IMPORTANT BREEDING PLAN

TO ENHANCE GENETIC GAIN IN

INDIA FOR BOVINE
 INTRODUCTION
India is having largest animal genetic resources
for cattle and buffalo
Breed Population (m)
Cattle – 40 212 (15%)
Buffalo- 9 90 (57%)
Largest milk producer of the world – 100MT
Per capita milk availability – 226 g/day(2003)
Per capita req. (ICMR) - 280 g/day
To fulfill this gap require genetic gain
breeding plan
Present breeding policy for cattle
Selective breeding is the process in which
certain individuals in a population are
given an opportunity to produce offspring
while others are denied this opportunity.
Selective breeding in well defined breeds
of milch and draught eg –
Hariana,Tharparkar, Sahiwal & Ongole
Introducing more milk in draught breeds.
 Grading up
The non descript cattle can be genetically
improved by grading up using elite bulls of well
known indigenous breeds like Sahiwal,
Tharparkar, Red- sindhi, Gir , Deoni , Hariana,
Kankrej etc.available in the breeding tract.
Milk yield can be improved to the extent of 5 to
10 per cent per annum.
In a period of 5-6 generation of continuous
grading up, the non descript stock will be
transformed into well defined purebreds.
Crossbreeding
Cross breeding with exotic cattle breeds like
Holstein, Brown Swiss and Jersey can be an
effective tool of rapid genetic improvement for
enhancing multifold productivity of non-descript
cattle.
The crossbred results indicated that HF and
Jersey breeds are best suited to climate of india.
The crossbred maintained between 50 to 62.5%
level of exotic inheritance were found better.
Milk production increases by 5 to 8 times to that
of non-descript cattle.
Limitation of cross breeding programme
Requires strong networking of infrastructure
facilities including AI
Distribution of quality germplasm of superior
genetic merit animals.
Bull mother farms and semen banks
Trained man power, animal health care .
Less tolerance to disease and adverse climatic
conditions
Present breeding policy for buffalo

4-5 generation cont. grading up

ND breed well defined breed
with Murrah and other well def. breeds.
Selective breeding in well defined breeds like
Murrah, Mehsana, Nili Ravi,Surti etc.
Crossbreeding has been undertaken and the
results were encouraging but not significant in
terms of production and reproduction traits.
 Points of concern
I. Systematic breeding policy.
II. Higher age at first calving.
III. Longer dry period.
IV. Scanty feeding and management.
V. Silent heat (in buffalo).
VI. Low milk yield.
VII. Low conception rate.
VIII. Anoestrus and repeat breeding
IX. Systematic breeding policy.
X. Policy for disposal of unproductive animals.
XI. Indifferent attitude of farmer to AI
XII. Castration of scrub and draught buffalo males.
XIII. Cytogenetic and molecular screening of breeding bulls
 Improved
Genetic Marker
Evaluation
Improvement assisted
Methodology to
Of dairy selection
Identify
animal
Better parent

Molecular
Genetic
approach
AI and IMPROVED
Freezing of REPRODUCTIVE
semen
TECHNOLOGIES CLONING
EMBRYO TRANSFER
F
SPERM SEXING EMBRYO SPLITTING

EMBRYO FREEZING
EMBRYO SEXING
MULTIPLE OVULATION
Action plan for proper implementing
the programme
 Identification of operational areas/ regions for the breed/
genetic group/ animal population to be improved upon.
 Infrastructure development in the operational areas including
establishment of AI centers, animal health centers, milk
procurement and extension centers fully equipped with trained
man power i.e. veterinary, para-veterinay staff so as to enlarge
network if breeding facilities for covering large number of
breed able bovine animals.
 Establishment and strengthening of breed nucleus herds/ bull
mother farms, young bull rearing centers, semen collection and
processing laboratories.
 Establishment of data bank to carry out activities on animal
identification and performance recording linked with progeny
testing programme for selection of large number of high
genetic merit bulls.
 Action plan for proper implementing the programme
 Networking of breed specific organized government/private
cattle and buffalo farms and large progressive farmers’
herds for testing of large number of breeding bulls and
linking with performance recording and progeny testing of
bulls under farmer herds in village conditions.
 For faster multiplication of superior germplasm, selected
organized breeding herds should adopt open nucleus
breeding system with or without MOET and other emerging
reproductive and genetic techniques.
 Formation of the milk producers’ cooperative unions/breed
societies/ NGOs for participation of farmers/ breeders in the
activities on breed development and improvement as their
own programme.
 Improved evaluation methodology for the selection of
better parent.
OPEN NUCLEUS BREEDING SYSTEM

Village herds

A.I.

N.S.

Bulls

Nucleus Herd
200 Cows recorded in detail
Bull selection on pedigree 100 selected cows