Preliminary results on Meditarranean Italian Buffalo morphometry

In a previous study a computerized image analysis system was used to evaluate the type traits of Italian Mediterranean Buffalo. The high level of agreement between the values from images and those obtained by the traditional measuring methods leads to the possibility of evaluating many animals in a easier and quicker way, with relatively low cost. The aim of the present study was to measure these traits in a sample of animals large enough to be representative of Mediterranean Italian Buffalo population. Type traits were recorded on 711 adult buffalo cows, belonging to 16 different farms situated in the provinces of Caserta, Salerno, Foggia, Latina. The correlation coefficients between traditional method and the computerized one confirmed what found in a previous work and the presence of markers at ischium improved the relation between the methods (r =0.964; P<0.01) as hypothesized in the same study. The correlation analysis between type trait values, milk production in the 3rd lactation, and age showed an increase in milk production (P< 0.01) and changes in the udder morphology that has became less deep but wider (P< 0.01). Buffaloes are slightly taller with a longer trunk (P< 0.05) but have a higher chest (P< 0.05).