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ABSTRACT The objective of the study was to present the current situation of water buffalo breeding in Turkey, determine the relevant problems, and propose suggestions for its improvement. The research data were collected at the "Focus Group Interviews" with the sector actors from the cities engaged in buffalo breeding between July and September of 2015. The cities included Afyonkarahisar, Bitlis, Diyarbakir, Istanbul, Muş, Samsun, and Tokat, where buffalo breeding was usually practiced by small-scale family enterprises that used traditional husbandry methods. The variables chosen as indicators of yield included milk yield, meat yield, and lactation period, which were found to be below global averages. The study revealed lack of adequate record-keeping of enterprises raising water buffalo. Buffalo breeders should take necessary steps to improve their strategies to increase buffalo milk yield, while government agencies should protect wetlands and prevent their unintended use, making relevant legal arrangements where necessary. Buffalo meat and milk should be promoted with an emphasis on their superior nutritional values. For the development of buffalo breeding in Turkey, necessary steps should be taken on both national and local levels.

Water buffalo in the Northern Territory of Australia have a well defined breeding season in the wet or very early dry season. The birth of a calf is of major importance for the clan and for the family group of which that clan is a part.

A number of calves are left in the care of an adult while their
mothers go to graze. The female calf remains with its mother for many years, possibly for life, but at 2-3 y old the male calf is driven from the group by an adult bull when a cow in the group comes into oestrus.

Most buffalo cows will readily adopt an orphan calf and within 8 days it is impossible to distinguish between the orphan and the group calves.

Water buffalo are of great economic importance in Brazilian Amazonia, which has the largest herd in Brazil. Bovine tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis is a zoonotic disease that results in severe losses to water buffalo production. Although the disease has already been described in the country, data on the occurrence and distribution of bovine tuberculosis in water buffalo in Brazil is very scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of bovine tuberculosis in water buffalo in the Baixo Araguari River region of Amapá, Brazil. Thirty herds, randomly selected from the 41 herds of water buffalo in the region, were sampled. From those herds, 212 randomly selected water buffalo were subjected to the comparative tuberculin skin test. The proportion of Baixo Araguari River region herds that were positive for bovine tuberculosis was 50.0% (95% CI 31.3% to 68.7%) and the proportion of animals that were positive was estimated to be 14.8% (95% CI 7.8% to 21.9%). Our results show that bovine tuberculosis is spread widely among water buffalo in the Baixo Araguari River region, which suggests that measures to control the disease should be undertaken in the region.

Data were obtained on 1094 females and 859 males killed at an abattoir, and 135 females and 32 males shot in the field. The data indicated that cows calve during the late wet or early dry season, after a pregnancy of 10-11 months. Age at 1st conception averaged 28.5 months; puberty occurred at 14-19 months. Pregnancy rate was 76% for the abattoir sample; it was <5% for females aged less than or equal to 3 yr. Bulls were probably fertile for 8 months of the year, the infertile period occurring during the 2nd half of the dry season.

The objectives of this study were to (a) determine the number of water buffaloes/buffalypso (WB) in Trinidad, (b) to identify the constraints via an open ended questionnaire, to WB production faced by private farmers and c) to update on the present status of brucellosis in the country. The survey was conducted in 2012 to determine the number of Water Buffalo (WB) at seventeen (17) privately owned farms and three (3) Government farms in Trinidad; and to identify the constraints to WB production on the former. The number of WB recorded from the locations surveyed was 1513, comprising 1039 from government owned farms and 474 from 17 privately owned farms. The 17 privately owned WB farmers were interviewed via a questionnaire and responses tallied to determine the challenges to WB production. Animal numbers of WB ranged from 4-150 on private farms. The purpose for which the animals were reared was for milk production (6%, 1/17), meat production (48%, 8/17), work (29%, 5/17) and pets (19%, 3/17). The major concerns faced by private farmers were a shortage of labour, pasture availability and a lack of extension services. Farmers were interested in expanding their herd size and forming an association to address their concerns. The number of WB in Trinidad appears to have declined in 2012 compared to 2004. The major factor responsible for the decline was a Brucellosis test and cull policy implemented by the Government. New and innovative strategies including reproductive bio techniques are needed to preserve the genetic legacy of the Buffalypso, as the WB can significantly contribute to sustainable food production in Trinidad.

The present study was aimed to investigate the genetic diversity among 17 Turkish water buffalo populations. A total of 837 individuals from 17 provincial populations were genotyped, using 20 microsatellites markers. The microsatellite markers analyzed were highly polymorphic with a mean number of alleles of (7.28) ranging from 6 (ILSTS005) to 17 (ETH003). The mean observed and expected heterozygosity values across all polymorphic loci in all studied buffalo populations were 0.61 and 0.70, respectively. Observed heterozygosity varied from 0.55 (Bursa (BUR)) to 0.70 (Muş (MUS)). It was lower than expected heterozygosity in most of the populations indicating a deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The overall value for the polymorphic information content of noted microsatellite loci was 0.655, indicating their suitability for genetic diversity analysis in buffalo. The mean FIS value was 0.091 and all loci were observed significantly deviated from Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE), most likely based on non-random breeding. The 17 buffalo populations were genetically less diverse as indicated by a small mean FST value (0.032 ± 0.018). The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) analysis indicated that about 2% of the total genetic diversity was clarified by population distinctions and 88 percent corresponded to differences among individuals. The information produced by this study can be used to establish a base of national conservation and breeding strategy of water buffalo population in Turkey. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. ; Tarimsal Araştirmalar ve Politikalar Genel Müdürlüğü, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Tarim Ve Orman Bakanliği: TAGEM/13/AR-GE/29 ; Funding: This research was funded by Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM), grant number TAGEM/13/AR-GE/29, project leader Elif Geyik Kus¸.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the characteristics of the dual-purpose water buffalo production based on the Mexican production system as a model in tropical wetlands. It includes a broad literature review emphasizing the most recent and specialized publications examining key findings to improve our understanding in the performance of the buffalo species (Bubalus bubalis). The complementary topics addressed include reproductive management, parturition, the dam–calf bond, milking routines, and models of confinement and management, in addition to aspects related to milk commercialization. This article summarizes the advances made to date in this production system and its current margins for improvement. The development of dual-purpose water buffalo production systems in Mexico's tropical wetlands is a relatively recent phenomenon that has progressed and improved due to herd management. Buffaloes are an interesting alternative for dual purpose systems that offer several advantages. The lower milk production of this species compared to cattle is its main limitation. However, the properties of their milk allow one to obtain an added value and make this type of farms competitive. In synthesis, consolidating buffalo production in Mexico's tropical wetlands will require broadening our knowledge of this species, and perfecting the most appropriate handling procedures. The activities of government agencies and processing enterprises will play vital roles in achieving the integral modernization of this potentially important economic activity.

A model of population growth of feral water buffalo is presented and used as a basis for simulating
buffalo control exercises. Simulations incorporated annual removal of constant numbers of buffalo,
annual allocations of constant amounts of control effort, or continous application of effort until control
density had been achieved. The models rely on data from helicopter-based shooting and shooting by
shooters on the ground (Bayliss 1986). Approximately 60% of a starting population had to be removed
per annum for control to extinction to be achieved within two years. Annual allocations of constant
levels of control effort resulted in failure to reach the control target within 150 years, control in about
40 years, or control within the first two years of operation, depending on the level of effort expended.
Addition of two helicopters to a team of four helicopters working for 20 days changed the result from
no control to control within two years. Optimal allocation of control effort requires continuous
application of control measures until the objective has been achieved. Lower levels of effort result in
prolonged campaigns that may not achieve desired objectives.

This study was conducted to investigate the growth hormone (GH; somatotropin-like) gene polymorphisms in 150 water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) from different regions of Turkey. 404 bp long partial intron 4, exon 5, 3' UTR regions of the GH gene (also called GH/AluI locus) and 347 bp long exon-intron 3 and partial exon 4 regions of the GH gene (also called GH/MspI locus) were amplified, and their PCR products analyzed via DNA sequencing method. Seven genotypes due to twenty single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and one deletion/insertion were identified in a 347 bp long region of the GH/MspI locus. A missense mutation from glycine to glutamate amino acid and four silent mutations in the serine, threonine, and asparagine amino acids were determined in the exon 3 region of the GH gene. Four genotypes due to eight SNP were identified in a 404 bp long region of the GH/AluI locus. A missense mutation from lysine to arginine amino acid and six silent mutations in Leucine, aspartate, histidine, lysine, arginine, and cysteine amino acids were revealed in the exon 5 region of the GH gene. The partial DNA sequence of the GH gene in water buffalos was reported, and these sequences were deposited at the NCBI Genbank database with the accession numbers MN266903-MN266909 and MN530973-MN530976. These SNP may have an effect on economic (such as body composition) and carcass traits, reproduction, and milk yield and content in water buffalo populations and may prove to be useful for water buffalo breeding. © 2020 All Rights Reserved ; AR.14.32, NKUBAP.00.24; Tarimsal Araştirmalar ve Politikalar Genel Müdürlüğü, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Tarim Ve Orman Bakanliği: TAGEM ??AR -GE/ ?? ; This research was supported by the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Nam?k Kemal University, under project number NKUBAP.00.24.AR.14.32, and the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies, under project number TAGEM 13/AR-GE/29. ; This research was supported by the Scienti ...