Data from 1456 purebred and crossbred cows of five different crossbred groups involving the Holstein (H) and Gyr (G) breeds (H; ¾H ¼G; ½H ½G; ³/8H 5/8G e ¼H ¾G) were used to compare their milk production and reproductive traits in the Brazilian central plateau region. The performance traits studied were: average daily milk production (DMP); lactation length (LL); total production in 305 days (P305) and age at first calving (AFC), gestation length (GL) and calving interval (CI). Higher averages of DMP and P305 were observed for animals ¾H ¼G and ½H ½G and the smallest ones for crossbred animals with larger proportion of the Gyr breed (¼H ¾G). The lowest values of AFC and CI were observed for ¾H ¼G animals. These results indicate the importance of crossbreeding strategies to produce animals that are more adapted to the environmental conditions of the region. Holstein purebreds probably do not express their full genetic potential due to nutritional and/or heat stress.
Brazilian central plateau; crossbreeding; lactation
