In our Country, which has poor dairy cow genetics and demand of milk is continuously increasing day by day, what should be the best way to improve breed within minimum time? Because in some countries like India where there is complete ban on animal import, is it enough to go through Artificial Insemination using imported frozen semen only?
Crossbreeding with exotic semen is only the best method to improve the milk yield in our native animals.But the exotic blood level should not be increased to more than 62.5%. crossbred animals require better management practices including disease protection against tropical diseases. With best wishes.
Best HF Cows in Punjab and many other places in India are giving more than 50 litre/day. Their male calves are generally sent to market for various reasons. Locally available semen of these calves will give us not better yielding but more adaptable cows to our conditions. But record keeping of AI done and controlled breeding policy (at grass root level, not only on papers) are a must. Otherwise we will reach nowhere in 2020.
Dear Gupta
One should have appropriate statistics of CB population & finding the reasons for non coverage & solving the areas where we can proper planning with development
As per available statistics CB coverage is not exceeding 30%
Some may argue that native breeds are equally in performing the milk yields but the conversion ratio is high & availability such semen also problem
Dear All Emirates,
Have we correctly assessed the correct milk potential of exiting/ cross bred animals in India. We are merely focussing on the genetic improvement but never tried to find the absolute achievement out of it. After the breed improvement we must try to extract maximum output from the cross bred animal but managing required levels of nutrients in transition period and followed by flushing of correct/ desired nutrients by means of flushing of energy in adaptation period for 90 days post parturition. Except organized / advanced farms hardly we practice this. Basic nutrition requirement plays a major role in productivity / immune potentiation / disease free environment. Otherwise merely breed improvement may help us in meeting 2020 requirements.
For fast breed improvement up gradation is the only tool in a poor economic conditions. If a sound economic base is there then MOET after sex determination and embryo splitting technology could be a best tool
devil in the milk-a book and many literatures have revealed detrimental effect of exotic cow milk and instead appreciated that of bos indicus. indian desi breeds with hump,dewlap and horns but domesticated in last century in brazil, us match any hf breed in milk yield. why cannot indian desi breeds perform similarly in india? problem lies with us and our west centric veterinary knowledge system and not with bos indicus. a1-a2 milk,omega-3,organic farming, ecological sustainability, easy maintenance etc are the factors suitable enough to promote desi breeds and discard exotic ones. though damage already done by hf breeds is Himalayan, still long term benefits must by bos indicus must be the guiding principle.
Registration and recording system should be developed for cows and a national plan must be developed including import highly genetic breed adapted for your environment with AI for native breed or embryo transfer providing sufficient facilities and training for both. A rigid system of hygiene and diseases control should be take in a count from national authority applied allover the country. new technology of raising and manage dairy herds have to be provided for small and large scales.
Best luck
Dr. Ahmed Khalil
Cross-breeding with exotic breeds should be totally banned and improvement of non-descript indigenous cattle only with Indian breeds by artificial insemination. Possibility of importing of quality germplasm (semen) of Gir (9000Lit) from Brazil and Sahiwal (5800litre) from Pakistan must be explored.
This is the right suggestion. Anyone advocating for exotic breeds or upgradation with exotic breeds must read 'devil in the milk'. A1 A2 milk controversy raging in dairy tycoons such as US, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, etc. It´s an eye opener for India. Unhealthy character of A1 milk from unhumped cow and extremely healthy milk of A2 milk from humped cow, and all panacea dung/urine from cattle of humped cow kind weigh heavily in favour of indigenous indian cow which yields miraculously high milk in Brazil- not inferior to that of any exotic breeds. need of organic farming and universal health in India necessarily require humped cow.
Basically dairy animals owners are farmers where they are doing small scale business for their livelihood so those having high returns in shorter period obviously preferred so the desi concept requires appropriate network establishment but so far FSBS's has limited genetic sources with optimum yields only which are tried by us on ND animals & found to be non economical to farmers with low yields.
breed upgradation relates to not only quality of milk but also quality of dung and urine as manure,pesticide, medicine, disinfectent. limited information available suggests quantum inferiority of dung/urine from hf and even exotically cross bred desi cattle as manure/pesticide/medicine/disinfectent in comparision to that of pure desi cattle. this moot point of immense agronomic and therapautic importance needs be ascertained. should not vet fraternity of india look into it?
in continuation to my earlier comments usage of sexed semen in the breed up gradation will play a vital role so the research institutes/FSBS's has do some work on these lines will help the farmers to have proven progeny
since it is a small operation one can visit & learn the storage technology from near by FSBS team & with regard to AI one can has from your state organized institutes
However IGNOU organizing a course called APDF ( Awareness program on dairy farming for rural farmers) so we can have both approaches for the purpose
NAMASTHE.
I AM AN ORGANIC FARMER. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW TO DEVELOP AND SELECT A BULL. I AM MAINTAING PURE GIR AND MALENAADU GIDDA(WESTEREN GHAT DWARF BREED) COWS.
VANDANE
ANANDA
In india cross breeding is not upto mark as indian poor farmers have lack of feed and forage.
cross breeding with desi breed like sahiwal,red sindhi and gir is better option as most of population is of undescript cattle and buffaloes.
Commercial dairy farming should be promoted as it will take a long time to develop milk yeild by Upgrading undescript breeds.
Lack of good price for milk in rural areas is also a hindrance .
Replication of the productivity traits in indigenous animals is the big problem
so its need perfect pedigree records where its availability is the problem
