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Tropical animal health and production2025; 57(3); 129; doi: 10.1007/s11250-025-04386-8

Multivariate analysis of morphometric traits of Malkangiri pony – a heritage germplasm of Odisha.

Abstract: The present study aimed to identify significant morphometric traits in Malkangiri ponies of Odisha through principal component analysis. The data were collected randomly from 200 ponies aged more than five years and 13 morphometric traits alongwith three indices were recorded. The mean height at wither, height at croup, body length, chest girth, punch girth, height at forearm, height at hock, fetlock to coronet, chest width, neck circumference, poll to wither, wither to croup and croup to head of the tail were 126.7 ± 0.39, 122.6 ± 0.29, 107.9 ± 0.2, 122 ± 0.31, 118.6 ± 0.46, 32.15 ± 0.33, 29.12 ± 0.45, 11.61 ± 0.04, 24.43 ± 0.2, 60.4 ± 0.18, 57.4 ± 0.19, 67.54 ± 0.25 and 28.56 ± 0.13 cm, respectively. The mean values for three indices, i.e., body index, length index and body ratio, were 88.49, 85.29 and 1.03, respectively. Phenotypic correlations among most of the morphometric traits were positive and significant. The correlation coefficient ranges from 0.9 to a minimum of - 0.26. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation extracted three principal components, collectively explaining 70.41% of the total variance. The first principal component accounted for the largest proportion of variance (50.57%), characterized by high loadings on height at wither (0.963), body length (0.917), chest girth (0.930), height at forearm (0.930), height at hock (0.885) and height at croup (0.766). The second principal component explained 10.71% of the variance and displayed a high loading on the distance between the croup to head of tail (0.828). Moreover, the third principal component accounted for 9.134% of the variance, represented by the distance from poll to wither (0.787). High communalities for traits in the first principal component underscored their significance in characterizing Malkangiri ponies.
© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.
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Publication Date: 2025-03-18 PubMed ID: 40100467PubMed Central: 6680401DOI: 10.1007/s11250-025-04386-8Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Overview

  • This study analyzed physical measurement traits of Malkangiri ponies, a native horse breed from Odisha, India, to identify the key features that characterize them using principal component analysis (PCA).
  • The analysis revealed which body measurements contribute most to the variation among ponies, helping to define their unique morphometric profile.

Introduction and Objective

  • The study focused on the Malkangiri pony, an indigenous and heritage germplasm breed in Odisha.
  • The main goal was to use multivariate statistical techniques to determine which morphometric (body measurement) traits significantly explain variation within this pony population.
  • Understanding these traits can aid in breed characterization, conservation, and breeding strategies.

Data Collection

  • 200 Malkangiri ponies aged over five years were randomly selected for measurement.
  • Thirteen morphometric traits were recorded for each pony:
    • Height at wither
    • Height at croup
    • Body length
    • Chest girth
    • Punch girth
    • Height at forearm
    • Height at hock
    • Fetlock to coronet length
    • Chest width
    • Neck circumference
    • Poll to wither length
    • Wither to croup length
    • Croup to head of the tail length
  • Additionally, three indices were calculated:
    • Body index
    • Length index
    • Body ratio

Descriptive Statistics

  • The mean values of key body measurements (in cm) were reported with standard errors, for example:
    • Height at wither: 126.7 ± 0.39
    • Height at croup: 122.6 ± 0.29
    • Body length: 107.9 ± 0.2
    • Chest girth: 122 ± 0.31
    • Etc. for all 13 traits.
  • The mean values for the three indices were:
    • Body index: 88.49
    • Length index: 85.29
    • Body ratio: 1.03

Correlation Analysis

  • Pairwise phenotypic correlations among most morphometric traits were positive and statistically significant.
  • Correlation coefficients ranged from as high as 0.9 (strong positive correlation) down to -0.26 (weak negative correlation), indicating relationships of varying strengths between different body traits.
  • This suggests that many body measurements tend to increase or decrease together in these ponies.

Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

  • PCA is a statistical method used to reduce a large set of variables into fewer components that explain most of the variation in data.
  • Using varimax rotation, three principal components (PCs) were extracted that cumulatively explained 70.41% of the total variance in measurements:
    • PC1 (50.57% variance explained): Major loadings on height at wither (0.963), body length (0.917), chest girth (0.930), height at forearm (0.930), height at hock (0.885), and height at croup (0.766). This indicates that these six traits collectively represent the most important dimension of morphological variation.
    • PC2 (10.71% variance explained): Dominated by croup to head of the tail distance (0.828). This trait forms a distinct second dimension of variance separate from the main body size traits.
    • PC3 (9.13% variance explained): Dominated by poll to wither distance (0.787), representing another distinct morphological aspect.
  • High communalities of these traits in PC1 underline their importance in defining the core structural features of the Malkangiri pony.

Implications and Conclusion

  • The study highlighted specific morphometric traits that most effectively characterize the Malkangiri pony breed.
  • The body size-related traits grouped in the first principal component can be used as key identifiers in breed evaluation and conservation efforts.
  • Traits identified in the subsequent components may indicate particular structural or conformational nuances defining the breed’s uniqueness.
  • Overall, PCA proved a powerful tool in simplifying complex body measurement data into meaningful components to understand breed characteristics.

Cite This Article

APA
Dash SK, Panda S, Karna DK, Mishra C, Kalaignazhal G. (2025). Multivariate analysis of morphometric traits of Malkangiri pony – a heritage germplasm of Odisha. Trop Anim Health Prod, 57(3), 129. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-025-04386-8

Publication

Tropical animal health and production
ISSN: 1573-7438
NlmUniqueID: 1277355
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 57
Issue: 3
Pages: 129

Researcher Affiliations

Dash, Susanta Kumar
  • Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Panda, Snehasmita
  • Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. sneha23437@gmail.com.
Karna, Dillip Kumar
  • Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Mishra, Chinmoy
  • Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Kalaignazhal, G
  • Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

MeSH Terms

  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Animals
  • Male
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Female
  • Phenotype
  • Horses / anatomy & histology
  • Horses / genetics
  • India
  • Body Size

Conflict of Interest Statement

Declarations. Ethical statement: The manuscript dose not contain clinical studies. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: All authors of the manuscript gave consent for the publication. Conflict of interest: The authors certify that no conflicts of interest to exist with regards to this work.

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