Productivity of river buffalo with reference to feed, season and categories of farmers
By Dr Awadhesh Kishore, 9th Aug 2012 | Follow this author
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A research worker was conducted with 300 lactating river buffaloes in Agra District in India. Productivity with reference to feed, season and categories of farmers were established during study. The poor milk yield was observed in summer season than that in other seasons. . The fat percentage was significantly higher in summer.
- Productivity of river buffalo with reference to feed, season and categories of farmers
- Abstract:
- Introduction:
- Objective:
- Methodology:
- Experimental Findings:
- Conclusion:
- References:
Productivity of river buffalo with reference to feed, season and categories of farmers
Praveen Kumar Singh; Awadhesh Kishore*; Prakash Chandra and Rakhi Sharma**
RBS College, Bichpuri-281305, Agra (INDIA)
*Sarvoday Mahavidyalaya, Chaumuhan-281406, Mathura (INDIA)
** Institute for Development of Technology for Rural Advancement, Mathura-281004 INDIA
Abstract:
A research worker was conducted with 300 lactating river buffaloes in Agra District in India. Productivity with reference to feed, season and categories of farmers were established during study. The poor milk yield was observed in summer season than that in other seasons. . The fat percentage was significantly higher in summer.
Key words:
Agra, Buffalo, Categories of farmers, Feed, River buffalo, Season
Introduction:
The river buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) of the Indian sub continent are maintained chiefly for milk production, but all of them are also dual purpose animals, exhibiting good meat characteristics, though their potential for meat still remains unexplored and unexploited. Das et al,. (2008) reported that the buffalo plays a very important role in Indian economy as it alone contributes about 56% of total milk production in India. Buffalo enterprise plays a vital role in providing income and gainful employment to the farmer families, including women and child labor of the rural areas. It also indicated the buffalo enterprise may be developed as a potential source of income and employment for landless, marginal and small categories of farmers. Patel et al., (2009) reported that dry feed had a negative effect on the yield of crossbreds in summer but a positive effect for buffaloes and local cows in the rainy season and for buffaloes in winter. Singh, (2009) indicated that mixed farming systems of crops and animals are more efficient and remunerative, and generate more employment, than arable farming systems under small land holdings for irrigated and dry land conditions.
Objective:
Present investigation was conducted to observe productivity of river buffalo with reference to feed, season and categories of farmers in District Agra of Uttar Pradesh (INDIA).
Methodology:
Three hundred lactating buffaloes were randomly selected from 10 villages, including thirty farmers in each in Agra District. The farmers were categorized in five groups on the basis of landholding capacity i.e. landless farmers (0 h), marginal farmers (< 1 h), small farmers (1-2 h), medium farmers (2-3 h) and larger farmers (>3 h). Each category includes ten farmers in each village. Study was conducted during the different seasons i.e. winter (15 Nov to 31 Jan), spring (1 Feb to 15 Mar), summer (16 Mar to 14 Jun), rains (15 Jun to 15 Sep) and autumn (16 Sep to 14 Nov). Order and stage of lactation, feeding of feed and fodders of animal during 24 hours, grazing intake were recorded daily. Daily milk production of buffaloes was inquired. Feed and milk samples were collected from the buffalo owners for chemical analysis. The dry matter intake in winter and spring (in broad sense winter) and summer, rains and autumn (in broad sense summer) season were 35 and 20 per cent, respectively.
Relationship were established between feed intake and milk production by using milk yield per animal per day in each season as dependent variable with digestible crude protein intake (DCPI) and total digestible nutrients intake (TDNI) per animal per day, order of lactation and stage of lactation as independent variables. The stage of lactation has been divided into four stages.
Experimental Findings:
The intake of DM, DCP, TDN, in lactating buffaloes were significantly higher between seasons in all the categories of farmers. In all the seasons, DMI was significantly higher in medium category of farmers. DCP intake was significantly higher in medium but in spring season the same was high in small category of farmers. The deficit TDNI was found in all categories of farmers in winter, spring, summer and rainy season, while only in marginal, small and in medium categories of farmers, in autumn season. Overall deficit TDNI was observed in winter spring, summer, rainy and autumn season. In winter season, the TDNI was significantly higher in medium and in autumn season, landless.
The poor milk yield was observed in summer season than that in other seasons. Milk production in winter season was significantly higher in medium. In spring season, it was significantly higher in small. In summer season, milk yield was significantly higher in medium. In rainy season, it was significantly higher (p<0.01) in small. In autumn season, milk yield was significantly higher (p<0.01) in marginal. Order of lactation was positive and non-significantly related with milk yield under winter, spring and summer seasons in all categories of farmers except in large and medium categories under winter and spring season, which were significant.
As stage of lactation advanced the water percentage reduced in milk. Stage of lactation and water percentage was adversely correlated. The fat percentage was significantly higher in summer. Out-comes of statistical analysis of the data showed protein percentage was significantly higher in summer. Lactose percentage in milk was similar between seasons. Percentage of ash in milk was significantly higher in summer. Percentage of Total solid (TS) in milk was significantly higher in summer. Solid not fat (SNF) percentage in milk did not differ significantly between seasons.
The correlation-ship values were comparatively higher in winter season for small category of farmers, spring season for medium category of farmers, summer season for medium category of farmers, rainy season for medium and large category of farmers and autumn season for medium category of farmers. Digestible crude protein intake was found positive and observed significant relationship with milk production in all the categories of farmers in different seasons of the year.
Landless, marginal and small categories of farmers under rainy and autumn season showed the positive and non-significant relationship with milk yield while, medium and large categories of farmers showed the negative and non-significant relationship with milk yield under rainy and autumn season. Stage of lactation was found to be negative and significantly related with milk production in all categories of farmers under all seasons except in small and large category under spring season and in large category under rainy season.
Conclusion:
The poor milk yield was observed in summer season than that in other seasons. . The fat percentage was significantly higher in summer. DCPI was found positive and observed significant relationship with milk production in all the categories.
References:
Das, A.K.; Sharma, D. and Kumar, N. (2008). Buffalo genetic resources in india and their conservation. Buffalo Bulletin, 27:4, 265.
Patel, R. K., Singh, C. B., Kumar, A. 2009. Seasonal variations in feed-milk relationships and productivity of different feeds. Asian Journal of Dairy Research. www.cababstractsplus.org/abstracts.
Singh, K.P. (2009). Integrated Farming Systems for Smallholders in India– Models and Issues for Semi-arid Tropical Conditions. Quotted by http://jas.fass.org.
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