TIRUPATI: Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University (SVVU) is going to adopt - In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) method, to protect the ‘Punganur and Ongole breeds’ of cattle in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania and JK Trust.
The project will be implemented simultaneously at the Andhra Pradesh Centre for Advanced Research on Livestock (APCARL) at Pulivendula in Kadapa district for the Punganur breed and at Lam Farm in Guntur for the Ongole breed within a couple of months in the state.
The Punganur cow’s milk has a high fat content and is rich in medicinal properties. Similarly, the Ongole bulls are known for their toughness and disease resistant besides being a major source for beef.
The Ongole cows can produce upto 80 litre of milk per day. Both the cattle breeds are indeginous to Andhra Pradesh.
Speaking to Express, Manmohan Singh who is special chief secretary for animal husbandry and dairy development as well as SVVU in-charge vice-chancellor, said that less than 350 Punganur cows are found alive today and it is high time to preserve these breeds.
The Ongole cattle breed is fastly declining in Andhra Pradesh. “The situation is alarming and hence, we have decided to adopt the artificial reproduction methods to preserve these breeds. We have collected the sperms and kept them in frozen condition,” he said.
IVF is a process where the egg and sperm are fertilised artificially in the laboratory and then implant the fertilised eggs into the cow’s womb for its development into a calf.
Four scientists from the JK Trust and a faculty members team from SVVU are scheduled to visit University of Pennsylavania shortly to learn the IVF method.
“We are planning to implant the fertilised egg for every 15 days into a new cow, to facilitate fast breading,” said Manmohan singh. Besides producing both the breeds through artificial method, the university is also going to introduce a certification system authenticating the breed of the cattle for the benefit of the farmers.