Comparison of growth and milk production performances of the Borgou breed to those of the crossbreeds Gir-Borgou and Girolando-Borgou at the Okpara Breeding Farm in Benin

Benin is deficient in the meat products production because of the low productivity of the local breeds in general and of the cattle in particular. This study aims to improve the production of milk and meat of the Borgou breed by crossing with the exotic breeds Gir and Girolando at the Okpara breeding farm. For this, semen from exotic breeds was used to inseminate 355 Borgou cows and births were recorded. Data were collected on 280 calves for growth performance and on 55 cows for crossbreeds’ milk production. The study found that the average weights of crossbreed calves are greater than the average weight of the Borgou calves at the standard age. At 12 months of age, the Borgou weight (101.93 kg) was significantly lower (p <0.01) than those of the Gir-Borgou (171.25 kg) and Girolando-Borgou (175 kg) crossbreeds. However, no significant difference was observed between the 12-month weights of the two crossbreeds. From 0 to 12 months of age, the average daily gain of Gir × Borgou (473.97 g/d) and Girolando × Borgou (488.63 g/d) were higher (p <0.001) than that of the Borgou breed (234.88 g/d). The average daily milk production was 1.25 liters, 6.80 liters and 4.40 liters, respectively for the Borgou breeds and the Gir-Borgou and Girolando-Borgou crossbreeds. The crossing has improved the growth and production performances of the Borgou breed. * Corresponding Author: Issaka Youssao Abdou Karim  iyoussao@yahoo.fr International Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research (IJAAR) ISSN: 2223-7054 (Print) 2225-3610 (Online) http://www.innspub.net Vol. 12, No. 5, p. 27-35, 2018 Int. J. Agron. Agri. R. Boukari et al. Page 28 Introduction Benin has eight agro-ecological zones and its economy is mainly based on the rural sector, which occupy more than 70% of the population. Its agricultural production covers 39% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The livestock counts 2,166,000 of cattle, 1,716,000 of goats, 860,000 of sheep, 414,000 of pigs and 18,198,000 of poultry and represents 16.67% of the agricultural GDP in 2013 (Country Stat, 2016). Its contribution to Benin's food production is estimated to 23,431,000 tons of meat and offal, 12,522 tons of eggs and mostly 107,310 liters of milk per year (Country Stat, 2016). Despite the size of the national livestock, Benin milk and meat production doesn’t cover the population expressed needs and this deficit is made up by imports. In 2014, the volume of imported milk was 229,831 tons and that of meat was 281,394 tons (INSAE, 2014). For this external dependence limitation, national production must be increased, hence the Benin State’s will to modernize breeding systems. To achieve this, the Livestock Development Project (Phase III), carried out from 2000 to 2006, has introduced the Girolando dairy cows at Kpinnou Breeding Farm in order to increase the country milk production level (Alkoiret et al., 2011; Doko et al., 2012; Kassa et al., 2016a). The Okpara Breeding Farm, for its part, has been specialized on the genetic improvement of the Borgou breed by selection and crossbreeding with exotic breeds Gir, Girolando and Holstein. The objectives which motivated the choice of this breed were the improvement of growth and milk production performances. In order to reach these objectives, it has been set up a selection scheme that gave the expected results (Youssao et al., 2009). The crossbreeding had the same objectives as the selection. For its implementation, semen from exotic breeds Gir, Girolando and Holstein was used to inseminate Borgou cows at Okpara Breeding Farm.This study aims to evaluate the growth performances and the milk production of the Gir Borgou and Girolando Borgou crossbreeds and to compare them with those of the Borgou breed. Materials and methods Area of study The Okpara Breeding Farm is located in the Department of Borgou, township of Tchaourou, District of Kika (2o39-2°53 East longitude and 9°6 9°21 North latitude). It is located on the East of Parakou at 15 km from the township and covers an area of 33,000 hectares of which about 10,000 are actually exploited. The climatic is of sudanian type characterized by a succession of a rainy season (May to October) and a dry season (November to April). Average rainfall is 1125 mm per year and the average annual temperatures varies between 26°C and 27°C. On December 31st, 2016, the cattle population of the farm was 709, including 493 Borgou, 85 crossbreed Gir × Borgou, 1 crossbreed Girolando × Borgou, 85 Girolando, 02 crossbreed Holstein × Borgou, 34 Azawak and 10 crossbreed Azawak × Borgou. The relief is made of a crystalline peneplain which has hills with very hard rocks. There are large depressions that foster rainwater mobilization toward Okpara’s river and its tributary the Dama. The soil texture is sandy, sandy clay or limous in some places and supports a savanna vegetation dominated by Andropogongayanus. Breeding management Cattle of the Okpara Breeding Farm are reared under a semi-improved system. The monitoring of the cattle is assured by Peuhl cowherds led by a team leader. Animals are housed in cowshed constructed of final materials with a tiled roof and concreted floors and in night parks with mangers and watering places. They are separated by age class and sex. Feeding is based on natural pastures (Andropogongayanus, Leucaena leucocephala and Stylosantes sp.), artificial grasslands (Panicum maximum C1, Brachiaria ruziziensis, Aeschynomene histrix), food supplements and minerals. In the dry season, animals glean their food on natural rangelands, artificial grasslands and in harvest fields where they eat crop residues made of maize straw, cotton residues, groundnut and cowpea tops. In this season, they also recourse to forest grazing such as Khaya senegalensis, Afzelia africana, Pterocarpus erinaceus and forage reserves (hay and Int. J. Agron. Agri. R. Boukari et al. Page 29 ensilage). Animals are conducted to pasture during the day. When returned in the evening, they are enclosed in a cowshed or in a park where they receive water and salt lick ad libitum. Lactating cows receive in addition food supplements (cottonseed meal, Veto feed, crop residues). The Veto food is composed of rice bran, cereals residues, cotton seed and palm meals, BHT (hydroxytoluene butylate: food additive), amino acids, limestone and dicalcium phosphate.This food is formulated by a Beninese public limited company, Veto Services. In the bromatological plan, this complement is composed of protein matter (10%), fats (0.9%), calcium (0.8%), phosphate (0.5%) and starch (8.5%). Calves less than four months old and weak animals are kept in the park and graze around. Animals’ watering is mainly provided by a water tower and two water reservoirs. Reproduction is mainly based on organized coitus. Animals are split in herds. Each herd is composed of reproductive females (25 in average) and one reproductive male. The Livestock Development Project (Phase III) had set a genetic improvement plan based on selection and crossbreeding. The crossbreeding consisted mainly in insemination of Borgou females with imported semen. The health prophylaxis used respects hygienic rules of and is made of daily washing of the watering places and mangers and daily sweeping of the stalling parks and cowshed. The medical prophylaxis plan is characterized by: a) external deworming in a deeping tank monthly in the rainy season and twice the month in the dry season; b) internal deworming done three times the year; however in a case of diarrhea, the concerned animal is automatically dewormed ; c) trypano-prevention every two to three months with Tripadim® (Diminazene Diaceturate) or Tripamidium® (Isometamidium Chloride) produced by the MERIAL laboratory (France); d) vitamin therapy by administering VETOQUINOL stress vitam (vitamins A, D3, E, B1, B6, B5, B3, choline chloride, lysine hydrochloride, glycine); e) vaccinations against foot-and-mouth disease (at the beginning of the dry season), pasteurellosis (at the beginning and at the end of the rainy season) and bovine contagious pleuropneumonia (at the end of the rainy season). Vaccines used are respectively Aftovax, Pastovax or Pastobov and Perivax. Specific treatments are made against occasional diseases depending on the detected clinical cases. Methodology For the Artificial insemination, 355 Borgou cows were used as reproductive animals. The semen used was from Gir and Girolando breeds and was stored in liquid nitrogen at -196 °C to preserve their quality. Data were collected on 105 Gir × Borgou calves, 85 Girolodando × Borgou calves from inseminated cows and on 90 Borgou calves born in the same period. During the experiment, artificial insemination was done on natural or induced estrus. The feeding of inseminated cows was based on natural and artificial pasture as described in the above breeding management. These cows are taken to the pasture by a cowherd. They left in the mornings at 9 am and returned in the evenings, at 5 pm. When arrived from pasture, inseminated cows received each per day in average 2 kg of cotton seed or Veto Service provender in supplementation. The mineral supplementation was made of salt lick distributed constantly and as desired. The health monitoring of cows was identical to that described above in the breeding mode. Crossbreed and Borgou calves were weighed first at birth and after once a month during the first 12 months to assess their performances. In order to better exteriorize their growth performances, these calves received each daily, from one and a half months of age, in average 1 kg of cottonseed meal or vet service provender for cattle in supplementation. The mineral supplementation was made of salt lick constantly distributed and as desired. In terms of health monitoring, all the monitored calves have benefited of external deworming (in a deeping tank), internal deworming, trypanosomiasis treatments, vaccinations (notably against pasteurellosis and bovine contagious pleuropneum