Comparison and Agreement Between Traditional and Smartphone-Camera-Based Morphometric Measurements in Holstein and Simmental Cattle

Abstract

Simple Summary Accurate determination of morphometric body measurements is essential for monitoring growth, evaluating production traits, and supporting selection decisions in cattle breeding. However, traditional measurement methods require direct contact with animals, which may increase labor requirements, negatively affect animal welfare, and pose safety risks for operators. This study aimed to evaluate the agreement between traditional measurement methods and an image-based measurement approach using a smartphone camera for determining key morphometric traits in cattle. Withers height, body length, rump height, and forechest width were measured using both conventional tools and a camera-based method. The findings suggest that image-based measurement methods can serve as a practical and contactless alternative in cattle production systems, offering advantages in terms of animal welfare and operator safety. plain-language-summary Abstract Accurate determination of morphometric body measurements is essential for monitoring growth, evaluating production traits, and supporting selection decisions in cattle breeding. However, traditional measurement methods require direct contact with animals, which may increase labor requirements, negatively affect animal welfare, and pose safety risks for operators. This study evaluated the relationship and agreement between traditional tape measurements and smartphone-camera-based morphometric measurements in cattle. A total of 100 cattle raised in the Mediterranean region of Türkiye, including 50 Holstein and 50 Simmental animals, were included in the study. Withers height, body length, rump height, and forechest width were measured using both conventional tools and a smartphone-camera-based method. Regression analyses demonstrated strong linear relationships between methods, particularly for body length and withers height (R= 0.564–0.961). Bland–Altman analysis revealed small but significant systematic differences between methods, with camera-based measurements generally producing slightly higher values than tape measurements. The strongest agreement was observed for body length measurements, whereas wider limits of agreement were detected for anatomically complex traits, such as rump height and forechest width. Although the findings support the potential applicability of smartphone-based morphometric measurements as a practical and contactless alternative under field conditions, measurements were obtained only from a single lateral view, which should be considered an important methodological limitation. Future studies using multi-view or three-dimensional imaging systems may further improve measurement accuracy and agreement.