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The purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic variation in exon 6 of the LHX4 gene in Ganjam and Black Bengal goats. DNA was extracted from the buccal swab samples. By using specific primers, the target partial sixth exon of the LHX4 gene was amplified (382 bp). PCR amplification and DNA sequencing analysis revealed two non- synonymous transitions namely c.44997A>G and c.45028 C>A which caused a change in amino acid from histidine to glutamic acid and valine to isoleucine, respectively. Genotype frequencies in the Ganjam population were 0.32 and 0.68 for GG and AA genotypes, whereas the same in the Black Bengal population were 0.10 and 0.90 for GG and AA genotypes, respectively. The heterozygote GA genotype was missing in both populations and significantly deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The Black Bengal goat had a significantly smaller body size than the Ganjam goat. Black Bengal goats had a significantly greater twinning percentage than the Ganjam breed. They also had a significantly lower age at sexual maturity (ASM), age at first kidding (AFK), and shorter kidding intervals (KI) than the Ganjam goats underscoring their superior reproductive potential. Except for chest girth, the effect of genotypes on body weight and morphometric traits was determined to be statistically non-significant. The effect of genotype was found to be non-significant on the reproductive traits.

Linear regression and polynomial regression of order two and three were utilized to predict the live weight of Ganjam goats across five age groups using chest girth as predictor and their accuracies were compared with the prediction of weight made by Shaeffer’s formula. Live body weight of Ganjam goat recorded by electronic weighing balance was used as standard for calculating the error of prediction. The body weights of 1014 Ganjam goats (329 males and 685 females) were estimated by each technique during 2015 to 2017. Compared with electronic weighing scale, the body weight estimates in Ganjam goat exceeded in all age groups for Shaeffer’s formula whereas predicted body weight estimates by linear regression and second order polynomial regression were close to the live body weights. The estimates of linear regression and second order polynomial regression were significantly different from the electronic weighing scale for all age groups. The study concluded that polynomial regression of order two had better predictive value for live body weight of Ganjam goat, followed by third order polynomial regression, linear regression and Shaeffer’s formula, in order