CC BY
16УДК 575
DOI: 10.24411/9999-025A-2019-10011
PROSPECTS OF YAK BREEDING IN TUVA Choduraa M. Dorzhu
Tuvan State University, Kyzyl, Republic of Tuva, Russia, choduraa2003@mail.ru
The article summarizes information about the current state of yak breeding in Tuva. The genetic polymorphism of the Tuvan yaks, the production indices of the industry and the state of pastures are described. Recommendations are given for rational use of genetic potential and improvement of pasture conditions, as well as ways to increase the profitability of yak breeding.
Keywords: yak breeding, genetic polymorphism, production, economic efficiency, pastures, overgrazing, traditional nomadic way of yak breeding.
The Republic of Tuva is a territory with a mountain landscape and sharply continental climate, frosts to -50 ° C in winter, cool summers in the mountains and hot ones in the hollows (+ 50 ° C). Nevertheless, this region is considered favorable for the breeding of local breeds of sheep (Ovis aries), goats (Capra aega-grus hircus), cattle (Bos taurus), horses (Equus ferus caballus), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), two-humped camels (Camelus bactrianus) and alpine yaks (Poephagus grunniens).
Under severe natural and climatic conditions of the Republic of Tuva, yaks occupy an important place in the general population complex of domesticated animals, since they are well adapted to existence in high mountain areas, where their economic and biological properties exceed considerably other types of farm animals. The ecological and economic efficiency of yak breeding is explained by the simplicity of maintenance, the absence of the need to build permanent premises and to harvest large amounts of fodder [1]. In other words, with a minimum of labor and money spent on yaks, a variety of products are produced - meat, milk, wool and high-quality leather, which are valuable livestock products.
We do not know exactly when the domesticated yak penetrated into the Sayan-Altai region, there is not enough accurate data. It can be assumed that the Huns, whose settlement area included the territories adjacent to Tuva, had the domesticated yak, although there is no direct indication to that in written sources; the bones of this animal and the realistic images of yaks on products found in Hun burials can serve as indirect proofs [2].
The yak must have penetrated to Tuva from Mongolia in the 16th and 17th centuries, as evidenced, in particular, by its Tuvan name, which derives from the Mongolian sarlag; in the languages of other Turkic peoples it is called kotas, excluding the Altai and Sagay languages, where yak is also called Sarlik like in the Tuvan language, and Imerhan - in Manchurian [3].
Yaks in Tuva, before 1991, were bred ubiquitously [4]. At present, they are bred in farms only in 9 districts of Tuva (of 17). Practically all the yaks (87%) are concentrated in the western zone of the republic, which has large tracts of foothill and highland natural pastures, while half of all yaks (53%) are in Mongun-Taiga district, 14% - in Barun-Khemchik and 20% - in the Bai-Taiga district (Figure 1) [5].
Fig. 1. The map of the Republic of Tuva.
The herds of the Tuvan yaks are polymorphic. When studying the lear in three western populations, it was found that the frequencies of a black lear and a piebald lear totaled 79%, of a white lear - 13.4%, and the intermediate position between black, piebald and white color is found among animals with mousey, coffee and gray lear. Factors affecting the distribution of hair color among yaks, along with artificial selection, appear to be the geographical latitude and height of animals' placement along the tier [4].
There is a suggestion that animals of a black color are more resistant to cold [6]. In the Mongun-Taiga district, yaks of a black color are more common than in other two ones. Probably, this characteristic feature can be explained by the fact that in Mongun-Taiga district the winter is more severe and the pressure of natural selection went in favor of animals with a black color.
For a long time, the population has been consciously selected for polledness, so it begins to acquire a progressive character. In total, we observed 67.9% of hornless and 32.1% of horned yaks. It should be noted the increase in the frequency of horned animals among mousey, coffee and gray yaks. Animals of black and black-and-motley color, with a few exceptions, are hornless [4].
Sexual dimorphism among yaks, males and females, is mainly expressed in the distribution of light and dark sections of the cover (the maculation is less noticeable among males). In addition, most of the females have light-colored horns, while males' horns are darker. In general, no significant differences between males and females were found.
Unlike other types of farm animals in Tuva, yaks are kept year-round exclusively at the forage, the cost of yaks' maintaining is 3 times less than the cost of maintaining the cattle of cultivated breeds. The high economic efficiency of yak breeding determines the feasibility of maintaining this sector in the republic.
The main production indicators in the dynamics of the last five years determined that in the structure of commercial output of livestock production in Tuva, the production of yak breeding is 8.1%. The average live weight of bulls for service increased by 5 kg, the one-year-old heifers - by 1 kg, the milk yield from one yak cow increased by 4 kg, the sales volume of pedigree young stock increased by 57%, milk - by 4.7%, the average cost of realized young livestock increased by 50% [7]. Yak meat has a high demand among the population of the republic, as its cost is well below the cost of beef. To increase the profitability of the industry, one should not only sell meat products, but also collect wool (similar to pashm), its processing and sale. Its current selling price is 800 rubles at the market and the average weight of wool from one yak is 0.5 kg, the profit will be 467.6 rubles, profitability is of 2.8% [8].
However, despite the high economic efficiency, in the conditions of a market economy, yak breeding in Tuva turned out to be one of the most vulnerable livestock sectors. A number of authors believe that the decline in the number of yaks in the Republic of Tuva was the result of economic reforms, as well as environmental pollution in a number of areas of their breeding [9, 10].
The dynamics of the yak population study in Tuva from 1991 to 2009 shows that year after year there was a precipitous decline in the number of livestock. The number of yaks in this period declined by more than 6.5 times (Figure 2). Only by 2009 their number has stabilized. For today, the number of yaks increased by 1.5 times compared to 2009 and amounts to 11,482 heads [4, 5].
60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0
2 3 4 5 6 f- OO OS 0 2 5 f- OO OS 0 2 3 4 5 OO
OS OS OS OS OS OS OS OS OS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OS OS OS OS OS OS OS OS OS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Fig. 2. Dynamics of the number of yaks in the Republic of Tuva
Contrary to the prevailing view that yaks are bred only at high altitudes, where the maintenance of other farm animals is impossible, or difficult and economically disadvantageous [11], like in Mongolia; in Tuva, yaks are bred not only in the highlands, but also in the steppe flat areas. It should be noted that in Russia there is a positive experience of introducing Altaic and Buryat yaks into the plains of the Primorye Territory [12], and Tuvan yaks into the mountainous regions of Kabardino-Balkaria [13].
The areas of the main yak breeding are characterized by extensive alpine, steppe and forest-steppe pastures with a comparatively good herbage and a rich botanical composition [14]. The vastness of the high mountain pastures and the little snowy winter climate are favorable factors for yak breeding.
In Tuva, a similar assessment was made of data on climate change and its impact on natural pasture ecosystems, the analysis of pasture land changes and their productivity in recent decades, including taking into account climatic features. Specialists came to the conclusion that in the last 15-20 years in Tuva there has been a stable tendency to warming the climate with catastrophic phenomena in the form of abundant and long-term snowfalls, that last for several days or a week, which was not observed before. Nevertheless, according to scientists' estimates, today climate change does not have such a significant impact on agriculture, like overgrazing and irrational use of pasture resources, resulting in the loss of productivity and degradation of pastures. Today, the growing number of private livestock in Tuva is mainly concentrated around settlements in connection with the transition of the Tuvans in the Soviet era to a sedentary lifestyle. As a result of sedentary, pasture lands near the settlements were transformed into degraded plant communities - in places of yurts, sheep sheds, on the banks of rivers and lakes. Consequently, the wrong cattle breeding in Tuva will have more serious consequences for the inhabitants than the degradation of pastures under the influence of climate change [15].
Everywhere in Tuva, near settlements, there is already a change in the appearance of low-bunchgrass steppes under the influence of long-term (most often excessive) grazing: the height of the plant formation and the fodder value of vegetation cover decreases, there is desertification and occupation of pastures by un-grazed plants and weeds. Nevertheless, if we follow traditional nomadic cattle grazing rules, according to scientists, restoration of medium-degraded steppe ecosystems takes place in three to four years under any climatic conditions. Thus, in our opinion, in order to improve the condition of pastures, it is advisable to return to the system of seasonal migrations, which were traditionally adopted by the Tuvans.
In the future, serious attention should be paid to expanding the yak breeding zone and productivity increasing. This should be carried out through the development of new pastures not only in high mountain areas, but also in the steppe. By expanding the distribution area in Tes-Khem, Erzin, Ovur and other districts, as well as by improving veterinary activities on farms. Until now, yak cows are milked and milk products are produced only in Mongun-Taiga district. A good precondition for increasing the number of yaks is a sufficient area of pastures and a corresponding proportion of females in the herd (58.3%), therefore it is recommended to increase the number of herds with milk yak cows in other districts of Tuva.
To identify the reserves of rational use of the genetic potential of yaks, the genetic variability of some populations was studied. The results of the research showed that the share of interpopulation diversity is high, therefore, this indicator, like knowledge about the structure of the gene pool, genetic relationships between populations, should be taken into account in yak conservation programs and the development of yak breeding as an independent livestock sector in the Sayan-Altai region. Differences in the yak gene pool indicate that an exchange between the gene pools of the Altaic, Tuvan and Mongolian yak populations is required to increase genetic diversity and produce offspring with the effect of heterosis, and thus increase the viability and productivity of yaks [15].
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