Preface

Scientific literature on buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) has skyrocketed in the last two decades, ranging from production to reproduction issues. Buffaloes have played an instrumental role in so-called emerging countries of the Asian continent, especially thanks to their intrinsic ability to convert poor quality forages and crop residues of marginal areas, into high quality milk and meat. A special focus of interest has been addressed from researchers to the river subspecies, being the most productive across countries of the European as well as the Asian continents. In fact, in some countries, the river buffalo has shown over the years, an increasing trend in the number of available heads, whereas in others, swamp buffaloes have decreased dramatically. In order to maximize productive and reproductive performances, newly developed technologies have been implemented in buffalo farming and management, and in some instances with excellent results. This book, presenting the most recent advances in buffalo production and research, aims at magnifying the importance of this species in the world and at highlighting areas of research still in need to be more deeply explored.