Phenotypic Assessments of Cattle and Buffalo through Body Linear Measurements and their Correlations

Abstract

Buffalo is an emerging species after cattle though they have some phenotypic difference. To assess differentiation between species based on body measurements a factorial experiment (2 species × 3 ages) of CRD conducted in Bangladesh. Live weight of buffalo (464.2 kg) differed (P < 0.001) with cattle (388.5 kg) and it increased (P < 0.001) with the increase of age. A significant difference (P < 0.01) was observed in the case of body condition score (BCS). The skin of buffalo was found thicker (P < 0.001) than cattle. Nine of the body measurements of buffalo (heart girth (HG), barrel (Ba), horn length (HL), horn circumference (HC), thigh circumference (ThC), hind shank circumference (HsC), fore shank circumference (FsC), hook to hook distance (HHD), and pin to pin distance (PPD) were higher (P < 0.001) than cattle. Wither height (WH), muzzle (Mz), tail circumference (TC), and hook to pin distance (HPD) differed (P < 0.01) between the species. Hip height (HH) differed significantly (P < 0.05). All the body parameters and skin thickness showed age effects. Live weights of the two species had a strong correlation with HG and Ba (0.79 and 0.74, respectively). HG showed strong correlation with Ba, HC, HsC and HHD (0.84, 0.72, 0.73 and 0.78, respectively). The correlation coefficient between WH and HH were 0.84, and HsC and FsC was 0.78. HL had strong correlation with HC, FsC and HHD (0.88, 0.71 and 0.79, respectively). So, various phenotypic traits were responsible for the change of other traits positively.