Ranking of Surti buffalo sires on the basis of production efficiency traits

Abstract

Twelve years data (1917-88) on 501 Surti buffaloes, being progeny of 23 sires, were coneeted from Network Project on Buffatoes, Livestock Re~earch Station, Vallabhnagar (Rajasthan) and Central Cattle Breeding Farm, Dnamrod (Gujarat). Least-squares analysis was done using random model having sires as random effect (after adjusting the data for significant non-genetic factors i.e. farms, years and seasons) to evaluate the sires on the basis of production efficiency traits like milk yield/ day of first lactation length (MY/FLL), milk yield/day of first calving interval (MY/FCI), milk yield/ day of age at second calving (MY/ASC) and first lactation 305.day milk yield (305 MY). Discrimination among bulls on the basis of all production efficiency trails were having upper limit compared to the discrimination among bulls on the basis of 305 MY. The rank correlations of 305 MY with MY/FLL and MY/ASC (0.819 and 0.762 respectively) were highly significant, revealing that ranking of sires on the basis of MY/FLL and MY/ASC are equally effective to the selection based on 305 MY. The ranges expressed as percentage of population mean for MY/FCI and MY/ ASC were more than 305 MY. All these considerations revealed that selection of bulls on the basis of production efficiency traits would bring aoout more genetic improvement compared to 305 MY in the herd of Surti buffaloes.