Determination of Direct and Indirect Effects on Milk Yield of Anatolian Buffaloes Using Path Analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the direct and indirect effects of the independent variables presented by the lactation length (LL), age of calving (CAGE), and daily milk yield (DMY) on the dependent variable of lactation milk yield (LMY) in Anatolian buffaloes. In this study, 3761 LMY records of the 834 Anatolian buffaloes calving between 2012 and 2017 in Tokat province and around were used as the research material. In the study, the simple cor- relation coefficients between the dependent variable of LMY and independent variables were determined to be positive and significant (P<0.001). The research specified the direct determination coefficients of the independent variables of the LL, CAGE, and DMY on the dependent variable of LMY as 0.378, 0.004, and 0.350, respectively. The path coef- ficients related to LL, CAGE, and DMY were 0.615, 0.021, and 0.592. Since the DMY and LL examined in the study directly impacted the lactation milk yield, using these data as criteria in breeding programs conducted in the herds may increase the selection success.