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Variance, covariance components, heritability, breeding values (BV) and genetic trends in calving interval (CI) of the Limousin population in Hungary were evaluated. A total of 3,008 CI data of 779 cows from three herds in 1996–2016 were processed. For influencing effects GLM method, for population genetic parameters and BV estimation BLUP animal model, for trend analyses linear regression was applied. The average CI obtained was 378.8 ± 3.1 days. The variance distribution components of the phenotype were as follow: age of cow at calving 34.30%, season of calving 26.09%, year of calving 23.00%, sire 7.45%, herd 3.23%, sex of calf 0.33% and type of calving 0.30%. The heritability of CI proved to be low (h2d = 0.04 ± 0.02 and 0.03 ± 0.02; h2m = 0.01 ± 0.02). The repeatability was low (R = 0.03 ± 0.02). Based on the phenotypic trend calculation, the CI of cows decreased by an average of 0.60 days per year (R2 = 0.19; P < 0.05). In case of genetic trend calculation, the average BV of sires in CI increased 0.07 and 0.17 days per year (R2 = 0.23 and 0.27; P < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: Sustainable rangeland utilization considering traditions and economic reasons is compulsory for harmonising the needs of the agricultural and nature conservation sectors. For proper rangeland management it is crucial to compare the grazing effects of traditional breeds and crossbred animals of the same species that might have different effects on the rangelands. To fill this knowledge gap, in a grazing experiment, we investigated the effect of cattle breeds on the vegetation to test the effects on nature conservation value and agricultural production value. We hypothesized that the effects of cattle grazing on habitat conservation values and forage quality depend on the grazing breed, because breeds differ in selectivity, body size and trampling effect. Location: Marshes and alkaline wet grasslands in Hortobágy National Park, Hungary. Methods: We recorded the percentage cover of vascular plants in three consecutive years in a total of 60 plots in 12 areas grazed by traditional (0.61 AU/ha) and large‐sized crossbred beef cattle (0.68 AU/ha). Results: We found that the effect of cattle breed on the habitat conservation values and forage quality is dependent on the habitat type. The traditional breed maintained a significantly higher species number and Shannon diversity in marshes than the crossbred beef cattle. Grazing of crossbred cattle led to decreasing moisture indicator values in marsh habitats. Conclusions: Our findings revealed that traditional breeds should be prioritized in the management of wet alkaline grasslands and marshes. Crossbred beef cattle might be a substitute but only in case traditional breeds are not available for the management of alkaline wet grasslands. In marshes, however, we recommend prioritizing the traditional breeds as they maintain higher diversity compared to crossbred beef cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Charolais breed has spread throughout the world, and four main types and lots of variations are bred so that the maximum profit can be achieved in the given context. During the assessment of different types, exact knowledge of the configuration of the terrain, the annual rainfall and economic situation, etc., is important in order to identify the most adaptable and most suitable type to be imported. Within the Hungarian context, the author analyzed the birth weight, weaning weight, gaining ability and phenotype of the mainly French type (horned) and the mainly ranch type (polled) in yearling age. The study demonstrated that the polled have less birth weight (P<0.05), withstand more extensive surroundings at suckling age (P<0.05) (that is, genotype-environment interaction was proven), and -on the basis of the analysis of performance test groups- the study also verified their superiority in gaining ability in intensive fattening situations (P<0.05). At the same time, the animals belonging to the ranch type have narrower backs*, less muscled loins* and rump (roundness* and width*), thinner bones*, and also have narrower width at hips◻ and pelvic width◻. In addition, the chest depth* is also less (*P<0.01; ◻P<0.001). The study concludes that the ranch (polled) type that is suited to the local conditions may be competitive with the classic French types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]