Mpwapwa cattle: an Indo-Euro-African synthesis.

Mpwapwa cattle are a synthetic dual-purpose breed developed in the Livestock Production Research Institute at Mpwapwa in Tanzania. The breed has received about 60% of its inheritance from improved dairy breeds originating in the Indian subcontinent (Red Sindhi and Sahiwal), about 30% from African zebu breeds (Boran and Tanzania Shorthorn zebu) and the remaining 10% from European breeds (mainly Ayrshire). The breed comprises only about 1,000 animals in two major herds and is threatened by extinction. The following production parameters have been reported for the herd at the Livestock Production Research Institute, Mpwapwa: age at first calving 45.4 months; calving interval 447 days; lactation milk yield (short lactations deleted) 1,447 to 1,628 kg; daily gain 259 g; carcass weight of steers (four years) 229 kg.