Bambang Purwantara

On the origin of Indonesian cattle.

Background Two bovine species contribute to the Indonesian livestock, zebu (Bos indicus) and banteng (Bos javanicus), respectively. Although male hybrid offspring of these species is not fertile, Indonesian cattle breeds are supposed to be of mixed species origin. However, this has not been documented and is so far only supported by preliminary molecular analysis. Methods and Findings Analysis of mitochondrial, Y-chromosomal and microsatellite DNA showed a banteng introgression of 10–16% in Indonesian zebu breeds. East-Javanese Madura and Galekan cattle have higher levels of autosomal banteng introgression (20–30%) and combine a zebu paternal lineage with a predominant (Madura) or even complete (Galekan) maternal banteng origin. Two Madura bulls carried taurine Y-chromosomal haplotypes, presumably of French Limousin origin. In contrast, we did not find evidence for zebu introgression in five populations of the Bali cattle, a domestic form of the banteng. Conclusions Because of their unique species composition Indonesian cattle represent a valuable genetic resource, which potentially may also be exploited in other tropical regions.

Banteng and Bali cattle in Indonesia: status and forecasts.

Bali cattle still represents 27% of the total cattle population in Indonesia, and it is considered the pillar breed for small farmers. Moreover, it is a breed of evolutionary importance regarding its direct ancestry from Banteng. However, there is a need for the establishment of a rational system for the evaluation of breeding soundness for indigenous Bali bulls to be used as sires for artificial insemination breeding programmes. Moreover, there is a need for cryobanking of well-identified genetic resources pertaining their use in evolutionary research and application as essential germplasm in breeding programmes.

The origin of Indonesian cattle and conservation genetics of the Bali cattle breed.

Both Bos indicus (zebu) and Bos javanicus (banteng) contribute to the Indonesian indigenous livestock, which is supposedly of a mixed species origin, not by direct breeding but by secondary cross-breeding. Here, the analysis of mitochondrial, Y-chromosomal and microsatellite DNA showed banteng introgression of 10-16% in Indonesian zebu breeds with East-Javanese Madura and Galekan cattle having higher levels of autosomal banteng introgression (20-30%) and combine a zebu paternal lineage with a predominant (Madura) or even complete (Galekan) maternal banteng origin. Two Madura bulls carried taurine Y-chromosomal haplotypes, presumably of French Limousin origin. There was no evidence for zebu introgression in five populations of the Bali cattle, a domestic form of the banteng.

Gambaran Umum Kajian Profil Hormon Steroid Menggunakan Metode Non-Invasif dari Sampel Feses

Kajian terhadap profil hormon-hormon steroid merupakan kunci penting dalam upaya memahami aspek fisiologis satwa. Beberapa dekade terakhir telah dikembangkan metode alternatif untuk mengetahui profil hormon steroid, yaitu melalui pengukuran metabolit hormon steroid yang diekskresikan melalui ekskreta tubuh seperti feses. Metode tersebut dikenal sebagai metode non-invasif. Metode ini memungkinkan pengumpulan sampel secara terus menerus dalam jangka panjang dengan meminimalisasi gangguan terutama pada satwa liar. Kajian terhadap profil metabolit hormon steroid yang terukur dapat diaplikasikan antara lain untuk mengetahui status reproduksi, penentuan jenis kelamin, studi perilaku hingga monitoring tingkat stres satwa. Berbagai kajian dengan memanfaatkan metabolit hormon steroid telah berhasil diaplikasikan pada berbagai taksa vertebrata. Tulisan ini memberikan gambaran terkini mengenai aplikasi metode non-invasif untuk kajian profil metabolit hormon steroid dari sampel feses.

Microencapsulation of bull spermatozoa: its viability in alginate-egg yolk media.

Microencapsulation of spermatozoa is a process to entrap a number of spermatozoa in microcapsule. Alginate, as a natural polymer polysaccharide is commonly used in cell microencapsulation. Tris Yolk Citrate buffer is a good buffer for spermatozoa dilution, therefore this experiment aimed to determine optimal concentration of alginate and egg yolk to sperm quality in bull spermatozoa microencapsulation. Concentration of egg yolk and alginate in media of encapsulation were determined in applications of sperm microencapsulation. Four bulls were used as semen source and only semen with good quality were used in this study. Poolled semen was diluted using the medium to get final concentration 100 x 10 6 cell/ ml. The first study was conducted to determine the effect of concentration of alginate (0, 1, and 1.5%) on viability of spermatozoa. The second study to determine the effect of alginate concentration, egg yolk and its interaction was done by comparing two levels of alginate (1 and 1.5%) with four levels of egg yolk (5, 10, 15 and 20%). Viability of spermatozoa, motility (M), live spermatozoa (L) and Intact Apical Ridge (IAR) were observed at 0, 1, 2 and 3 h incubation at room temperature. Results indicated that alginate concentration increased the osmolality and viscosity but did not affect pH of the medium. The osmolality and viscosity of medium were 275, 325, 425 and 1.12, 26.62, 47.98 for concentration of alginate 0, 1 and 1.5% respectively. Percentage of motility is significantly lower (P<0.05) in alginate medium than those of control, and 1.5% alginate could produce more uniform beads. Concentration of alginate, egg yolk and its interaction did not significantly affect viability of sperm. It is concluded that the combination of 1.5% alginate with 5, 10, 15 or 20% egg yolk can be used as media for sperm encapsulation.

Characteristics of reproductive performance of Garut rams

Basic information on reproductive potency of Garut rams is necessary in order to identify the capacity of rams in producing chilled or frozen semen. Eight Garut rams (three to five years old) were used in this study. The male sexual behaviors were observed and semen was collected once a week using artificial vagina. Semen quality was evaluated and its potency to produce frozen semen was calculated. Results of this study indicated that first, second, and third ejaculations were at the 29, 87 and 176th seconds, respectively. Fresh semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, intact acrosomal cap, and intact plasma membrane were 0.99 ml, 3224 million/ml; 76.67; 86.13 and 87.73%, respectively. Protein value, fructose, vitamin C, vitamin E, sodiu, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphor, chloride, and mangan in seminal plasma of fresh semen were 4140, 180, 3.2, 24, 180, 117, 9, 6.12, 60, 104, and 5 mg/ml, respectively. Measurement of head length, width, and length of sperm tail were 6.59, 3.99, and 42.65 μm, respectively. Length and width measurement of right and left testes, and scrotal circumference were 12.71, 6.5, and 32.36 cm, respectively. Capacity of each Garut rams to produce frozen semen from three consecutive ejaculations are 35.88 mini straw with the cencentration of 200 million motile sperm per 0.25 ml. Key words: Reproductive characteristics, Garut rams