Genetic Evaluation of Sporting Traits in Native Cattle of Tamil Nadu: Exploring the Role of Candidate Genes Encoding the Sporting Performance

“Jallikattu” is a bull-baiting or bull taming sport and one of the oldest living ancient sports seen in the modern era of Tamil Nadu, which brings out the inherent qualities of the bulls, favouring their selection. A study was conducted in Madurai, Trichy, Dindigul and Pudukottai districts to evaluate the sporting traits in indigenous bulls of Tamil Nadu. Considering the facts of inherent sporting potentiality possessed by our native germplasm, their cultural association with the bravery of people and limited work on sporting performance traits in cattle, information pertaining to social and managemental attributes of bull rearers were collected and the morphometric measurements of sporting bulls recorded. In addition, association of serum testosterone and myostatin sequence variations with morphological traits, on-field sporting traits and behavior of sporting bulls was carried out in indigenous cattle breeds. This study opens up the new avenue for further exploring the role of other candidate genes, encoding the sporting performance.