Embryo transfer technology being used in cattle development

Pune, July 16 (UNI) India is on the threshold of yet another agrarian revolution, this time the ''white revolution'', with the successful trials of embryo transfer technology in developing excellent and genetically superior bulls resulting in higher milk production, at BAIF Bhavan here.

Under the Research Project ''Genetic Improvement of Rural Dairy Livestock for Sustainable Livelihood'' funded by Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council(TIFAC), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, an Embryo Transfer Technology Laboratory was set up in 2002 with a Reproduction Biotechnology Laboratory and a Molecular Genetics Laboratory that is engaged in hormone estimation, parentage testing and Embryo sexing activity. The laboratory has a DNA repository of over 2000 exotic and indigenous samples.

The embryo transfer laboratory is equipped with facilities for collection, freezing and transfer of embryos, in-vitro fertilisation and micro manipulation and 400 embryos were recovered and a part of it was frozen. So far 74 elite calves have been produced and are being groomed as future bulls. Five bulls and seven cows are already in production. Each bull born from such a superior donor can yield upto 15,000 cows each giving more than 30 litres a day.

At a two-day workshop, Dr Narayan G Hegde, President, BAIF highlighted the strategy of BAIF in perceiving the sophisticated and expensive embryo transfer technology from a different angle which was to use this hi-tech technology to produce excellent and genetically superior bulls and not cows for ensuring benefit to the small and marginal farmers all over the country.

Conservation of native breeds was another important objective of this unique project which would help farmers to produce good quality animals. This special project, which would help farmers to produce good quality animals, costing Rs two crore was formally concluded on July 13 this year and has achieved the goal set by TIFAC and BAIF of producing 10 better quality bulls of exotic breeds. The milk produced using BAIF's unique service is worth Rs 1,600 crores. Sexing of embryos has been another achievement of this project.

Dr A B Pande, Vice President, BAIF while presenting the highlights of the project, stated that the project impact covered field demonstrations of the achievements through 1,500 cattle development centres of BAIF spread over 10 locations in the country benefiting 20 lakh farmers in 30,000 villages, genetic dissemination of superior germplasm and sexing of 44 embryos of which, 27 are females and 17 are males have been transferred.

Under this technology, training has been imparted to 18 participants from livestock development institutes from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. Technology dissemination has also been conducted through a documentary film, radio talks and slide shows. The future plans include integration of bulls and bull dams (daughters) produced, technological, molecular and milk production.

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