Chilika buffaloes in Orissa: a unique germplasm - B.N. Patro, P.K. Mishra & P.K. Rao

Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Orissa Veterinary College, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, 751003, Orissa, India

Summary

People in the villages situated on the bank of the famous salt lake Chilika in Orissa rear buffaloes with almost zero input. These animals, endowed with the special quality of entering deep into the lake and feeding on the vegetation that grows there, help to maintain the natural ecosystem and provide good earnings for the rural people. This biodiversity in buffalo germplasm needs to be preserved. The mean body length, girth, height at withers and weight were 122.3±0.2 cm, 169.7±0.3 cm, 123.9±2.7 cm and 320.0±0.7 kg, respectively. The mean age at first calving was 1 331.4±6.8 days. The average of the first two calving intervals was 431.7±3.6 days. The average daily milk yield of the first three lactations and lactation length was 2.6±0.01 kg and 238.7±2.1 days, respectively. Most of the economic traits had high heritability. The temperature of the habitat ranges approximately between 15°C in winter to 40°C in summer.

Resumen

Los habitantes de los poblados situados a orillas del famoso lago salado de Chilika en Orissa crían búfalos con prácticamente ningún entrante. Estos animales, que poseen la rara capacidad de entrar en el lago en profundidad para alimentarse con la vegetación que allí crece, ayudan así a mantener el ecosistema natural y aportan buenas ganancias a las poblaciones rurales. Es necesario conservar esta biodiversidad en el germoplasma del búfalo. La longitud corporal, circunferencia, altura y peso son respectivamente 122,3±0,2 cm, 169,7±0,3 cm, 123,9±2,7 cm y 320,0±0,7 kg. La edad media al primer parto ha sido de 1 331,4±6,8 días. La media de intervalo entre partos ha sido de 431,7±3,6 días. La media diaria de producción lechera y su duración en las tres primeras lactaciones ha sido de 2,6±0,01 kg y 238,7±2,1 días. La mayoría de los rasgos económicos poseen un alta heredabilidad. La temperatura del hábitat oscila aproximadamente entre 15°C en invierno hasta 40°C en verano.

Keywords: Chilika lake, Chilika buffalo, Management, Feeding practices.

Introduction

The famous salt lake, Chilika in Orissa, India is surrounded by villages on three sides starting from Palur in the Ganjam district extending to the Bramhagiri area of Puri through Balugan and Bhusandapur of the Khurda district. This lake is well known for migratory birds from far off places like Siberia in the winter season and has attracted the attention of tourists from all over the world. There are several villages on the coast of Chilika lake where people have reared buffaloes for several generations. These animals have distinct feeding habits and require management practices involving almost no investment except labour. Studies on these buffaloes with respect to body conformation, production and reproduction potentialities, management practices, feeding habits and utility are very limited.

Materials and Methods

A study was undertaken in 18 villages on the bank of the Chilika lake starting from Palur in Ganjam to Bhusandapur in the Khurda district(Figure 1). These villages were grouped into five localities. Information was collected on 409 buffalo cows belonging to 61 farmers of these localities. Body measurements of adult animals like length, girth, height at withers, height at hind limb, length of fore limb, tail length, teat length, neck length, face length, ear length and horn length were taken together with information on age at first heat, age at first conception, age at first calving, service period, calving interval, age at second calving, average daily milk yield, lactation length and dry period. A significant difference between the localities with respect to the conformation and economic traits was detected using Duncan's Multiple Range Test. A few milk samples were also collected from different localities to estimate the fat and SNF content. The feeding and management practices in different localities were studied. Figures 2 and 3 show Chilika buffaloes in Parikud and Bhusandpur area.

Management and Feeding Practices

The Chilika buffaloes are reared under an extensive system of management. No housing is provided for them throughout the year. During hot summers and heavy rains the buffaloes are found to take shelter under the trees on the shore of the lake away from the village. These buffaloes live only on grazing without any feed supplementation, not even straw or grass. The grazing ground is the Chilika lake. They live entirely on the vegetation that grows inside the salty lake. The local names of two such grasses which are very much relished by these buffaloes are ‘Chhera’ and ‘Pitta’. The buffaloes have the ability to immerse into the salty water and pick up the submerged grasses. They remain throughout the whole night or day inside the lake. It is their habit to quench their thirst by drinking the salty water of the lake. In the Bhusandpur locality the animals are sent to the lake in the late afternoon and are allowed to stay there for the whole night without anyone watching over them and are then brought back to the shore in the morning of the next day for milking. Milking is carried out only once a day. After milking the animals remain by the shore and outskirts of the village until late afternoon. During the monsoon season when cultivation of the paddy takes place, the buffaloes are sent to the lake in the daytime after milking to avoid grazing in cultivated areas and are brought back in the evening. The prevailing management practice in other localities like Rambha, Huma and Parikud is the same throughout the year as that practised in the monsoon season in Bhusandpur. Chilika buffaloes are docile in nature. In the Bhusandpur locality these animals are kept in the open throughout the year without even tethering. In other areas the animals are tied to wooden pegs buried on the shore and the newborn calves are given shelter in the houses of the farmers. Since animals of different owners are sent to the lake together, notching and tearing of the ears and hot iron banding are used to identify the animals. Breeding is carried out through a natural service by indigenous Chilika bulls which remain in the herd. As a practice no medication is given to Chilika buffaloes and the mortality rate is low. Death due to liver fluke infection is reported in the Bhusandpur area where insemination with Murrah semen is followed to some extent. In the Rambha locality two other types of buffalo are found which do not enter into the lake even by persuasion but graze on the land in the village away from the lake. These buffaloes are provided with shelter during the night and are given feed supplementation as well as medication as and when necessary. The management and feeding practices of these buffaloes are significantly different from those of the Chilika buffaloes.

Figure 1. Orissa region in India, breeding tract of the Chilika buffalo.

Figure 2. Chilika buffaloes (female) in the area of Parikuda.

Results and Discussion

The average and standard error of the body measurements of Chilika buffaloes found in the five localities is shown in Table 1. The mean body length is about 122 cm and height about 124 cm. The mean horn length is about 49 cm and the teat length is about 5 cm. Table 2 shows the mean and standard error of some of the production and reproduction traits of Chilika buffaloes in the five localities. These buffaloes yielded about 2.5 kg of milk a day. The lactation period continues for about eight months. Analysis of milk samples showed that the fat percentage varied between eight and 12 with a mean of 9.13. The SNF content was also high (8.72) with a range of 7.8 to 9.5. The buffaloes of Rambha locality had higher daily yield (2.82 kg) compared to buffalo of other localities. The lactation length was higher in the Bhusandpur locality (261.8 days). Chilika buffaloes have the first calf at three years and eight months, breed after 4½ months and give the second calf at an interval of 14 months. The results of the present study correspond to the findings of Mishra (1991) with respect to age at first calving, service period and milk yield in the indigenous Paradip buffaloes of Orissa. However, Mishra (1993) studied these traits in the Paralakhemundi buffaloes of Orissa and observed the milk yield to be higher and age at first calving to be older. The heritability of the important production and reproduction traits of Chilika buffaloes are computed by the dam daughter regression method using 202 dam-daughter pairs after correcting the data for the effect of locality. The h2 estimates are reported in Table 3. Milk yield has a high heritability (0.7) which may be due to the method of estimation, for example, maternal effect for milk yield has created an additional resemblance between dam and daughters. Even then, the magnitude of heritability indicates that appreciable amounts of additive genetic variability exist for milk yield in Chilika buffaloes which can be utilised for improvement through intrapopulation selection. The reproductive traits like age at first heat, age at first conception and age at first calving show high heritabilty indicating that additive genetic variance exists for improvement of these traits in the population. Calving interval and service period are lowly heritable in Chilika buffaloes (Table 3).

Table 1. Mean and standard error of conformation traits of adult Chilika buffaloes locality wise.

Values with same superscripts do not differ significantly.

Values with different superscripts differ significantly (P < 0.05).

Table 2. Mean and standard error for reproduction and production traits of Chilika buffaloes.

Values with same superscripts do not differ significantly.

Values with different superscripts differ significantly (P < 0.05).

Figure 3. Chilika buffaloes in the area of Bhusandapur.

Table 3. Heritability estimates for different economic traits in Chilika buffaloes (202 dam-daughter pairs).

Conclusion

The Chilika buffaloes are endowed with the unique quality of entering deep into the salty water of the lake, feeding on the vegetation that grows there, drinking the salty water and remaining in the lake for several days together. These animals withstand the marshy environment very well and are raised in the open under hot sun and heavy rains throughout the year with no medication. Chilika buffaloes clean the coastline and inside of the lake by eating the unruly vegetation and hence help to maintain the balance in the ecosystem. These animals convert the coarse grasses of the lake into a highly nutritious milk product and serve as a good source of income to the rural mass with almost zero investment. This biodiversity in buffalo germplasm and its uniqueness should be preserved, maintained and improved for the benefit of the people. Selective breeding through exploitation of the genetic variation existing in the population may be practised for improvement of Chilika buffaloes in Orissa.

References

Mishra, K.P. 1993. Studies on the productive and reproductive performance of Paralakhemundi buffaloes and its crosses. M.V.Sc thesis submitted to Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa.

Mishra, S. 1991. Reproductive status of crossbred buffaloes (Indigenous Murrah) in Orissa. M.V.Sc. Thesis submitted to Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa.