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Chilika buffaloes in Orissa: a unique germplasm

B.N. Patro, P.K. Mishra & P.K. Rao

Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Orissa Veterinary College, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, 751003, Orissa, India

Summary respectivamente 122,3±0,2 cm, 169,7±0,3 cm, 123,9±2,7 cm y 320,0±0,7 kg. La edad media People in the villages situated on the bank of al primer parto ha sido de 1 331,4±6,8 días. the famous salt lake Chilika in Orissa rear La media de intervalo entre partos ha sido de buffaloes with almost zero input. These 431,7±3,6 días. La media diaria de animals, endowed with the special quality of producción lechera y su duración en las tres entering deep into the lake and feeding on primeras lactaciones ha sido de 2,6±0,01 kg y the vegetation that grows there, help to 238,7±2,1 días. La mayoría de los rasgos maintain the natural ecosystem and provide económicos poseen un alta heredabilidad. La good earnings for the rural people. This temperatura del hábitat oscila biodiversity in buffalo germplasm needs to be aproximadamente entre 15°C en invierno preserved. The mean body length, girth, hasta 40°C en verano. height at withers and weight were 122.3±0.2 cm, 169.7±0.3 cm, 123.9±2.7 cm Keywords: Chilika lake, Chilika buffalo, and 320.0±0.7 kg, respectively. The mean age Management, Feeding practices. at first calving was 1 331.4±6.8 days. The average of the first two calving intervals was 431.7±3.6 days. The average daily milk yield Introduction of the first three lactations and lactation length was 2.6±0.01 kg and 238.7±2.1 days, The famous salt lake, Chilika in Orissa, India respectively. Most of the economic traits had is surrounded by villages on three sides high heritability. The temperature of the starting from Palur in the Ganjam district habitat ranges approximately between 15°C extending to the Bramhagiri area of Puri in winter to 40°C in summer. through Balugan and Bhusandapur of the Khurda district. This lake is well known for migratory birds from far off places like Resumen Siberia in the winter season and has attracted the attention of tourists from all Los habitantes de los poblados situados a over the world. There are several villages on orillas del famoso lago salado de Chilika en the coast of Chilika lake where people have Orissa crían búfalos con prácticamente reared buffaloes for several generations. ningún entrante. Estos animales, que poseen These animals have distinct feeding habits la rara capacidad de entrar en el lago en and require management practices involving profundidad para alimentarse con la almost no investment except labour. Studies vegetación que allí crece, ayudan así a on these buffaloes with respect to body mantener el ecosistema natural y aportan conformation, production and reproduction buenas ganancias a las poblaciones rurales. potentialities, management practices, feeding Es necesario conservar esta biodiversidad en habits and utility are very limited. el germoplasma del búfalo. La longitud

corporal, circunferencia, altura y peso son

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Materials and Methods economic traits was detected using Duncan's Multiple Range Test. A few milk A study was undertaken in 18 villages on the samples were also collected from different bank of the Chilika lake starting from Palur localities to estimate the fat and SNF content. in Ganjam to Bhusandapur in the Khurda The feeding and management practices in district (Figure 1). These villages were different localities were studied. Figures 2 grouped into five localities. Information was and 3 show Chilika buffaloes in Parikud and collected on 409 buffalo cows belonging to Bhusandpur area. 61 farmers of these localities. Body measurements of adult animals like length, girth, height at withers, height at hind limb, Management and Feeding length of fore limb, tail length, teat length, neck length, face length, ear length and horn Practices length were taken together with information on age at first heat, age at first conception, The Chilika buffaloes are reared under an age at first calving, service period, calving extensive system of management. No interval, age at second calving, average daily housing is provided for them throughout the milk yield, lactation length and dry period. A year. During hot summers and heavy rains significant difference between the localities the buffaloes are found to take shelter under with respect to the conformation and the trees on the shore of the lake away from

Figure 1. Orissa region in India, breeding tract of the Chilika buffalo.

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Figure 2. Chilika buffaloes (female) in the area of Parikuda.

the village. These buffaloes live only on The prevailing management practice in other grazing without any feed supplementation, localities like Rambha, Huma and Parikud is not even straw or grass. The grazing ground the same throughout the year as that is the Chilika lake. They live entirely on the practised in the monsoon season in vegetation that grows inside the salty lake. Bhusandpur. Chilika buffaloes are docile in The local names of two such grasses which nature. In the Bhusandpur locality these are very much relished by these buffaloes are animals are kept in the open throughout the ‘Chhera’ and ‘Pitta’. The buffaloes have the year without even tethering. In other areas ability to immerse into the salty water and the animals are tied to wooden pegs buried pick up the submerged grasses. They remain on the shore and the newborn calves are throughout the whole night or day inside the given shelter in the houses of the farmers. lake. It is their habit to quench their thirst by Since animals of different owners are sent to drinking the salty water of the lake. In the the lake together, notching and tearing of the Bhusandpur locality the animals are sent to ears and hot iron banding are used to the lake in the late afternoon and are identify the animals. Breeding is carried out allowed to stay there for the whole night through a natural service by indigenous without anyone watching over them and are Chilika bulls which remain in the herd. As a then brought back to the shore in the practice no medication is given to Chilika morning of the next day for milking. Milking buffaloes and the mortality rate is low. Death is carried out only once a day. After milking due to liver fluke infection is reported in the the animals remain by the shore and Bhusandpur area where insemination with outskirts of the village until late afternoon. Murrah semen is followed to some extent. In During the monsoon season when the Rambha locality two other types of cultivation of the paddy takes place, the buffalo are found which do not enter into the buffaloes are sent to the lake in the daytime lake even by persuasion but graze on the after milking to avoid grazing in cultivated land in the village away from the lake. These

areas and are brought back in the evening. buffaloes are provided with shelter during

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Table 1. Mean and standard error of conformation traits of adult Chilika buffaloes locality wise.

Traits Huma Balugaon Parikud Rambha Bhusandpur Mean Body length (cm) 121±0.2a 121±0.2a 121±0.2a 122±0.2a 125±0.1b 122±0.2 Body girth (cm) 169±0.3a 171±0.4a 169±0.5a 167±0.1a 175±0.1b 170±0.3 Height at withers (cm) 120±2.7a 121±2.6a 119±2.7a 121±2.7b 125±2.7c 124±2.7 Height at hind limb (cm) 112±0.3a 113±0.2a 111±0.4a 115±0.3b 118±0.4c 114±0.3 Length of fore limb (cm) 61±0.8a 62±0.2a 62±0.3a 67±0.2b 74±0.3c 67±0.5 Tail length (cm) 67±0.1a 67±0.6a 67±0.1a 70±0.1a 67±0.1a 68±0.2 Distance between hips 48±0.1a 49±0.3a 47±0.2a 49±0.2a 49±0.4a 48±0.1 (cm) Teat length (cm) 5.6±0.1a 5±0.1a 5±0.1a 5±0.1a 4.6±0.3b 5.1±0.4 Neck length (cm) 60±0.2a 61±0.2a 60±0.1b 59±0.1a 59±0.4a 60±0.1 Face length (cm) 48±0.2a 48±0.2a 46±0.2b 48±0.2a 47±0.4a 47±0.1 Ear length (cm) 25±0.1a 26±0.1a 25±0.1a 26±0.1a 24±0.1b 26±0.1 Horn length (cm) 49±0.2a 49±0.2a 47±0.1a 53±0.2cb 46±0.2a 49±0.2 Values with same superscripts do not differ significantly.

Values with different superscripts differ significantly (P ≤ 0.05).

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Traits Mean Bhusandpur Rambha Parikud Balugaon Huma Age Age heat (days) at first (days) conception first at Age Age at first calving (days) (days) Age at first calving Service period (days) calving (days) Age at second Calving (days) interval Average daily milk yield(l) (days) length Lactation (days) period Dry Table 2. Mean and standard error for reproduction and production traits of Chilika buffaloes. buffaloes. of traits Chilika production and error reproduction for and Mean standard Table 2. Values with same superscriptsdo not differ significantly. Values with different superscripts differ significantly (P

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Figure 3. Chilika buffaloes in the area of Bhusandapur.

Table 3. Heritability estimates for different economic traits in Chilika buffaloes (202 dam-daughter pairs).

Traits h2 estimate Standard error Adult body weight 0.351 0.070 Age at first heat 0.423 0.081 Age at first conception 0.525 0.092 Age at first calving 0.533 0.072 Age of the first two service periods 0.054 0.109 Average daily milk yield 0.702 0.078 Average of first two calving intervals 0.098 0.060

method of estimation, for example, maternal first heat, age at first conception and age at effect for milk yield has created an additional first calving show high heritabilty indicating resemblance between dam and daughters. that additive genetic variance exists for Even then, the magnitude of heritability improvement of these traits in the indicates that appreciable amounts of population. Calving interval and service additive genetic variability exist for milk yield period are lowly heritable in Chilika in Chilika buffaloes which can be utilised for buffaloes (Table 3). improvement through intra-population

selection. The reproductive traits like age at

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Conclusion Selective breeding through exploitation of the genetic variation existing in the population The Chilika buffaloes are endowed with the may be practised for improvement of Chilika unique quality of entering deep into the salty buffaloes in Orissa. water of the lake, feeding on the vegetation that grows there, drinking the salty water and remaining in the lake for several days References together. These animals withstand the marshy environment very well and are Mishra, K.P. 1993. Studies on the raised in the open under hot sun and heavy productive and reproductive performance of rains throughout the year with no Paralakhemundi buffaloes and its crosses. medication. Chilika buffaloes clean the M.V.Sc thesis submitted to Orissa University coastline and inside of the lake by eating the of Agriculture and Technology, unruly vegetation and hence help to Bhubaneswar, Orissa. maintain the balance in the ecosystem. These animals convert the coarse grasses of the lake Mishra, S. 1991. Reproductive status of into a highly nutritious milk product and crossbred buffaloes (Indigenous Murrah) in serve as a good source of income to the rural Orissa. M.V.Sc. Thesis submitted to Orissa mass with almost zero investment. This University of Agriculture and Technology, biodiversity in buffalo germplasm and its Bhubaneswar, Orissa. uniqueness should be preserved, maintained

and improved for the benefit of the people.

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