Morphological characterization of the Azikheli buffalo in Pakistan

Khan, M.; Rahim, I.; Rueff, Henri; Jalali, S.; Saleem, M.; Maselli, Daniel; Muhammad, S.; Wiesmann, Urs Martin (2013). Morphological characterization of the Azikheli buffalo in Pakistan. Animal genetic resources, 52, pp. 65-70. Cambridge University Press 10.1017/S2078633613000027

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This study aims to characterize Azikheli, an undocumented buffalo breed, in its home tract (Khwazakhela, Swat, Pakistan) under traditional farming conditions. For this purpose, 108 buffalo cows and 27 bulls were randomly selected. Mean, standard error, Student's t test and Chi-square test were used for various comparisons. The results show that the majority of animals have a brown coat colour. Cows have significantly higher heart girths, longer horns, longer necks and wider faces at the level of the eyes than bulls, whereas bulls have significantly longer bodies, longer ears, thicker horns, thicker necks and larger hooves than cows. Horns are flat laterally, directed backwards and then slightly upwards without twisting, leading to a sickle to semi-sickle appearance. Owing to its small body size and brown coat colour, the breed is well adapted to mountain slope grazing and thrives well away from swamps. Its adaptation to mountainous ecosystems warrants its in situ conservation.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Geographies of Sustainability > Unit Critical Sustainability Studies (CSS)
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > NCCR North-South Management Centre [discontinued]
10 Strategic Research Centers > Centre for Development and Environment (CDE)

UniBE Contributor:

Rueff, Henri, Maselli, Daniel, Wiesmann, Urs Martin

Subjects:

300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 330 Economics

ISSN:

2078-6336

Publisher:

Cambridge University Press

Language:

English

Submitter:

Monika Wälti-Stampfli

Date Deposited:

08 Aug 2014 09:25

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:32

Publisher DOI:

10.1017/S2078633613000027

Uncontrolled Keywords:

phenotypic, morphometric, characteristics, Azikheli buffalo breed, Pakistan

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.47818

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/47818

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