COMPARISON OF PRODUCTIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCES OF INDIGENOUS AND CROSSBRED BUFFALOES AT BAGERHAT BUFFALO BREEDING AND DEVELOPMENT FARM

Abstract

The present study was carried out at Fakhirhat Upazila in Bagerhat district known as Buffalo Breeding and Development Farm with the aid of the Department of Animal Nutrition, Genetics and Breeding, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka during the period from July 2020 to December 2020. In this study, Indigenous, Murrah x Indigenous, Nili-Ravi x Indigenous buffalo breeds were used. Total 300 data were collected from different parameters growth performance traits (Birth weight, weight at 6 months, adult body weight) kg for both sexes; productive performance (daily milk yield-liter, lactation milk yield-liter, lactation length-days) and reproductive performance (age at sexual maturity, age at first calving, calving interval) months, service per conception for female buffaloes. The mean birth weight for females was found higher in Nili-Ravi x Indigenous (25.02±0.31) followed by Murrah x Indigenous (23.92±0.36) and Indigenous (23.27±0.37) breed groups respectively with significant (P<0.05) difference. The mean weight for males at 6 months of age was found significantly (P<0.05) higher in Murrah x Indigenous (92.66

±0.53) followed by Nili-Ravi x Indigenous (90.46±0.65) and Indigenous (83.22±0.65) breed groups respectively. The mean weight for females, at 6 months of age was found significantly (P<0.05) higher in Murrah x Indigenous (86.36±0.65) followed by Nili-Ravi x Indigenous (81.46±0.70) and Indigenous (74.56±0.69) breed groups respectively. The mean adult body weight for males was found significantly (P<0.05) higher in Murrah x Indigenous (560.52

±1.06) followed by Nili-Ravi x Indigenous (503.86±1.11) and Indigenous (455.16±1.13) breed groups respectively. The mean adult body weight for females also significantly (P<0.05) higher in Murrah x Indigenous (451.8±1.04) followed by Nili-Ravi x Indigenous (409.22±1.08) and Indigenous (355.92±0.95) breed groups respectively. The mean of daily milk yield (liter) was higher in Murrah x Indigenous (2.66±0.06) followed by Nili-Ravi x Indigenous (2.51±0.04) and Indigenous (2.39±0.04) respectively with significant (P<0.05) difference. Murrah x Indigenous (784.44±28.33) and Nili-Ravi x Indigenous (878.2±17.25) were significantly (P<0.05) different (784.4±28.33) for indigenous buffalos. The lactation lengths (days) in NiliRavi x Indigenous (351.06±7.31) was significantly (P<0.05) different from Indigenous

(326.62±9.71). The mean age at sexual maturity (months) Murrah x Indigenous (35.23±0.22)

and Nili-Ravi x Indigenous (35.51±0.24) were significantly (P<0.05) different but they were

significantly different in

Indigenous buffaloes (34.532±0.13). The overall means of the production parameters estimated in this study indicates that Murrah x Indigenous and NiliRavi

x Indigenous crossbred buffaloes perform well in comparison to Indigenous buffaloes, but the reproductive performance was not significantly different.