Effect of parity, lactation stage and udder morphology on milk yield and milk constituents in Jaffarabadi buffaloes

Abstract

The present study was conducted to know the effect of parity, stage of lactation and udder morphology  on milk yield and milk constituents in Jaffarabadi buffaloes. A total of 150 buffaloes selected from private  dairy farms located in and around Hyderabadwere utilized. The average daily milk yield (ADMY) recorded  in buffaloes with different parities were 7.06 ± 0.16, 8.11 ± 0.11, 8.86 ± 0.12and 8.23 ± 0.08 Kg in first, 

second, third and fourth parity, respectively showing the third parity animals yielded higher ADMY compared  to other parities. The ADMY in different lactation stages recorded were 8.55 ± 0.14, 8.23 ± 0.12 and 8.08 ±  0.13 Kg in early, mid and late stage of lactation, respectively showing there was a decrease in ADMY from  early to late stage of lactation. There was a positive and highly significant (P<0.01) correlation between the  udder morphology and ADMY. The average milk fat, solids non fat (SNF) and total solids (TS) of different 

parities ranged from 7.41 ± 0.12 to 8.05 ± 0.09%, 9.67 ± 0.09 to 10.03 ± 0.12% and 17.44 ± 0.22 to 17.72  ± 0.15%, respectively. The overall average milk fat, SNF and TS were found to be 7.81 ± 0.05, 9.77 ±  0.05 and 17.58 ± 0.08 %, respectively showing there was an increase in milk fat and TS from first parity to  fourth parity. The average milk fat, SNF and TS in different stages of lactation ranged from 7.24 ± 0.08 to  8.35 ± 0.08, 9.67 ± 0.07 to 9.85 ± 0.10 and 16.91 ± 0.12 to 18.20 ± 0.12 %, respectively and a significant 

(P<0.05) increase in milk fat and TS from early to late lactation stage was observed. Similarly, SNF also  increased from early to late stage of lactation but was insignificant. It was also observed that there was no  significant effect of udder and teat shapes on milk constituents. There was a negative correlation of ADMY  with milk fat, SNF and TS and correlation were highly significant (P<0.01) in case of ADMY with fat and  TS. The milk fat was positively correlated with SNF and TS but the correlation was significant only with  TS. The study concludes that, parity and stage of lactation affect ADMY and milk constituents, while the  positive correlation among milk constituents indicating that selection for one trait will also improve other  traits in Jaffarabadi buffaloe