In 2002, it was discovered that several Cika cattle in the mountain areas of Slovenia had escaped the official policy of cross-breeding. Here, we report a genetic characterization to assess their status as autochthonous breed. We compared genotypes for 14 microsatellite markers in 150 Cika cattle individuals with data from 16 Central European cattle breeds. We show that Cika cattle are genetically as diverse as other Eastern Alpine breeds, are more diverse than Austrian Simmental but less than the Balkan Busha cattle. STRUCTURE analysis showed Pinzgauer admixture in several individuals but also indicated a unique genetic identity for Cika. This analysis also allowed a selection of the most genetically pure Cika individuals as assessed by the panel of microsatellites. These original Cika cattle form an Eastern Alpine breed cluster together with Pinzgauer and Pustertaler cattle. Cika cattle should be considered as an authentic and valuable genetic resource, which offers clear opportunities for sustainable agriculture and landscape conservation in marginal and mountain areas.
The objective of the study was to asses the effect of the production system on fatty acids (FA) composition of intramuscular fat of three muscles (longissimus dorsi, semitendinosus, diaphragmae) from Simmental bulls. Bulls (n=8) were fattened either with maize silage and concentrates or on pasture. Grazing bulls showed a significant lower percentage of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), but had higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and conjugated linoleic acid. The n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio was significantly lower (P<0.001) and the PUFA/SFA ratio was significantly higher (P<0.001) in muscles of grazing bulls. The lowest SFA percentage was found in semitendinosus (36.5±0.8) followed by longissimus dorsi (44.4±0.8) and diaphragmae (48.2±0.8) muscle. The percentage of PUFA and n-3 PUFA was the highest in semitendinosus muscle, while the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio was similar in all three analysed muscles
The aim of this study was to estimate perinatal and neonatal mortality rates from day 2 to day 30 in Slovenian Holstein Friesian population and to assess risk factors for increased losses. Data from 420,556 calves of Holstein Friesian cows born in Slovenia in the period from January 2005 to December 2016 were analysed. Data were obtained from the Central register of bovine animals. The average perinatal calf mortality, including abortions and stillbirths, was 8.24% and neonatal mortality from day 2 to day 30 4.28%. The most important effects on perinatal calf mortality rate were the number of calves at calving and the age of dam at calving, while herd size and calving season were the most influential in the neonatal period from day 2 to day 30.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.