Effect of Feeding Graded Level of Dried Acacia Saligna Leaves on Milk Yield and Milk Composition of Crossbred Dairy Cows Fed Grass Hay as Basal Diet

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding graded level of Acacia saligna leaves on dry matter intake, milk yield and milk composition of crossbred dairy cows. Four treatments namely grass hay + 3.00kg wheat bran as a control (T1), control + 2.50Kg A. saligna leaves per day (T2), control + 3.75kg A. saligna leaves per day (T3), control and 5kg A. saligna leaves per day (T4). The experiment lasted for 120 days at four periods (each period containing 20 days) following 10 days adaptation through cross over design using four lactating cows. Feed offered, refused and milk yield were measured daily. For milk composition, milk samples were analyzed from each treatment during the second and last week of each period using lactoscan milk analyzer. CP contents were 6.55, 16.2 and 14.8 for native grass hay, wheat bran and dried A. saligna leaves, respectively. The milk fat contents were 5.2, 4.24, 5.1 and 4.6 for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. The protein contents were also 3.0, 3.97, 3.10 and 3.06 for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. The average milk yield for the treatments was ranged from 6.26-6.61 lit/day. The results showed that there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in daily dry matter intake and milk compositions but there was significant difference (P<0.05) in milk yield.  Supplementation of lactating cows with dried A. saligna leaves increased milk yield. Hence, dried A. saligna leaves can be used as alternative feed sources for dairy farming. Keywords: Dry matter intake, Feed intake, Milk quality, Supplementation

Assessment of Post-Harvest Loss of Milk and Milk Products and Traditional Mitigation Systems in Mekelle Milk Shed, Northern Ethiopia

The study was conducted in purposively selected dairy potential districts located in and around Mekelle milk shed areas to assess traditional production, handling and processing, milk post-harvest loss and its mitigation system in small-scale dairying. Multi stage stratified random sampling method was employed to select locations within districts and households. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview 79 milk producers.  The data was analyzed using Statistical Procedures for Social Sciences (SPSS) version20. Milking is mostly done by men (75.9%) where as milk handling (79.5%), processing (88.6%) and marketing (57%) were primarily handled by wives. The majority of respondents (89%) used plastic bucket for milking while clay pot was used for milk fermentation (22.1%). Producers mainly used Acacia etbaica and Olea africana to fumigate milk and milk product containers for improving flavor while others to increase shelf life. The main possible reason for milk spoilage problem was poor milk handling practices in the area (78.7%). The major milk production constraints were feed shortage (57%), unavailability of improved breeds (60.8%), poor veterinary service (38%), poor quality of feeds (57%) and associated low milk yield (38%). Therefore, it is vital to strengthening linkage with extension services in the study areas to enhance input provision, milk production, handling, processing, marketing and consumption.  High yielding improved breeds through improving the current AI delivery system will have paramount importance to boost the current milk production in the area. Enhancing the veterinary services, availability of improved forage, infrastructure and training of different value chain actors on different aspects of milk production is also necessary.   Keywords: post harvest, handling, milk, productio

Genome-wide diversity and admixture of five indigenous cattle populations from the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia

The Tigray region, where we found around eight per cent of the indigenous cattle population of Ethiopia, is considered as the historic centre of the country, with the ancient pre-Aksumite and Aksumite civilisations in contact with the civilisations of the Fertile Crescent and the Indian subcontinent. Here, we used whole genome sequencing data to characterise the genomic diversity, relatedness, and admixture of five cattle populations (Abergelle, Arado, Begait, Erob, and Raya) indigenous to the Tigray region of Ethiopia. We detected 28 to 29 million SNPs and 2.7 to 2.9 million indels in each population, of which 7% of SNPs and 34% of indels were novel. Functional annotation of the variants showed around 0.01% SNPs and 0.22%–0.27% indels in coding regions. Enrichment analysis of genes overlapping missense private SNPs revealed 20 significant GO terms and KEGG pathways that were shared by or specific to breeds. They included important genes associated with morphology (SCN4A, TAS1R2 and KCNG4), milk yield (GABRG1), meat quality (MMRN2, VWC2), feed efficiency (PCDH8 and SLC26A3), immune response (LAMC1, PCDH18, CELSR1, TLR6 and ITGA5), heat resistance (NPFFR1 and HTR7) and genes belonging to the olfactory gene family, which may be related to adaptation to harsh environments. Tigray indigenous cattle are very diverse. Their genome-wide average nucleotide diversity ranged from 0.0035 to 0.0036. The number of heterozygous SNPs was about 0.6–0.7 times higher than homozygous ones. The within-breed average number of ROHs ranged from 777.82 to 1000.45, with the average sum of the length of ROHs ranging from 122.01 Mbp to 163.88 Mbp. The genomic inbreeding coefficients differed among animals and breeds, reaching up to 10% in some Begait and Raya animals. Tigray indigenous cattle shared a common ancestry with Asian indicine (85.6%–88.7%) and African taurine (11.3%–14.1%) cattle, with very small, if any, European taurine introgression. This study identified high within-breed genetic diversity representing an opportunity for breeding improvement programs and, also, significant novel variants that could increase the number of known cattle variants, an important contribution to the knowledge of domestic cattle genetic diversity

Global genetic diversity, introgression, and evolutionary adaptation of indicine cattle revealed by whole genome sequencing

: Indicine cattle, also referred to as zebu (Bos taurus indicus), play a central role in pastoral communities across a wide range of agro-ecosystems, from extremely hot semiarid regions to hot humid tropical regions. However, their adaptive genetic changes following their dispersal into East Asia from the Indian subcontinent have remained poorly documented. Here, we characterize their global genetic diversity using high-quality whole-genome sequencing data from 354 indicine cattle of 57 breeds/populations, including major indicine phylogeographic groups worldwide. We reveal their probable migration into East Asia was along a coastal route rather than inland routes and we detected introgression from other bovine species. Genomic regions carrying morphology-, immune-, and heat-tolerance-related genes underwent divergent selection according to Asian agro-ecologies. We identify distinct sets of loci that contain promising candidate variants for adaptation to hot semi-arid and hot humid tropical ecosystems. Our results indicate that the rapid and successful adaptation of East Asian indicine cattle to hot humid environments was promoted by localized introgression from banteng and/or gaur. Our findings provide insights into the history and environmental adaptation of indicine cattle

Global genetic diversity, introgression, and evolutionary adaptation of indicine cattle revealed by whole genome sequencing

Abstract Indicine cattle, also referred to as zebu (Bos taurus indicus), play a central role in pastoral communities across a wide range of agro-ecosystems, from extremely hot semiarid regions to hot humid tropical regions. However, their adaptive genetic changes following their dispersal into East Asia from the Indian subcontinent have remained poorly documented. Here, we characterize their global genetic diversity using high-quality whole-genome sequencing data from 354 indicine cattle of 57 breeds/populations, including major indicine phylogeographic groups worldwide. We reveal their probable migration into East Asia was along a coastal route rather than inland routes and we detected introgression from other bovine species. Genomic regions carrying morphology-, immune-, and heat-tolerance-related genes underwent divergent selection according to Asian agro-ecologies. We identify distinct sets of loci that contain promising candidate variants for adaptation to hot semi-arid and hot humid tropical ecosystems. Our results indicate that the rapid and successful adaptation of East Asian indicine cattle to hot humid environments was promoted by localized introgression from banteng and/or gaur. Our findings provide insights into the history and environmental adaptation of indicine cattle