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The current study was conducted to analyse the sources of information utilized by dairy farmers of rural Punjab for obtaining information on organic waste management. A total of 80 farmers (40 each, small and large) were selected for the study. Results revealed that small farmers had a low level of information source utilization whereas, large farmers had a medium level of utilization. Pooled data revealed that the utilization of information sources by farmers is of medium level, but ICT utilization was found to be the highest for obtaining information. The Mann-Whitney U value was found to be highly significant (p < 0.01) between groups. Furthermore, education, information source utilization and knowledge level were found to be having a highly significant and positive relationship with ICT usage. As in the present study, ICT utilization among farmers was high, therefore, more ICT tools should be developed for efficient organic waste management, which will not only hasten information dissemination but also strengthen extension delivery in rural areas.

The identification of candidate genes related to pigmentation and under selective sweep provides insights into the genetic basis of pigmentation and the evolutionary forces that have shaped this variation. The selective sweep events in the genes responsible for normal coat color in Indian cattle groups are still unknown. To find coat color genes displaying signs of selective sweeps in the indigenous cattle, we compiled a list of candidate genes previously investigated for their association with coat color and pigmentation. After that, we performed a genome-wide scan of positive selection signatures using the BovineSNP50K Bead Chip in 187 individuals of seven indigenous breeds. We applied a wide range of methods to find evidence of selection, such as Tajima's D, CLR, iHS, varLD, ROH, and FST. We found a total of sixteen genes under selective sweep, that were involved in coat color and pigmentation physiology. These genes are CRIM1 in Gir, MC1R in Sahiwal, MYO5A, PMEL and POMC in Tharparkar, TYRP1, ERBB2, and ASIP in Red Sindhi, MITF, LOC789175, PAX3 and TYR in Ongole, and IRF2, SDR165 and, KIT in Nelore, ADAMTS19 in Hariana. These genes are related to melanin synthesis, the biology of melanocytes and melanosomes, and the migration and survival of melanocytes during development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riverine Buffaloes, especially the Murrah breed because of their adaptability to harsh climatic conditions, is farmed in many countries to convert low-quality feed into valuable dairy products and meat. Here, we investigated the copy number variations (CNVs) in 296 Murrah buffalo using the Axiom® Buffalo Genotyping Array 90K (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA, USA). The CNVs were detected on the autosomes, using the Copy Number Analysis Module (CNAM) using the univariate analysis. 7937 CNVs were detected in 279 Buffaloes, the average length of the CNVs was 119,048.87 bp that ranged between 7800 and 4,561,030 bp. These CNVs were accounting for 10.33% of the buffalo genome, which was comparable to cattle, sheep, and goat CNV analyses. Further, CNVs were merged and 1541 CNVRs were detected using the Bedtools-mergeBed command. 485 genes were annotated within 196 CNVRs that were identified in at least 10 animals of Murrah population. Out of these, 40 CNVRs contained 59 different genes that were associated with 69 different traits. Overall, the study identified a significant number of CNVs and CNVRs in the Murrah breed of buffalo, with a wide range of lengths and frequencies across the autosomes. The identified CNVRs contained genes associated with important traits related to production and reproduction, making them potentially important targets for future breeding and genetic improvement efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes are among the immune genes that have been extensively studied in vertebrates and are necessary for adaptive immunity. In the immunological response to infectious diseases, they play several significant roles. This research paper provides the selection signatures in the MHC region of the bovine genome as well as how certain genes related to innate immunity are undergoing a positive selective sweep. Here, we investigated signatures of historical selection on MHC genes in 15 different cattle populations and a total of 427 individuals. To identify the selection signatures, we have used three separate summary statistics. The findings show potential selection signatures in cattle from whom we isolated genes involved in the MHC. The most significant regions related to the bovine MHC are BOLA, non-classical MHC class I antigen (BOLA-NC1), Microneme protein 1 (MIC1) , Cluster of Differentiation 244 (CD244), Gap Junction Alpha-5 Protein (GJA5). It will be possible to gain new insight into immune system evolution by understanding the distinctive characteristics of MHC in cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of selection signatures assists in understanding domestication, evolution, and the identification of genomic regions related to adaptation and production traits in buffaloes. The emergence of high-throughput technologies like Next Generation Sequencing and SNP genotyping had expanded our ability to detect these signatures of selection. In this study, we sought to identify signatures of selection in five buffalo populations (Brazilian Murrah, Bulgarian Murrah, Indian Murrah, Nili-Ravi, and Kundi) using Axiom Buffalo 90 K Genotyping Array data. Using seven different methodologies (Tajima's D, CLR, ROH, iHS, FST, FLK and hapFLK), we identified selection signatures in 374 genomic regions, spanning a total of 381 genes and 350 quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Among these, several candidate genes were associated with QTLs for milk production, reproduction, growth and carcass traits. The genes and QTLs reported in this study provide insight into selection signals shaping the genome of buffalo breeds. Our findings can aid in further genomic association studies, genomic prediction, and the implementation of breeding programmes in Indian buffaloes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated the effects of FMD vaccination on acute phase response and milk composition in the HF crossbred cows (n = 12) using a cross-over experimental design. In trial 1, one group (n = 6) received inactivated trivalent oil-adjuvanted FMD vaccine [day post-vaccination, (dpv) 0], while the mock-vaccinated group received saline (n = 6). After a cooling period of 15 days, the trial was repeated by swapping groups. The body temperature, dry matter intake (DMI) and milk yield were recorded. Haemato-biochemical parameters, haptoglobin and cortisol concentrations were also assessed. A significant (p < 0.05) increase in the neutralizing antibody response to FMDV serotype O and Asia1 indicated a positive immune response. A significant (p < 0.05) increase of 0.4° to 0.6°C in the body temperature, decrease of 0.7-0.8 kg in DMI along with an increase in the serum haptoglobin, total leukocyte count and neutrophils within dpv 2 indicated acute phase response in the FMD vaccinated group. Among the milk constituents, only milk fat (p = 0.053) was significant. It was concluded that FMD vaccination induced acute phase response within dpv 3 in the crossbred cows and caused a non-significant reduction in the milk yield on the day of vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]