Effect of weaning on milking behaviour and temperament of Murrah buffaloes

The study was conducted to compare the milking behaviour and temperament of Murrah buffaloes due to suckling and weaning at different ages. Initially, 42 recently calved buffaloes were selected and assigned alternately in to 3 groups as suckling (Gr 1), weaning at birth (Gr 2) and weaning on 45th day (Gr 3). The different behavioural parameters of the buffaloes were recorded for the first 15 days of milking/weaning during each milking. The overall average milk let down time was non-significant among the groups. The average milk yield per milking (morning and evening) was significantly (P<0.01) higher in Gr 1 (3.44±0.14 kg) and Gr 2 (3.18±0.46 kg) in comparison to Gr 3 (2.24±0.25 kg). The overall average milking time was significantly (P<0.01) higher in Gr 1 (4.41±0.14 min) than Gr 3 (3.05±0.21 min); however milking time in Gr 2 (4.29±0.41min) was not significantly different from Gr 1. The percent of dams showing stepping behaviour in Gr 1, Gr 2 and Gr 3 was 20.23, 27.57 and 44.11, respectively, and the corresponding value for kicking behaviour was 2.61, 10.60 and 13.39, respectively. The average number of dams showing bellowing behaviour in Gr 1, Gr 2 and Gr 3 was 3.56, 9.09 and 12.66, respectively. Similar trends were observed among the groups as mentioned in stepping and kicking. The percentage of dams which licked calf or looked at milker in Gr 1, Gr 2 and Gr 3 was 34.99, 9.38 and 33.33 respectively. The percentage of dams showing head shaking activity during milking operation in Gr 1, Gr 2 and Gr 3 was 26.42, 0.00 and 10.00 percent, respectively. The overall mean milking temperament score was significantly (P<0.05) higher in Gr 3 (1.73±0.18) than Gr 1 (1.20±0.05) and Gr 2 (1.48±0.17). The success rate of weaning practice in dairy buffaloes was higher at calving than later stage of lactation

Sequence Characterisation and Genotyping of Allelic Variants of Beta Casein Gene Establishes Native Cattle of Ladakh to be a Natural Resource for A2 Milk

Bovine milk is regarded as nature's perfect food due to presence of vital nutrients. However some peptides are generated after proteolytic digestion of β-casein that have opioid properties and may increase the risk of chronic diseases. There are 13 genetic variants of bovine beta-casein; out of these A1 and A2 are the most common in dairy cattle breeds. The A1 and A2 variants differ only at position 67, which is histidine in A1 or proline in A2 milk. Earlier published reports have indicated that A1 β casein could be responsible for several health disorders like diabetes, coronary heart disease etc. while A2 β-casein is generally considered safe for human consumption. In the present study, an effort was made to sequence characterize β casein gene and identify allelic distribution of A1A2 alleles in native cattle of Ladakh region adapted to high altitude and low oxygen condition. The data showed 2 non-synonymous variations in coding region, while 5’UTR was completely conserved. The 3’UTR showed 2 more variations in Ladakhi samples. Further, the genotyping in 85 Ladakhi cattle for A1A2 alleles revealed that in Ladakhi cattle, A2 allele is predominantly present as reported for some of the other Indian breeds. The frequency of A2 allele was 0.90 and frequency of A2A2 genotype was found to be 0.79 in Ladakhi cattle. The present data strongly indicate that local cattle of Ladakh with higher frequency of A2 allele and A2A2 genotype is natural resource for A2 milk.  Systematic efforts should be made for long term conservation and genetic improvement of this invaluable genetic resource of Ladakh

Effect of different heat ameliorating measures on the micro-climate of buffalo sheds during hot-dry summer

Present investigation studied the effect of heat ameliorating measures on micro-climate of sheds of Murrah buffalo heifers during hot dry summer. Buffalo heifers (24) were categorised in 4 groups (6 in each), viz. control (T0), cooling jacket (T1), cooling jacket+forced ventilation (T2) and sprinklers+forced ventilation (T3). Daily minimum and maximum and dry and wet bulb temperatures of both micro and macro-climate were measured at 10.00 AM and 2.00 PM of Indian Standard Time (IST) by using maximum and minimum and dry and wet bulb thermometer, respectively. Significant reduction in maximum temperature was observed in T3, T2 and T1 groups than control group. However, significantly higher minimum temperature was found in T0 group as compared to T3, T2 and T1 respectively. Relative humidity (RH) was significantly lower in T3 and T2 (65.67±0.48 and 65.97±0.53%, respectively) than T0 (68.51±0.56%) group at 10.00 AM whereas, at 2.00 PM significant reduction in RH was observed in T3, and T2 (55.31±0.51 and 57.20±0.62) than T0 (58.96±0.63%) group. During peak hot periods, significantly lower Temperature humidity Index (THI) was found in T3, T2 and T1 than T0 group. However, at 10.00 AM significant reduction in THI was found in T3 and T2 groups than T0 group. The findings of the present study indicated that forced ventilation along with sprinklers and cooling jacket had helped in protecting the animals from thermal stress under loose housing system during hot-dry summer

Alcohol consumption practices amongst adult males in a rural area of Haryana

Objective: To assess alcohol consumption practices amongst adult males in a rural block area. Materials and Methods: Using multi-stage random sampling frame, at least 12 households were identified from selected anganwadi centers (n = 27), and one resident adult male from each household was interviewed in confidence using pre-designed, pre-tested, semi-structured interview schedule after seeking informed consent. In households with more than one adult male respondent, the elder member was recruited. For operational purpose, a drinker was defined as a person who had consumed at least one alcoholic drink in 1 year immediately preceding the survey. Results: A total of 345 adult males were covered with a mean age of 46.6 (±14.2) years. Nearly 64.6% had 5 years of schooling, 46.4% were farmers, 54.2% lived in joint family system and 59.7% had monthly family income up to Rs 10,000. Nearly 150 (43.5%) subjects had some correct knowledge regarding adverse effects of alcohol consumption. Of all the study subjects, 326 (94.4%) males had consumed at least one alcohol-based drink and of which 66.3% consumed country liquor. Nearly 239 (73.3%) drank at either their respective homes or their friends′ homes. Two hundred and eighty-one (86.2%) procured alcohol from a shop within the village; average expenditure per month was Rs 500-900 for 132 (40.5%) respondents; and 38.3% subjects did not consume any snacks with alcohol intake. Drinking had become a habit for 194 (59.5%) males; however, based on self-assessment, 131 (40.2%) considered alcohol consumption as a problem and intended to stop drinking. Conclusion: Within study limitations, high prevalence of alcohol consumption was noted in this study, which may not only eventually lead to health/social issues but also adversely influence the younger generation for easy and early uptake of alcohol

Effect of roscovitine on developmental competence of small follicle-derived buffalo oocytes

Background & objectives: The lower recovery of competent oocytes in buffalo species limits the commercialization of in vitro embryo production technology in field condition. In this context, pre-maturation of small follicle (SF)-derived oocytes with meiotic inhibition may be a promising alternative to obtain more number of competent oocytes. Thus, the present study was conducted with an objective to enhance the developmental potential of less competent SF-derived buffalo oocytes. Methods: All the visible follicles (used for aspiration) from buffalo ovaries were divided into two categories: large follicle (LF) (follicles having diameter ≥6 mm) and SF (follicles of diameter <6 mm). The competence of LF and SF oocytes was observed in terms of brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) staining, cleavage rate, blastocyst rate and relative gene expression of oocyte and blastocyst competence markers. Thereafter, less competent SF oocytes were treated with 0, 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 mM doses of roscovitine (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor) to enhance their developmental potential. Results: Based on parameters studied, LF oocytes were found to be more competent than SF oocytes. Pre-maturation incubation of SF oocytes with roscovitine reversibly arrested oocyte maturation for 24 h to ensure the proper maturation of less competent oocytes. A significantly higher number of BCB-positive oocytes were noted in roscovitine-treated group than SF group. Cleavage and blastocyst rates were also higher in roscovitine-treated group. The relative messenger RNA expression of oocyte (GDF9, BMP15, GREM1, EGFR, PTGS2 and HAS2) as well as blastocyst (INF-τ, GLUT1 and POU5F1) competence markers was significantly greater in roscovitine-treated group relative to SF group. Again, on comparison with LF group, these parameters depicted a lower value in the treatment group. Interpretation & conclusions: The findings of this study has revealed that pre-maturation incubation of SF-derived oocytes with 25 μM roscovitine can improve its developmental competence and thus can be utilized to get maximum number of competent oocytes for better commercialization of in vitro embryo production technology in buffalo

Complete Genomic RNA Sequence of Tuberose Mild Mosaic Virus and Tuberose Mild Mottle Virus Acquired by High-Throughput Sequencing

Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa) is an ornamental flowering crop of the Amaryllidaceae family. Tuberose mild mosaic virus (TuMMV) and tuberose mild mottle virus (TuMMoV), members of the genus Potyvirus, are ubiquitously distributed in most tuberose growing countries worldwide with low biological incidence. Here, we report the first coding-complete genomic RNA of TuMMV and TuMMoV obtained through high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and further, the presence of both the viruses were confirmed using virus-specific primers in RT-PCR assays. Excluding the poly (A) tail, the coding-complete genomic RNA of TuMMV and TuMMoV was 9485 and 9462 nucleotides (nts) in length, respectively, and contained a single large open reading frame (ORF). Polyprotein encoded by both the viral genomes contained nine putative cleavage sites. BLASTn analysis of TuMMV and TuMMoV genomes showed 72.40–76.80% and 67.95–77% nucleotide sequence similarities, respectively, with the existing potyviral sequences. Phylogenetic analysis based on genome sequences showed that TuMMV and TuMMoV clustered in a distinct clade to other potyviruses. Further studies are required to understand the mechanism of symptom development, distribution, genetic variability, and their possible threat to tuberose production in India