**3.5 Carcass characteristics**

Significantly higher body weights are observed from month 1 to 9 under intensive system in male than in female pigs. The rate of body weight growth in different months revealed that the rate between first and second months was 37.10% and this rate has been increased from second (15.39%), third (17.79%) and fifth months (22.81%) and then decreased from fifth (13.42%), sixth (12.45%), seventh (2.87%), eighth (3.14%) to ninth months (2.34%) in male pigs. Similar trend is also observed in female pigs as in month 1 (37.39%), month 2 (15.96%), month 3 (18.28%), month 4 (21.18%), month 5 (16.56%), month 6 (9.93%), month 7 (4.09%), month 8 (3.21%) and month 9 (1.64%). In overview, the body weight of female pig is significantly lower than the male pig (47.87 vs. 52.12%) with an average of 42.66

Weight of total litter size, litter size at birth, and individual at birth, litter size at

One study was conducted to assess the reproductive parameters in Andaman local pigs. Results revealed that these reproductive parameters such as litter size at birth (3.87 0.16 vs. 3.17 0.12), average individual weight at birth (1.66 0.02 vs. 1.42 0.02 kg), litter weight at birth (6.41 0.27 vs. 4.48 0.17 kg), litter size at weaning (3.33 0.13 vs. 3.11 0.11), average individual weight at weaning (10.55 0.09 vs. 9.51 0.06 kg), litter weight at weaning (35.08 0.31 vs. 29.56 0.19 kg), pre-weaning mortality (8.87 0.12 vs. 4.35 0.08%) and post weaning mortality (3.42 0.11 vs. 2.12 0.03%) were significantly higher in male than in female animals. Similarly body weight (kg) at 1st Month (6.67 0.15 vs. 5.96 0.20), 2nd month (14.51 0.18 vs. 13.08 0.18), 3rd month (19.79 0.22

vs. 18.05 0.19), 4th month (28.36 0.24 vs. 26.13 0.29), 5th month (45.13 0.17 vs. 40.77 0.27), 6th month (59.13 0.30 vs. 56.96 0.27), 7th month (75.96 0.29 vs. 69.53 0.39), 8th month (80.45 0.14 vs. 75.47 0.22) and 9th month (85.67 0.23 vs. 78.00 0.37) was significantly higher in male than

Cross breeding with the use of Artificial insemination (AI) can be a tool to upgrade genetically inferior local pigs and avoid inbreeding that usually happens with less number of available breeding boars or small pig population. The purpose of semen preservation for AI is to maximise the use of superior germplasm with extended sperm viability but without much effect on the sperm fertility essential for successful breeding. With the aforesaid vision, semen collection was attempted in Andaman local pigs using gloved hand technique. This is for the first time to be

Preliminary study indicated that Andaman local pig has released total semen volume, gel free semen and gel in semen volume was 220, 30 and 190 ml, respectively, and pH of semen was found to be 7.5. Objective assessment of total and progressive sperm motility was done which were 80 and 75%, respectively. Sperm concentration was estimated with use of haemocytometer chamber and count is

/ml. Morphometric measurements of pig spermatozoa with software enabled microscope were performed. Average head length, head width, tail length

and full sperm length was observed to be 9.42, 5.24, 43.93 and 52.37 μm,

in female animals in Andaman local pigs [20].

reported in Andaman local pigs.

210x106

**218**

**3.4 Semen collection and artificial insemination**

weaning, weight of total litter size and individual at weaning and pre and post weaning mortality differs significantly between male and female pigs at the rate of 17.72, 9.94, 7.79, 3.41, 5.18, 34.19 and 23.46%, respectively. The male has significantly higher value than in female with respect to all these parameters except the pre and post weaning mortality which are significantly higher in female than in male. However, these values are within the normal range of pigs of indigenous

and 46.18 kg, respectively for female and male pigs [20].

*Landraces - Traditional Variety and Natural Breed*

population [20].

Carcass characters such as dressing percentage, meat: bone ratio and fat thickness are not significantly different between male and female pigs whereas other parameters such as percentage of lean, fat and bone differs significantly between them. Percentage of fat (10.10%) in female and lean meat percentage (4.80%) and bone percentage (7.20%) in male are significantly higher than those in the other sex. Carcass characteristics such as dressing percentage (76.54 0.31 vs. 75.52 0.41), meat: bone ratio (5.53 0.15 vs. 5.69 0.15), fat thickness (5.55 0.18 vs. 5.61 0.16 cm), lean meat percentage (58.79 0.36 vs. 53.4 0.41; p < 0.05), fat percentage (30.37 0.25 vs. 37.2 0.20; p < 0.05) and bone percentage (10.86 0.24 vs. 9.4 0.23; p < 0.05) differed between male and female Andaman local pigs [5].
