Principal component analysis for body condition of Anatolian water buffaloes

This study evaluated eight body condition traits, which included backbone, ribs, short ribs, hip bone, rump, pin bone, tailhead, and thigh, in 614 Anatolian buffalo cows from 122 farms to investigate underlying structural dimensions using principal component analysis. Body condition was assessed on a scale from 1 to 9. Descriptive statistics showed that backbone had the highest mean score (6.12), whereas tailhead had the lowest (4.92), indicating that the vertebral region is a key determinant of body condition. Trait variability was moderate, with standard deviations ranging from 0.72 to 0.94, reflecting a generally consistent dataset. The factorability of the data was confirmed by the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure (0.892) and Bartlett's test of sphericity (3896.44, p <0.001). Principal component analysis revealed a two-factor structure that explained 79.67 % of the total variance. The first factor predominantly represented vertebral and posterior body regions, and the second factor reflected pelvic and lower-body regions. Varimax rotation clarified the factor loadings, with some variables, such as hip bone and rump, loading significantly on both factors, indicating their association with multiple anatomical regions. Phenotypic correlations among traits were positive and significant, highlighting coordinated growth patterns. These findings suggest that body condition traits in buffaloes can be effectively summarized by two main structural dimensions and may facilitate the interpretation of phenotypic variation among Anatolian water buffaloes. The identified principal components provide a useful basis for further research on the potential application of multivariate body condition assessment in these populations.