Evaluation of crossbred cattle for production and reproduction traits in Jaipur district, Rajasthan

Introduction

Dairy farming plays a pivotal role in India's rural economy, and Rajasthan stands out as a major contributor to the sector's growth. In 2023-24, India produced 239.30 million tonnes of milk, with a per capita availability of 471 grams per day. In contrast, Rajasthan alone accounted for 14.51% of national milk production with significantly higher per capita milk availability of 1, 171 grams per day which is more than double the national average. This remarkable performance is largely attributed to the widespread adoption of crossbred cattle, which offer higher milk yields (8.43 kg/day) compared to indigenous breeds (3.54 kg/day). Jaipur district exemplifies this trend, with crossbred cows producing an average of 9.784 kg per day. For further improvement of dairy enterprises based on crossbred cattle, the basic data of actual field conditions is required. Considering these facts, this study was planned to evaluate the productive and reproductive performance of crossbred cattle.

As farmers lacked written records, information was based on recall. Statistical analysis was performed using mean, standard deviation, standard error, t-test, chi-square test, and p-value to interpret the results.

Results and Discussion

The results of production performance of crossbred cattle in two tehsils are presented in Table 1.

Lactation Milk Yield (LMY)

The average lactation milk yield of crossbred cattle in Chomu was 3786.64±37.13 kg, while in Amer it was 3866.75±36.54 kg. The difference in yield was not statistically significant, indicating no effect of location on milk yield in the study. The milk yields observed in the study were slightly lower than those reported by Japheth et al. (2015) [10] but considerably higher than the findings of Meena et al. (2015) [14] , Das et al. (2024) [5] , and Sai et al. (2023) [19] . The results reflect good productivity of crossbred cows in both tehsils.

Lactation Length (LL)

The mean lactation length of crossbred cattle in Chomu and Amer was 305.11± 0.548 and 306.15± 0.378 days respectively. The difference between the two tehsils was not statistically significant. The present result align well with the optimum range reported by Beneberu (2023) [4] . These findings confirm that the lactation length of crossbred cows in both Chomu and Amer tehsils are within the normal range, indicating satisfactory management practices.

Average Daily Milk Yield (ADMY)

The mean daily milk yield of crossbred cattle in Chomu was 12.37± 0.11 kg, while in Amer it was 12.60± 0.11 kg. The difference between the two tehsils was not statistically significant (t = -1.432, df = 885, p = 0.153). The results are in consonance with the reports of Japheth et al. (2015) [10] and Kidane et al. (2019) [11] , who reported ADMY of 12.93± 0.99 kg and 12.57± 0.08 kg, respectively. On the contrary, Getachew et al. (2020) [9] noted a higher yield of 14.33±4.59 liters/day, while Bekuma et al. (2020) [3] recorded lower average daily yields. The results indicate that the average daily milk yield performance of crossbred cows in both tehsils is within the desirable range, suggesting farmers maintain good genetic merit and followed optimum management practices.

Peak Yield (PY)

The average peak milk yield of crossbred cattle in Chomu was 15.62±0.12 kg, while in Amer it was 15.84±0.12 kg. The difference was not statistically significant. The peak yields observed in the present study are higher than those reported by Gautam and Khadka (2022) [8] , who documented 14.9±4.7 L/day in Holstein crosses, as well as Dev and Dahiya (2018) [7] and Desai et al. (2017) [6] , who reported lower values ranging from 3.14±0.18 kg to 13.3 kg and 8.61±0.05 liters, respectively. The results of reproduction performance of crossbred cattle in two tehsils are presented in Table 2.

Age of First Conception (AFCon)

The mean age at first conception in crossbred cattle was significantly lower at 20.38± 0.14 months in Chomu as compare to 20.94± 0.13 months in Amer. Considerably lower age at first conception was reported by Petrovic et al.

(2007) [15] who observed first conception at a much earlier age of 16.15 and 16.22 months, respectively in HF crossbred and HF cows. The higher AFCon may be attributed to suboptimal feeding, health care, or heat detection, highlighting the need of improved heifer management for early maturity.

Age of First Calving (AFC)

The average age at first calving in crossbred cattle was significantly lower at 29.45± 0.14 months in Chomu than 29.97± 0.13 months in Amer. The average age at first calving observed in this study aligns with of reports Manjusha et al. (2016) [13] and Kumari et al. (2019) [12] , who reported AFC of 30.8 and 30.75 months, respectively. However, it is on the other hand, higher AFC at 36.4 and 34.7 months reported by Anilkumar et al. (2016) [2] and Priyadharshini et al. (2021) [17] .

Service Period (SP)

The average service period of crossbred cattle was 2.91± 0.05 months in Chomu and 2.87± 0.03 months in Amer. The difference was not statistically significant. The service periods recorded in this study are notably shorter than those reported by Dev and Dahiya (2018) [7] , and Sai et al. (2023) [19] , who observed durations ranging from 107.55 to 272 days. The service periods observed in the study reflect effective reproductive management, timely heat detection, and efficient insemination practices adopted by farmers in these regions.

Dry Period (DP)

The mean dry period of crossbred cattle was 1.99± 0.03 months in Chomu and 1.98± 0.03 months in Amer. The difference was not statistically significant. The dry periods observed in this study are considerably shorter than those reported by Dev and Dahiya (2018) [7] , Roy et al. (2020) [18] , and Sangwan et al. (2021), who documented durations of dry ranging from 84 to 318 days. However, almost similar dry period was reported by Poudel et al. (2023) [16] .

Calving Interval (CI)

The average calving interval of crossbred cattle was 12.15± 0.04 months in Chomu and 12.18± 0.03 months in Amer. The effect of lactation was was not statistically significant. The calving intervals observed in this study was similar to those reported by Almensh et al. (2017) [1] , Desai et al. (2017) [6] and Dev and Dahiya (2018) [7] . The CI observed in the study is almost equal to optimum. Hence, it indicate strong reproductive efficiency, timely breeding, and sound postpartum care practices in Chomu and Amer.

Gestation Period (GP)

The mean gestation period of crossbred cattle was 277.35± 1.04 days in Chomu and 279.08± 0.08 days in Amer. The difference was not statistically significant. Desai et al. (2017) [6] and Siddika et al. (2024) [21] reported equal GP of 279.14±0.30 and 278.44±0.97 days, respectively in crossbred cattle.

Conclusion

The results of the present study indicate that while the productive traits of crossbred cattle in both Chomu and Amer such as lactation yield, lactation length, daily milk yield, and peak milk yield were within satisfactory ranges and showed no significant differences between tehsils, the reproductive performance parameters warrant attention. Specifically, the age at first conception and age at first calving were significantly higher in Amer, and both the service period and calving interval across regions were slightly extended beyond the optimum values required for maximizing profitability in dairy farming. These extended reproductive intervals can adversely affect lifetime productivity and economic returns. Therefore, improving reproductive efficiency through better herd management, nutritional support, and timely veterinary interventions is essential to enhance the overall profitability of crossbred dairy cattle farming in the region.

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