES ANIMALES

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Initiative pourla Diversitédes AnimauxDomestiques

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© FAO and UNEP 1996

Editors - Editeurs - Editores:J. Boyazoglu, FAO (REUS) and/et/yS. Galal FAO (AGA)

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Animal Genetic Resources Information ispublished under the joint auspices of theFood and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations (FAO) and the UnitedNations Environment Programme (UNEP). Itis edited in the Animal Genetic ResourcesGroup of the Animal Production and HealthDivision of FAO. It is available direct fromFAO or through the usual FAO sales agents.

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Le Bulletin d’information sur les ressourcesgénétiques animales est publié sous lesauspices conjoints de l’Organisation desNations Unies pour l’Alimentation etl’Agriculture (FAO) et du Programme desNations Unies pour l’Environnement(UNEP). Cette publication est éditée par leGroupe des Ressources Génétiques de laDivision de la Production et de la SantéAnimales de la FAO. On peut se le procurerdirectement au siège de la FAO ou auprèsdes dépositaires et agents habituels de ventede publication de l’Organisation.

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ANIMAL GENETIC

RESOURCES INFORMATION

BULLETIN

D’INFORMATION SUR LES

RESSOURCES GENETIQUES

ANIMALES

BOLETIN DE

INFORMACION SOBRE RECURSOS

GENETICOS ANIMALES

CONTENTS Page

Questionnaire for updating of AGRI mailing list

Editorial 1

Diversity on animal genetic resources and sustainabledevelopment of animal production in China 3Shen Changjiang

Studies on feed utilization growth pattern and milk compositionin Mithun (Bos frontalis) 9B.P.S. Yadav & N.D. Verma

Conservation of the Tswana cattle breed in Botswana 17N. Mpofu

Characterisation of the Siri breed and the Mithun cross Siriin Bhutan 27Phangchung & J.A. Roden

Le cheval Mbayar dans la partie centrale du bassin arachidiersénégalais 35J.-P. Dehoux, A. Dieng & A. Buldgen

Paramètres de reproduction et de production des petitsruminants locaux au Burundi 55J. Mbayahaga, C. Baudoux, S.N.M. Mandiki, J.L. Bister,R. Branckaert & R. Paquay

Image analysis in morphological animal evaluation: a group for thedevelopment of new techniques in zoometry 71G. Zehender, L.P. Cordella, A. Chianese, L. Ferrara,A. del Pozzo, S. Barbera, A. Bosticco, P. Negretti,G. Bianconi, G. Filippi Balestra & R. Tonielli

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

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ORGANIZACION DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS PARA LA AGRICULTURA Y LA ALIMENTACION

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

PROGRAMME DES NATIONS UNIES POUR L’ENVIRONNEMENT

PROGRAMA DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS PARA EL MEDIO AMBIENTE

INITIATIVE FOR DOMESTIC ANIMAL DIVERSITY

INITIATIVE POUR LA DIVERSITE DES ANIMAUX DOMESTIQUES

INICIATIVA PARA LA DIVERSIDAD DE LOS ANIMALES DOMESTICOS

201996

THE EDITORS

J.G. Boyazoglu, FAO (REUS)

Born in 1937 in Alexandria, Egypt, hegraduated in Genetics and AnimalHusbandry at the University ofPretoria (South Africa) and specialisedin Animal Genetics and Systems ofProduction in Paris, France, (INRA)and at the University of Thessaloniki,Greece; then studied Economics andCommerce at the Paris Institute forInternational Commerce (ICI/ENE).His main topics of interest are todaysystems of animal farming inunfavourable environments, smallruminant production, safeguarding oflocal populations and integrated ruraldevelopment. He was SecretaryGeneral of the European Associationfor Animal Production, theInternational Committee for AnimalRecording and the World Associationfor Animal Production (1985-1993).Presently, he is Senior Officer(Research and Technology) of theFAO’s Regional Office for Europe andAssociate Professor of Animal Scienceat the University of Thessaloniki,Greece. He was President of theInternational Goat Association and ismember of several Academies (France,South Africa, Italy, Romania, Greece,Spain, USA, Canada) and manyagricultural scientific and professionalorganizations.

S. Galal, FAO (AGAP)

Born in Egypt in 1938, he got his first degreein agriculture with specialisation (honours) inAnimal Production from the University ofAlexandria, Egypt, in 1957. Then afterworking in the field and as demonstrator inthe University of Alexandria for two years, heearned a fellowship to study animal breedingin USA. He got his M.Sc. in Animal Breedingin Texas A&M University in 1961 and Ph.D.in Iowa State University in 1965 when hereturned to Egypt to work in the DesertResearch Institute. He joined the Faculty ofAgriculture, Ain Shams University in Cairo,in 1968, where he holds a professorship inAnimal Breeding and is on leave of absencesince 1992 to work for the FAO. He taughtgraduate and undergraduate courses inAnimal Breeding, Biometrics, Sheep and GoatProduction and General Animal Productionand did research and supervised those ofM.Sc. and Ph.D. students. He spent one yearas a visiting associate professor at Statisticsand Computer Department, University ofWest Virginia, USA, teaching statistics anddoing research in animal breeding. He haspublished more than 80 papers in animalbreeding and sheep and goat production inrefereed journals, written a book on animalbreeding and another on statistical methodsand experimental designs (both in Arabic)that are widely used in the Arab countriesand contributed chapters to and edited otherbooks and publications..

GUIDE TO CONTRIBUTORS

Animal GeneticResources Informationwill be pleased toreceive contributions upto 3000 words long inEnglish, French orSpanish. If accepted,they will be publishedin the original language.Reports, news andnotes about meetings,animal geneticresources assessment,utilization andconservation activitiesand techniques will beconsidered.Manuscripts should betyped in double spaceand accompanied by asummary of not morethan 5 percent of theoriginal length.Photographs areacceptable but onlyhigh quality black andwhite prints. AGRI willalso review new bookson animal geneticresources.Correspondence isinvited.

All contributionsshould be addressed to:

The Editor, AGRI,AGAP, FAO,Via delle Terme diCaracalla,00100 Rome, Italy.

E-mail: Salah.Galal @ fao.org

Le Bulletin d'information surles ressources génétiquesanimales souhaite recevoir desarticles en anglais, en françaisou en espagnol, de 3000 motsau maximum. Lescommunications publiéesparaîtront dans la langueoriginale. Les rapports,informations et notesconcernant les réunions,l’évaluation des ressourcesgénétiques animales, lesactivités et techniquesd’utilisation et de conservationseraient particulièrementappréciés. Les manuscritsdevront être dactylographiés endouble interligne etaccompagnés d'un résumé nedépassant pas cinq pour centde la longueur de l'original. LeBulletin accepte lesphotographies à condition qu'ils'agisse de bonnes épreuves ennoir et blanc. Le Bulletin rendégalement compte desouvrages nouvellement parussur les ressources génétiquesanimales. Un échange decorrespondance est lebienvenu.

Adresser toutes lescontributions à l'adressesuivante:

L'Editeur, AGRI, AGAP, FAO,Via delle Terme di Caracalla,00100 Rome, Italie.


El Boletín de Informaciónsobre Recursos GenéticosAnimales recibirá conmucho gusto colaboracionesde hasta 3000 palabras deextensión en español,francés o inglés. Si sonaceptadas, lascontribuciones se publicaránen el idioma original.Interesa recibir informes,noticias y notas sobrereuniones, evaluaciones derecursos genéticos animales,y actividades y técnicas deconservación y utilización.Los originales deberánpresentarsemecanografiados a dobleespacio y acompañados deun resumen que no supereel 5 por ciento de laextensión original. Seaceptan fotografías, peroúnicamente en blanco ynegro y de buena calidad.AGRI también publicaráreseñas de libros sobrerecursos genéticos animales.Cualquier intercambio decorrespondencia serábienvenido.

Todas las contribucionesdeberán dirigirse a:

El Editor, AGRI, AGAP,FAO,Via delle Terme di Caracalla,00100 Roma, Italia.


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Animal Genetic Resources Information

J. Boyazoglu and S. Galal (Editors)FAO, Animal Production and Health Division

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EDITORIAL

As our readers must have noticed, AGRIhas a new cover design. The background onthe cover depicts animal scenes reminiscentof the prehistoric drawings found in cavesin Southern France and Spain indicating thevery ancient and intimate relationshipbetween man and animals. AGRI No. 20marks a new phase where it is planned tohave identical editions both in hard-copyand electronic format through the DomesticAnimal Diversity Information System(DAD-IS) available on the Internet sinceApril 1996(URL: <http://www.fao.org/dad-is/>)developed and maintained by the FAO asthe virtual structure for the Initiatives forDomestic Animal Diversity (iDAD). Thisserves to involve all stakeholders withimplementing the Global Strategy for theManagement of Farm Animal GeneticResources (AnGR). iDAD is lead, co-ordinated, facilitated and reported onglobally by FAO at the request of itsMember Nations

Implementation is progressing towardsthe completion of the formation of theglobal structure and institutionalisation.National Focal Points (NFPs) are the basicstructure for the country-based globalstructure. NFPs have been completed forEurope, twelve (12) have been formed as afirst phase in Asia and five (5) in theAmericas and the Caribbean. Africa and theNear East are underway. Mid-termevaluation of the first regional project forthe Programme: ‘Conservation and Use ofAnimal Genetic Resources in Asia and thePacific’, started in 1993, stated that theProject has resulted in a large number ofpositive effects at all levels from theindividual farm, through district level toprovincial, national and regional levels butan important finding is that more fundingis required particularly at the country level.This finding is expected to be universalamong developing countries in otherregions of the World. In the Americas, aPan-American ad hoc consultative group

(COREGAN) was established to enhancethe formation of the national and regionalstructures, identify regional projects for themanagement of AnGR and approachpotential donors to secure funds for countryand regional activities. COREGANproposed eleven (11) countries as a firststage of involvement. Many of thesecountries have designated their respectiveNFPs. Two subregional workshops areplanned for Sub-Saharan Africa in 1997.One in the context of a UNDP financedPreparatory Assistance Project which willeventually lead to a project on the‘Management of Farm Animal GeneticResources for the Twelve SADC Countries’.The further development of the programmefor other regions of Sub-Saharan Africa isplanned for 1997.

Toward the institutionalisation of theGlobal Strategy for AnGR, the FAOCommission on Genetic Resources for Foodand Agriculture has now a broadermandate to include animal geneticresources and preparations are underwayfor establishing the Animal GeneticResources Intergovernmental TechnicalWorking Group, an important mechanismto reach consensus among nations on issuesrelated to AnGR.

Since the early inception of the AnGRactivity, communication has been the heartof it. While DAD-IS is essentially acommunication element, a comprehensivecommunication strategy for iDAD is beingdeveloped at the Secretariat at FAOHeadquarters. This strategy will include,inter alia, multi-lingual on-line information,a standalone CD-ROM-based mode for low-cost, quick access, a project managementmodule, databases, periodicals and otherpublications to enhance the exchange ofinformation among countries and betweenFAO and countries.

The Editors

AGRI 1996 20: 3-8

Diversity of animal genetic resources and sustainabledevelopment of animal production in China

Shen Changjiang

Commission for Integrated Survey of Natural Resources.The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101 Beijing, P.R. of China

Key words: Risks, Approaches of conservation, In situ conservation

Summary

Development of China’s animal productionin the last twenty years regarding farmanimal diversity and the risk it faces inChina are presented. The approaches ofanimal genetic resources conservation tosatisfy a sustained development for animalproduction in future are expressed. Sixapproaches and measures arerecommended.

Résumé

L’auteur présente dans cet article ledéveloppement de la production animaleen Chine au cours des 20 dernières années,ainsi que la diversité des animaux d’élevageet le risque qu’ils courent. On explique enoutre les stratégies de conservation desressources génétiques animales afin desatisfaire un développement durable de laproduction animale dans le futur. Onrecommande dans cet article six stratégieset mesures possibles.

Photo 1. Tanyang light fur sheep (lamb).


4

State of development ofanimal production in China

Animal production data from 1974 to 1994according to the Ministry of Agriculture ofPeople’s Republic of China (1989, 1995) areshown in table 1.The data above shows that, in the past

twenty years, the output of animals andanimal products have increaseddramatically. Animal production hasincreased by 54.4%; but animal productshave increased several times. For example,the meat yields in the last twenty yearshave increased by 363%. From 1984, in thelast ten years, there has been an increase of

140%, of which the yields of pork, beef andmutton and lamb have increased by 122%,777% and 175%, respectively. The yields ofmilk, sheep wool, goat fibres, and cashmerein the past twenty years have increased by511%, 84%, 178% and 133%, respectively. Inthe last ten years the increase percentage ofthose products has been 142%, 39%, 133%and 127%, respectively. The egg production

increased by 243% in the last ten years.Pork, beef and eggs increased the most,followed by mutton and lamb. The yieldincrease was due to the following factors:a) The marketing economic reform of

agricultural production.b) Improvement of feedstuffs, animal

feeding and management.

Table 1. Statistical data of animal production of China in 1994,1984 and 1974.

Item 1994 1984 1974Population: (000)Cattle 96 239 62 622 56 841Buffalo 22 913 19 506 17 369Horse 10 037 10 978 11 103Ass 10 923 9 962 8 233Mule 5 552 4 790 3 139Bactrian camel 356 531 504Sheep 117445 95 193 94 704Goat 123 084 63 207 66 169Pig 414 615 306 792 260 780Total 801 164 573 581 518 842

Meat*Total (000 ton) 36 927 15 406 7 970

(1975)Pork 32 048 15 406 n. a.Beef 3 270 14 447 n. a.Mutton & lamb 1 609 586 n. a.

Cow’s milk 5 288 2 186 866Sheep wool 255 183 139Goat wool 25 11 9Cashmere 7 3 3Eggs 14 790 4 316*The total of 1974 is replaced by the data of 1975 and the totalis exclusive of poultry and rabbit meats which were 7 552thousand tons and 299 thousand tons, respectively, for 1994;estimates for 1974 and 1984 not available.

Shen Changjiang

Animal Genetic Resources Information, No.20, 199

5

c) The diversity of animal genetic resourcesand breed improvement, especially thecrossbreeding of pigs, cattle and sheepwhich has played an important role. Butindiscriminate crossbreeding, especiallythe extreme grading has partlydestroyed the diversity of animal geneticresources.

Farm animal diversity and itsrisk in China

According to the surveys and investigationson farm animal and avian breeds in China inthe past sixty years, there are about 601breeds in China, of which 430 are animals and1710 are poultry . The native breeds ofanimals are 343, and of poultry 132. Thenumber of breeds of pig and chicken are thehighest. They represent 21.7% and 16.6%,respectively, of native breeds in China (Shen,1992). Therefore, the rapid development ofanimal production has been primarilybenefitted by the breed diversity andcrossbreeding. Of course, for economicreasons, people can introduce modern breedsfrom abroad or from other regions in China,

and use crossbreeding. But they mustconsider the strategy and measures of breedconservation and how to sustain animalproduction in the future. If people do notmake correct decisions, farm animal breeddiversity could be destroyed and thesustainability of animal production couldbecome endangered. The risk status of native

breeds in China is shown in table 2.Table 2 shows that the extinct breedsrepresent 3% of the total native breeds;critical breeds 1.4% and the endangeredbreeds 9.1%, i.e. at present the general riskstatus among breeds is 10.5%. Pig breedsare the most severely challenged, followedby cattle and chickens, then horses andsheep. The lower productivity and the needof farmers for higher income are the mainfactors causing the risk, especially for thenative breeds of pigs, cattle and chickens. Inorder to increase income, people are onlyinterested in high productivity breeds andfollow the extreme grading blindly. If suchdecisions and approaches are continued,the erosion of native breeds cannot beavoided and the animal productionsustainability will be impaired in the future.

Photo 2. Dian-nan small-ear pig (boar pigling).


6

Approaches of farm animaldiversity conservation inChina

a) For the conservation of animal geneticresources, the traditional ideas on how touse the resources must be changed,especially with regard to the endangeredbreeds. For example, it is not appropriateto evaluate the resources and theirdiversity with a shortsighted point ofview, based only on the short-termeconomic return but ignoring views onconservation and sustained utilization.Therefore, new ideas, especially amongthe decision makers and someproducers, should replace the traditionalideas of the conservation of breeddiversity and the sustainabledevelopment of animal production.

b) To adopt the cautious and rational policyto introduce new breeds and to usecrossbreeding. The serious risk for nativebreeds comes from the blindintroduction of high productivity breeds,

and indiscriminate crossbreeding,especially grading with an extensiveapplication. AI to meet the requirementsfor increasing profits.The major part ofthe extinct and endangered breeds wasmainly caused by implementing thewrong ideas and policy.

c) To conserve the naturalenvironment/habitat of breeds.

d) To use the biotechnology with cautionand avoid the possible negative impactthat its misuse could have on thebiodiversity

e) To continue the animal genetic resourcessurvey and to complete China’s AnimalGenetic Resources Databank andInformation System.

f) To adopt a conservation strategyrelevant to the Chinese reality, i.e. thelarge number of native breeds, withdifferent habitat and the lack of enoughfinancial support for the conservationprogrammes. Therefore, there are twoconservation strategies that could beconsidered. One is active conservationand the other is passive conservation.

Table 2. Risk status of native breeds in China.

Species Total ofnativebreeds

Extinct breeds

(EX)

Criticalbreeds (C)

(Femalenumber of

population<100)

Endangeredbreeds (E)(Femalenumber

of population100-1 000)

Horse 29 5Ass 18 1Cattle 39 3 1 5Buffalo 16Yak 5Bactriancamel

4

Sheep 35 2Goat 37Pig 71 2 3 12Chicken 64 4 7Duck 25 1Goose 21 1Total 364 11 5 33

(Adapted from Feng et al., 1990 and Chen, 1992).

Shen Changjiang

Animal Genetic Resources Information, No.20, 199

7

The former is similar to in situconservation, and must include thedevelopment of the breed’s economicvalue and the maintenance of the specialtraits in a population and developmentof high productivity. Meanwhile, the

ecological management of animalproduction within the breed reservesshould be adopted. This conservationstrategy and these measures are put intopractice for two sheep breeds in two areas,Hu sheep in Jiangsu and Tan sheep in

Photo 4. Altai fat-rumped sheep (female).

Photo 3. Nan-yang cattle (male).


8

Ningxia (Shen, 1992). The passiveconservation should be only applied to thecritical and endangered breeds, i.e. about 38breeds in China. The most urgent need isfor an inventory of animal genetic resourcesto be carried out. Then the priority ofconservation/preservation could bedecided by the government andorganizations.

References

Chen Yuechun. 1992. Endangeredbreeds of livestock of East Asia, In: FAOAnimal Production and Health paper 80,Ed, by Gerald Wiener, FAO Rome andAgricultural Science and TechnologyPublishing House of China, Beijing, pp.180184 (in Chinese).

Feng Weiqi, et al. 1990. Studies ofconservation and utilization of farm animalbreeds in China (in Chinese).

Ministry of Agriculture, P.R. ofChina. 1989. Statistical data of ruraleconomy of China (19491986), AgriculturalPublishing House, Beijing (in Chinese).

Ministry of Agriculture, P.R. ofChina. 1995. Statistical data of agricultureof China, 1994. Agricultural PublishingHouse, Beijing (in Chinese) .

Shen Changjiang. 1992. Conservationstrategies for animal genetic resources inChina. In: Genetic Conservation ofDomestic Livestock Vol.2, Eds LawrenceAlderson and Imre Bodo, C.A.B.International, U.K., pp. 8086 (in English)

AGRI 1996 20: 9-15

Studies on feed utilization growth pattern andmilk composition in Mithun (Bos frontalis)

B.P.S. Yadav1 & N.D. Verma2

1Animal Nutrition Division, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region,Umroi Road,Barapani 793103, Meghalaya, India

2National Research Centre on Mithun, Jharnapani, Nagaland, India

Key words: Mithun, Birth weight, Growth, Milk, Dry matter intake, Digestibility

Summary

Studies were conducted on two calves anda pregnant female captured from the forestto assess the feed utilization, growthpattern and milk composition in Mithun(Bos frontalis), a rare bovine species ofnorth-eastern India. The DMI, kg/100 kgbody weight was 0.05 with DM and OMdigestibility of 56.95 ± 3.68 and 58.46 ± 3.51percents, respectively, in calves. Thegrowth was more during the May toOctober months, however, the averagegrowth of 181.26 ± 23.51 g day-1 wasobtained during the year on grazing. TheMithun was not a milk yielder, but becameaccustomed to milking. Fat content in milkvaried from 6.8 to 7.8%. The total solids,protein, lactose, ash and solid not fat (SNF)were estimated at 18.0, 4.9, 5.0, 0.8 and10.7% respectively with COB negative at4°C. The birth weight of the male calf wasestimated at 22.0 kg, and an averagegrowth of 325.14 g day-1 was determined in214 days with maximum weight gainduring the first two months of age.

Résumé

Des études ont été réalisées sur deuxgénisses et une femelle gravide capturéesdans la forêt, pour évaluer l’efficacité deleur alimentation, le rythme de croissance etla composition du lait de Mithun (Bosfrontalis), qui est une rare espèce bovine dunord-est de l’Inde. Le DMI, kg/100 kg depoids corporel chez les génisses, était de 0,5

avec une digestibilité de DM et OM égale à56,95 + 3,68 et 56,46 + 3,51%,respectivement. La croissance étaitsupérieure pendant la période de mai àoctobre; cependant, la moyenne decroissance de 181,26 + 23,51 g jour-1 a étéobtenue pendant l’année au pâturage. LeMithun n’est pas un animal à lait, bien quehabitué à la traite, et la teneur en gras dulait varie de 6,8 à 7,8%. On a estimé lesrésidus totaux solides en protéine, lactose,cendre et solide non gras (SNG) à desniveaux de 18,0; 4,9; 5,0; 0,8 et 10,7%,respectivement, avec un COB négatif à 4oC.Le poids à la naissance du mâle a été estiméà 22,0 kg, et une croissance moyenne de325,14 g jour-1 a été déterminée pour unepériode de 214 jours avec un maximum degain de poids pendant les deux premiersmois de vie.

Introduction

Mithun (Bos frontalis) is a semi-domesticated bovine species kept oncompletely free range grazing on the foresthill slopes in north-eastern India. It thrivesin humid climates and on the hilly terrainsof the forest and also plays an importantrole in economic, social, cultural andreligious life of the local tribal population,particularly in Arunachal Pradesh,Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland (Anon,1989-91). This is one of the rare bovinelivestock species and only confined to thenorth-eastern States of India and NorthernBurma (Gee, 1964). The animal has great

Studies on feed utilization growth pattern and milk composition in Mithun (Bos frontalis)10

meat potential and can also be exploited formilk. The average live weight of an adultMithun ranged between 400 to 600 kg. Theanimals have mostly two colours, brownishblack and white, however, white is rare(photo 1). The animal has a nibbling habbitand is able to graze on the steep slopes ofthe hills. The animal meets its nutritionalrequirements fully on grazing withmonthly supplementation of common saltby owners who oversee and count theirstock in the jungle. The animal is identifiedby its owner simply through physicalappearance and some birth marks on thebody.

The information on growth, feed intakeand milk composition is not available in theliterature. Considering the economic valueof the Mithun, an attempt was made tostudy growth pattern, feed utilization andmilk composition under captive conditionson natural pasture.

Materials and methods

Animals

Two male calves and one pregnant femalewere obtained from the jungle of Nagalandstate and kept at ICAR Research farmBarapani in the state of Meghalaya undercaptive conditions.The animals were kepton native grasses and forest vegetationsunder stall fed conditions for a few monthsuntil they were acquainted with the area ofhabitat and grazing.

Animal experiments

Three experiments were conducted to studythe growth pattern, feed utilization andmilk composition under grazing on naturalpasture of composite vegetations.

Photo 1. Brownish black Mithun licking salt.

B.P.S. Yadav and N.D. Verma

Animal Genetic Resources Information, No. 20, 1996

11

Experiment I

Two male calves with average body weight125 kg were put under grazing on hillslopes of around 5 ha area at 960 m altitudewith pine forest (Pinus khasiana). The areawas properly fenced with barbed wire andthe animals were kept during night hoursin shed, constructed there. The calves werelet loose at 8 a.m. for grazing in a fencedarea of natural pasture and allowed tograze until 5 p.m. In the evening, the calveswere driven to the shed and also offered cutgrasses of the same pasture. A salt lick waskept in the shed. The monthly calf bodyweight was recorded with daily weatherobservations of the grazing area for oneyear. Quarterly samples of grasses frompasture were also collected to assess yieldand nutrient composition.

Experiment II

Two male calves of an average body weightof 146 kg were offered grasses from naturalpasture area, under complete stall fedconditions, in the months of December andJanuary. The grasses were chopped andoffered ad libitum with free access to waterand common salt lick blocks for 30 days.During the last five days a digestion trialwas conducted and representative samplesof feed and faeces were collected forproximate analysis.

Experiment III

The pregnant female of about 425 kg bodyweight purchased earlier delivered a malecalf in the month of April that suckled itsmother at the beginning and later on grazedin a fenced area with the mother. The bodyweight of the newly born calf was alsorecorded from birth to 7 months of age. Themother was milked and milking behaviourwas noted. A milk sample was collected foranalysis.

Analytical methods

The samples of grasses, faeces, and milkwere analysed for proximate nutrients bystandard procedures (AOAC 1980). Thetotal fat in milk was determined by theGerber Method (ISI, 1961). However thefeed intake and digestibility coefficients ofproximate nutrients, lactose and solid notfat (SNF) in milk were calculated by thedifference.

The mean monthly minimumtemperature of different grazing monthsvaried from 6.4°C (January) to 20.5°C (July)with an average value of I4.6°C ± 1.62,whereas the maximum temperature rangedfrom 17.4°C (January) to 28.5°C (April) withan average value of 24.25°C ± 1.17. Themean monthly rainfall varied from 3.6 mmto 505.0 mm with an average of 202.11 ±58.1 mm and total rainfall 2 425.3 mm,however the real monsoon continued fromMay to October during the year.

Results and discussion

The Mithuns became docile in 3 to 4months of domestication and acquaintedwith the area of habitat and grazing. Atfirst, animals ran about and were difficult tocontrol, later on however, they got used tothe grazing area and became docile duringweighing.

Growth pattern in calves was higherduring May to October, where availabilityof natural vegetation increased and qualityimproved (table 1 and 2). The availability ofvegetation was drastically reduced duringNovember to April due to moisture stressand cold. Nutritional requirements forgrazing animals were not fulfilled andweight was reduced during this period,however this loss would be compensatedduring the monsoon. The average growth(g/d) in Mithun calves was less than thecattle calves on the same native pasturegrasses (Yadav et.al., 1991). The grasseswere of tropical predominance, perennial innature with other species of weeds, like

12Table 1. Mean monthly weather parameters of grazing area and growth performance of Mithun on natural pasture.

MonthJan. Feb. March April May June July August Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Average

Air temperature (°C)Maximum 17.4 17.6 25.9 28.5 26.9 27.3 27.0 27.5 26.3 25.1 22.5 19.0 24.2Minimum 6.4 6.9 14.2 17.9 17.0 20.

2

20.5 20.3 19.0 15.9 10.3 6.6 14.6

Relative humidity (%) 86.5 73.0 60.0 64.5 82.0 81.0 86.5 82.0 90.0 91.5 84.0 78.0 79.9

Total rainfall (mm) 47.2 26.9 3.6 63.7 247.4 447.5 505.0 258.8 511.7 289.3 9.2 15.0 202.1Total 2 425.3

Sunshine (hrs) 5.7 6.9 8.9 8.5 7.1 4.6 2.0 4.3 5.3 6.5 8.3 7.8 6.3

Growth performanceGain in body weight(g/d)

90 155 158 77 174 267 310 261 257 229 117 81 181.3

(%) 2.24 3.52 3.70 1.67 3.87 5.52 6.27 4.98 4,51 3.98 1.89 1.32 3.62

Table 2. Chemical composition and green biomass yield of mixed pastures grasses indifferent quarter of the year.

Proximate nutrients (%) on DM basisMonth DM CP EE CF NFE ASH Green

biomassyield(t/ha)

March 26.68 6.90 1.89 32.60 52.60 6.01 4.89June 25.87 8.96 2.15 30.36 52.32 6.21 6.23September 27.61 7.87 1.97 30.87 52.74 6.55 5.65December 34.40 4.58 1.76 31.52 56.60 5.54 5.86Average 28.64 7.08 1.94 31.34 53.57 6.08 5.66



13

Ageratum, Eupatorium, ferns, lantana andpine tree (Pinus khasiana). The importantcomponents of grasses were Imperatacylindrica, Arundinella species, Erianthuslongisetosus, Pennisetum and Setaria speciesand Thysanolaena agrostis and maxima.

Experiment II

The voluntary DMI and digestibility ofnative pasture grasses in Mithun calveswere satisfactory (table 3) and the valuewere on a par with cattle. The calves,however, could meet the DM, DCP andTDN requirements (ICAR, 1985) only to the

extent of 89, 16 and 79 percents,respectively, under stall feeding during thetrial. Dry matter, CP and CF contents ofgrasses were 34.4, 4.58 and 31.52 percentsrespectively. Wide CP:CF ratio of 1:7 mightbe a reason for the low intake of nutrients.The DCP and TDN of grasses wereestimated as low for growing calves, whichresulted in weight loss in calves of 8% in 30days during the trial.

Experiment III

The female Mithun brought earlierdelivered a male calf with birth weight of22.0 kg in the month of April. Thoughmilking is not done in Mithun under semi-domesticated conditions, milking waspractised to assess milk yield and itscomposition. The mother allowed her calf tosuck milk soon after delivery. Milking waspractised after one month of delivery. In thebeginning the cows resisted to milkinghowever after a few days of practice, thecow was accustomed to milking and themilk flow started. The teat size was very

Table 4. Yield and composition of milk withphysical characteristics.

Attributes Averagevalue

Milk yieldLitre day -1 0.4

Composition (%)Water 82.0Total solids 18.0Fat 7.3Protein 4.9Lactose 5.0Ash 0.8S.N.F. 10.7

Physical propertyColour WhiteTaste SweetLactometer reading at60°F

34

COB at 4°C -ve

Table 3. Voluntary dry matter intake,digestibility coefficents and nutrientsavailability.

Attributes MeanDry matter intakeKg Day -1 3.27Kg, 100 Kg bodyweight -1

2.35

g, Kg W 0.75 -1 70.00

Digestibility (%)DM 56.95OM 58.46CP 47.05EE 67.06CF 54.44NFE 61.61

Nutritive valueDCP (%) 2.16TDN (%) 56.84

Nutrients availability asper ICAR (1985)DM (%) 89.10DCP (%) 15.75TDN (%) 79.06

Growth performanceInitial body weight (%) 146.00Final body weight (%) 134.50Body weight loss (Kg) - 11.50Body weight loss (%) 7.88

Studies on feed utilization growth pattern and milk composition in Mithun (Bos frontalis)14

small with a length of around 3.4 cm whichcreated problems in drawing milk. Millkingwas practised for one week with maximumyield of 0.5 litre day-1, however the averageyield was 0.41 ± 0.03 litres day-1. The milkwas white in colour and sweet in taste. Thefat content varied from 6.8 to 7.8% with anaverage of 7.3% at the second month oflactation. The total solids, protein, ash andsolid not fat (SNF) were estimated 18.00,4.90, 5.00, 0.80 and 10.70% respectively(table 4). These are higher values than thoseof cow’s and goat's milk and comparablewith buffalo's milk (Webb, et al 1987). Themilk kept at 4°C temperature for 24 hoursshowed negative clotting on boiling (COB),whereas at room temperature it spoiledwithin 24 hours. The newly born calf gained69.6 kg in 214 days at an average rate of

325.g day-1 (figure 1) The calf gainedmaximum weight during first two monthsof its age. The studies indicated that Mithun(Bos frontalis) had an economic value forboth meat and milk for the tribalpopulation of north-eastern India. The milkhad higher nutritional value than cow's andgoat's milk and the animal could also beexploited for milk production in the hills.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Dr. R. N.Prasad, Director, ICAR Research Complexfor N.E.H. Region, Umroi Road, Barapani,Meghalayc for providing necessary facilitiesto conduct the study.

Figure 1. Growth pattern of newly born male calf at different months.



15

References

Annon. 1989-91, Annual report,National Research Centre on Mithun,ICAR, Bishnupur, Shillong 793004, India.

AOAO. 1980. Official methods ofanalysis (13th ed.). Association of OfficialAnalytical Chemists, Washington DC.

Gee E.P. 1964. The wild life of India,Collins St. James’ Place London.

ICAR. 1985. Nutrient requirement oflivestock and poultry, Indian Council ofAgricultural Research, New Delhi, pp. 3.

Indian Standards Institution (ISI).1961. Methods of testing for dairy industry-part II- Chemical analysis of milk, IS: 1479ISI, New Delhi.

Webb B.H., A.H. Johnson & J.A.Alford. 1987. Fundamentals of dairychemistry (IInd ed.), CBS Publications andDistributor Shahdara, Delhi 110032, India.

Yadav B.P.S., A. Varma, & J.J. Gupta. 1991.Comparative studies on nutritional valuesof different pasture grasses for growingcalves. Indian J. Anim. Sci. 61 (II) 1242-44

16

AGRI 1996 20: 17-26

Conservation of the Tswana cattle breed in Botswana

Ntombizakhe Mpofu

Animal Production and Range Research, P Bag 0033, Gaborone, Botswana

Key word: Animal genetic resources, Characterisation, Genetic improvement, Utilisation

Summary

The Tswana cattle breed is indigenous toBotswana. Its popularity and numbers inthe national herd is declining due tocrossbreeding. This paper presents resultsof work done so far to characterise thebreed for milk and beef production anddescribes the current breed conservationprogram. Suggestions on morecharacterisation work and improvement onthe conservation program are given.

Résumé

La race bovine Tswana est une raceindigène du Botswana. Sa popularité et sonnombre dans le cheptel national est endiminution à cause des croisementsréalisés. Cet article présente les résultats dutravail réalisé pour caractériser la race dupoint de vue de la production de lait et deviande, et décrit également le programactuel de conservation de la race. Onprésente aussi les suggestions sur d’autrestravaux de caractérisation et l’améliorationdu program de conservation.

Introduction

Botswana is a country in Southern Africa. Itlies between longitudes 20° and 29° Eastand latitudes 18° and 27° South. The meanaltitude is 1000 meters above sea level. Theclimate is characterised by sporadic andunreliable rain. The average annual rainfallvaries from about 650 mm in the north eastto less than 250 mm in the extreme southwest. The rain season is in November to

March with no rain for the rest of the year.The temperatures range from 10° C to 20° Cfrom April to August and from 8° C to 38°C from September to March (Sims, 1981).Approximately 80 percent of the country iscovered by Kgalagadi sands and scrubsavannah. The main ecological zones arethe western Sandveld and the easternHardveld. The Sandveld has lower averagerainfall than the Hardveld. Because of thisand poor soil fertility, little agriculturalactivities are found in the Sandveld.

There are two beef production sectors inBotswana; the traditional and commercialsectors. The total cattle population is about2.7 million of which the traditional sectorhas about 82 percent (Masokwane, 1995).The traditional sector keeps the indigenousTswana breed mainly for bothpurebreeding and crossbreeding. The cattleare used primarily for beef production andtheir other uses include milk productionand draught power. The commercialfarmers use the Tswana breed mainly forcrossing with foreign beef and dairy bulls.Although the commercial sector accountsfor only 18 percent of the total cattlepopulation, the livestock offtake rates arehigher (17 percent) compared to 8 percentin the traditional sector (Masokwane, 1995).

The reasons for conservation are culturaland economic coupled with a need tomaintain genetic diversity. Breeding workdone in the 1970's (APRU, 1976) revealedthe special qualities of the Tswana breed, anexample being adaptability to local climaticconditions. It also demonstrated that beefherd productivity can be increased bycrossbreeding the Tswana with foreign sirebreeds. This was followed by widespread

Conservation of the Tswana cattle breed in Botswana18

crossbreeding in both the Commercial andTraditional Sectors. Such widespreadcrossbreeding can result in the purebredTswana population being threatened byextinction as evidenced by the Europeanexperience. About half of all breeds whichexisted in Europe at the turn of the centuryhave disappeared and a third of theremaining breeds are in danger ofdisappearing within the next 20 years(Concar, 1992). The popularity of theTswana breed, as determined by bull andsemen requests, is declining. This is whatprompted work on conservation of theTswana breed.

Conservation involves identification,characterisation, preservation,development, improvement, and utilisationof a given gene pool of species over time.This paper gives the results ofcharacterisation work that has been done,characterisation work that is ongoing, andsuggests further characterisation studiesthat should be carried out. There arevarious methods of breed preservationwhich include storage of semen, embryos or

live animals. The method used for theTswana cattle is maintainance of purebredherds on government ranches. A programto improve these herds genetically throughselection for economically important traitsis described and a plan on how todisseminate superior genetic material fromthese herds is given.

Characterisation of theTswana breed

Three definitions of a breed given inClutton Brock (1987) are:a) A group of animals that has been selected

by man to possess a uniform appearancethat is heritable and distinguishes it fromother groups of animals within the samespecies.

b) A separately identifiable population orgroup of interbreeding domesticanimals. Identification will usually bebased on common physical characterssuch as colour, size, shape and alsoshared genetic and historical origins.

Photo 1. Tswana caw with calf.

Ntombizakhe Mpofu


19

c) A breed is usually associated with aparticular ecological zone, geographicalarea and farming system. Some breedsmay, however, be present in severalcountries or localities.It is, therefore, important to collect and

document information which can be used todescribe the Tswana cattle as a breed. Thisinformation should include productiontraits. Characterisation studies for the breedhave been conducted since the 1 970's and

further characterisation can be done usingthe population described later on, as well asother herds on government ranches and thenational herd.

Physical appearance

There is no documentation on physicalcharacteristics of the Tswana breed (breeddefinition a and b). Body measurements canbe collected from the base population of the

Figure 1. Republic of Botswana showing districts and some government stations.


Tswana herd described later on. TheTswana breed has many colour patterns ofblack, brown, grey and white. The cattlehave horns, although animals born onexperimental stations are dehorned.

Milk production

The dairy breeding program at Sunnysideranch (figure 1) compares milk productionand lactation length of pure Tswana cowswith crosses of Tswana and various foreignbreeds such as Simmental. The averagedaily yield per cow was 1.4 kg for purebredTswana cows compared to 2.2 kg forSimmental/Tswana crosses under the samemanagement (APRU, 1986).

Beef production

Some of the beef production characteristicsof the Tswana breed are known (table 1).The breed was compared with purebred

Tuli, Brahman, Africander and Bonsmaraand various crosses (APRU, 1976). Currentresearch work compares a composite breeddeveloped in Botswana with various breedsincluding the Tswana (Mpofu et al., 1996).The Tswana outperformed other SouthernAfrican breeds like the Tuli and Africanderfor growth traits but had lower growthrates than the Bonsmara, the Botswanacomposite breed and crosses of Tswanawith foreign sire breeds. The geneticimprovement program described later on isexpected to provide more information onbeef production characteristics of theTswana.

Molecular genetics studies

The Tswana breed is found only inBotswana (breed definition c). It is notcertain how and if the Tswana differs fromother breeds found in the region or inAfrica in general, such as the Nguni in

Table 1. Performance of Tswana cattle compared to that of various breeds and Tswana 2-way crossesfor beef cattle production traits.

Genotype* Calving rate (%) Weaning weight(kg)

Weight at 18 months(kg)

Pure Tswanaa 76 177.2 284.4Pure Africander 67 170.1 270.6Pure Bonsmara 85 173.5 283.3Pure Brahman n. a. 176.1 291.8Pure Tswanab 80.3 179.1 293.5Tuli/Tswana 81.2 178.5 293.0Bonsmara/Tswana

82.1 193.6 303.0

Brahman/Tswana 83.1 189.9 319.7Simmental/Tswana

84.9 199.0 324.9

Pure Tswanac 88 179.3 265.8Tuli 86 173.1 247.5Bonsmara 68 190.2 273.8Composite 90 190.5 286.3

* sire breed given firstSource: a - APRU, 1976

b - Lethola, Buck & Light, 1984c - Mpofu, Mosimanyana & Setshwaelo, 1996 (for weaning weight and weight at 18 months)na - not available

Ntombizakhe Mpofu


21

South Africa and the Tuli and Nkone inZimbabwe. The Tswana is, therefore, one ofthe breeds to be studied in the moleculargenetics studies on African breeds (Regeand Teale, 1995). The study will characterisethe breeds genetically and estimate thediversity within African cattle populations.Genetic distances among these populationswill be determined and the breeds classifiedinto distinct genetic groups. The cattle usedin this study include the cattle assembled atgovernment ranches as well as cattle fromthe national herd.

Genetic improvementprogram

The Tswana breed was compared withvarious exotic breeds and their crosses inbreeding research work done in the 1970's.Although the breed's performance forvarious traits was lower than that for somebreeds (table 1), its performance can be

considered satisfactory. This is because theother breeds used in the study had gonethrough generations of selection forimproved production while there had neverbeen a formal selection program for theTswana breed.

Hence, it was felt that the Tswana hadgreat potential for beef production.Consequently, an improvement programfor the Tswana was set up with thefollowing objectives:a) To improve economic beef production

from Tswana cattle raised on range.b) To improve the competitiveness of the

Tswana breed thus improving itspopularity and its use in the beefproducing sector in order to reduce thechance of it becoming extinct.

c) To improve the rural income through thedevelopment and distribution ofgenetically superior Tswana stock.

Photo 2. Supplementation of dicalcium phosphate and salt (1:2 ratio).


Assembling the foundation herd

The base population was assembled at theDikgatlhong and Morapedi ranches andlater moved to Musi ranch (figure 1). Theherd was built up using different strains ofTswana cattle of various ages purchasedfrom traditional farmers in the majoragricultural districts of the country, i.e.Kweneng, Kgalagadi, Southern and Centralregions (figure 1). Due to operationallimitations, no animals were obtained fromthe Ngamiland district although there arelarge numbers of Tswana cattle in thatregion. The aim was to assemble apopulation with a broad genetic base toprovide enough genetic variation for thegenetic improvement program. Theprogram started in 1988 with the purchaseof 290 cows. The first mating was duringthe 1989 breeding season. Most heifersproduced from the 1989 to 1992 breedingseasons were retained to build the herd upto 600 breeding cows.

Herd management

The Musi herd is managed by the AnimalProduction and Range Research Unit(APRU), a division in the Department ofAgricultural Research, Ministry ofAgriculture. The management practicesapplied include; fencing to control breedingherds and to reserve fodder for the dryseason, supplementary feeding using eitherbone meal and common salt (1:1 ratio) ordicalcium phosphate and common salt(1:2 ratio), free access to water at reasonabledistances of grazing area, and routineveterinary care.

The breeding season starts on January1st and ends on March 31st. Bulls areseparated from the cows at the end of thebreeding season. Pregnancy diagnosis isdone in June each year. During latepregnancy, cows are brought near thehandling facilities for observation andassistance if necessary. Calving starts inOctober through January. At birth, the date,colour, dam identity, sire identity, sex andweight of a newborn calf are recorded and

Photo 3. Tswana cattle - various colour patterns.

Ntombizakhe Mpofu


23

calves are eartagged. Abortions,stillbirths, sicknesses, and anytreatments and vaccinationsgiven to the calves are recorded.The cows are weighed within 24hours of calving and theirpresent and previous parousstatus recorded. Calves areallowed to receive all the milkfrom their dams till weaning. Alllivestock are weighed monthly.At seven months of age, calvesare dehorned and later weanedand branded and then separatedaccording to sex. They remain inthe herd until ready forselection. All mortalities arerecorded.

Selection criteria

Two selection lines, Line 1 and Line 2 with300 breeding cows each were formed fromthe 600 cows referred above. The selectioncriteria for the two lines are:a) Reproductive Performance: For both

lines, heifers which do not conceive atfirst breeding and cows which do notconceive for two consecutive breedingseasons are culled. Males are selected onfertility test results.

b) Growth Rate: For Line 1, selection is forimproved weaning weight (adjusted to210 ± 14 days) while for Line 2 selectionis for improved 18 month weight(adjusted to 540 ± 14 days). Heiferswhich serve as replacements in thefemale breeding herd and the malesused as sires in the next generation areselected on either their weight at 7months (Line 1) or their weight at 18months (Line 2).

c) Maternal Performance: Preweaninggrowth of calves is determined partly bythe dam's ability to produce enoughmilk for her calves. For both Lines 1 and2, the aim is to improve maternalperformance for increased preweaninggrowth. Therefore, only cows that wean

heavy calves are retained and culls arereplaced with heifers selected usingcriterion (b) above.

d) Calf survival: For both lines, cows areculled on calf survival.

Selection procedure

Each line has 300 breeding females servedby a total of 10 males. The bulls used to sirethe first calves were from a geneticallyimproved pool of Tswana animals that hadbeen maintained in government ranches forover a period of 20 years, thus giving theherds an initial genetic lift. These males arebeing replaced by their sons. From eachgroup of progeny, the top 10 percent ofmales are selected to be used as sires of thenext generation. The top 50 percent of theheifers are retained to serve asreplacements. Selection started with the1993/4 calf crop after attaining the 600breeding cows required. The expectedselection intensity per line is 1.78 for themales and 0.835 for the females, giving anaverage of 1.307 for the two sexes.

Estimation of genetic parameters

Information on the genetic and nongeneticfactors which affect the traits listed aboveare not available for local cattle populations.

Table 2 Calving rate and mortality for the two lines beforeselection.

Line Year Calvingrate (%)

Mortality at7 months (%)

Mortality at18 months (%)

Line 1 1989/90 85 6 71990/91 75 9 91991/92 76 4 41992/93 74 4 8

Line 2 1989/90 74 5 51990/91 65 4 41991/92 63 9 91992/93 60 9 11

Source: APRU, 1993


This genetic improvement program willalso provide such information and geneticparameters such as genetic and phenotypicvariations and covariation, and heritabilitiesfor various traits.

Estimation of genetic progress

No control line is maintained for thepurposes of estimating genetic progressmade. Intrayear regressions of offspringphenotype on offspring generationcoefficients will be used to estimate geneticprogress per generation of selection. Theoffspring generation coefficients will beestimated using the methods described inKoch, Gregory and Cundiff (1974). Tables 2and 3 give the performance of the basepopulation. Since the two base populationswere derived from the same genetic pool,the performance of the progeny from thetwo populations is similar .

Utilisation and promotion ofbreeds

The best performing animals from thegenetic improvement program have to beused within the Musi herd as replacements.The next best will be made available to thenational herd through artificialinsemination (AI) scheme and the bullsubsidy scheme. With the AI scheme, bullsare collected by the Ministry of Agricultureand semen collected from them. This semenis then used at AI camps where farmers(mainly traditional) bring their cows to beinseminated. The farmers are charged foreach insemination done. Semen is also soldto commercial farmers. With the bullsubsidy scheme, bulls are made available toall farmers at a subsidised rate.

Photo 4. Tswana cattle - various colour patterns

Ntombizakhe Mpofu


25

Future research work

a) Suggestions for future work include:b) Using research herds at Sunnyside and

Musi ranches to collect information onphysical characteristics of the breed, e.g.body measurements.

c) The same herds in (a) above should beused to further characterise the Tswanabreed for milk and beef productiontraits. Such traits should include carcassand meat quality, milk compositionalquality, herd life and some economicaspects of production.

d) Characterise the breed for diseaseresistance.

e) Characterisation for production traits tobe conducted under field conditions tocomplement the characterisation workwhich was and is still being done onexperimental stations.

f) The relative importance of the traitsselected for the genetic improvement ofthe breed should be determined and aselection index developed.

Collaborating institutions

The Botswana government does nothave all the required infrastructureand personnel to do all theresearch/characterisation studies.Some of the research can be done incollaboration with other institutionswithin and outside Botswana.

Carcass evaluation

Slaughter of cattle is done by theBotswana Meat Commission. TheCommission provides carcass massand carcass grade for all cattleslaughtered. There are no facilities todo detailed carcass studies. For someexperimental animals, arrangementsare being made to do such carcassevaluations at the AnimalImprovement Institute in Irene,

South Africa.

Molecular genetics studies

These studies are being done by theInternational Livestock Research Institute(ILRI), and in Botswana, the collaboratinginstitution is the APRU.

References

APRU (Animal Production ResearchUnit). 1976. An integrated program of beefcattle and range research in Botswana, 19701976. Ministry of Agriculture, Gaborone,Botswana.

APRU (Animal Production ResearchUnit), 1986. Livestock and range research inBotswana 1986. Ministry of Agriculture,Gaborone, Botswana.

APRU (Animal Production ResearchUnit), 1993. Livestock and range research inBotswana 1993. Ministry of Agriculture,Gaborone, Botswana.

Table 3. Birth weight, weaning weight and weight at 18months for Tswana young stock before selection.

Line Year Birthweight

(kg)

Weaningweight

(kg)

Weight at 18 months

(kg)

Line 1 1988/89 26 169 2601989/90 33 160 2891990/91 31 169 2521991/92 33 172 2701992/93 30 176 268

Mean 31 171 269

Line 2 1988/89 29 164 ---1989/90 32 181 2871990/91 32 161 2231991/92 31 166 2381992/93 30 183 271

Mean 30 166 248Source: APRU, 1993


Clutton Brock J. 1987. A naturalhistory of domesticated mammals.Cambridge University Press and BritishMuseum of Natural History. Cambridgeand London, England.

Concar D. 1992. Push for productivitykills off third world breeds. New ScientistNo 1806. February 1st 1992.

Koch R.M., K.E. Gregory & L.V.Cundiff. 1974. Selection in beef cattle: Il.Selection response. Journal of AnimalScience 39: 449-470.

Lethola L.L., N.G. Buckand & D.E.Light. 1984. Beef cattle breeding inBotswana. Botswana Notes and RecordsVol 15: 39-47.

Masokwane J. 1995. Animalproduction activities in Botswana. Progressreport to the 27th SARCCUS Standing

Committee for Animal Production. Kasane,Botswana. 30 October to 1st November1995.

Mpofu N., B. M. Mosimanyana &L.L. Setshwaelo. 1996. The performance ofa composite beef breed developed inBotswana. Proceedings of the 2nd All AfricaConference on Animal Agriculture.Pretoria, South Africa. April 1-4, 1996.

Rege J.E.O. & A. Teale. 1995. Geneticcharacterization of African cattle breedsusing microsatellite markers. ResearchProject, International Livestock ResearchInstitute, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.

Sims D. 1981. Agroclimatologicalinformation, crop requirements andagricultural zones for Botswana. Ministry ofAgriculture, Gaborone, Botswana.

AGRI 1996 20: 27-34

Characterisation of the Siri breedand the Mithun cross Siri in Bhutan

Phanchung1-2 & J.A. Roden 2

1Natural Resources Training Institute, P.O. Wangdue Phodrang, Lobesa, Bhutan2Department of Agriculture, University of Aberdeen, 581 King Street, Aberdeen,UK.

Key words: Jatsha, Jatsham, Yangka, Yangkum, Characteristics, Production performance

Summary

The authors describe the evolution,morphological characteristics, bodyweights, body measurements andproduction performance of threeindigenous cattle breeds in Bhutan, namelythe Siri, Mithun cross Siri (Jatsha for maleand Jatsham for female) and first backcrosshybrids (Yangka for male and Yangkum forfemale). The data was collected through asample survey which was conducted inLobesa block of Thimphu district inApril/May 1995 near the Natural ResourcesTraining Institute (NRTI). Observationswere recorded from 44 Siri (22 bulls and 22cows), 10 Mithun cross Siri (5 Jatshas and 5Jatshams) and 8 first backcross hybrids (5Yangkas and 3 Yangkums). The aim of thisbreed description is to assist in developingthe future conservation strategies of theindigenous breeds in Bhutan.

Résumé

Les auteurs décrivent l’évolution, lescaractéristiques morphologiques, les poidscorporels, et les performances deproduction et de mesures corporelles detrois races bovines indigènes du Bhutan ;c’est à dire, la race Siri, le croisementMithun x Siri (Jatsha pour le mâle etJatsham pour la femelle) et les premiershybrides de rétrocroisement (Yangka pourle mâle et Yangkum pour la femelle). Lesdonnées ont été recueillies à travers uneenquête sur échantillon menée à Lobesa,

dans le district de Thimphu, en Avri/Mai1995 par l’Institut de Formation sur lesRessources Naturelles (NRTI). On a noté lesobservations faites sur 44 Siri (22 taureauxet 22 vaches), 10 Mithun croisés Siri (5Jatshas et 5 Jatshams) et 8 premiershybrides de rétrocroisement (5 Yangkas et 3Yangkums). L’objectif de la description decette race est d’aider au développementfutur des stratégies de conservation desraces indigènes du Bhutan.

Introduction

The indigenous Siri (Bos indicus) breed isthe major cattle resource in Bhutan. Payne(1970) classified this breed as a stabilisedindigenous crossbred evolved from themating of the humpless Shorthorn typecattle, migrated south from Tibet, and thehumped or Zebu cattle of the Indiansubcontinent. The Mithun (Bos frontalis) is abovine species indigenous to thesouth-eastern parts of the Himalayas andthe adjacent mountain ranges in north-eastIndia. This bovine species, which is verylittle known elsewhere, is believed to haveoriginated from the Gaur (Bos gauris).Genetic analysis of the Mithun'schromosomes by Winter et al (1984) andGupta et al (1995) supports the view thatthe Gaur is the wild ancestor as both have58 diploid (2n) chromosomes in contrast to60 diploid (2n) chromosomes in cattle.Further, Winter et al (1984) reportedsimilarities of haemoglobin and bloodgroups in Mithun and Gaur, which

Characterisation of the Siri breed and the Mithun cross Siri in Bhutan28

supports the view that the Mithun isderived from the Gaur.

In Bhutan, the Mithun bulls wereimported to the west from the indigenousMithun breeding regions. The presence ofthe Mithun in Bhutan is seen from theliterature, as early as 1783 from theexpedition account of Samuel Turner, aspublished by Simoons and Simoons in 1968in their anthropological study of theMithun keeping peoples. Ever since then,the Mithun has been used for crossbreedingwith the indigenous Siri breed. Hickmanand Tenzing (1982b) stated that thecrossbreeding of the imported Mithun bullswith the indigenous Siri resulted inamazingly profitable hybrid offspring.Although the female hybrids arereproductively fertile, the male hybridshave not been used successfully to breedwith the pure indigenous Siri as they aremostly sterile. The sterility of the malehybrids in Mithun cross European cattle,mostly Bos taurus, was reported by Kuhn in1885 as quoted by Simoons and Simoons(1968) and Winter et al (1984). To overcomethis male fertility problem, the Bhutaneseherders practise backcrossing the femalehybrids to Siri bulls for four generations.This type of breeding system has beenestablished for at least a century. Thehybrids of MithunSiri crosses in eachgeneration are phenotypically distinct andthey have been given specific names. Themale and female hybrids of MithunSiricrosses are called Jatsha and Jatshamrespectively. The male offspring from thebackcross in the first, second, third andfourth generations are known as Yanka,Doeb, Data and Thrapa, whereas, theircorresponding females are called Yangkum,Doebum, Datum and Thrabum.

The characterisation of livestock breedsis paramount in order to exploit them inrelation to selection and conservation. Sofar, no effort has been made to study thecharacteristics of the indigenous Siri andMithunSiri crosses either under intensive orextensive management systems. This study

was, therefore, undertaken to evaluate thecharacteristics of these breeds andcrossbreeds and suggest some guidelinesfor their conservation. The objective of thestudy was focused on the breed descriptionof the indigenous Siri, Mithun Siri crosses(Jatsha and Jatsham) and the first backcrosshybrids (Yangka and Yangkum).

Materials and methods

A sample survey was conducted near theNatural Resources Training Institute (NRTI)in Lobesa block of Thimphu district inApril/May 1995, to record information ofmorphological characteristics, bodyweights, body measurement and milk yieldperformance of the indigenous Siri and theMithunSiri hybrids. Data was collectedfrom 44 Siri (22 bulls, 22 cows), 10MithunSiri crosses (5 Jatshas, 5 Jatshams)and 8 first backcross hybrids (5 Yangkas, 3Yangkums). Information was recorded onthe physical characteristics of the colours,horns, ears, head and body. Other bodymeasurements included chest girth, withersheight, body length, cannon bone girth, facelength, tail length, neck circumference andmilk yield.The body weights of the animals wereestimated by using the Aggarwalla formularecommended in India (Payne, 1970) inwhich:

LWLxG

Y =

LW = Live weight in seers [ 1 seer = 2.03pounds = 0.93 kg ]

L = Length from the point of shoulder topine bone in inches

G = Chest girth in inchesY = 9.0 if G is less than 65 inches

8.5 if G is between 65 inches and 80inches

8.0 if G is greater than 80 inches

Milk yield performance was estimatedbased on a sample survey of 5 lactating Siri

Phanchung and J.A. Roden


29

cows (3 cows in 2nd lactation and 2 cows in3rd lactation). Lactation length and calvinginterval of the Siri, Jatsham and Yangkumwere estimated through semistructuredquestionnaires and interview of the farmers

in the study area. In addition, the estimatedaverage daily milk yield performance ofthese breeds was collected through thepersonal interview of the farmers (10 Siricows, 5 Jatshams and 4 Yangkums).

Results and discussion

Indigenous Siri breed

Coat colour of Siri

The predominant coat colour observed in 44Siri cattle in Lobesa Block was black (69%).The red colour, which varied from a darkdun to straw colour, was found in 14% ofthe population studied. There were alsoblack and white (12%) and red and white(5%) with colour patterns somewhat similarto the Holstein. The white wascharacteristically on the face, legs, tail,under the body and the medial surface ofthe quarters, but there were also whitestripes from the withers extending to thedorsal vertebral column. Muzzle andeyelids were usually black.

Morphological characteristics of horns, ears andhead of the Siribreed

The length of the horns, ears and face in theadult male and female are presented in

table 1. The horns were ofa small Shorthorn typewith pointed ends. Theears were horizontallyplaced and were notdrooping or pendulous.The mean face length ofthe males and females,measured from the pointof poll to the muzzle was48 cm.

Body weight of the Siri

The estimated bodyweights of the adult bullsand cows were around260-360 kg and 212-307 kg,

respectively. Payne (1970) reported a rangeof live weight of 318-544 kg and 318-408 kgfor males and females at maturity. TheDomestic Animal Diversity InformationSystem (DAD-IS) recorded 453.5 kg and362.9 kg for male and female respectively,which were even heavier than Payne (1970).The lower body weights recorded in thisstudy, compared to the informationavailable in the literature, could behypothesised to be due to the fact that theSiri population reported here was recordedunder the dry subtropical zone, where thepure Siri breed is not reputed to thrive well.Although the Siri breed is found between200 m to 3 000 m of altitude, the efficiencyin productivity of individual Siri wasclaimed to be better between 800 m to 2000m elevation. There were no birth weightsrecorded in this study as the calving did notcoincide with the study period. Informationavailable in the literature gave 23 kg and 18kg (Payne, 1970) and 21.2 kg and 19.9 kg(DADIS) for male and female as live birthweights.

Table 1. Mean body measurements (cm) of Siri bulls (n = 22) andcows (n = 22) with standard error of means in Lobesa Block.

Traits measured Bull (n = 22) Cow (n = 22)Average SE Average SE

Withers height 138 2.6 121 2.1Heart girth 170 4.8 152 1.5Body length 108 2.4 98 2.2Cannonbone girth 28 1.0 19 0.7Tail length 109 4.7 88 1.8Horn length 33 1.6 19 0.7Ear length 19 0.6 20 0.8Face length 52 1.5 45 1.3Neck length 48 0.8 30 0.6Neck girth 82 2.5 70 0.9


Body measurements of the Siri

The mean body measurements of themature Siri bulls and cows are presented intable 1. The mean withers height of thebulls and cows were 138 ± 2.6 cm and 121 ±2.1 cm. Payne (1970) reported the withersheight at maturity ranging from 122-137 cmin males and 107-127 cm in females. This isin agreement with the present study.DADIS gave much higher values, of 190 cmin adult males and 180 cm in adult females.

The mean body measurement of all traitsas shown in table 1 were all greater in bullsthan cows, although the differences werenot significant. The length of the tails werelong enough to touch the ground in this Siribreed.

Mithun cross Siri Jatsha andJatsham

Coat colour of Jatsha and Jatsham

The Jatsha and Jatsham derived from thecross of the Siri cow and the Mithun bullwere predominantly black with brown hairover the thoracic ridge to the mid point.There were also piebald and complete greycoat colours in both male and femalehybrids. The body coats were more similarto those of pure Mithun than the Siri cattle.This coat colour and the dorsal brownstripe are also seen in Bali cattle (Bosbanteng).

Morphological characteristics of horns, ears andhead of Jatsha and Jatsham

The mean horn lengths of Jatsha andJatsham are shown in table 2. The shape

Photo 1. Jatsha (male) with prominent cervicothracic ridge, massive horn base and length.



31

and size of the horns were more similar tothe Mithun than the Siri breed. They werebroad at the base with a sharp curve,pointed ends and significantly longer(p < 0.05) than the Siri horns. Theorientation of the ears were not differentfrom the Siri breed. Similarly, the facelengths were within the range 40-59 cm, butthey were much broader and flatter.

Body weights of Jatsha and Jatsham

The body weight of the adult Jatsha andJatsham averaged 458 kg and 380 kg,respectively. Their body weights wereintermediate between the Siri and theMithun. Information on the body weightsof the Mithun in the literature ranged from400-500 kg (Gupta et al. 1996) to as heavy asone tonne (Winter et al. 1984). The Jatshaswere heavily built and powerful draft

animals and the Jatshams were a littlelighter than their male counterparts. Thewithers height of Jatsha averaged 136 ± 2.1cm. The Jatshams were a few centimetresshorter in withers height compared to theirmale counterparts. They averaged 129 ± 2.6cm and were not significantly differentfrom the Siri.

First backcross hybrid Yangkaand Yangkum

Coat colour of Yangka and Yangkum

The first backcross progeny Yangka andYangkum still possess the similarity of coatcolour to the F1 hybrids but the dorsal ridgebrown stripes were less distinct. All shadesof coat colour seen in Jatsha and Jatshamwere also observed in this genotype.

Photo 2. Jatsham (female) of grey coat colour with black spots and prominent thoracic ridge.


Morphological characteristics of horns, ears andhead in Yangka and Yangkum

The length and size of the horns were alittle shorter and smaller compared to theJatsha and Jatsham, but they were stillsignificantly longer (p < 0.05) than the Sirihorns (see table 3). Ear lengths ranged from19 ± 0.7 cm in males to 18 ± 0.4 cm in

females, and the ears were horizontallyplaced. The broadness of the faces wasslightly reduced and distinct from the F1

hybrids of the Mithun Siri crosses.

Body weights of Yangka and Yangkum

The mean body weights of Yangka andYangkum were lighter than the F1 hybrids.

Table 2. Means and standard error of means of some bodymeasurements in Jatsha (n = 5) and Jatsham (n = 5) inLobesa Block.

Traits n Average SE

Withers height(cm)

Bull 5 136 2.1

Cow 5 129 2.6

Liveweight (kg) Bull 5 458 17.7Cow 5 380 13.5

Horn length (cm) Bull 5 40 0.9Cow 5 22 1.2

Ear length (cm) Bull 5 19 0.5Cow 5 20 0.4

Table 3. Means and standard error of means of some body measurements ofYangka and Yangkum in Lobesa Block.

Traits n Average SEWithers height(cm)

Bull 5 130 1.5

Cow 3 126 0.6

Live weight (kg) Bull 5 402 25.03 343 8.6

CowHorn length (cm) Bull 5 38 2.0

Cow 3 33 6.0

Ear length (cm) Bull 5 19 0.7Cow 3 18 0.4



33

The adult bulls and cows weighed 402 kgand 343 kg, respectively. They were heaviercompared to the indigenous Siri breed andthe males were still stronger and powerfuldraft animals. The adult withers height inYangka measured 130 ± 1.5 cm, whereas theYangkum averaged 126 ± 0.6 cm. Most ofthe other body measurements were notrecorded in this study.

Production performance

The mean daily milk yield performanceobserved from the sample of 5 Siri cowswas 2.5 + 0.11 kg. This was estimated froma population at various stages of lactation,therefore should fairly represent the dailymilk yield in the Siri cow. Thequestionnaire report on 12 Siri cows, 5Jatshams and 4 Yangkums recorded meandaily yields of 1.5 + 0.14 kg, 2.2 ± 0.25 kgand 1.9 ± 0.24 kg respectively. Thedifferences in milk yield were notattributable to any obvious reasons in this

study. To establish the average milk yieldperformance per lactation, it requiresexamination of full lactations of a largerrepresentative sample of animals. Payne(1970) reported a maximum of 1905 kg milkproduction per lactation with the normalrange of 454-1361 kg in the Siri breed. Thisis a little higher than the values recorded inthe present study.The estimated mean lactation length of theSiri, Jatsham and Yangkum were 284, 288and 308 days in this study, with a calvinginterval ranging from 14 to 20 months in allthree breeds. The calving interval was inagreement with the literature figures, whichreported 12-20 months (Payne, 1970). Asystematic study of the reproductiveperformance is required in a largerpopulation, which was not possible in thisstudy.

Conclusion

The predominant coat colour of the Siri

Photo 3. Yangkum (female), first backcross progeny of Jatsham to Siri bull.


breed was black. Other coat colours of redto straw, black and white, and red andwhite were also observed. The phenotypiccharacteristics of the Jatsha (male) andJatsham (female) and Yangka (male) andYangkum (female) were more similar to theMithun than the Siri breed. The mean bodyweights of the Siri were lighter than thesecrossbreds. It was also observed that theestimated milk yield of Jatsham andYangkum was higher than the Siri cow.

There is, however, a clear need to collectfurther data on the production andreproduction traits to substantiate thecharacterisation of the indigenous cattlebreeds. It is recommended that moresystematic studies be conducted to comparethe performance of production andreproduction traits of all these indigenousbreeds. Further, it is also suggested that ananalysis of the productive and reproductivetraits of the pure Mithun breed be carriedout to aid the understanding of the possibleheterosis and complementarity effects incrossbreeding programmes.

Acknowledgements

The senior author acknowledges thestudents of NRTI for help in conducting thesurvey and the Royal Government ofBhutan, Ministry of Agriculture, inawarding a scholarship to pursue this studyat the University of Aberdeen.

References

Domestic Animal DiversityInformation System (DADIS). BreedsBhutan. Internet www.dad.fao.org

Gupta N., N.D. Verma, S.C. Gupta,P. Kumar & R. Sahai1. 1995. Chromosomesof Mithun (Gaveaus frontalis). Indian J.Animal Science. 65 (6): 688-690

Gupta N., S.C. Gupta, N.D. Verma, R.K.Pundir, B.K. Joshi, A.E. Nivasarkar & R.Sahai. 1996. Mithun, an important bovinespecies of Indian origin. Animal GeneticResources Informations. 18: 4350.

Hickman C.G. & D. Tenzing. 1982a.The present cattle breeding structure inBhutan. Bhutan Journal of AnimalHusbandry. 5: 19-22.

Hickman C.G. & D. Tenzing. 1982b.The classical crossbreeding system inBhutan. Bhutan Journal of AnimalHusbandry. 5: 23-27.

Payne W.J.A. 1970. Cattle Productionin the Tropics. Vol. 1. General Introductionand Breeds and Breeding. Longman GroupLtd. pp 336.

Simoons F.J. & E.S. Simoons. 1968. ACeremonial Ox of India. The Mithun innature, culture, and history. The Universityof Winconsin Press, Madison. pp 322.

Winter H., B. Mayr, W. Schleger, E.Dworak, J. Krutzler & B. Burger. 1984.Karyotyping, red blood cell and haemoglobintyping of the Mithun (Bos frontalis), its wildancestor and its hybrids. Research inVeterinary Science 36: 276-283.

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