Effect of dietary supplementation of astaxanthin (potent antioxidant) on growth rate, DMI, FCR and metabolic changes in Karan Fries heifers during heat stress

A study was conducted on twelve Karan Fries (Holstein Friesian X Tharparkar) heifers, (10-12 months), in LRC of NDRI, Karnal.Heifers were divided equally into two groups i.e. control, and treatment (supplemented with astaxanthin@ 0.25 mg per kgBW per day per animal) to assess the heat stress ameliorative action of astaxanthin during summer season. During experimental period, environmental variables were recorded and THI was calculated to assess levels of summer stress. Blood samples were collected from both the group of heifers at fortnightly interval for quantification of plasma leptin and ghrelin hormones.Body weights of heifers were recorded at monthly interval. The body weight gain and ADG were significantly (P  0.05) higher in treatment group. Feed intake was higher (P  0.05) and FCR was lower (P  0.05) in astaxanthin supplemented group.Plasma leptin was higher(P  0.05), while,plasma ghrelinand surface skin temperature were numerically lower in treatment than control group of heifers.The study found that astaxanthin supplementation amelio rated the negative impact of summer stress and helped in enhancement of growth rate and ADG by improving the feed intake and by decreasing the FCR of heifers.

Impact of temperature humidity index (THI) on physiological responses and milk yield of Tharparkar and Karan Fries cows exposed to controlled environment

Tharparkar and Karan Fries cows were exposed to 25°C, 35°C and 42°C with relative humidity of 50±5%, corresponding to THI of 72.2, 85.3 and 91.0, respectively for three hours continuously for three days consecutively in the control climatic chamber. At THI of 91.0, physiological responses i.e. RR/ min, PR/min and RT (°F) increased by 14, 13, and 1.18 in Tharparkar and 23, 14 and 2.98 in Karan Fries cows, respectively over pre exposure values. At THI of 91.0, the surface body temperature was increased over THI 72.2 by 5.21 to 7.52°C in Tharparkar and 7.45 to 8.42°C in Karan Fries cows. Skin blood flow of Karan Fries cows was increased by 4.98, 4.15 and 3.95 PU at THI 85.3 and 6.84, 9.18 and 8.04 PU at 91 THI over the pre exposure values of respective THI at dorsal, ventral and ear part of body, respectively. The decrease in milk yield was calculated in the THI range of 72.2 - 91.0, the milk yield was decrease (per unit increase in THI) by 135.11ml in Karan Fries and 51.60 ml in Tharparkar cows. The results of the study clearly indicated the more sensitivity of Karan Fries compared to Tharparkar cows at higher THI. Therefore, Karan Fries cows needs protection from extreme heat for sustained production performance.

​Discriminant Analysis to Characterize Mastitis Resistant and Susceptible Karan Fries Cows and Response Operating Characteristics Curve for Comparing Regression/ Discriminant Model

Background: The profitability in the dairy enterprises is strongly affected by udder health and, to a minor extent, by morphometry. The present study was conducted to differentiate mastitis susceptible and resistant animals based on udder and teat type traits infrequently exist. Methods: The study was undertaken in ICAR-NDRI, Karnal of Haryana. A discriminate model was applied to differentiate mastitis susceptible and resistant Karan Fries cows for the study. For meeting the objective; 123 Karan Fries cows were subjected to developing a reliable mathematical function/equation (discriminant functions) for the provision of maximum separation among the mastitis resistant and susceptible animals. The hypothesis was designed to know if these udder and type traits appeal to mastitis-resistant and susceptible animals. The hypothesis for testing the equality of covariance matrices was depicted as: H0: ∑1 = ∑2 Vrs H1: At least one pair of sigma’s ∑ is different. Result: The model included contributory factors such as fore udder length, central ligament, udder balance, shortest distance of floor from fore teat (SDFT), shortest distance of floor from rear teat (SDRT), fore udder attachment (FUA), teat direction, Rear legs rearview, Hock development, udder depth, and udder width constructed and was found to demonstrate 69.1 per cent accuracy with p less than 0.001 and the Karan Fries functions at group centroids are -0.169 and 0.443 respectively for mastitis resistant and mastitis infected animals. The model will facilitate 92.1 per cent of the cases to correctly classify for mastitis resistant animals and the remaining 7.9 per cent being misclassified into the mastitis group.

Effect of Non-genetic Factors on Udder and Teat Morphometric Traits in Sahiwal and Karan Fries Cows

Background: The present study was designed to find out the magnitude of environmental and other non-genetic factors affecting the linear udder and teat type traits in Sahiwal and Karan Fries cows. Methods: Total eight udder morphometric traits and seven teat morphometric traits were measured in 87 Sahiwal and 166 Karan Fries cows. The data regarding milk yield, stage of lactation, parity and season of calving for all Sahiwal and Karan Fries cows were collected. Result: In Karan Fries cows, udder and teat type traits were significantly affected by parity and stage of lactation, while in Sahiwal cow udder and teat type traits were significantly affected by parity only. Teat circumference was significantly affected by season and stage of lactation. The results indicated that parity and stages of lactation were important sources of variation for most of linear udder and teat type traits.

The haemato-metabolic profile of high producing dairy cows during the transition period

The objective of the present study was to assess the haematological [haemoglobin, packed cell volume (PCV), total erythrocyte count (TEC), erythrocytic indices, total leucocyte count (TLC) and differential leucocyte count (DLC)] changes and metabolic adjustment, viz. blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and cholesterol, in high-yielding Sahiwal and Karan Fries cows during the transition period. For this purpose, blood samples were collected from 8 pregnant Karan Fries crossbred cows and 8 pregnant Sahiwal cows on days -15, -7, 0 (the day of calving), +7 and +15 from calving, and used for estimation of haemoglobin, PCV, TLC, TEC, erythrocytic indices and DLC, and metabolic parameters, such as blood glucose, BUN, NEFA and cholesterol. It was found that haemoglobin concentrations, PCV and TEC increased significantly (P<0.01) up to the day of calving, and gradually decreased thereafter to reach pre-partum levels in the subsequent weeks post-calving. While the TLC, number of neutrophils and monocytes were found to increase (P<0.01), the number of lymphocytes decreased significantly (P<0.01) on the day of calving and then reached pre-partum levels after calving. No significant effect was observed on erythrocytic indices parameters. Blood glucose, BUN and NEFA levels showed an increasing trend (P<0.01) from 2 weeks pre-partum until the day of calving, and then decreased to the pre-partum level after calving. Unlike the other parameters, the plasma cholesterol level increased consistently from 2 weeks pre-partum to 2 weeks post-partum. In conclusion, the results of our study clearly show a definite pattern of the haematological and metabolic adjustment of high-producing dairy cows during the pre-partum to postpartum transition.

Moosense Pedometer for Oestrus Detection and Ovulation Time Prediction for Artificial Insemination in Karan Fries Cows

Background: Improper estrus detection causes huge economic losses due to inaccurate time of insemination leading to poor conception rate. So, here pedometer proved to be a promising tool in defining optimal time of insemination,improving fertilization rates based on increased number of steps. The study is to determine the relationship between increased pedometer activity for efficient estrus alert and duration of estrus for prediction of accurate time of ovulation.Methods: Oestrus detected in KF cows (N = 20) by behavioural estrus visually. Further validated by pedometer activity and confirmed by progesterone (P4) and estradiol (E2) concentration. Individual animal daily activity pattern collected, transformed and arranged to in Excel sheet for statistical analysis for determining estrus alert, estrus duration, ovulation and insemination time.Result: Based on pedometer estrus alert,duration, estrus onset and estrus end to ovulation was 15.63±1.46 h, 30.53±1.21h and 14.89±2.03h respectively. The mean activity count per hour (ACPH) for the pedometer oestrus (426.19±70.19) and E2 found associated on oestrus day. Based on oestrus alert and duration artificial insemination (A.I) can be made 10h after onset up to 5h after end of pedometer oestrus. Pedometer detects estrus slightly earlier than behavioural estrus efficiently and help in predicting the ovulation time for governing the accurate time of insemination.

Molecular characterization of coat color gene in Sahiwal versus Karan Fries bovine

Background Melanocortin-1-receptor gene (MC1R) plays a significant role in signaling cascade of melanin production. In cattle, the coat colors, such as red and black, are an outcome of eumelanin and pheomelanin pigments, respectively. The coat colors have become critical factors in the animal selection process. This study is therefore aimed at the molecular characterization of reddish-brown coat-colored Sahiwal cattle in comparison to the black and white-colored Karan Fries. Results The Sequence length of the MC1R gene was 954 base pairs in Sahiwal cattle. The sequences were examined and submitted to GenBank Acc.No. MG373575 to MG373605. Alignment of both (Sahiwal and Karan Fries) protein sequences by applying ClustalO multiple sequence alignment programs revealed 99.8–96.8% sequence similarity within the bovine. MC1R gene phylogenetic studies were analyzed by MEGA X. The gene MC1R tree, protein confines, and hereditary difference of cattle were derived from Ensemble Asia Cow Genome Browser 97. One unique single-nucleotide polymorphism (c.844C>A) (SNP) was distinguished. Single amino acid changes were detected in the seventh transmembrane structural helix region, with SNP at p.281 T>N of MC1R gene in Karan Fries cattle. Conclusions In this current research, we first distinguished the genomic sequence of the MC1R gene regions that showed evidence of coat variation between Indian indigenous Sahiwal cattle breed correlated with crossbreed Karan Fries. These variations were found in the Melanocortin 1 receptor coding regions of the diverse SNPs. The conclusions of this research provide new insights into understanding the coat color variation in crossbreed compared to the Indian Sahiwal cattle. Graphical abstract