Chilika Buffaloes in Orissa: a Unique Germplasm
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73 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 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 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ AGRI 2003, 33: 73-79 Chilika buffaloes in Orissa, India 74 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 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. ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Patro et al. 75 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 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 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Animal Genetic Resources Information, No. 33, 2003 Chilika buffaloes in Orissa, India 76 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ the night and are given feed 9.13. The SNF content was also high (8.72) supplementation as well as medication as with a range of 7.8 to 9.5. The buffaloes of and when necessary. The management and Rambha locality had higher daily yield feeding practices of these buffaloes are (2.82 kg) compared to buffalo of other significantly different from those of the localities. The lactation length was higher in Chilika buffaloes. the Bhusandpur locality (261.8 days). Chilika buffaloes have the first calf at three years and eight months, breed after 4½ months Results and Discussion and give the second calf at an interval of 14 months. The results of the present study correspond to the findings of Mishra (1991) The average and standard error of the body with respect to age at first calving, service measurements of Chilika buffaloes found in period and milk yield in the indigenous the five localities is shown in Table 1. The Paradip buffaloes of Orissa. However, mean body length is about 122 cm and Mishra (1993) studied these traits in the height about 124 cm. The mean horn length Paralakhemundi buffaloes of Orissa and is about 49 cm and the teat length is about observed the milk yield to be higher and age 5 cm. Table 2 shows the mean and standard at first calving to be older. The heritability of error of some of the production and the important production and reproduction reproduction traits of Chilika buffaloes in the traits of Chilika buffaloes are computed by five localities. These buffaloes yielded about the dam daughter regression method using 2.5 kg of milk a day. The lactation period 202 dam-daughter pairs after correcting the continues for about eight months. Analysis of data for the effect of locality. The h2 estimates milk samples showed that the fat percentage are reported in Table 3. Milk yield has a high varied between eight and 12 with a mean of heritability (0.7) which may be due to the 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