Surrogate cows to help Ongole breed thrive

Ongole: The efforts of scientists and researchers in the country to help the Ongole and other indigenous bovine breeds prosper again with enhanced productivity and reproduction capacity are succeeding. Veterinary scientists are preparing embryos with the help of genetic engineering to get highly-productive calves from surrogate cows.

The Union government introduced Rashtriya Gokul Mission in the country in 2014 with the objectives of enhancing productivity of bovines and increase milk production, propagate the use of highly productive bulls for breeding, enhance the use of artificial insemination, promote indigenous cattle and buffalo rearing and others. As part of this programme, the government encouraged dairy farmers to utilise the in-vitro fertilisation method for their cattle to increase milk production by 25 to 30 per cent in the next generation. The government also trained Multipurpose AI Technicians in Rural India (MAITRIs) to extend the artificial insemination network and conserve indigenous breeds and create awareness among farmers.

Based on the results of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, the government established 30 labs in the country, since 2021 to research and implement Embryo Transfer Technology on indigenous cattle breeds. The government-funded two labs in Andhra Pradesh, at Livestock Research Station in Lam Farm in Guntur and National Kamdhenu Breeding Centre in Chintaladeevi of Nellore district, which are working primarily on Ongole breed cattle, also as part of the programme.

Dr M Mutha Rao, principal scientist at Livestock Research Station in Lam Farm, Guntur, said that India is home to about 20 crore cattle and 10 crore buffalo population, which is about 30 per cent of the total bovine population in the world. But, the production of milk and reproduction capacity of the animals in the country is very low when compared with the breeds in Western countries, he said.

Mutharao said that they are using assisted reproduction technology, including IVF and AI to help the Ongole breed cows give birth to highly-productive calves. He explained that the Embryo Transfer Technology, which they are testing for more than a year, will help to recreate the white revolution in the country.

He explained that they are choosing only the cows that are producing more quantity of milk for the ovum, and artificially inseminating it under controlled conditions with the semen from the bull that has a high performance, and disease resistance history.

He said that this embryo will be placed into the receiver cow, which may be a low-performing animal when compared with the donor, to get higher performing calf after the delivery. He said that they started with the Gir breed as of now, and the cows they used ETT gave birth to 20 calves in the last year, at various places in the state. The success rate is around 20 per cent only, as they require to train more veterinary doctors and supporting staff on ETT and motivate them to work in the field to produce more performing cattle.

At the cattle breeding farm in Chadalawada of Prakasam district, which is under the Andhra Pradesh Livestock Development Agency, one Gir breed calf is born with embryo transfer technology recently. The farm deputy director, Dr B Ravi Kumar, said that with the success of producing Gir breed calves, they are closely working with the scientists at Lam Farm to produce Ongole breed calves soon. He said that once the success ratio increases, the farmers will automatically come forward to get their cattle to deliver high-performing calves than send away the low-performing animals to butcher houses.