<div style="text-align: justify;">Present investigation was conducted on 3310 Assamese buffaloes during the period 2009-13 to study on-farm husbandry practices and phenotypic characteristics. Fifty two breeders were randomly selected from 18 villages of three districts in its breeding tract in Assam, India. A pre-structured questionnaire was used to interview the breeders to generate data which included husbandry practices: housing and sanitation, feeding, breeding and general health management and body measurement: body length, body height, heart girth, paunch girth. The data collected were analyzed by descriptive statistics (percentages). The study revealed that the body length, height, heart girth and paunch girth for young and adult animals, ranged from 70.45&plusmn;0.82 to 143.62&plusmn;1.10, 81.34&plusmn;0.60 to 136.31&plusmn;1.00, 88.85&plusmn;0.53 to 186.95&plusmn;0.95 and 96.04&plusmn;0.83 to 197.96&plusmn;0.99 cm respectively. The results showed that the breeders have adopted good husbandry practices under existing farming situations in the area except sanitation and drainage was very poor. Feeding management was mostly extensive type (100%) for 8 hours (100%) and the Colostrum and milk feeding to young calves was practiced by 100% of the farmers. Whereas breeding is concerned, 46.15% breeders maintained 40-60 animals with 1-2 breeding bulls (78.85%) for natural breeding (100%). Buffalo breeders adopted deworming (40.38%) in young as well as adult animals and the vaccination of animals were practiced only 38.46%. The treatment of diseased animals was performed mostly by Veterinary Field Assistants (38.62%) and the Quacks (51.92%). Most common category of diseases was FMD, BQ and Parasites (36.54%) in the area. The animals are good for draft purpose and known for higher fat contents in its milk, hence recommended for its conservation and further development.</div>

On-farm husbandry practices and phenotypic characteristics of indigenous Assamese buffaloes of India

Background: The study investigates the genetic variability, heritability and character association among seed characteristics in mungbean genotypes. Mungbean is an important pulse crop and understanding its genetic diversity is crucial for breeding programs aimed at improving seed traits such as size, weight and yield. This research employs statistical analyses to evaluate the extent of genetic variability and to explore the relationships between various seed characteristics.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: In this field-laboratory investigation, field experiments were conducted with 35 mungbean genotypes over four environments created by four different dates of sowing in Randomized Block design (RBD) with three replications at College of Agriculture, Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, Rajasthan during summer-2019, Kharif-2019 and Kharif-2020. 
 
Result: Highly significant differences were found among all genotypes for all seed traits studied. The high degree of genetic variability along with high heritability and high genetic advance as per cent of mean were observed for water absorption capacity, water absorption index and porosity which reveals that these characters were under the control of additive gene action and therefore, form the basis of selection for mungbean improvement programme. Among seed traits, water absorption index and 100-seed weight had positive correlation with seed yield and directly contributed towards seed yield.

Genetic and Phenotypic Insights into Seed Characteristics for Enhancing Yield Potential in Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: The development of local Bali cattle in ex-situ areas allow for the formation of new qualitative phenotypic characteristics. The aim of this study is to characterize Bali cattle that have been created in Jambi Province&rsquo;s ex-situ environment in several of rearing areas. 
 
Methods: A research sample of 478 Bali cattle from Muaro Jambi (MJB) district, Sarolangun (SLG) district, Tanjung Jabung Timur (TJT) District, Jambi City (KJB) and PTPN VI were surveyed. The qualitative phenotype characteristic observed were pattern of head color, dominant head color, inner-ear color, forehead color, side-lip color, horn shape, body-color pattern, dominant body color, back-line color, under-belly color, sock color, rump color and tail color. The frequency and percentage of each qualitative characteristic were calculated using the PROC FREQ function of SAS software version 9.0, resulting in a cross-tabulation of the qualitative characteristics observed in Bali cattle at various locations. Then, PROC CORESP performs multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) between the qualitative characteristics of the variables. The resulting plot depicts the graphical relationship between variables.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Research results based on sex showed that only white lower lip and black inner ear were characteristic of the head found to be common, while black backline, light-brown underbelly, white rump&nbsp;and black tail hair were common characteristics for the body. Head phenotype based on district showed that white lower lip and white-black inner ear could be found in male Bali cattle while white lower lip and abnormal horn characteristic could be found in females. Body characteristic analysis showed three-color pattern to be common in male Bali cattle while black backline, white feet&nbsp;and white rump were common characteristics found in females. These characteristics can therefore be seen as differentiating characteristics between sex and district of origin of Bali cattle.</div>

Diversity of Qualitative Characteristics and Their Use to Distinguish the Origin of the Bali Cattle Population

The study was conducted to determine the production characteristics and to find out the phenotypic relationships between udder and milk production traits in Hair goats. &nbsp;A total of 403 Hair Goats under extensive conditions of &Ccedil;ine town of Aydin province of Turkey were constituted the animal material of the study. The live weights of all goats were recorded just before breeding season. Milk was measured in every month according to the basis of morning or evening milking in a day to estimation of milk yields. Live weights of kids were recorded monthly intervals. Measurements for udder characteristics were determined for two times at 30th and at 180th of the lactation period. Average lactation length, lactation milk yield and daily milk yield of goats were 192.4 days, 139.1 kg and 0.7 kg, respectively. The live weights at birth, 30th, 60th, 90th and 120th days of goat kids were 3.1, 8.6, 13.9, 19.1 and 24.5 kg, respectively. Mean values of withers height, body length and live weight of goats were measured as 73.2 cm, 71.3 cm and 54.5 kg, respectively. Udder and teat characteristics of goats were found positively correlated with milk production characteristics both 30th and 180th days of the lactation period. It can be concluded that Hair goats in extensive conditions had a substantial level of milk yield and their kids had sufficient levels of live weight gains. Furthermore, the udder measurements at the beginning of the lactation could be used for identifying the differences among does.

Some production traits and phenotypic relationships between&nbsp;udder and production traits of Hair goats

<div>Background: Kachchhi-Sindhi horses are famous for their &lsquo;Rewal chal&rsquo; (a unique style of running). These horses dominantly exist in the western-northern border of India adjoining Pakistan. The breeding tract of these horses is Surat, Navsari, Kachchh district of Gujarat and Jaisalmer-Barmer districts of Rajasthan in India. Most familiar colors in the Kachchhi-Sindhi horses are bay and chestnut. Roman nose, ears curved at tips but not touching each other, short back, short pastern length, broader hoof for better grip and docile temperament are major characteristics of these horses. 
 
Methods: The present study is an effort to phenotypically characterize Kachchhi-Sindhi horse breed based on their different biometric indices for selection and conservation of stallions and mares for breeding purposes by private breeders. Fourteen biometric indices were recorded for phenotypic characterization of each breed viz., height at wither (HW), body length (BL), heart girth (HG), neck length (NL), face length (FL), face width (FW), pole, ear length (EL), ear width (EW), foreleg length (FLL), canon, pastern, hoof length (HoL) and hoof width (HoW). On average, these horses stand 148 cm height, have a body length of ~140 cm, a heart girth of ~165 cm, an ear length of ~15 cm and a face length of ~61 cm. 
 
Result: Horse keepers sustain horses in intensive as well as an extensive system of rearing. It has also been ascertained from various sources that horse number is declining rapidly, however, breed population statistics are not available. There is, therefore, an urgent need to conserve this breed. Proper managemental practices and conservation efforts will pave the way for the multiplication of this valuable equine genetic resource of India.</div>

<div>Phenotypic Characterization of Kachchhi-Sindhi Horses of India</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">The present investigation was carried out to determine the various physical and electrical characteristics of skim milk with respect to density, specific weight and electrical conductivity. These physical characteristics were determined considering three levels of temperatures 25, 30 and 350C at intervals of 0, 1, 2 and 3 h. The highest values for density and specific weight of skim milk were observed as1032.32 kg/m3 and 10.13 kN/m3at 250C respectively and with respect to time it was observed 1030.99 kg/m3 and 10.12 kN/m3 at 3 h respectively. The highest electrical conductivity of skim milk was 5.62mS/cm at 350C and with respect to time it was observed 5.54mS/cm at 3 h. There is not much appreciable effect of variation on physical and electrical characteristics with respect to time, whereas the temperature had shown significant effect(P&lt;0.05) on physical characteristics of skim milk. The data generated in the present investigation can be utilized as guidelines for designing of skim milk based processing systems like evaporated plant and skim milk spray drying plant etc.</div>

Study of physical and electrical characteristics of skim milk

Vachellia karroo is an important pasture legume which fixes nitrogen through its symbiotic relationship with rhizobia. Thirty two indigenous rhizobia were isolated from four different morphotypes of V. karroo obtained from four agro-ecologically diverse areas of South Africa. Phenotypic characterization of isolates revealed that they have the same colony morphology. Numeric analysis of the isolates&rsquo; phenotypic characteristics produced six clusters at 83% level of relative similarity. High variation of the isolates growth in different temperatures, salt concentration, pH, antibiotic resistance and heavy metal resistance was also noted. Carbon source utilization was generally the same for all isolates. Isolates that tolerated a wide range of test conditions are recommended as potentially highly competitive V. karroo inoculants for use in various climatic and soil conditions.

Phenotypic characterisation of rhizobia nodulating different&nbsp;morphotypes of Vachellia karroo

<div>Background: The fibre characteristics of fleece weight (FW), mean fibre diameter (MFD), coefficient of variation of mean fibre diameter (CVMFD) and common phenotypic correlations between them of Huacaya alpacas (Vicugna pacos) breed, were estimated on 959 one-year-old animals, under extensive rangeland management conditions.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Samples were taken between 2005 and 2018 (male and female), of two coat colors (white and brown), at the Toccra CEDAT-DESCO Alpaca Development Center (Arequipa, Per&uacute;). Model were developed an they included year, sex and coat color and their interactions with FW, MDF and CVMDF of alpaca&rsquo;s fibre under the experimental design was completely randomized with a factorial arrangement of 12&times;2&times;2.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Statistical significant effect was for year of birth &times; sex interaction when FW was analyzed while year of birth &times; color interaction explained MFD and CVMFD variation (p&lt;.001). Phenotypic correlation calculated by Pearson&rsquo;s coefficient showed that FW was positively correlated with MFD (0.24) while CVMFD was positively correlated with MFD (0.10). Results from this study indicated that the FW was influenced by both year of birth and sex, while MFD and CVMFD were influenced by both year of birth and color. Overall, it was concluded that a genetic progress can be achieved in the huacaya alpaca breed of CEDAT genetic improvement program.</div>

Fibre Characteristics of Huacaya Alpaca in Peru

<div style="text-align: justify;">In order to study the effect of moisture on biophysical characteristics of different chickpea cultivars, a factorial experiment was conducted with two factors in a completely randomized block design. Factors included chickpea cultivars (Bionij, Azad and Hashem) and humidity at 4 levels (15%, 20%, 25% and 30%). This study was done with 50 repetitions in Gonbad-e Kavous University in 2013. Measured characteristics were length, width, thickness, geometric diameter, sphericity coefficient, volume and the coefficient of static friction. Results showed that, there are significant differences between the chickpea cultivars at all moisture levels for all studied characteristics. Also significant difference was found between moisture levels in different cultivars among all characteristics (except sphericity coefficient). Mean comparison of traits showed that, the highest amount of geometric diameter, the highest volume and maximum sphericity coefficient in different cultivars related to moisture content of 30%, 20% and 20% respectively. With increasing moisture, all measured parameters increased except sphericity coefficient. In addition Hashem cultivar is strongly influenced by increasing moisture in terms of grain volume and the geometric diameter.</div>

Effect of moisture content on biophysical characteristics of chickpea cultivars

Background: Tupaia belangeri is increasingly recognized as an essential animal model in neuroscience, metabolic disorders and emerging infectious diseases due to its close phylogenetic relationship to primates and its small body size. Phenotypic traits are crucial for studying biological systems. Tree shrews are widely used in environmental adaptation research due to their genetic diversity and phenotypic polymorphism. The measurement of its physical indicators and skull provides a new perspective for exploring the adaptive characteristics of different tree shrew populations. Establishing population-specific morphometric reference values is therefore essential for standardizing veterinary dosing and ensuring translational reliability when tree shrews are used as models for metabolic, neurodegenerative, or emerging infectious diseases. 
 
Methods: To elucidate the phenotypic diversity of the Tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri) and its relationship with environmental factors, the present study measured the body shape and skull indicators of 134 individuals across 12 regions. 
 
Result: The results showed that there had significant phenotypic differences between different geographic populations, with inter population variation significantly greater than intra population variation, indicating that differentiation mainly occurs between populations. Especially Daxin population (T. b. tonquinia) and the Hainan population (T. b. modesta) had larger body mass and length, whereas the Kunming population (T. b. chinensis) was relatively smaller. Environmental factor analysis revealed significant correlations between latitude, altitude, annual average temperature, atmospheric pressure and precipitation with the morphological traits of tree shrews, with altitude had the most significant impact on phenotypic differences. The clustering and principal component analysis results also confirmed the geographical differentiation of the tree shrew in morphological studies. The research findings emphasized the role of environmental factors in shaping the phenotypic diversity of the tree shrew and provide important insights into the evolution and ecological adaptation of this species, which was of great significance for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. 
&nbsp;

On-farm husbandry practices and phenotypic characteristics of indigenous Assamese buffaloes of India

Genetic and Phenotypic Insights into Seed Characteristics for Enhancing Yield Potential in Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]

Diversity of Qualitative Characteristics and Their Use to Distinguish the Origin of the Bali Cattle Population

Some production traits and phenotypic relationships between udder and production traits of Hair goats

Phenotypic Characterization of Kachchhi-Sindhi Horses of India

Study of physical and electrical characteristics of skim milk

Phenotypic characterisation of rhizobia nodulating different morphotypes of Vachellia karroo

Fibre Characteristics of Huacaya Alpaca in Peru

Effect of moisture content on biophysical characteristics of chickpea cultivars

Phenotypic Diversity of Tree Shrews (Tupaia belangeri) with Implications for Biomedical Animal Research