April 2010

The good news is … the Landim and the Nguni ecotypes reproduce efficiently!

And the not so good news is… water availability is a constraint!

S. Maciel1, J. Amimo2, M. Martins3, A.M. Okeyo2, S. Moyo2, M.M. Scholtz1 and F. Neser1

1 Department of Animal Wildlife and Grassland Sciences - U. of the Free State (Bloemfontein, South Africa), 2International Livestock Research Institute, Biotechnology (Nairobi, Kenya), 3Reprodutores de Moçambique, Lda (Maputo, Mozambique)

Non-genetic factors influence reproductive performance of Nguni cattle ecotypes in Southern Mozambique

Nguni cow 1995 from South Africa at the PF I Landim bull 2004 from PFI

Landim and Nguni belong to the Sanga cattle group raised for beef on natural grass, with some supplementation in Southern Africa. Improved Nguni & Landim catte were introduced in Posto Fomento Impaputo (PFI), Mozambique, in 1996 and their interactions within the environment studied

Introduction

Reproductive performance of the two ecotypes in different seasons over time

Ackowledgements: AWARD, ILRI, PFI managers, REMOC Ltd

550  

650  

750  

850  

950  

1050  

1150  

1250  

1350  

1450  

1994   1996   1998   2000   2002   2004   2006  

AFC  (d

ays)  

Year  of  Birth  

Dry  Season  (May  -­‐  Sept)  

Wet  Season  (Oct  -­‐  Apr)  

Overall mean =1070.50 ± 164.45

250  

300  

350  

400  

450  

500  

550  

600  

650  

1998   2000   2002   2004   2006   2008  

CI  (d

ays)  

Year  of  Calving  

Dry  season  (May  -­‐  Sept)  LANDIM  Dry  season  (May  -­‐  Sept)  NGUNI  Rainy  (Oct-­‐Apr)  LANDIM  

Rainy  (Oct-­‐Apr)  NGUNI  

Overall mean = 432.39 ± 85.41

Age at first calving in dry and wet seasons Calving intervals in dry and wet seasons for the Landim and Nguni

Heifers born in the dry season born tended to calve at an earlier age than those born in the wet season

Heifers born at PFI had a lower AFC and CI than those born in Chobela and South Africa

Study Population and Environment

  Animals originated from high potential ��� areas of Chobela and South Africa   PFI is a semi-arid region with sub-tropical��� climate in Maputo province   2046 individual animals raised in PFI from��� 1996-2009 were evaluated

Ecotypes AFC (days) CI (days)

Nguni 1086.02 ± 29.75 434.75 ± 6.15

Landim 1002.09 ± 24.43 446.34 ±8.88

Source of original animals PFI 969.82 ±16.64 430.95 ± 9.08

South Africa 1057.15 ± 36.84 450.63 ± 7.24

Chobela 1105.19 ± 45.39 440.06 ± 6.49

Observed differences in Age at first calving (AFC) and Calving Intervals (CI) for Nguni and Landim cows

Conclusion The two Nguni ecotypes in this study adapted well to the PFI environment and could be used for development and restocking programmes within Southern Africa.