Morphometric Characterization, Phenotypic Correlations and Live Weight Prediction Models in Nagavali Sheep of North Coastal Andhra Pradesh

A study was conducted to characterise Nagavali sheep, a lesser-known genetic group of the north coastal region of Andhra Pradesh. Data on 451 animals (351 females and 100 males) of 3 months to full-mouth age were collected from the Livestock Research Station, Garividi and farmers’ flocks of Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam districts during November, 2017 to February, 2018. Morphological characters revealed white coat with tan, brown/black patches, horned rams, polled ewes, pendulous ears and convex nasal profile. Adult rams attained body weights of 43.92±1.53 kg at 2-tooth and 47.50±1.66 kg at full-mouth; corresponding ewe weights were 20.21±0.33 and 26.31±0.31 kg, respectively. Sex significantly (P<0.01) influenced height at withers, body length and chest girth in most age groups. Chest girth showed the highest phenotypic correlation with body weight (r = 0.83, P<0.01) and the highest single-trait coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.69) in stepwise regression models. These findings provide phenotypic baseline data for breed recognition and conservation of Nagavali sheep.