Abstract
Performance data (from 1985 to 2000) of Jersey cattle imported from USA and maintained at Islamabad, Pakistan were evaluated. The purpose of this study was to assess the genetic merit of Jersey breed under Pakistani environment for further propagation. Cows with at least two calvings were considered for this study; records on 50 daughter-dam pairs were available on production and reproduction performance traits for genetic evaluation. The average age at first calving in parents was 25.2±2.4 m as compared to 23.9±6.6 m in progeny. Calving interval in parents and progeny was 416±74 and 446±105 d; lactation length 301±51 and 325±73 d; lactation milk yield 2,908±669 and 2,707±903 lit respectively. All these differences were found to be statistically significant except lactation length. The correlations between age at first calving and total lactation milk was -0.25, between calving interval and total lactation milk yield was 0.14, and between lactation length and total lactation milk yield was 0.79. The h 2 of these traits were low indicating important role of environment in expressing the genetic potential of animals. The S.E of h 2 of all the traits was high due to large variation in data. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2002. Vol 15, No. 5 : 695-698)
Highlights
Mean normal monthly temperature and rainfall of Islamabad, for the year 2000 are presented in table 1 (Pakistan Statistical Year Book 2000)
The results indicated that Calving interval (CI) was influenced more by environment than genetic causes
The Jersey breed imported from USA and maintained at Islamabad, Pakistan did not perform up to its genetic potential due to severe climatic conditions, especially in summer
Summary
The animals were imported from USA in 1985 and raised as a nucleus herd for use in a cattle crossbreeding program. Mean normal monthly temperature and rainfall of Islamabad, for the year 2000 are presented in table 1 (Pakistan Statistical Year Book 2000). Jersey cattle in Islamabad showed considerable signs of distress during summer months (April-June) due to high temperature, low rainfall and non-availability of green fodder in required amount. The animals were fed seasonal green fodders, oats and corn. Perennial grass was fed during a scarcity period in September to November. Oats and corn silage was prepared to feed animals in December-January and AprilMay. Concentrate ration at 2-1/2 kg/head was fed throughout the year. The ration was prepared by NARC with brand name “PARC Feed”. Grazing was practiced as routine from 4 to 7 h daily
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