PRODUCTIVITY OF DIFFERENT SPECIES OF DAIRY ANIMALS IN HIGH ALTITUDE REGIONS: A GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS IN PULWAMA DISTRICT OF JAMMU & KASHMIR

The study was conducted to assess the existing productivity performance of indigenous and cross-bred cows like Holstein Friesians and Jersey cows in terms of milk yield, age at first calving, post-partum heat, lactation length, dry period, calving interval and lactation yield across different agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Pulwama district, as these aspects have a profound influence on the efficiency of milk production. For this study, a total of 72 dairy cows were selected randomly from three agro-ecological zones of Pulwama district i.e., Flood Plain, Karewa and Kandi. Significant difference was found within the milk yield (p<0.01), age at first calving (p<0.01), post-partum heat (p<0.01), lactation length (p<0.01), dry period (p<0.01), calving interval (p<0.01) and lactation yield (p<0.01). It was observed that productive and reproductive efficiency of exotic species mainly Jersey and Holstein Friesian remain at the top followed by local/ indigenous species. The study concludes that the cross-bred cows are better performers than the indigenous cows in dairy potentialities in the study area. It also reflects that due to robust launching of livestock hybridisation programme in the district, the number of livestock is rapidly being replaced by the cross-breeding animals in order to meet the growing milk demand of the population.


ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to assess the existing productivity performance of indigenous and cross-bred cows like Holstein Friesians and Jersey cows in terms of milk yield, age at first calving, post-partum heat, lactation length, dry period, calving interval and lactation yield across different agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Pulwama district, as these aspects have a profound influence on the efficiency of milk production.For this study, a total of 72 dairy cows were selected randomly from three agro-ecological zones of Pulwama district i.e., Flood Plain, Karewa and Kandi.Significant difference was found within the milk yield (p<0.01), age at first calving (p<0.01),post-partum heat (p<0.01),lactation length (p<0.01),dry period (p<0.01),calving interval (p<0.01) and lactation yield (p<0.01).It was observed that productive and reproductive efficiency of exotic species mainly Jersey and Holstein Friesian remain at the top followed by local/ indigenous species.The study concludes that the cross-bred cows are better performers than the indigenous cows in dairy potentialities in the study area.It also reflects that due to robust launching of livestock hybridisation programme in the district, the number of livestock is rapidly being replaced by the cross-breeding animals in order to meet the growing milk demand of the population.

Introduction
The reproductive performance of a herd or an animal is a key indicator of sustainability of a dairy farming system.However, assessment of productive and reproductive performance depends on composite parameters to assess the overall performance evaluation (Islam et al, 2006).The important parameters that determine cattle reproductive and productive efficiency are age at first service, age at first calving, birth weight, total milk yield, average milk yield per day, calving to first service interval and calving interval (Dematawawa and Beger, 1998).They also reported that these parameters are important in terms of economics of dairy management.Similarly, Mukasa-Mugerwa (1989) reported that the most important parameters to measure the farm income are calving interval, age at puberty, service per conception, gestation length and birth weight of fetus.Among these calving interval is considered, probably,the best index of a cattle herd to measure reproductive efficiency.Like other developing countries, India is also practising improvement of individual cow productivity through crossing the indigenous/ local cattle with breeds like Holstein Friesian and Jersey.However, the performance of the cross-bred cattle varies with different agro-ecological conditions.Milk production in Jammu and Kashmir is also largely affected by a combination of factors, namely, genetic make-up in terms of use of improved breeds selected for milk production, a favourable nutritional environment and improved managerial practices.Consequently, genetic make-up of dairy animals plays a great role in the variation of milk yield and composition.Milk production is, therefore, a factor of genotypeenvironment interactions.It is important to balance selection for both production and functional traits.In Pulwama district the land use trend has changed now.More and more land is being used for production of high value fodder crops, mainly berseem and oats because of robust launching of livestock hybridisation programme in the study area.The number of livestock, being replaced by the cross-breeding animals, is going up rapidly and they need more feed for maintaining their body growth and development.The native cattle of the study area have low productivity but disease resistance capacity is higher than that of exotic breeds.To develop the performance of native cattle, upgradation is necessary.The profitability of dairying depends upon sound management and selection of better genotype which determine the level of production either at farm or at individual level.Most of the cattle population in the district is cross-bred.They are larger in size and their milk production capacity is much larger than that of indigenous breeds.The average milk production of a cross-bred cow yield varies between 2500-3000 litres per lactation period of 305 days.The average milk production of a local cow is very low and it varies between 500-1000 litres per lactation period of 305 days.It is interesting to mention here that a reasonable number of landless and marginal farmers have found crossbreeding cows as a profitable enterprise under improved nutrition, better disease control and management.The primary goal of dairy cattle breeding is to increase the efficiency of milk production and the farmers have considered cross-breeding as an alternative to achieve this goal.Conservation and improvement of indigenous animal germplasm are essential for profitable livestock farming to meet the increasing demand of milk.Reproductive efficiency is a major factor in the profitability of a dairy enterprise through its effect on the annual milk production.Thus, a need was felt to understand and document the important parametres pertaining to productive and reproductive performance of dairy breeds.This information could serve as the basis for the exploitation of genetic potential to further the development of dairy industry in the study area and might also be useful for the policy makers in the process of planning and making accurate decisions pertaining to dairy development.

Study Area
The study area is centrally located in the Kashmir valley, between 33 o 37´-34 o 06´ N latitude and 74 o 33´ -75 o 14´ E longitude.The district is situated 32 km from Srinagar in south Kashmir, surrounded by Srinagar in the north, Poonch and Budgam in the west and Anantnag and Shopian districts in the east and south, respectively.The total geographical area of the district is 787 km 2 .The study area is mainly divided into three altitudinal zones i.e., Flood Plain which is 1700 metres above the sea level (ASL), Karewa (1700-2000 metres ASL) and Kandi (2000 metres ASL).

Objectives
The present study was conducted with the following broad objectives: 1.
To study the distribution of livestock in Pulwama district 2.
To make a comparative study in the productive performance of different breeds of dairy animals in different regions of the study area.

Methodology
The present study was carried out by collecting both primary and secondary sources of data.For collecting primary data a structured questionnaire was specifically designed.A total of 72 milch animals from different regions i.e., Flood Plain, Karewa and Kandi of Pulwama district were selected, out of which 22 were Local dairy cows, 23 were Holstein Friesian and the remaining 27 were Jersey.The animals which had at least two or three lactation periods were chosen for the study.The data pertaining to indicators of biological efficiency such as age at first calving, lactation period, dry period, calving interval, daily milking average, lactation yield were recorded for all types of animals for comparison.The information on the above mentioned parameters was collected from Sheri-Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K).The secondary sources of data were mainly collected from animal and sheep husbandry Department of Pulwama district and Directorate of Statistics and Economics, J & K government, in order to know the distribution of dairy animals in the study area.The collected data was statistically analysed in order to ascertain the statistical difference between the productive and reproductive traits of different species in various biological parameters and this was followed by pair-wise comparisons.The Tukey's test was used for the same in order to ascertain the comparison within the species.

Distribution of Dairy Animals in Pulwama District
Many factors influence the distribution of dairy cattle in Pulwama district.They include climate, proximity to market and availability of feed and fodder resources.The composition of livestock had changed noticeably during the period.The cross-bred cattle dominated the livestock production system and constituted over 95 per cent of livestock population in the district.Pulwama district is dominated by cattle followed by sheep and goat population.The cross-bred population has increased by 21 per cent but indigenous population has decreased by 15.7 per cent.The animal husbandry in the district has vast scope for exploitation and quick economic returns.On the other hand, population growth, urbanisation and income growth further emphasise the need for improvement of animal husbandry to meet the massive global increase in demand for food of animal origin and animal products.

Results and Discussion
A comparison of each parameter revealed a considerable difference between various breeds of dairy animals.The milk yield, age at first calving, lactation length, lactation yield, calving interval, dry period and post-partum heat are the important features associated with dairy animals that are vital for the economic sustainability of a dairy farm.Reduction in the age at first calving and dry period leads to an increase in lactation yield and productive life of the dairy animals and economy of the dairy farm.The information on the reproductive performance of different species of dairy animals is depicted in Table 3.   Milk Yield: The average daily milk has been considered as an important indicator because it is ultimately milk average that gives a fair return to the farmer.The milk production of indigenous cattle is low as compared to improved breeds.The average milk yield was observed to be 3.30±0.82for Local breed, while for Jersey and Holstein Friesian it was observed to be 6.76±2.12 and 9.31±2.90,respectively in Flood Plain.The average milk yield in Karewa was 3.21±0.73for Local breed and 5.93±1.63,8.47±2.41 for Jersey and Holstein Friesian.Similarly, in Kandi the average milk yield was observed to be 2.69±0.63 for Local breed and 5.60±1.22,6.57 ±2.41 for Jersey and Holstein Friesian.
The pair-wise comparison reveals that significant difference (p<0.01) was found among various breeds of dairy animals.Among the different types of cows, highest milk production was recorded in case of Holstein Friesian and lowest was recorded in case of Indigenous cows.The age at first calving of different genetic groups of dairy animals differed significantly (p<0.01).The highest age at first calving was found among the Indigenous cows and lowest age at first calving was found in Jersey followed by Holstein Friesian cows in different agro-ecological zones of Pulwama district.
Lactation Yield: The lactation yield was observed to be 1088.69±117.90 for Local breed, while for Jersey and Holstein Friesian it was observed to be 2112.The statistical analysis showed that there was a significant difference among the lactation yield of different types of dairy animals.It was found that the lactation yield of Holstein was maximum and the lowest lactation yield was found in local cows in different agro-ecological zones of the study area.The study reveals that there was statistically significant difference among different breeds of cattle in lactation length (p< 0.01).The pair-wise comparisons reveal that there was significant difference among Holstein Friesian, Jersey and Local cows.The lactation length was higher in Holstein Frisian cows followed by Jersey and the lowest was found in Local cows.

Dry Period:
The dry period was found to be 167.56±28.57for Local while for Jersey and Holstein Friesian it was observed to be 100.86±29.24and 128.84±23.57,respectively.

Valley Floor/Flood Plain
The dry period in Karewa was found to be 176.85±25.95 The mean calving interval of various species of dairy animals reveals that statistically it differs significantly (p<0.01).Among the different species of dairy animals, the highest calving interval was found in Local cows and the lowest in Holstein Friesian followed by Jersey cows.
Post-partum heat period was calculated as the interval between parturition to next heat that was observed after a certain period of parturition.Earlier the post-partum period, the shorter will be the calving interval.The length of the post-partum interval is influenced by nutrition, body condition, age, biological efficiency and presence of calf.Post-partum heat of dairy animals shows that it differs significantly (p<0.01).Table 10 reveals significant difference among Local, Holstein Friesian and Jersey cows.It was observed that the shortest post-partum heat period was in Jersey followed by Holstein Friesian and Local cows.

Conclusion
The study reveals that productive and reproductive performance is higher in cross-bred cattle than the Indigenous species.It depicts that productive performance of Holstein Friesian and Jersey cows were better than that of Indigenous ones.Although the native Local cows produce little milk than cross-bred cows, they are better adjusted with local climatic conditions.For the improvement of the breed of cows, there is a need to consider the relative efficiency of productive and reproductive performance of different cross-breds existing in our country and then their adaptability to climate.Therefore, a selection programme is to be implemented by considering the breed characteristics of the cows and that will strengthen the breeding policy for different States.

Table1:
Distribution of Dairy Animals in Pulwama District (2014-15) Production of Milk Most of the cattle population in the study area is cross-bred type.They are larger in size and their milk production capacity is much higher than that of indigenous breed.Only 0.72 per cent of cattle in the region are local.About 100.02 thousand metric tonnes of milk is produced annually in Pulwama district, out of which 96.21 per cent is contributed by cross-bred animals, 0.72 per cent by local cattle, 0.95 per cent by buffaloes and 2.12 per cent by goats.Source: Animal Husbandry Department, Pulwama, 2015.

Figure2:
Figure2: Distribution of Dairy Animals in Pulwama District (Per cent to total dairy animals)

Figure 3 :
Figure 3: Production of Milk from Different Species of Dairy Animals

Figure 4 :
Figure 4: Milk Yield of Different Species of Dairy Animal in Pulwama District 26± 422.22 and 3242.42±578.36,respectively in Flood Plain.The lactation yield in Karewa was 1000.82±245.89 for Local breed and 2059.90±437.49, 3197.05±553.19 for Jersey and Holstein Friesian, respectively.Similarly in Kandi, the average lactation yield was observed to be 1088.69±20.27for Local breed and 2065.20 ± 451.65, 2938.57± 579.94 for Jersey and Holstein Friesian, respectively.

Figure 5 :
Figure 5: Age at First Calving of Different Species of Dairy Animals in Pulwama District Length: The lactation length among different breeds of dairy animals was observed to be 263.60±36.23,301.96±49.43,321.78±21.91 for Local, Jersey and Holstein Friesian, respectively in Flood Plain while in Karewa it was found to be 243.47±36.97,293.40±48.05,313.36±23.33 for Local, Jersey and Holstein Friesian, respectively.Similarly in Kandi region, the lactation length was found to be 205.95±39.11,288.60±104, 295.84± 43.72 for Local, Jersey and Holstein Friesian, respectively.

Figure 6 :
Figure 6: Lactation Yield of Different Species of Dairy Animals in Pulwama District

Figure 7 :
Figure 7: Reproductive Parameters of Different Species of Diary Animals in Pulwama District

Age at First Calving:
Age at first calving was recorded to be 39.95±4.31,34.58±6.19,35.15±2.98 for Local, Jersey and Holstein Friesian, respectively in Flood Plain, while in Karewa the age at first calving was observed to be 41.56±4.48,36.06±6.33,37.21±2.91forLocal, Jersey and Holstein Friesian, respectively.Similarly in Kandi, the average age at first calving was found to be 44.47±4.45,37.96±6.38,37.73±3.21for Local, Jersey and Holstein Friesian, respectively.

Table 8 : Dry Period Pair-wise Comparison (The figures are in P values)
Jersey and Local cows.It is observed that highest dry period was found among Local cows followed by Jersey and lowest dry period was observed in Holstein Friesian.