The lifetime production of a dairy cow is an indication of its utility and is influenced by key fertility parameters such as calving intervals, length of each lactation and probability of surviving from one lactation period to the next (Hossein-Zadeh, 2011). Likewise, the economic return of buffalo milk depends on the milk production and reproductive efficiency of animals – the latter being particularly affected by calving interval
Breeding buffaloes for increased milk production and reproductive efficiency may not be straight forward.
Genetic antagonism has been reported between traits associated with reproductive efficiency and milk production in cattle
However, these findingsareby no means universal and some researchers have reported favorable associations between reproductive traits and milk yield in both dairy cattle and buffalo.