A Research on The Milk Yield Traits of Brown Swiss, Simmental, Holstein Friesian Cattle and Their Crossbreeds Registered in The Herdbook System in Türkiye

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the milk yield traits of Holstein Friesian (HF), Brown Swiss (BS), and Simmental (SM) breeds, as well as their crossbreeds raised in enterprises registered in the herdbook system in Türkiye. With this study, the performances of cattle breeds and their crossbreeds widely raised in Türkiye were compared in terms of milk yield characteristics based on agricultural regions of Türkiye. The data used in the study included the completed lactation records of 22 331 heads of cattle for the years 2000-2014. The GLM ANOVA method was used in the statistical analysis of the effects of breed, genotype, and region on traits related to milk yield. Across the herd, the mean and standard deviation values were determined as 7551±2771 kg for lactation actual milk yield (AMY), 4.2±1.8 for total lactation number (TLN), and 382.9±9.2 days for lactation period (LP). The effects of genotypes and regions were found to be significant or very significant (p<0.05 or p<0.001) for all three studied traits, region x genotype interaction was found to be very significant for AMY and TLN (p<0.001), and not significant for LP (p=0.184). As a result, it was revealed that the interaction effects of genotype, region, and genotype x region should be taken into account in determining the milk yield traits of cultured breed and crossbreed cows that are widely raised in Türkiye. Accordingly, it was concluded that the interaction findings should be evaluated in determining the breed preferences by the regions. © 2023, Centenary University. All rights reserved.