Factors affecting lactation length and effect of current lactation length on the subsequent production and reproduction in Iranian Holsteins

Abstract. Calving records of Holstein cows from January 1983 to December 2006 comprising 1,190 herds with 385,102 calving events were used to evaluate factors affecting the length of lactation and effect of current lactation length on the next productive and reproductive performances of Iranian Holsteins. Statistical analyses of productive and reproductive traits in this study were performed as linear mixed models. Lactation length (LL) of cows was grouped into 10 classes from <100 days through 500 days. Average LL was 314 days in Iranian Holsteins. Primiparous cows had the greatest LL and the mean of LL increased over the years from 1983 to 2006 and spring calvers had the longest LL (P<0.05). Cows within the LL class of 500 had the greatest unadjusted milk yield, adjusted milk yield, adjusted protein yield and adjusted fat yield and also had the longest calving intervals (P<0.05). Cows within the LL classes of 150–199 and 200–249 had the greatest values of adjusted protein percentage. Also, age at calving was the lowest for the LL class of 250–299 (P<0.05). There were linear and increasing trends for unadjusted milk yield, adjusted milk yield, adjusted protein yield and adjusted fat yield over the LL classes in this study, but a linear but decreasing trend was observed for adjusted protein percentage over LL classes. On the other hand, there were non-linear relationships between adjusted fat percentage, calving interval and age at calving with LL classes in the current study.