Growth pattern in double and triple crosses cattle at Dehradun farm.

Abstract

Researchers in the field of behavioral and life sciences often come across with the studies on growth. Growth studies are very important for the livestock production because growth is the foundation on which the other forms of production such as milk, meat, wool rests. Growth models are used to predict rates and change in the shape of the organism. The economic importance of rate of maturing, rate of gain, mature size and related characters can be determined by growth models. Comparison of nonlinear models for weight age data in cattle has been done under homoscedsticity (Brown et al. 1972). Brown et al. (1976), Alessandra et al. (2002), Kollum et al. (2003) Lambe et al. (2006), also studied the different growth models in lamb. Various nonlinear models are available, but comparis on of models is needed to find most appropriate model. In the present investigation 5 sigmoidal models are taken for comparing the growth pattern for double-cross and triplecross cattle; these are Logistic and Gompertz Richards, Brody and Von Bertallanffy. Data used in the study were collected from Dehradun farm for Friesian x Sahiwal and FriesianxSahiwalxHariana breed. Data collected for 40 cattle from birth to 36 month of age of Friesian x Sahiwal breed and 35 cattle for Friesian xSahiwal x Hariana breed, for comparing the growth pattern among double-cross and triple-cross cattle. Following models are fitted for comp