Association of milk quality parameters with teat and udder traits in Tharparkar cows

Abstract

The present experiment was carried out to study the association of milk quality traits (fat, protein, lactose, solid not fat (SNF), total solids (TS) and somatic cell count (SCC)) with teat traits ((teat length (TL), teat diameter (TD), distance between teats (DbT) and teat tip height from ground (THFG)) and udder traits ((udder circumference= UC, udder depth (UD), udder width (UW) and udder height from ground (UHFG)), in Tharparkar cows. The experiment was carried out on 32 tharparkar cows of different parities and lactation stages. Morning and evening measurement of teat and udder traits was carried out before milking and approximately 30 ml of representative milk samples were taken from each of the functional quarters and one composite milk sample of each experimental animal fortnightly from the date of calving of the animal in clean sampling bottles. Fat% and SNF% showed a negative, significant (P>0.05) to highly significant (P>0.01) correlation with TD, UL and FUD. Protein% expressed a positive, significant (P>0.05) to highly significant (P>0.01) correlation with UC, FUD and DbT. Further, Fat%, SNF% and TS% expressed a positive, significant (P>0.05) to highly significant (P>0.01) correlation with THFG. SCC (×105/ml) showed a positive, significant (P>0.05) to highly significant (P>0.01) correlation with TL, TD, DbT, UC and UL, whereas it had a negative correlation with THFG, rear-udder depth (RUD) and UW. It was further observed that Fat% expressed a positive highly significant (P>0.01) phenotypic correlation with SNF% and TS%. SNF%, Lactose%, Protein% and TS% expressed a negative phenotypic correlation with SCC.