The production potential of sudanese Butana cattle under station conditions

الملخص EN

The objective of the study was to estimate productive traits phenotypic and genetic parameters (heritability, genetic, phenotypic and environmental correlations) of Butana cattle herd at Atbara Research Station in Northern Sudan.

The data used in this study included 1381 records of 175 Butana cows covering the years 1969-2018.

The data was analyzed using Harvey's (1990) least-squares computer programmer.

The least squares mean of milk yield, daily milk yield, lactation length, lifetime yield, were : 1487.00±69.50 kg, 4.12+.19 kg, 288.10± 9.30days, 8250.

50+ 935.00kg, respectively.

The effect of calving year seasons on milk yield was significant (P<0.05).

The number of parities influence on life time yield was highly significant (P<0.00).

The effects of sires were highly significant (P<0.00) on all studied traits.

The effects of linear and quadratic regressions of both milk yield and daily yield on length of lactation were highly significant (P<0.01).

The estimated linear and quadratic regressions on lactation length of lactation yield and of lifetime yield were 4.32+0.23and -0.0047±0.002, 0.95±0.35 and 0.0010+0.0002, respectively.

The estimates of heritability and their standard errors of milk yield, daily milk yield, total lifetime yield, and lactation length were 0.172±.039, 0.174+.039, 0.286± 0.097, and 0.158± 0.037, respectively.

Genetic correlations between production traits ranged from 0.997 ±0.04 to 0.822±0.072.

The phenotypic correlations between production traits ranged from 0.958+.004 to 0.423±0.080.

In addition, the environmental correlations ranged from 0.950 to 0.071.

The study concluded that the Butana ecotype has a very good potential as a milk producer and recommended that it should be conserved and improved.