Comparative Characteristic of the Morphological Traits of the Udder in Buffalo Cows from the Local Bulgarian Buffalo Breed

M. TZANKOVA, K. DIMOV and S. KOLEV

Research Buffalo Institute with Center of Biotechnology, BG-9700 Shoumen, Bulgaria

Abstract

TZANKOVA, M., K. DIMOV and S. KOLEV, 2000. Comparative characteristic of the morphological traits of the udder in buffalo cows from the local Bulgarian buffalo breed. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 6: 691-695

There were studied the morphological traits of the udder in buffalo cows from the local Bulgarian breed and from the newly created buffalo population in Bulgaria.
It was established that the buffalo cows from the newly created buffalo population had significant (P < 0.01, P < 0.001), higher values of the traits width and volume of the udder capable of producing high milk productivity compared to the buffalo cows from local Bulgarian breed.
There are significant differences regarding the semi-girth of the udder and 1st distance to the ground and the navel in the two compared breeds.
The buffalo cows from the newly created buffalo population have optimum size and position of the teats of udder that makes them suitable for machine milking.

Key words: population, teats, milk productivity