Abstract
Aim:The aim of the present investigation was to optimize the age at first use (AAFU) of semen of Murrah breeding bulls, which will help in early selection of bulls under progeny testing program for improving the reproductive performance in the herd.Materials and Methods:The data on AAFU, conception rate based on first A.I. (CRFAI), overall conception rate (OCR), and birth weight (B.WT) of 57 Murrah bulls during 1993-2014 at NDRI center pertaining to 14 sets of Network Project on Buffalo Improvement at ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India were adjusted for significant environmental influences and subsequently analyzed. Simple and multiple regression models were used for prediction of CRFAI and OCR of Murrah breeding bulls. Comparative evaluation of three developed models (I-III) showed that Model III, having AAFU and B.WT, fulfill the accuracy of model as revealed by high coefficient of determination, low mean sum of squares due to error, low conceptual predictive value, and low Bayesian information criterion.Results:The results revealed that the average predicted CRFAI was highest (39.95%) at <3.5 years and lowest (34.87%) at >4.5 years of age at first A.I/use. Similarly, average predicted OCR was highest (41.05%) at <3.5 years and lowest (39.42%) at >4.5 years of age at first A.I/use of Murrah bulls.Conclusion:In organized herd under progeny testing program, Murrah bulls should be used at young age, i.e. prior to 3.5 years, which is expected to result in 5.08% better CRFAI and 1.63% better OCR in comparison to Murrah bulls used after 4.5 years of age.
Highlights
India has the largest buffalo population (108.7 million) in the world [1]
In organized herd under progeny testing program, Murrah bulls should be used at young age, i.e. prior to 3.5 years, which is expected to result in 5.08% better conception rate based on first A.I. (CRFAI) and 1.63% better overall conception rate (OCR) in comparison to Murrah bulls used after 4.5 years of age
age at first use (AAFU) of semen in Murrah bulls was found influenced by period (p
Summary
India has the largest buffalo population (108.7 million) in the world [1]. About 63% of the world’s buffalo milk and 95% of buffalo milk in Asia is contributed by Indian buffaloes [2]. India ranks first in the world with milk production (132.4 million tonnes) and the buffaloes contribute about 51.1% in the total milk production of India [3]. Fertility of a herd depends mainly on early sexual maturity, in-time heat detection, minimum breeding interval, and number of services per conception of animal. Though the fertility is difficult to be measured exactly, it is indicated by the number of services taken by a bull for making an animal become pregnant. Bull fertility is measured by the percentage of cycling females exposed to the bull and impregnated during a specific time period
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