Animal genetic resources of India : cattle and buffalo /

Abstract

Lesser Known Strains 216-234 Evaluation of Breeds 235-290 Breed Improvement Programmes 291-317 Strategies for Conservation 318-333 References 334-350 Appendices 351-370 index 371-382 2 ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES OF INDIA-CATTLE AND BUFFALO rearing. Investment in this sector can bring substantial prosperity to rural areas. The Government of India is providing Rs 4,000 million for animal sector annually but 90% of the amount is used for the salary of the staff. Cattle and buffaloes are the most preponderant species among all livestock in India and they account for over 75% of the total output value of the livestock sector. In 1996 among all the farm produce, milk emerged as the single largest contributor to Indian agriculture, both in quantity and value terms. Cattle and buffaloes generated output valued at Rs 295 billion in milk, Rs 31 billion in work/draught, Rs 43 billion in dung and some Rs 40 billion in meat, hides and offal out.of a total output value of Rs 470 billion for all livestock produce in 1991 (Project Report, 1997). In 1992 the country had 204 million cattle and 83.5 million buffaloes registering a growth of nearly 32% over the 1951 population in the case of cattle and almost doubling in the case of buffa¬ loes. The annual growth between 1987 and 1992 was 0.48% in cattle and 1.91% in buffaloes. The radical changes within the cattle population over the last two decades indicate a shift in the priority of the farming community from production of work animals to milch animals. The proportion of females in the population increased steadily with 1972 as the turning point. Between 1972 and 1982 the number of working males in the cattle population declined sharply (by 12 million); among females the proportion of adult females increased (63% in native and 61% in crossbreds). There was a gradual but steady decline in the proportion of native cows and phenomenal growth in that of crossbred cows. Crossbreds increased from 8.80 million in 1982 to 11.59 million in 1987 (+31.70%) and to 15.22 million (+31.32%) in 1992. Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab were the states with large number of crossbreds, and together they accounted for nearly 65% in the country in 1992. Northern region has a considerable population of crossbreds (40%), followed by southern region (34%) and western region (15%). Eastern region has traditional rainfed agriculture and is mainly dependent on draught animals for draught power. It has the highest proportion of na¬ tive cows and lowest of crossbreds (11%). Increase in buffalo population, particularly after 1970, indicates the preference of farmers and dairy industry for buffalo milk. Buffalo milk fetches higher price than cow milk. The percentage of female buffaloes steadily improved from 72 in 1961 to over 80 in 1991. Among them 64% were adults. The Indian sub-continent occupies a pre-eminent position in so far as its animal genetic resources are concerned. It is endowed with a veritable gold mine of farm animals and poultry. Animal germplasm of economic utility inclu...

Genetic diversity and relationship of cattle populations of East India: distinguishing lesser known cattle populations and established breeds based on STR markers

“…Based on present study Siri cattle appeared to be distinct from all other neighboring breeds and populations of eastern region of India commensurating geographical distance of its habitat resulting in reproductive isolation by distance. As per literature Bhutan is said to be the real home of this breed (Nivsarkar et al 2000). It was distributed from that area to the various parts of Sikkim and Darjeeling region of West Bengal states.…”

Population structure and phylogeography of Toda buffalo in Nilgiris throw light on possible origin of aboriginal Toda tribe of South India

“…The population of Toda buffaloes is only approximately 2000 (Karthikeyan et al. , 2002a) and is presently classified under critically endangered category (Nivsarkar et al. 2000).…”

Genetic diversity and population genetic analysis of bovine MHC class II DRB3.2 locus in three Bos indicus cattle breeds of Southern India

“…India is a vast reservoir of cattle genetic resources, with about 30 recognized Bos indicus cattle breeds. These breeds have unique qualities like heat tolerance, ability to withstand environmental stress and resistance to many diseases in harsh tropical climates under low feed‐input conditions (Mason, 1996; Nivsarkar et al. , 2000).…”

“…South India has some of the most important Bos indicus cattle breeds, among which Hallikar, Malnad Gidda and Ongole breeds of cattle contribute majorly to draft and dual‐purpose Bos indicus cattle genetic resources. The Hallikar is a draft purpose Bos indicus cattle breed belonging to Mysore type of cattle and distributed in Mysore region and the surrounding districts of Karnataka state (Mason, 1996; Nivsarkar et al. , 2000).…”

“…, 2008). Ongole is a dual‐purpose Bos indicus cattle breed mainly found in Nellore, Krishna, Godavari and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh (Nivsarkar et al. , 2000).…”