Puducherry to launch IVF to boost milk production, conserve indigenous breeds

Puducherry Animal Husbandry will be using in-vitro fertilised embryo to establish pregnancy in livestock. 

In a first in Puducherry, the Department of Animal Husbandry will be using in-vitro fertilised embryo to establish pregnancy in livestock. The move is aimed at conserving and propagating indigenous cow breeds and to help in enhancing milk production in the Union Territory. 

Hitherto, livestock in the Union Territory were bred using artificial insemination technology at the Veterinary dispensaries of the Department of Animal Husbandry. 

According to Dr. K. Coumarane, Joint Director of Animal Husbandry, “The project will be taken up under Government of India’s flagship programme, the Rashtriya Gokul Mission - Accelerated Breed Improvement Program (ABIP) and as many as 50 freshly collected six-day embryos of Jersey and indigenous breeds at Rahuri Semen Station, a service provider of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Hyderabad will be flown to Puducherry on July 1.” 

The surrogate cows in their natural cycle (heat)/synchronised have been selected for the embryo transfer technology, which will be inaugurated by Minister for Animal Husbandry C. Djeacoumar at Melsathamangalam on July 1.

The Department is planning to produce 500 head of breed cattle — Jersey cross (400), Gir (15), Sahiwal (15), and Murrah buffalo (70) breed using the IVF-ET technology in Puducherry and Karaikal regions in the first year. 

The benefits of IVF in cows include increased genetic improvement, reduced breeding time, and improved herd management. However, it requires specialised expertise, equipment, and facilities, making it a more expensive and complex reproductive technology compared to traditional breeding methods. The first batch of calves are expected to be born by April, 2025. 

According to Mr. Coumarane, “The embryos will be collected from the high yielding and genetically potential superovulation Dam, which was inseminated with high genetic potential Sire. These high genetic potential embryos will be flushed and collected in a medium suitable for its survival and transportation. As part of the technology, surrogate cows selected for the exercise will be subjected to 6th day oocytes implantation.”