Zoometric Characterization of Creole Cows from the Southern Amazon Region of Peru

Ricardo Encina Ruiz,José Américo Saucedo-Uriarte,Hurley Abel Quispe-Ccasa,Ilse Silvia Cayo-Colca,Segundo Melecio Portocarrero-Villegas

doi:10.3390/d13110510

Ricardo Encina Ruiz, José Américo Saucedo-Uriarte + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110510

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Abstract

Bovine breeding began in Peru more than five centuries ago; since then, adaptation has started. Nowadays, Creole cattle are part of economic activities of Peruvian farmers, as they supply food and profits, among other things, for families in Andean region. Creole cattle have many strengths such as resistance to diseases, low nutrient requirements and easy adaptation to different levels of altitude and environmental conditions. However, even with all these attributes, they are not valued within production systems. Moreover, these valuable genetic resources are disappearing gradually in Perú. For this reason, this study aims to characterize the zoometry of Creole cows from the Southern Amazonas region of Peru. Biotype classification was performed by hierarchical cluster and multivariate factors analysis. Qualitative traits were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Duncan’s test (α = 0.05) was used to compare means among groups. Associations between qualitative traits were determined with Chi-square. We distinguished three biotypes of Creole cows with characteristics for meat and milk production. This information is helpful for future conservation programs for Creole cattle.

Highlights

The origin of the Creole bovine in Peru started in 1493 when Christopher Columbus introduced the bovine species in America
Creole bovine went through numerous random crosses generating diversity in phenotypes and multiple adaptive advantages compared to specialized bovine breeds (Holstein, Brown Swiss, Angus, Simmental), such as lower nutrient requirements in their diet, lower disease susceptibility, higher fertility rates, and greater longevity under adverse environmental conditions [2]
The identification of Creole bovines based on their diversity is conceptualized as phenotypes [5]. Their natural environment influences specific zoometric traits and gives evidence of diverse phenotypes such as coat coloring pattern, head characteristics, horns present or absent, body frame, among others [6]. Given such advantages and environmental variation in the American continent, the Creole bovine has been zoometrically characterized in countries such as Mexico [7,8], Chile [9], Argentina [10], Colombia [11], Ecuador [12], Uruguay [13,14], and Venezuela [2]

Summary

Introduction

The origin of the Creole bovine in Peru started in 1493 when Christopher Columbus introduced the bovine species in America. The identification of Creole bovines based on their diversity is conceptualized as phenotypes [5] Their natural environment influences specific zoometric traits and gives evidence of diverse phenotypes such as coat coloring pattern, head characteristics, horns present or absent, body frame, among others [6]. Given such advantages and environmental variation in the American continent, the Creole bovine has been zoometrically characterized in countries such as Mexico [7,8], Chile [9], Argentina [10], Colombia [11], Ecuador [12], Uruguay [13,14], and Venezuela [2]. All these data constitute valuable information for identifying biotypes and their zootechnic indices

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