Genetics & Breeding

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India has a genetic pool of different species of Cows and Buffaloes. A veritable treasure of different breeds. Embryo transfer (ET) technology is speeding up dairy productivity. India has achieved a remarkable break through as a pioneer in developing ET technology in buffaloes.


		A rich reservoir of livestock genes India possesses best breeds of milch buffaloes in the world. It's is a rich reservoir of genetic diversity in livestock. Most of the species of farm animals are readily available. Each species has an unusually large number of genetic variants. Most of the indigenous breeds of cattle excel in draught capacity. The native livestock breeds exhibit a distinct superiority in utilizing poor quality feed and are adapted to withstand heat and show better resistance to tropical diseases. The Government of India, realizing the importance of animal genetic resources, has established the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) at Karnal, Haryana, in 1984. The National Institute of Animal Genetics (NIAG) was also set up in Karnal to provide support to the Bureau. It undertakes research in genetic characterization which can quantify the unique attributes of each breed. ET: Giant leap forward in genetics and breeding The Embryo Transfer (ET) technology allows the multiplication of elite livestock breeds at a much faster rate than any other option available. In combination with other available alternatives, it will have a significant impact on the productivity of cattle and buffaloes. Although the ET technology is being introduced for genetic improvement of both cattle and buffaloes, its main thrust has been on the latter.

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) investigated the utility of the ET technology for buffalo improvement and initiated a pilot project in 1986. Its encouraging results led to the launching in 1987 of a multi-agency Science and Technology (S&T) Project on "ET in Cattle and Buffaloes", implemented by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology, jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

India has achieved a remarkable breakthrough as a pioneer in developing ET technology in buffaloes. The in-vitro maturation (IVM) and in-vitro fertilization (IVF) technique has been successfully used to produce pregnancies in buffaloes. The first IVN-IVF calf was born at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) at Karnal.

Resources: Cattle breeds

Herds of pure bred Indian cattle and buffaloes once roamed in their breeding tracts, but are now largely confined to institutional farms. This index attempts to link the availability of pure breeds and exotic cattle to the respective breeding farms where they are raised.

	For Indian Cattle breeds click here
	For Exotic Cattle breeds click here
	For Buffalo breeds click here

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A rich reservoir of livestock genes

ET: Giant leap forward in genetics and breeding

Resources: Cattle breeds