Selection for buffalo milk quality and yield

The importance of buffaloes as a dairy species has been progressively increasing over the last years.The adoption of a selection programme is essential for the future development of breeds as it allows the enhancement of specific characteristics in accordance with the employed breeding system. Buffalo milk production selection criteria require several parameters to be considered at once. It is only this way that productive levels can be enhanced leaving milk characteristics unchanged. Hence the type trait of the species is maintained while at the same time being oriented towards those traits which are more suitable for breeding purposes. Present knowledge in buffalo doesn't allow the implementation of complex selection programmes. Research is currently ongoing and at least three study factors worth of special mention can be identified at this stage: milk production, milk quality, type traits, milkability.