Abstract
Data on 139 crossbred cows obtained from the database of the Bambui Centre of the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) in the Sudano-Guinean altitude zone of West Cameroon were used to evaluate the effect of calf’s sex, parity and season on gestation length and age at first calving. These animals, reared between 1985 and 1995, were crosses between the imported Jersey (J) and Holstein (H) bull semen with local White Fulani (WF) and Gudali (G) cows. Gestation length (GL) varied significantly between the different genetic crossbred groups, whereas no effect of genetic composition was observed on AFC. These traits were affected by the lactation number, but not by calf sex and season. 50%Hx50%G recorded the shortest GL (279.87±2.66 days) with 40% of cows calving between 24-28 months. 87.5%Jx12.5%WF registered the longest (289.14±3.89 days) gestation period. The highest (30.63±8.21 months) age at first calving was in75%Jx25%WF group. Performances obtained for both GL and AFC with Holstein-Gudali (50%Hx50%G) crossbreed as compared to Jersey crossbreed revealed their high reproductive potential through their adaptability capacity to harsh conditions of tropics.
Highlights
In most sub-Saharian African countries, population growth estimated at 2.5 to 3 percent per year is one of the highest in the world (FAO, 2017)
It appears that gestation length (GL) varied significantly among different genetic groups
Jersey and Holstein crossed showed an increase in GL associated with an increase of exotic blood level
Summary
In most sub-Saharian African countries, population growth estimated at 2.5 to 3 percent per year is one of the highest in the world (FAO, 2017). The actual level of consumption of animal proteins is already below 20 kg/capita/year compared to 45 kg proposed by the World Health Organization (FAO, 2019) The reason for this situation is that, despite the considerable number of cattle heads, their level of production and productivity is still very low due to the limited genetic potential of local breeds, diseases, management and climatic conditions (Kouamo et al, 2014). Exotic dairy breeds like Jersey and Holstein Friesian were introduced in the early seventies (Mbah et al, 1987) and crossed with local breeds It was the case in Bambui where important researches were conducted with the aim of identifying productive and adapted genotypes for the enhancement of dairy production in Cameroon. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of calf’s sex, parity and season on gestation length and age at first calving of crossbreed cows
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