Abstract
Modern livestock selection is rapidly condensing the indigenous cattle gene pool. This trend limits the options for future genetic selection to benefit both animal well-being and farmer challenges. Here we reveal the potential of Red Chittagong cattle (RCC), a native genotype of Bangladesh, for tackling these current and pending challenges. Red Chittagong cattle are reddish in color and small in size with mature bulls and cows weighing 342 and 180 kg from birth weights of 16 and 14 kg, respectively. Whilst low mean levels of milk production of 618 L across a 228-day lactation are recorded so are high levels of milk protein (3.8%) and fat (4.8%) with offered feed types typically low in nutritive value, particularly crude protein. However, one in five cows under farm condition yield >1,000 L/lactation. Alongside high levels of milk protein and fat, other key features of this breed include resistance to common diseases and parasites with a high level of adaptation to agro-ecological conditions. As opposed to other indigenous breeds, there is currently high genetic variation in the RCC population, and associated variation in productive and reproductive traits highlighting the opportunity for development through long-term breeding programs alongside improved management conditions. Such efforts would enable this breed to become a global resource for tackling the challenges of modern animal production systems. In addition, further work is required to reveal the demographic distribution of the breed, potential production levels through the provision of improved diets and the mechanisms enabling disease resistance and digestibility of feeds.
Highlights
The transition of agriculture from the Neolithic age to the intensive commercial systems of today helps ensure food security and better standards of living for the growing global population (Silbergeld, 2019)
Red Chittagong cattle (RCC) may be regarded as a medium-size breed amongst native Bangladeshi genotype, but a small genotype compared to crossbreds or temperate breeds
Red Chittagong cattle are a red colored, small-sized genotype that are more fertile and resistant to common parasites and diseases compared to crossbreds and suitable for the smallholder farmers in the tropics
Summary
The transition of agriculture from the Neolithic age to the intensive commercial systems of today helps ensure food security and better standards of living for the growing global population (Silbergeld, 2019). Maintaining an improved balance between intensification of commercial genotypes (mainly Holstein and their crossbreds/hybrids that are frequently reared in commercial farms) and the extension of high producing local genotypes may help ensure food and nutrition security and improve health of local communities by keeping antibiotic resistance of animals and reducing community disease transmission into the future In this context, this review will focus on the native Red Chittagong cattle (RCC) breed of Bangladesh—a breed developed under highly challenging environmental conditions. A life-time economic evaluation of different dairy cattle breeds conducted in the rural areas of Chittagong reported greater profitability of rearing RCC compared to other cattle genotypes (Khan et al, 2012) Considering these attributes, RCC may be regarded as a potential cattle genotype to tackle the future challenges of intensive animal production in Bangladesh. A review of Red Chittagong cattle distribution, genotype and the interaction of this genotype with the environment (phenotype) are provided here
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