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<p>The Small East African Zebu (SEAZ) is an indigenous Ugandan cattle breed valued for disease resistance but characterised by low milk production. To enhance productivity, Uganda introduced Tyrolean Grey cattle semen from Austria in 2009 to crossbreed with SEAZ, resulting in the Tyrolean Grey Zebu crosses (TGZ). This study aimed to morphologically characterise SEAZ and TGZ cattle to inform future breeding and conservation programmes. A sample of 214 SEAZ and TGZ was randomly selected from Aswa Ranch and Lusenke Stock Farm. The two genotypes exhibited distinct phenotypic differences, particularly in coat colour, coat hair, dewlap size, hump shape, horn characteristics, back profile, and tail length. SEAZ cattle predominantly expressed darker coat colours (brown, dark brown, and black), whereas TGZ cattle were mainly grey and light brown. Multivariate analyses revealed that most morphological traits varied significantly across genotype, location, sex, and age (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05), while rump shape showed no significant variation. Discriminant function analysis demonstrated a high classification accuracy between SEAZ and TGZ, confirming clear phenotypic differentiation between the two genotypes. These findings indicate that genetic background and environmental adaptation strongly influence cattle morphology and highlight the need for complementary production, reproductive, and genomic studies to support targeted breeding strategies in Uganda.</p>

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Morphological characterisation of small East African Zebu and Tyrolean Grey Zebu crosses under on-station conditions in Uganda

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月18日

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  • Mary Goretti Acila,
  • Samuel Okello,
  • Denis Rwabiita Mugizi,
  • Dorothy K Nampanzira,
  • Maria G. Nassuna Musoke,
  • Daniel Kizza,
  • Sarah Akello,
  • Donald Rugira Kugonza

摘要

The Small East African Zebu (SEAZ) is an indigenous Ugandan cattle breed valued for disease resistance but characterised by low milk production. To enhance productivity, Uganda introduced Tyrolean Grey cattle semen from Austria in 2009 to crossbreed with SEAZ, resulting in the Tyrolean Grey Zebu crosses (TGZ). This study aimed to morphologically characterise SEAZ and TGZ cattle to inform future breeding and conservation programmes. A sample of 214 SEAZ and TGZ was randomly selected from Aswa Ranch and Lusenke Stock Farm. The two genotypes exhibited distinct phenotypic differences, particularly in coat colour, coat hair, dewlap size, hump shape, horn characteristics, back profile, and tail length. SEAZ cattle predominantly expressed darker coat colours (brown, dark brown, and black), whereas TGZ cattle were mainly grey and light brown. Multivariate analyses revealed that most morphological traits varied significantly across genotype, location, sex, and age (p < 0.05), while rump shape showed no significant variation. Discriminant function analysis demonstrated a high classification accuracy between SEAZ and TGZ, confirming clear phenotypic differentiation between the two genotypes. These findings indicate that genetic background and environmental adaptation strongly influence cattle morphology and highlight the need for complementary production, reproductive, and genomic studies to support targeted breeding strategies in Uganda.