Productivity of Nguni and Africander cattle in Mozambique

Livestock Production Science, 24 (1990) 29-36 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam - - Printed in The Netherlands

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Productivity of Nguni and Africander Cattle in Mozambique A. CATALAO DIONISIO 1 and OLA SYRSTAD 2

~Animal Production Institute (IPA), C.P. 1410, Maputo (Mozambique) 2Norwegian Centre of International Agricultural Development (NORAGRIC), The Agricultural University of Norway, P.O. Box 25, 1432.4s-NLH (Norway) (Accepted 22 May 1989)

ABSTRACT Catal~o Dionisio, A. and Syrstad, O., 1990. Productivity of Nguni and Africander cattle in Mozambique. Livest. Prod. Sci., 24: 29-36. Data collected at Chobela Research Station, Mozambique, were used to compare Nguni and Africander cattle for beef production. The traits studied were weight of calf at weaning (210 days ) and at 18 months (540 days), weight of cow at calving and at weaning, and calving interval. Productivity was expressed as weight of calf per year per unit metabolic weight of cow. Africander calves were heavier than Nguni calves both at weaning (12%) and at 18 months of age (8%). Growth rates from weaning to 18 months were similar in the two breeds. Africander cows were heavier than Nguni cows both at calving (20%) and at weaning (16%). Calving intervals were shorter in Nguni than in Africander (418 and 460 days, respectively). Nguni had higher overall productivity than Africander ( 11-15% ). This superiority was mainly due to their shorter calving interval (i.e. higher calving rate).

INTRODUCTION

The cattle indigenous to most of Mozambique, locally known as Landim, belong to the Nguni breed. Nguni cattle are found also in Swaziland and eastern South Africa, and are closely related to the Nkone of Zimbabwe (Kasowanjete, 1985 ). Brown (1959) gave an account of the origin and the historical background of the breed. The Nguni cattle of Swaziland were described by Lethola (1985), who stressed the need of more information on their production characteristics. Nguni is of the Sanga type of cattle predominant in southern Africa. Sanga is usually classified as humped (zebu) cattle, but the hump is smaller and placed more forward than in genuine zebu. Studies on genetic markers (Meyer, 1984) suggest relationship both with European breeds and zebu breeds originating in the Indian subcontinent. Of exotic breeds Africander is the one most widely used. This breed was 0301-6226/90/$03.50

© 1990 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.

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A. CATALAO DIONISIO AND 0. SYRSTAD

developed in South Africa, first for work, later mainly for beef. The Africander is also a Sanga breed, but some admixture of European inheritance over the recent centuries has been suggested (Halnan and Francis, 1976). Breeding stock of Africander cattle has been imported to Mozambique repeatedly, and the breed has become popular among ranchers. The purpose of the present study was to compare the productivity of Nguni and Africander cattle for beef production. The influence of some non-genetic factors affecting beef production traits in the two breeds was also examined, but those results are not included here. Materials and methods

The data used in this study were collected at the Chobela Research Station. Chobela is located at 25 ° 00' S, 32 ° 14'E, at an altitude of about 40 m. Average annual rainfall is 686 mm, and the distribution is unimodal, most of it falling from November to March. The mean maximum and minimum temperatures are 30.0 and 16.6 ° C, respectively. The station keeps Nguni and Africander cattle in about equal numbers. Africander was introduced in the 1930s, while Nguni was acquired a few years later. Both breeds are kept on natural pasture throughout the year, with no supplementary feeding except in very dry years, when some straw is offered along with molasses. Calving is seasonal, most calves being born from November to January. Calves are weaned at about 7 months of age, all on the same day. Heifers are usually joined with bulls when they are 2 years old. Selection of bulls for breeding is carried out at about 1.5 years of age, followed by castration of bulls which have not been selected. The type of husbandry is similar to that used in the commercial ranches, but the management in the station is above average. The traits examined in the present report are weight of calf at weaning (210 days) and 540 days of age, weight of dam at calving and weaning, and calving interval. All animals were weighed monthly. Weights at the exact dates of 210 and 540 days were estimated by interpolation between the nearest monthly weights. Weight of cow at calving was recorded within 2 weeks after actual calving date. The weights used applied to calves born from 1975/76 to 1979/ 80, inclusive. Weight of dam at weaning of calves born in 1975/76 and weight at 540 days of calves born 1979/80 were missing, due to temporary interruptions of the recording system. The numbers of records of various traits by breed and year are shown in Table 1. Records on calving intervals were for intervals following calvings in 1975/ 76-1984/85. Because of the seasonal calving pattern, the distribution of this trait was bimodal (or trimodal). The records were analysed by using Harvey's Mixed Model Least-Squares and Maximum Likelihood Computer Program PC1 (Harvey, 1987). The in-

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PRODUCTIVITY OF CATTLE IN MOZAMBIQUE TABLE 1 Number of records by breed and year (N = Nguni, A = Africander ) Year of birth/calving

Weight of cow

Weight of calf

1975/76 1976/77 1977/78 1978/79 1979/80

At weaning N A

At 540 days N A

At calving N

A

At weaning N A

68 82 47 68 90

71 62 43 67 -

15 73 54 59 98

12 64 58 66 73

70 30 53 82

60 79 56 72 69

64 68 52 61

68 31 42 64

dependent variables considered were sex of calf, year of birth/calving, period of birth/calving (early - - up to December; late - - from January onwards) and age of dam/cow. In some analyses age of cow was omitted or replaced by previous parturition state (heifer, cow which did not calve in the preceding year, and cow which did calve in the preceding year). All effects were considered fixed. The data of the two breeds (Nguni and Africander) were analysed separately. The significance of breed differences was tested by computing the tratio t=

I.Z'l-&

I/~fs~+s~

where 21 and 22 are the means of the two breeds, and sl and s2 their standard errors. RESULTS

Weight of calf Least squares means of weight of calf at 210 and 540 days of age are reported in Table 2 for each of the two breeds and for males and females separately. At both ages Africander was heavier than Nguni, and males were heavier than females; all differences were highly significant (P < 0.001 ). The gain in weight from 210 to 540 days was similar in the two breeds. Males grew 20-30% faster than females.

Weight of cow Mean weights of cows at calving and at weaning of calf are shown in Table 3. Africander cows were nearly 80 kg heavier than Nguni cows at calving, but this difference was reduced to 65 kg at weaning. However, when only cows

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A. CATAL,~ODIONISIOAND O. SYRSTAD

TABLE 2 Weight of calves at 210 and 540 days of age Nguni

Weight at 210 days Males Females All Residual SD Weight at 540 days Males Females All Residual SD Gain 210-540 days Males Females

Africander

No.

Mean _+SE (kg)

No.

Mean ± SE (kg)

173 182 355

151.7 _+ 1.5 142.0 ± 1.4 146.9_+ 1.1 17.8

164 172 336

168.8 ± 1.9 160.0 ± 1.8 164.4 ± 1.4 21.4

121 122 243

252.4 _+2.4 216.6 ± 2.3 234.5 ± 1.7 24.6

114 131 245

267.2 +_2.7 239.9 ± 2.4 253.5 _ 1.9 26.6

116 122

101.0 ± 2.9 76.1 ± 2.1

109 128

97.2 ± 3.3 79.5 ± 2.2

TABLE 3 Weight of cows at calving and at weaning of calf Nguni

Weight at calving Residual SD Weight at weaning Residual SD Gain calving-weaning

Africander

No.

Mean ± SE (kg)

No.

Mean ± SE (kg)

299

383.8 ± 3.1 37.5 416.1 ± 3.3 36.2 40.9 ± 2.2

273

462.1 ± 3.6 40.9 481.5 ± 4.8 43.7 40.7 ± 2.6

235 226

205 197

which were weighed at both stages were considered, the change in weight was the same in the two breeds.

Calving interval The interval between two consecutive calvings averaged 417.6 _+5.5 days in Nguni (699 records) and 459.4+8.2 days in Africander (601 records). The larger standard error of the Africander mean is mostly due to a much larger standard deviation (156.7 vs. 110.1 days), and this is again associated with the higher mean.

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PRODUCTIVITY OF CATTLE IN MOZAMBIQUE TABLE 4 Productivity of Nguni a n d Africander cattle for beef production 1

Metabolic weight of cow, units No. of calves y e a r - 1 Productivity 1 (weaning) Productivity 2 (540 days)

Nguni

Africander

89.4 0.87 1.43 2.29

101.2 0.79 1.29 1.99

~Productivity = weight of calf per year per u n i t metabolic weight of cow.

Productivity The overall productivity of Nguni and Africander was compared by computing weight of calf per year per unit metabolic weight of cow. Metabolic weight was taken as body weight (mean of weight at calving and weight at weaning of calf) raised to the power 0.75. Number of calves per year was the inverse of calving interval (in days) times 365. The productivity was computed both for weight of calf at weaning and for weight of calf at 540 days of age. The results are presented in Table 4. Although Africander calves were considerably heavier than Nguni calves both at weaning and at 540 days, the latter breed was found to be the more productive. The relative advantage of Nguni increased from 11% at weaning to 15% at 540 days of age. DISCUSSION

The larger calf weights in Africander than in Nguni were expected since Africander is a breed of larger mature body size. The relative weight of Africander to Nguni ( N g u n i = 100) at various stages is shown below Weight of calf at weaning Weight of calf at 540 days Weight of cow

Males Females Males Females At calving At weaning

111 113 106 111 120 116

The superiority of Africander in weight of calf was consistent across years. The only sign of interaction between breed and another factor was that between breed and sex for weight at 540 days of age. Males were 16.5 + 1.7% heavier than females in Nguni, as compared with 11.4 + 1.6% in Africander;

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A. CATAL.~ODIONISIO AND 0. SYRSTAD

the difference between the two percentages (5.1_+2.3%) is significant at P ~ 0.025. It should be noted that the relative superiority of Africander over Nguni calves declined from weaning to 540 days of age. During this period the weight gain was almost exactly the same in the two breeds (88.2 _+1.9 kg in Nguni and 87.6 -+ 2.0 kg in Africander, for calves weighed at both ages). The larger calf weights in Africander than in Nguni are outweighed by their longer calving interval and therefore fewer calves born per 100 cows. The proportion of cows calving in 1 year which did not calve in the previous year (excluding heifers) was 11% in Nguni and 18% in Africander. Longer calving intervals and lower calving rates in Africander than in Nguni were reported also by Scholtz (1988) (calculated calving rate 72 and 87%, respectively). Ward and Tawonezvi (1985) reported that Africander was inferior to Nkone in pregnancy rate, calving rate and weaning rate in Zimbabwe. Tawonezvi et al. (1988) found lower calving rate and less weight of calf weaned per cow in Africander than in other Sanga breeds (Mashona, Nkone, Tuli). Similarly calving rate was lower in Africander than in Tswana and Tuli in Botswana (Trail et al., 1977; Buck et al., 1982 ). Information on mortality was not available in the data used for this study. An early report from the Chobela Station (Morgado, 1953/54) gave mortality rates up to 1 year of age of 4.0% in Nguni and 7.5% in Africander. Mortality rate is a trait of immense importance in beef cattle, and more recent records on this trait should be examined in order to give a more complete comparison of the two breeds. This study demonstrates beyond reasonable doubt that Nguni is more productive than Africander for beef production under the conditions of Mozambique. How Nguni compares with other Sanga breeds, like Tuli, Tswana and Mashona, remains to be seen, and should be a subject of further studies.

REFERENCES Brown, D.L., 1959. The Nguni breed of cattle. I. A descriptive review. Emp. J. Exp. Agric., 27: 278-292. Buck, N., Light, D., Lethola, L., Rennie, T., Mlombo, M. and Muke, B., 1982. Beef cattle breeding systems in Botswana - - The use of indigenous breeds. World Anim. Rev., 43: 12-16. Halnan, C.R.E. and Francis, J., 1976. Bos taurus Y chromosome of Africander cattle and the development of improved breeds for the tropics. Vet. Rec., 98: 88-90. Harvey, W.R., 1987. Mixed Model Least Squares and Maximum Likelihood Computer Program PC-1. Mimeograph, 46 pp. Kasowanjete, M.B.B., 1985. Nguni cattle breed - - a literature review. In: Animal Genetic Resources in Africa (Proc. 2nd OAU Expert Committee Meeting on Animal Genetic Resources in Africa), pp. 95-97. Lethola, L.L., 1985. A review of Nguni breed in Swaziland. In: Animal Genetic Resources in Africa

PRODUCTIVITYOF CATTLEIN MOZAMBIQUE

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(Proc. 2nd OAU Expert Committee Meeting on Animal Genetic Resources in Africa), pp. 98102. Meyer, E.H.H., 1984. Chromosomal and biochemical genetic markers of cattle breeds in southern Africa. Proc. 2nd World Congress on Sheep and Beef Cattle Breeding, Pretoria, 16-19 April, pp. 328-339. Morgado, F.P., 1953/54. Bovinos de talho da Estac~o Zoot~cnica Central (Chobela). Mortalidade. fecundidade e influ~ncia de alguns factores no desenvolvimento. An. Serv. Vet. Ind. Anim., 6: 453-467. Scholtz, M.M., 1988. Selection possibilities of hardy beef breeds in Africa: The Nguni example. Proc. 3rd World Congress on Sheep and Beef Cattle Breeding, Paris, 19-23 June, Vol. 2, pp. 303-319. Tawonezvi, H.P.R., Ward, H.K.M., Trail, J.C.M. and Light, D., 1988. Evaluation of beef breeds for rangeland weaner production in Zimbabwe. I. Productivity of purebred cows. Anim. Prod., 47:351 359. Trail, J.C.M., Buck, N.G., Light, D., Rennie, T.W., Rutherford, A., Miller, M., Pratehett, D. and Capper, B.S., 1977. Productivity of Africander, Tswana, Tuli and crossbred beef cattle in Botswana. Anim. Prod., 24: 57-62. Ward, H.K. and Tawonezvi, H.P.R., 1985. Production traits of Mashona, Nkone and Tuli cattle and of" some beef breeds exotic to Zimbabwe. In: Animal Genetic Resources in Africa (Proc. 2nd OAU Expert Committee Meeting on Animal Genetic Resources in Africa), pp. 86-97. RESUME Catal~o Dionisio, A. et Syrstad, O., 1990. Productivit~ des bovins Nguni et Africander au Mozambique. Livest. Prod. Sci., 24:29-36 (en anglais). On a utilis~ les donn~es collect~es h la Station de recherches de Chobela, Mozambique, pour comparer les bovins Nguni et Africander pour la production de viande. Les caract~res ~tudi~es ont ~t~ le poids du veau au sevrage (210 jours) et h 18 mois, le poids de la vache au v~lage et au sevrage et l'intervalle entre vSlages. La productivit~ a ~t6 exprim~e par le poids de veau par an par unit~ de poids m~tabolique de vache. Les vaux Africander ont gt6 plus lourds que les Nguni au sevrage (12%) et ~ 18 mois (8%) mais leur vitesse de croissance n'a pas gt~ plus ~lev~e entre le sevrage et 18 mois. Les vaches Africander ont ~t~ plus lourdes que les Nguni au v~lage (20%) et au sevrage (16%) mais elles ont eu un intervalle entre v~lages plus long (460 jours au lieu de 418 jours ). Les vaches Nguni ont eu une productivit~ globale de 11 ~ 15% sup~rieure h celle des Africander, surtout en raison de leur intervalle plus court entre vSlages, ou de leur taux de vSlage plus 61ev6. KURZFASSUNG Catal~o Dionisio, A. und Syrstad, O., 1990. Produktivit~t yon Nguni und Africander Rindern in Mozambique. Livest. Prod. Sci., 24:29-36 (auf englisch). Daten von der Chobela Research Station, Mozambique, wurden zum Vergleich der Fleischproduktion yon Nguni und Africander Rindern herangezogen. Die untersuchten Merkmale waren Absetzgewicht (210 Tage) und Gewicht mit 18 Monaten (540 Tage), Gewicht der Ktihe beim Kalben und Absetzen der K~ilber und die Zwischenkalbezeit. Produktivit~it wurde als Gewicht der K~ilber pro Jahr und pro Einheit metabolisches KSrpergewicht der Kuh berechnet. Africander K~lber waren beim Absetzen (12%) und im Alter von 18 Monaten (8%) schwerer als Nguni K~lber. Die Wachstumrate vom Absetzen bis zum Alter von 18 Monaten waren in beiden Rassen iihnlich. Africander Kfihe waren sowohl beim Kalben ( 12% ) als auch beim Absetzen (8%) schwerer als

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A. CATAL~,O DIONISI0 AND 0. SYRSTAD

Nguni Ktihe. Die Zwischenkalbezeit der Nguni Ktihe war ktirzer als die der Africander Ktihe (418 gegeniiber 460 Tage ). Die Produktivitiit der Nguni Rinder war grSf~er als die der Africander (11-15% ). Diese 0berlegenheit ist hauptsiichlich durch die ktirzere Zwischenkalbezeit bedingt (d.h. hShere Kalberate ).