Indigenous cattle of Tripura- characterisation and performance evaluation

Abstract

Surveys were conducted in 15 villages of 4 districts of the Tripura state to characterise and evaluate indigenous cattle of Tripura. Cattle owners (100) were interviewed to generate the information on management and performance. Information on different characteristics were generated by recording of different parameters on 364 animals of different age and sex. In the state there were 9.54 lakh cattle available in the year 2007; 8.28% (0.79 lakh) were crossbreds and rest 91.72% (8.75 lakh) indigenous. Cattle were reared for milk (42%), bullock power (12%), both the purposes (46%) and manure (100%). Animals were reared mainly on extensive system of management. Animals were smaller in size with cylindrical type of body. Animals were well built and compact with strong legs. The coat colour varies i.e. brown (46.15%), red (21.16%), black (16.76%) and grey/white (15.93). Biometric parameters indicated that animals were similar to the hill cattle Kumaun region of Uttarakhand. Daily milk yield ranged from 0.5 to 5.0 kg with an average of 1.36 kg. It may be concluded that indigenous cattle in Tripura showed uniformity in physical and morphometric characteristics and contributes significantly in the economy of the state. It was also observed that cows had good potential for milk production in the difficult area. Therefore, there is a urgent need to register this population as a breed and plan genetic improvement programs to improve the productivity of indigenous cows in the Tripura state.