M.G. EL HAG

Rumais Livestock Research Station, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries,
P.O.Box 467, Muscat,, Sultanate of Oman.

Copper is needed for functioning of enzyme systems, as a compo­nent of various body pigments, red blood cells production and mainte­nance, and is involved in bone metabolism, central nervous system and heart function, Copper is interrelated with other minerals mainly Mo, S, Zn and other minerals in addition to protein.

With the exception of P, deficiency,of Cu is the most severe limita­tion to livestock in grazing areas of the tropics (Mc Dowel, et. al., 1983).

Ward (1977), categorized Cu deficiency into four groups where the feed contained high levels of Mo (more than 20 ppm); low Cu but sig­nificant amounts of Mo; deficient in Cu (less than 5 ppm); and normal Cu and low Mo, with high levels of soluble protein (rich in S) which eventually result in unavailable copper sulfide.

The major clinical signs of Cu deficiency include scours, pale mem­brane of the eyes and mouth, rough hair, slow growth and loss of body weight (but these are not necessarily visible in certain cases of Cu defi­ciency). Another symptom includes development of fragile bones, par­ticularly the long bones, resulting in the difficulty of walking and the bones break easily (Mc Dowel et. al., 1983). Genetic variations in the susceptibility of animals to Cu deficiency were also reported (Wiener and Field, 1970).

Cases of Cu deficiency were reported in the Sultanate of Oman par­ticularly among small ruminants. Ivan, et. al. (1987) reported cases of Cu – deficiency in goats in the Sultanate, however, it was rarely ob­served in cattle.

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