Further Evaluation of the performance of Shugor, Dubasi and Watish subtypes of Sudanese Desert sheep: Under Sedentary and Improved Production Systems

Abstract

The present study was conducted in the National Sheep Research Station in Elhuda, Sudan where the sheep flocks are kept for scientific research purposes. The aim of the study is to evaluate two systems of sheep productivity namely: the prevailing annual single lamb cropping (sheer-sedentary) and induced three lamb cropping per two years to which feed supplementation is provided (improved – sedentary). Three subtypes: Shugor, Dubasi and Watish in Sudan Desert sheep were used for a three –lamp crops, per two years, in addition to feed supplementation, to represent an improved-sedentary system, (B) against a sheer sedentary (A), that represents an annual single-lamp-crop system. The improved sedentary was associated with reductions in the overall average values of the traits: ewes losses (1.95 vs 3.09%), ewe barrenness (17.30 vs 28.67%) and lambing interval (257.97 vs 353.50 days ), whereas it enhanced lambing rate (82.73 vs72.67 %), litter size at weaning measured: as lambs weaned per ewes exposed for breeding (1.01 vs 0.67) and as lambs weaned per ewes that actually lambed (1.12 vs 0.93) improved adjusted lamb weaning weight per ewe at 60 days of lamb age (13.62 vs 10.58 kg) , increased lamb survival rate (93.91 vs 75.63%) and eventually promoted productivity index (18.36 vs 5.25kg) of lambs weaned per ewe per year. These overall average values were calculated out of the mean values of the measured traits shown in tables (1 and 2) of the text. Furthermore, the comparison between the three subtype sheep groups for their performance as affected by the improved sedentary against the sheer - sedentary revealed similar trends of response as above, that culminated in the Shugor subtype having the greatest productivity index mean value (20.82 kg) as subsequently compared with that of either the subtype Dubasi (17.56 kg) or the Watish subtype (16.70 kg). It is concluded that these results do encourage the adoption and projection on the improved-sedentary system, specially, under the surroundings of irrigated agriculture land use to provide extra income to the welfare of the farmer.