MORPHOMETRY OF FETAL PLACENTA AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH CALF AND DAM IN ONGOLE (BOS INDICUS) COWS

Placenta plays a vital role in the exchange of nutrients between the dam and fetus, ensures fetal growth and survival. Its structural and functional characteristics significantly affect the health and productivity of both calf and dam. The present study was conducted to assess the morphological characteristics of normally expelled foetal placenta and it’s association with various calf and dam parameters in the native Ongole (Bos indicus) cows. The objectives of the present study aimed to assess the morphological characteristics of foetal placenta expelled normally in Ongole cows and examine their association with various calf and dam parameters. It also evaluated the influence of factors such as calf sex, dam weight, parity and season on placental traits and expulsion duration. The study was conducted at the Livestock Research Station, Lam, Guntur, A.P, and a total of 123 placentas from normally calved animals were used. The mean values for duration of placenta expulsion, weight of placenta, number of cotyledons, overall cotyledon diameter, placental efficiency and placenta density were recorded to be 203 ± 6.5 minutes, 3.18 ± 0.06, 77.03 ± 1.32, 6.16 ± 0.06 cm, 8.38 ± 0.17 and 0.03 ± 0.004 respectively.  73.98% of placenta expelled ≥ 4hrs. The placenta weight was found to be 0.84% of dam’s weight and 12.51% of calf birth weight. The number of cotyledons differed significantly (P<0.05) between male (71.37 ± 1.44) and female (82.42 ± 1.96) births. Gravid horn constituted 68% of total number of cotyledons. The largest and smallest cotyledon size observed during the study was 11.15 ± 0.16 cm and 1.66 ± 0.07 cm, respectively. The results indicate that, while the duration of placental expulsion was affected by calf sex, the placenta weight and placental efficiency were found to be related to calf birth weight. Further, the dam weight had a significant positive correlation (P<0.05) with placenta weight (r=0.187) and cotyledon diameter (r=0.225). Parity of the dam did  not show any effect on placental characteristics. The duration of placenta expulsion (minutes) was the shortest in summer calvings (188.46 ± 24.95) follwed by winter calvings (191.67 ± 7.78) and the longest in rainy season calvings (225.83 ± 11.39).