MONITORING OF STILL EXISTING RARE BREEDS IN MOUNTAIN REGIONS OF BULGARIA
Hasan Ali, Docho Genkovski Research Institute of Mountain Stockbreeding and Agriculture, Troyan 5600, Bulgaria I. Preservation of the Rare Cattle Breed GREY ISKAR CATTLE (GIC) in the Mountain Regions of Bulgaria From 1991 through 1998, the following text: Mountain Stockbreeding Department at RIMSA, “Exploring the possibilities of Department at RIMSA, contacts and co developed and implemented the research institutes on the Balkans following two projects at the research institutes on the Balkans following two projectsTroyan at the and in Europe directly-operation concerned with Agricultural Academy (nowadays, - with conservation of rare local National Centre for Agricultural with conservation of rare local National Centre for Agricultural cattle breeds threatened with Sciences): Systems for reproduction and extinction conservation of local sheep and reasons then”. Due these to a objectives number of cattle breeds; were not attained. The work on the projects Methods for conservation of the coincided with some radical Grey Iskar reforms in agriculture and and embryo Cattle deep through freezing. breeding stockbreeding that resulted in The implementation of the second liquidation of the available herds. project was possible after The newly emerging private equipment was provided for the farmers took to preserving some embryo transplantation laboratory of the herds that remained from and a team was set up of the destroyed public sector, but researchers having attended their efforts were in vain. appropriate training courses in The economic crisis that set in did Russia and France. not allow for the preservation of During the BEP stage of the first GIC with its valuable qualities such project, having assessed the risk as: excellent vitality and long life, of extinction for GIC we inserted good acclimatization potential, asas item item 10 10 of of the the working working highih fertility and early maturity, h properties of milk, resistance to conservation. some diseases and maximum Nowadays we can state that the suitability for mountain pasture remaining Grey are on the border of critical utilization. Iskar Up to 1950 GIC used to be the minimum. In the region Cattle of the heads most widely spread cattle breed in Central Balkan Mountains a small Bulgaria, up to 62%. The natural herd has been the remaining areas of spread were the valleys preserved in the municipality, and individual cows along the rivers Apriltsi Rositsa can be found in some settlements mountain and regions Iskar of the Balkan near Ogosta , Vit, Teteven Mountains. In the past and GIC theOsam washigh Loukovit , , and Troyan mainly utilized for milk, meat and decrease and the Sevlievoproduction, Ougurchin expenses for labour on the farm. Since 1950 the herd in . In order to, the breed has been crossed with as possibleApriltsi on mountain pastures improver breeds such as Brown together with cattle is of kept Hereford, as long Cattle, Black-and-white Cattle, Aberdeen Angus breeds and their Hereford and others. Because of crosses, and the management the aspirations of breeders to The subsidytechnology envisaged is that for for Grey beef cattle. replace it with more productive Iskar Iskar Cattle is not yet sufficient for breeds, assimilation processes the conservation of the breed or occurred which later resulted in its increasing of the number of dramatic decrease and livestock. replacement by breeds “ FAO, in” On1972 recommendations themore Bulgarian cultured Council by of Ministers issued government genetic resourcesDecree ‹ 8 that regulated the COW of the Breed GRAY ISKAR CATTLE
in a High Mountain Pasture in the Region of APRILTSI BULL of the Breed GRAY ISKAR CATTLE
in a High Mountain Pasture in the Region of TETEVEN APRILTSI HERD of the Breed GRAY ISKAR CATTLE The Herd Is Grazing in a High Mountain Pasture in the Region of APRILTSI MUNICIPALITY
RESULTS of the controlled CATTLE in the past as it is mentioned below:
COWS : - per 305 days (normal lactation): 3000-3500 kg/milk,; - biomass: 350-500 kg; BULLS : - biomass:600-700 kg.
II. Conservation of II. Conservation of
such as increasing of the available breeds Tetevenska focus on preservation and with extinction mountain regions and threatened lambing percentage and milk yield. reared in the mountain and fore weight, wool yield, staple length, local sheep breeds and varieties productive parameters as live systems for conservation of the will preserve the levels of entitled through methods and systems that currently going on the project be conserved and enriched at RIMSA, threatened with extinction has to The genetic fund of breeds At the such as increasing of the available breeds Tetevenska focus on preservation and with extinction mountain regions and threatened lambing percentage and milk yield. reared in the mountain and fore weight, wool yield, staple length, local sheep breeds and varieties productive parameters as live systems for conservation of the will preserve the levels of entitled through methods and systems that currently going on the project be conserved and enriched at RIMSA, threatened with extinction has to The genetic fund of breeds At the
rare local mountain sheep breeds rare local mountain sheep breeds
Sheepbreeding Sheepbreeding
“
“
Karakachanska Karakachanska
Developing methods and Developing methods and
Troyan Troyan
and and
” ”
. The activities . The activities
Staroplaninska Staroplaninska
, work has been , work has been
Department Department
, ,
. .
and milk yield); and wool yields). of machine milking; staple length, lambing percentage private sector; commercial importance (meat, milk morphological evaluation in view traits (live weight, wool yield, breeds on farms in public and the project: economic assessment of traits improving the udder control on the main productive identifying of available animal The following tasks are included in and milk yield); and wool yields). of machine milking; staple length, lambing percentage private sector; commercial importance (meat, milk morphological evaluation in view traits (live weight, wool yield, breeds on farms in public and the project: economic assessment of traits improving the udder control on the main productive identifying of available animal experts. The following tasks are included in co breeding associations, agricultural livestock, sheep and cattle rearing smaller number of used by private and public farms The results from the project will be experts. co breeding associations, agricultural livestock, sheep and cattle rearing smaller number of used by private and public farms The results from the project will be - - operatives and different level operatives and different level Herd of the KARAKACHANSKA BREED, Grazing in Mountain Pastures - in the Region of Troyan Herd of STAROPLANINSKA BREED, Grazing in Mountain Pastures – in the Region of Troyan Herd of TETEVENSKA BREED, Grazing in Mountain Pastures - in the Region of Teteven
Map of the Towns Map of the Towns
and the exact place where RIMSA is situated and the exact place where RIMSA is situated
CONCLUSION CONCLUSION
Troyan Troyan
, ,
Teteven Teteven
and and
Apriltsi Apriltsi
, , Opportunities are still available for saving and preserving valuable local livestock breeds in the mountain regions if their biological and commercial characters are judged on their merits and actions are taken to conserve them as genetic resources of the Balkans and Europe.
Therefore, we would be pleased and willing to take part in a project to this effect of the Monitoring Institute for Rare Breeds and Seeds in Europe, St. Gallen, Switzerland and the SAVE Foundation, offering the potential of modern biotechnological methods for enhanced reproduction.