PHENOTYPIC CHARACTERIZATION OF INDIGENOUS PATERI GOAT IN VARIOUS REGIONS OF SINDH

Current study was conducted to evaluate the phenotypic features and linear measurements of Pateri goat from different regions of Sindh. Seven hundred adult Pateri goats (630 female and 70 male) were randomly selected from seven habitats of Sindh and data for skin color pattern, skin color type, body shape, hair type, hair length, horn shape, horn orientation, facial profile, ear orientation, rump profile, wattles, hooves, tail, and udder profile were recorded by visual appraisal. Results revealed that among all the regions of Sindh majority of female and male Pateri goats possessed plain white body with dark brown color patches at head, neck and leg regions of body, compact body shape, smooth and straight long hairs, spiral upward horns, straight facial profile, pendulous drooping ears, sloppy rump, dark colored hooves and straight medium tail, while females having wattles and compact udder, exceptionally few cases of female and male Pateri goat showed distinct morphometric traits. The live body weight and linear body traits including chest girth, body length, withers height, height at rump, ear length, facial length, horn length, tail length, head width, hooves length of both sexes, udder and teats of female and scrotum circumference of male Pateri goat at Shaheed Benazirabad vicinity were noted comparatively (P≤0.05) higher, followed by Matiari, Tando Muhammad Khan, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar and Sanghar districts of Sindh. Similarly, significant (P≤0.05) variations were noted in the quantitative traits between both sexes (male and female) and among all the habitats of Pateri goat at Sindh.