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Assam Hill goat (AHG) is an important goat germplasm found in Assam and its adjoining areas of India. The study was designed with an objective to study the semen characteristics and freezability of AHG buck semen using Tris -Egg yolk-Citrate-Fructose diluent. The mean values of fresh semen characteristics in AHG bucks viz., ejaculate volume (ml), initial sperm motility (%), sperm concentration (x106/ml), live sperm (%), sperm abnormality (%), HOST-reacted sperm (%) and intact acrosome (%) recorded were 0.39 ± 0.01, 77.97 ± 0.73, 3201.00 ± 143.78, 83.02 ± 0.65, 7.66 ± 0.73, 66.95 ± 0.74 and 93.34 ± 0.51, respectively. Mean values for post-thaw semen characteristics i.e., sperm motility (%), live sperm (%), HOST-reacted sperm (%) and intact acrosome (%) were 55.39 ± 0.97, 71.01 ± 0.78, 54.77 ± 0.55 and 82.16 ± 0.43, respectively. It can be concluded that AHG bucks donate acceptable quality of semen which can be frozen successfully in Tris-Egg yolk-Citrate-Fructose diluents for using in Artificial Insemination.

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Livestock plays a momentous role in a country’s economy especially in a developing nation like India, where livelihoods of about 20.5 million people depend upon livestock and its allied sectors, suggesting that about two-third of the rural community is involved (Annual Report, 2018). The small ruminants like sheep and goat provide main source of income for many economically poor people, especially marginal and landless farmers. Similarly the role of these livestock to various pastoral communities cannot be ignored. So whenever there is a disease outbreak, the burden of huge economic loss falls on these poor livestock keepers. The traditional methods of disease management involve either treatment with antibiotics or vaccination for prevention of diseases. However, the indiscriminate use of these antibiotics has lead to antibiotic-resistant pathogens and likewise it is extremely difficult to develop vaccines against a wide range of pathogens that are frequently mutating and are caused by multi etiological factors. Hence, considering all these factors breeding of disease resistant animals becomes a top priority in this changing world. The literature is filled with references of indigenous animals and poultry being resistant to many diseases. Keeping this in view, the current review has been written to highlight sustainable and feasible methods for breeding them for disease resistance.