Incidence of postpartum anestrus among buffaloes in and around Jabalpur

Aim: Postpartum anestrus is one of the major problems in buffalo reproduction; the knowledge of its incidence may be helpful to adopt preventive and therapeutic measures for improvement of reproductive efficiency and thus production of the dairy animals. Materials and Methods: To investigate the incidence of postpartum anestrus, a total 6105 Murrah and upgraded Murrah buffaloes were surveyed in and around the district of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. Among these, 4708 and 1397 buffaloes were surveyed in organized and unorganized rearing system, respectively. Among the organized farms, 2050 and 2658 buffaloes were observed in good and moderate managemental condition, respectively. Anestrus and sub estrus were confirmed by per rectal examination and serum progesterone estimation. Results: The overall incidence of anestrus was recorded 29.12%. The incidence of anestrus was recorded 25.84% and 40.15 %, respectively, in organized and unorganized rearing system, and among organized farms it was 22.58% and 28.36% in good and moderate managemental conditions, respectively. The incidence of anestrus in summer, rainy, and winter season was found to be 66.28%, 22.51%, and 11.25%, respectively. Based on per-rectal examination and serum progesterone concentration, 60.58 per cent buffaloes were classified as true anestrus, 20.88 per cent as sub estrus, and 18.52 per cent anestrus due to other unknown conditions. Conclusion: These results indicated that the incidence of anestrus, especially true anestrus, was higher at farmer's door. Moreover, the incidence of anestrus was higher in summer season and hence appropriate preventive and or therapeutic measures as per the type of anestrus need to be undertaken.


Introduction
secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) that also affects the follicular growth [3].Any delay in resumption of Buffalo is a most valuable livestock resource in cyclicity results into prolonged intercalving period, Asian countries including India.Although buffaloes poor net calf crop and production losses.Postpartum are well adapted to hot and humid climate, their resumption of ovarian activity and subsequent reproductive performance is greatly influence by heat conception may be affected by several factors such as stress [1].Postpartum anestrus is one of most common breed, nutrition, milk yield, suckling, body weight, reproductive disorder in buffaloes and its incidence is body condition score (BCS), parity, season and uterine higher during summer season.The estrous cycles, involution [5,6].which cease during pregnancy, usually resume within Since postpartum anestrus is one of the most two to three months of calving in buffaloes [2].
frustrating problems in buffalo reproduction, the Elevated level of progesterone during pregnancy exerts knowledge of its incidence may be helpful to adopt a negative feedback effect on the hypothalamic therapeutic measures for the benefit of dairy farmers.-pituitary axis that lead to cessation of cycle during pregnancy.After parturition the concentration of these Mustard oil cake and offered @ 5 kg/day/animal, month with temperature reaching up to 45 C. Jabalpur however, some owner drench about 200 ml of mustard gets moderate rainfall of 890 to 970 mm during July to oil to their buffaloes once in week to enhance milk September due to south-west monsoon.The soil of production whereas green fodder includes mainly Jabalpur and its surrounding area is alkaline and low in Barseem and Lucern and offered @ 5kg/day/animal, nitrogen, zinc, manganese and phosphorus whereas when available.The bulk of feed includes dry fodder high in potassium, copper and iron.
particularly wheat straw which has low nutrient value.

Ethical approval: The experiments and sample
Blood sampling: To know the serum progesterone collection procedure were approved by Institutional concentration, about 5ml blood samples were collected Animal Ethics Committee.
aseptically in plastic test tubes from jugular vein of Survey of buffaloes: To investigate the incidence of anestrus buffaloes.Blood samples were collected postpartum anestrus, total 6105 Murrah and upgraded randomly from 340 buffaloes in Jabalpur and its Murrah buffaloes were surveyed, both in organized and surrounding villages.The serum was separated and 0 unorganized rearing system complaining non return to kept at -20 C until analysis.estrus in 75 days or more postpartum in and around

Gynecological examination and progesterone
Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh (India) during estimation: A total of 340 buffaloes which failed to year 2011-12.Out of 6105, 4708 and 1397 buffaloes resume estrous cycle within 75 days post-partum were surveyed in organized and unorganized rearing during summer were examined per rectally.Further, system, respectively.Among the organized dairy anestrus and sub estrus were confirmed by serum farms, 2050 and 2658 buffaloes were observed under progesterone estimation using ELISA kit, as most of good and moderate managemental conditions, the buffalo exhibit silent estrus particularly in summer.respectively.The recorded incidence of anestrus from Based on per rectal examination and serum the organized farms was also distributed season wise progesterone level, the postpartum anestrus buffaloes i.e. summer, rainy and winter season.The body were classified as true anestrus (ovaries with no condition score of all surveyed buffalo was in between palpable corpus luteum and/or serum progesterone 2 and 4 in five point scales.<1ng/ml); sub estrus (presence of corpus luteum in one of the ovaries and/or serum progesterone >1ng/ml) and Managemental practices: Different managemental anestrus due to other patho-physiological conditions practices have been observed during the investigation such as unnoticed service, persistent corpus luteum and of the anestrus buffaloes among the various dairy farms cystic ovaries. of Jabalpur and its surrounding villages.On the basis of managemental practices, the rearing system has been

Results
divided in to two categories; organized and unorganized The overall incidence of anestrus was recorded rearing system.Moreover, managemental difference 29.12% (ranging from 22.58% to 40.15%) in different were also observed among the organized rearing system and thus divided into good and moderate conditions (Table-2).The incidence of anestrus was rearing system (Table - and unorganized rearing system.Among the organized conditions, respectively.This difference in incidence farms, the incidence of anestrus was observed 22.58% might be due to sub optimal managemental practices and 28.36% in good and moderate managemental include housing, feeding and breeding in moderate conditions, respectively (Table -2).The incidence of managemental practices.anestrus among the buffaloes of organized dairy farms

Seasonwise distribution of anestrus in buffaloes:
was also distributed into season wise i.e. summer, rainy Result showed that higher incidence of anestrus in and winter season, which was 66.28%, 22.51% and buffaloes was observed during summer (66.28%) as 11.25%, respectively (Table -3).Based on per-rectal compared to rainy (22.51%) and winter season examination and serum progesterone concentration, (11.25%).The possible reason is that buffaloes have 60.58% buffaloes were classified as true anestrus, less heat dissipating mechanism thus more prone to 20.88% as sub estrus and 18.52% anestrus due to other heat stress during summer as compared to other dairy conditions (Table-4).

Moreover, high environmental temperature causes
Incidence of anestrus under different rearing system: hyper-prolactinaemia, suppressing the secretion of In the present study the overall incidence of anestrus gonadotrophins which leads to an alteration in ovarian was recorded 29.12%.The incidence of anestrus may steroidogenesis [11] thus this might be the reason of vary in different agro-climatic regions (7, 8, 9 and 10).
higher incidence of anestrus in summer.In winter, the However, quite variations do exist in terms of its environmental temperature is low thus no effect on percentage wise occurrence because of breed, sample folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis and hence size, criteria for consideration etc.In the present study, occurrence of anestrus is minimum.The incidence of a higher incidence of anestrus was reported which anestrus in summer in present study is in agreement might be due to different criteria of consideration i.e.
with the finding of [9] but appeared higher than the those buffaloes, failed to resume cyclicity within 75 result of [12] during summer.Similar seasonal days post parturition as against three months or more variation of anestrus has also been reported in other by other researchers, were taken into account.
countries [13,14].Incidence of anestrus was found to be higher Types of anestrus cases recorded in buffaloes: Per (40.15%) in unorganized rearing system as compared rectal examination and serum progesterone estimation to that of organized farms (25.84%).This might be due of 340 anestrus buffaloes during summer revealed to nutritional deficiency and different managemental 60.58% true anestrus, 20.88% sub-estrus and 18.52% practices among the unorganized rearing system.other conditions such as unnoticed service, persistent Moreover, calves are not weaned after parturition thus corpus luteum and cystic ovaries.Higher incidence of suckling results in delayed resumption of postpartum true anestrus might be due to negative energy balance, cyclicity, probably due to negative effect of the minerals deficiency as well as high environmental prolactin that are released in response to suckling [3].
temperature as these factors affect the folliculogenesis Further, the postpartum anestrus period is higher in the and steroidogenesis.Whereas Gupta [9] reported unorganized sector as there is common belief among higher incidence of true anestrus (71.42%) and subthe villagers that the milk yield would be reduced, if estrus (28.57%),Singh,et. al. [15] reported lower they bred their animals during early lactation period.incidence i.e. 33.32% true anestrus with 9.5% sub-Among the organized farms, incidence of anestrus was estrus.Shah, et.al. [16] has reported only 8.9% true different under good and moderate managemental anestrus in dairy buffaloes.However, incidence of true

Table - 2
. Incidence of anestrus under different rearing system Table-3.Season wise distribution of anestrus in buffaloes in organized farms