VELVET ANTLER PRODUCTIVITY OF ALTAI-SAYAN MARAL BREED IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF TUVA

The evaluation results of velvet antler productivity of Altai-Sayan maral breed brought to the Tuva Republic from the Altai breeding plant Abaiskiy are presented. Antler yield of marals of the Altai-Sayan breed was studied in connection with its acclimatization in the new habitat conditions. The studies were carried out in the maral breeding farm of the Republic of Tuva. Velvet antler productivity was determined during the cutting of stags’ antlers aged from 2 to 11 years old. Antler cutting on this farm is held for 6o days during a year. The first two cuttings of antlers were carried out in the last ten-day period of May in 2016 and 2018, which accounted for 0.54-0.87% of the total number of stags. The largest number of cuttings, namely 299, was done in 2016, which was 31.6% of the total number of stags. The average weight of antlers of the imported Altai-Sayan maral breed in the conditions of the Republic of Tuva in the first year of adaptation was as follows: at the age of 3 years old – 3.91 ± 0.13 kg; 4 years – 2.25 ± 0.11 kg; 5 years – 1.54 ± 0.08 kg; 6 years – 3.20 ± 0.17 kg; 7 years – 3.30 ± 0.12 kg; 8 years – 4.42 ± 0.23 kg; 9 years – 4.47± 0.11 kg; 10 years – 5.20 ± 0.28 kg; 11 years and older – 5.00 ± 0.21 kg. In the next three years, the weight of marals’ antlers gradually increased and by 2018, it was higher than that in 2015. Higher yield was observed from stags aged 7 to 10 years. The study showed that the average antler weight of the imported maral population was inferior to the indigenous Altai population of marals. The superiority of indigenous marals of Altai-Sayan breed compared to the population of marals imported from Altai at the age of 2 years old amounted to 1.1 kg (2 times); 4-5 years – from 0.9 to 1.3 kg (1.2 and 1.3 times); 6-7 years – from 3.1 to 1.8 kg (1.8 and 1.3 times); 8-9 years - from 2.7 to 1.6 kg (1.5 and 1.2 times); 10-11 years - from 2.5 to 3.4 kg (3.4 and 1.6 times). Despite the fact that marals brought to the Republic of Tuva were inferior to the indigenous Altai ones in their antler yield, their adaptation was successful. In most cases the differences in the weight of antlers were not significant and did not cause the decrease in the subsequent productivity of marals brought to Tuva. These data may serve as a criterion for evaluating the results of breeding work on increasing velvet antler productivity of imported marals.

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