Abstract:
In the framework of designing community-based breeding strategies for indigenous cattle
breeds of smallholders in Ethiopia, a survey of production system and on-farm
phenotypic characterization of Jimma cattle types, was undertaken in the Gera, Sigimo
and Dedo districts of Jimma zone. Multi stage stratified purposive and random sampling
was employed as sampling technique. Detailed structure questionnaire, focus group
discussions, field observations of animals, linear body measurements, and secondary
data collection were employed to produce the data. One hundred eighty sample cattle
owners with different herd sizes were interviewed on their cattle husbandry practices. Six
quantitative measurements and thirteen qualitative records were taken and observed from
540 mature cattle and subjected to multivariate analysis of variance. For the analyses of
quantitative data, the main effects of district and age of cattle were fitted to the final model.
Cluster analysis on quantitative variables was employed to identify homogenous cattle
populations that may represent cattle types. The clustering technique was single-linkage,
agglomerative, hierarchical and non-overlapping (SAHN). Cattle have multi-purpose
roles in all of the three districts. Among the reasons for keeping cattle, draught
performance in male cattle and milk production in female cattle were ranked highest. The
results showed significant (p<0.01) differences in quantitative traits between districts for
both male and female populations. The analyses of variance to ascertain the difference
between age group 1 (18-30 months), 2 (31-41 months) and 3 (≥ 42 months) for males
and females showed a significant (p<0.01) effect. The results also revealed that, there
was significant (p<0.01) difference between districts for milk production and lactation
length. The overall average age at sexual maturity for males and females was 37.46±0.44
and 36.16±0.34 months, respectively. The overall average age at first calving and calving
interval was 42.49±0.66 and 13.49±0.23 months, respectively. Based on results of cluster
analysis, it is revealed that, morphologically, at least three distinct cattle types were found
in the area, namely the Gera cattle type (comprising of cattle from Gera-Naso and Genji-Chala sites), the Sigimo cattle type (Alia and Seriti sites) and the Dedo cattle type (WaroKolobo and Ofolle-Dawe sites). The Gera cattle type has the longest horn measurement,
while the Sigimo cattle type has the shortest ear and horn length. On the other hand, the
Dedo cattle type has big body frame and the longest ears. The characterization should be
followed by community based genetic improvement scheme.
