INDIGENOUS BREEDS AND THEIR UTILITY

Division of Animal Biotechnology

Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai

Professor & Head

SKUAST-K

Livestock utility

Availability of animal products in 2001 and requirements in 2030 AD

Product Present Status (2001 AD)(Human population = 10 million)

Requirement in 2030 AD

(Population = 20 million, at a growth of

2.9% / annum)

Production (Per capita availability)

Requirement(Per capita requirement)

Deficiency

Loss to state Exchequer

Requirements in 2030

% Increase demand

Milk 13 lac T(360 ml) (280 ml)

26 lac T52 lac T

200%400%

Meat(Mutton, Chevon, poultry)

344 lac kg(11g/person/day)

1100 lac kg(34g/person/day)

750 lac kg

Rs 5250 million 2200 lac kg 600%

Egg 600 million(60 eggs/person/year

3600 million365 eggs/person/year

3000 million

Rs 6000 million

7200 million

1200%

Wool 67.1 lac kg

US Dairy Industry

Cattle population: 1950 21 million 2010 9 million

Increase in milk production: 45 % (70-100 MT

Per cow milk yield : increase by 400% 2500 lts /year in 1951 to 10,000 lts / year in 2010

Farming: Intensive, high input

Herd Strength: 150-200 cows per farm

Cattle + Buffalo population: 1950 200 million 2010 300 million

Increase in milk production: 500% (17 to 102 MT)

Per cow milk yield : increase by 100% 500 kg /year in 1951 to 1000 kg / year in 2010

Farming: Extensive, low input Herd Strength: 1-3 cows

per house hold

.

Indian Dairy Sector

Livestock Wealth (india)

Total Value of Output from livestock Rs 4,61,434 crore : ( 4614.34 billion) 2010-11

Equivalent to 28.4% of the value of output of Rs16,23,968 crore from total agricultural and allied sector.

Out put from milk alone (Rs 2, 62, 214.51 crore) higher than paddy + wheat + sugarcane during 2010-11

Milk production: 102.6 million tonnes highest in world Egg production: 63.0 billion

Wool Production: 45.1 million kgs

Meat Production: 4.8 million tonnes

Livestock Wealth – Indigenous Breeds

What is an indigenous breed

uniquely adapted to the conditions where they developed.

thrive in conditions where modern “high-performance” breeds quickly succumb to drought, hunger and disease.

vital for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and livestock keepers throughout the developing world.

They are also an undervalued resource for the outside world, since they represent a wide range of genetic diversity on which animal breeders can draw.

What is indigenous knowledge?

Definition:

“the body of knowledge acquired by a community in any given area

and relating to agriculture, livestock rearing, food preparation, education, institutional management, natural resource management, health care and other pertinent subjects.

It is regarded as a valuable resource for development activities that may be equal or even superior to the knowledge introduced by outsiders and should therefore be considered and applied in development projects wherever suitable” (Mathias, 1995).

Adaptability of indigenous breeds

Important characteristics of indigenous breeds

Ease of parturition Draught ability which includes stamina, strength,

food conservation ability Heat tolerance Drought resistance (Ability to survive on diets with

a very low nutritional value) Feeding and milking ability Disease resistance Easy to manage Adaptation to local conditions

Problems with the exotic breeds

High Performance(Exotic) Breeds V/S Local Breeds

N’Dama cattle

Native of West Africa Highly tolerant to

diseases like Trypanosomiasis Brucellosis Dermatophylosis G I nematodes Ticks Babasisosis

Vechoor (World’s smallest cattle)

Characteristics: Smallest breed of cow- 90 cm

height Low feed requirement Good adaptation High disease resistance

Recovered – was almost extinct Milk of Vechur cows : high medicinal value and was extensively used in the Ayurvedic

system of medicine. Lactoferrin, present in the milk of all mammals, is found to have antimicrobial, antiviral,

antitumor, immunodefence and anti-inflammatory properties.

Normally it has 3 arginine residues , while as the lF gene of vechur cow has 11 substitutions.

Nutritional therapies suggest Arginine' supplementation for wound healing and for cardiovascular diseases,

Garole Sheep of Bengal

Highly prolific Basic source of Fec B gene – for twining and

triplets in sheep resistant to haemonchosis

Double humped camel

Highly adapted to: high altitude, low oxygen tension, extreme cold and heat Meager vegetation

Special features: Tolerate high salt in

blood, very high levels of sugar.

A disease model for BP and diabetes

Pashmina goat

Produces fine wool fibre - Pashmina

Kadaknath

Aseel

Kashmir Faverolla

Naked Neck

Threats to indigenous animal genetic resources Lack of appreciation of the value of indigenous breeds and

their importance. More stress given to introduce exotic and cross breeds by A.I. Changes in agriculture mixed farming systems, introduction of

modern techniques and limited knowledge about traditional livestock husbandry practices.

Replacement of animal draught and transport by machinery. Decline in economic viability of traditional livestock production

systems and dual local breeds replaced by higher yielder. Natural disasters such as, drought or famine, floods can

result in loss of valuable local breed.

Biodiversity

What is biodiversity? Biodiversity (or biological diversity) is a collective term

meaning the totality and variety of life on Earth. Biodiversity includes genetic diversity within species, the variety among species, and the range of ecosystems within which life exists and interacts.

How many species? Estimates of the number of species on Earth vary

from 3 million to 100 million. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity says there are some 13 million species, of which 1.75 million have been described .

Biodeiversity Number of described species on Earth

Species Number 

Bacteria 4,000

Protoctists (algae, protozoa) 80,000

Animals – vertebrates 52,000

Animals – invertebrates 1,272,000

Fungi 72,000

Plants 270,000

Total described species 1,750,000

Possible total of all species (including unknown species)

14,000,000

So urc e : UNEP/G lo ba l Enviro nm e nt O utlo o k (Re f 3 )

What is a 'biodiversity hotspot'?

A biodiversity hotspot is an area of rich biodiversity that faces serious threats to its existence. The concept was developed by environmental scientist Norman Myers of Oxford University.

Hotspots are described on the basis of their plant diversity and the impacts upon them. In addition to harbouring at least 1,500 endemic plant species, hotspots must also have lost more than 70 per cent of their original natural vegetation.

1. Livelihood significance2. Sustainable use of marginal areas for

food production3. Conservation of diversity for future

breeding need4. Genetic traits with future economic

potential

Utility of Indigenous Breeds

Therefore : Conserve the indigenous gene pool for

Livelihood significance

Indigenous breeds may produce less meat & milk than improved breeds but they usually fulfill a wider range of functions for their owners, and are much easier to manage.

A crossbred or exotic breed may be a high producer, but their offsprings are poorly adapted to local conditions.

In India, many owners of crossbred cows cannot see a use for male calves, so let them die.

A local cow, on the other hand, may produce bullocks that are well-suited for work under harsh conditions, as well as enough milk to cover family needs.

The local cow needs fewer inputs and it is less susceptible to disease, drought or heat, making it lower-risk for its owners.

Sustainable use of marginal areas for food production Many marginal areas, such as deserts, scrubland and

mountainous zones, can be exploited only by locally adapted breeds or minority species. Example: Camels are the only livestock that can exist in areas with than 50

mm of rainfall. Only yaks can survive at really high altitudes.

Even if conditions are not quite as extreme, extensive animal husbandry with specifically adapted breeds is more ecologically sustainable than irrigated agriculture.

If these breeds die out, it will no longer be possible to use large areas to produce food.

Conservation of diversity for future breeding needs

Local breeds can be regarded as the building blocks for livestock development.

The genetic diversity they embody enables breeders to respond to changes in production, marketing and the natural environment.

United States recognized in the 1980s that it would depend on access to foreign genetic resources in order to prepare for the future.

Genetic traits with future economic potential With the advance of functional genomics, scientists

have begun to systematically screen indigenous livestock breeds for genetic traits that Confer disease resistance Provide special production characteristics Influence the processing of animal products.

“Breeding for disease resistance” is an emerging trend in disease control.

Indigenous breeds typically have not been subjected to strong selection for productivity, but exhibit disease-resistance traits.

That makes them of interest to the livestock industries and scientists

Impacts of Climate Change on livestock

Climate change will affect livestock production by altering the quantity and quality of feed available for animals. Climate change is expected to change the species composition (and hence biodiversity and genetic resources) of grasslands as well as affect the digestibility and nutritional quality of forage (Thornton et al. 2009).

Climate change will directly impact animals through heat stress, changes in water availability (with droughts affecting livestock in particular) and a greater range of livestock diseases and disease carriers (Thornton et al. 2009).

Livestock are likely to need more water as temperatures increase. Together with potential reductions in water availability, this could pose a serious constraint on livestock development in certain places. Droughts and extreme rainfall variability can trigger periods of severe feed scarcity, especially in dryland areas, with devastating effects on livestock populations. (CCAFS 2012).

There are important differences in how different livestock breeds respond to increased temperatures. However, reductions in the quantity and quality of feed (leading to less feed intake and higher mortality) could make the impacts of climate change on livestock systems severe in certain places.

High temperatures impact animals’ food intake and can also impair their reproductive success. Most livestock species thrive at “comfort zones” between 10 and 30 degrees Celsius. At temperatures higher than this, animals reduce their feed intake by 3 to 5 percent for each degree of temperature rise (CCAFS 2012).

Climate change could also affect the distribution of vector-borne livestock diseases. These changes occur as a result of shifts in the geographical ranges of ticks, mosquitos, flies and other vectors. Diseases affected by these changes include East Coast fever, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and trypanosomiasis (CCAFS 2012).

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change consensus is that elevated carbon dioxide levels, combined with increases in temperature, precipitation and nitrogen deposition, result in increased primary productivity in pastures, with changes in species distribution and litter composition (Easterling et al. 2007).

Relatively few studies look at climate change impacts in tropical regions compared to temperate regions. Knowledge of future impacts of climate change in the tropics is therefore less certain (Easterling et al. 2007).

Thank You!