Strategies for attaining early puberty in cattle and buffalo: A review

Abstract

Puberty is a period at which sexually organs are functionally developed and animals become able to release the gametes. A cow maturing at early age will also calve at early age and produces more milk in her life time. Delayed sexual maturity has a profound effect on the economics of dairy farm. The objective of this review is to study factors affecting age at puberty. Many factors like species, genetic potentiality or breed, plane of nutrition, growth, body weight, role of different hormones, health and other managemental conditions are responsible for the growth, puberty and sexual maturity in animals. Age at puberty can be improve by different practices but the environment improvement and new nutritional practices are more effective. New modern hormonal technologies, proper management, housing, feeding system of the dairy animals can also reduce the age of puberty and sexual maturity.