Phenotyping of Bali cattle and interviewing farmers in Indonesia - a minor field study

Abstract: Among the Indigenous cattle breeds in Indonesia, the Bali cattle is the most preferred by small farmers. The Bali cattle is a beef breed, and is considered to have several advantageous characteristics and to be well adapted to the country’s harsh environmental tropical conditions with drought and rain. The main aim of this project was to phenotype of Bali cattle from different locations in order to identify and document diversity within the Bali cattle breed based on their observable characteristics, to compare cattle from different areas and production systems to see the effect of management on phenotype. In this study, 107 cows and bulls of the breed Bali cattle, from Kalimantan, Sumatra, Lombok and Bali were phenotyped. According to directions from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) measurements were taken with focus on body length, height at withers, chest girth, ear length, horn length, muzzle circumference, body weight and pelvic width. Hairs from the tails were collected for future preparation of DNA. The farmers at each location were interviewed about management, breeding and production. Correlations between the linear measurements were analyzed and animals from the different locations were compared to each other with regards to the mean values of the linear measurements. The results from the statistical analyses were analyzed together with the results from the interviews to examine whether the differences between locations could be due to management or also have a genetic background. The breeding strategies and management of genetic resources in the rural villages were also investigated. The results indicated that differences in size between cows from Kalimantan, Sumatra and Lombok were more likely to be the result of management, whereas size differences between bulls from Bali and Lombok could be the result of both management and genetic factors. Interviews revealed problems with inbreeding and lack of knowledge regarding breeding and breeding strategies in all villages which could pose a future threat to the genetic diversity of the Bali cattle breed.