Dairy cattle

Exploring the Genetic Basis of Milking Ability in the Italian Mediterranean Buffalo

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Abstract

Milking ability is a key trait influencing dairy farm efficiency, particularly in the Italian Mediterranean Buffalo (IMB), a breed renowned for producing high-fat milk used in mozzarella cheese production. Furthermore, this trait directly influences labor and equipment costs, and especially udder health, making it an important target for genetic improvement. The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic components and heritability of milking ability in the IMB population. Milking ability was defined as the ratio between milk yield (in kilograms) and milking time (in minutes), expressed as kilograms per minute (kg/min). A total of 27,145 test-day records from 2,068 buffaloes were analyzed. Variance components were estimated using a pedigree of 4,495 animals. Genetic parameters were estimated using a single-trait animal model, which included fixed effects of contemporary group (herd, year, season), year-month of test day, age at calving, milking session (morning/evening), and DIM30 class. Descriptive statistics indicated phenotypic variability for milking ability, with a mean of 0.32 kg/min and values ranging from very low (0.00044 kg/min) to exceptionally high (11.65 kg/min). The coefficient of variation was 72%. Regarding the genetic component, a moderate heritability estimate (h² ≈ 0.20) was observed, indicating that a relevant proportion of the phenotypic variance is attributable to additive genetic effects. These findings confirm that milking ability has a genetic background being prone to improvement through selection. Incorporating this trait into genetic evaluation schemes could enhance farm productivity by optimizing milking performance and reducing management costs. Moreover, given its relationship with animal welfare and work efficiency, selection for improved milking ability could contribute to more sustainable and economically viable buffalo farming systems. This research was funded by ITALIAN MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (MIPAAF - DISR 07). Project: "BIG" Prot. N. 0215513 11/05/2021.

Keywords: 2026

How to Cite:

Gómez, M., Di Vuolo, G., Pascarella, L., Cimmino, R., Rossi, D., Zullo, G., Gombia, Y., Campanile, G., Neglia, G. & Biffani, S., (2026) “Exploring the Genetic Basis of Milking Ability in the Italian Mediterranean Buffalo”, World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production Digital Archive 2026(1): 2294744. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/wcgalp.24325

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