The incidence and effect of poisoning with Lantana camara in different cattle breeds

Abstract

SummaryThe incidence of lantana poisoning and its effect on mortality, growth rate and fertility were recorded from 1975 to 1982 in seven lines of Bos taurus and Bos indicus cattle and their crosses.Two Bos taurus Hereford × Shorthorn (HS) lines had higher incidences of poisoning and higher mortalities after poisoning than the Bos indicus based breeds.During the period of poisoning, live–weight gains of affected animals of all breeds were reduced but subsequent recovery was rapid. Lantana poisoning had no detectable effect on the fertility of animals affected at least 10 months prior to their first mating, irrespective of breed.Parasite control influenced the incidence of poisoning and mortality in genetically similar groups of HS cattle. This observation, when combined with the between-breed relationships between the incidence of lantana poisoning and susceptibility to environmental stresses suggests that the marked breed differences in susceptibility to lantana poisoning stem from differences in resistance to other environmental stresses, including cattle ticks. This offers little scope for selection of animals that are resistant to lantana poisoning per se but has practical significance in lantanainfested regions.