1Department of Animal genetics and Breeding, GADVASU, Ludhiana, India
2Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Dr. G. C. Negi College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, CSKHPKV, Palampur, India
3Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Dr. G. C. Negi College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, CSKHPKV, Palampur, India
*Corresponding author: S Gurdeep Singh; Email: gurdeepsingh443@yahoo.com
Online published on 4 November, 2016.
A total of 1474 and 1935 production and reproduction records of crossbred cattle and Murrah buffaloes from the year 1992 to 2012 were utilized in the present study to investigate breeding efficiency (BE) at Gadvasu Dairy farm. Breeding efficiency was calculated using Wilcox (1957) and Tomar (1965) methods and then Least squares of Harvey (1990) model was used to study the effects of various non-genetic factors (period, season) on breeding efficiency. Average breeding efficiency of Crossbred Cattle was 82.31 ± 0.97% ranging from 75% to 85% by Wilcox method and 98.14 ± 1.09% ranging from 95% to 99% by Tomar method. Breeding efficiency of Buffaloes was 78.03 ± 1.01% ranging from 69% to 84% by Wilcox method (1957) and 78.39 ± 0.39% ranging from 74% to 80% by Tomar method under the present management and production conditions. The little differences in two methods may be attributed to different methods of calculation as well as large variation in the no. of calvings, calving interval and age at first calving across 20 years. Hence it may further be concluded that the two methods were equally useful in the calculation of reproductive efficiency in dairy animals.
Breeding efficiency, methods, no. of calvings, calving interval, age at first calving
