national dairy research institute, karnal ndri news of 522 murrah buffaloes scattered over a period...

www.ndri.res.in A QUARTERLY NEWS LETTER OF DAIRY SC IENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NatioNal Dairy research iNstitute, KarNal

Livestock sector is an integral part of Indian Agriculture and plays an important role in the national economy and in the socio-economic development of the country. As per the latest estimates, the value of output from livestock sector at current prices was about ̀ 3,88,370 crore during 2010-11 which is about 23.9% of the value of output of ` 16,23,968 crore from total agricultural and allied sector. National Agricultural Policy emphasizes livestock as an important driver for achieving the targeted growth in the agricultural sector. One of the major obstacles in achieving the targeted growth in livestock sector is the prevalence and outbreaks of diseases, particularly List A OIE diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease.

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects cloven-footed animals. It is one of the most dreadful diseases of the livestock, which is resulting in enormous losses to the dairy and livestock sector in the country. FMD virus serotypes and strains vary within each geographic region. Among the seven serotypes O, A, C, SAT 1, SAT 2, SAT 3 and Asia 1, serotype O is the most common serotype worldwide and in India, only four serotypes (O, A, C and Asia 1) have been so far recorded. Serotype C has not been recorded in the country since 1996. About 80% of the outbreaks of FMD in India are caused by serotype O, remaining by A (8%) and Asia 1 (12%) serotype. The economic loss is due to decreased milk yield, permanent hoof damage, abortion in advance stage of pregnancy, chronic mastitis, reduced working ability of the animals, reduction of quality and quantity of meat, reduction in fertility, loss of quality of semen in breeding bull, and loss of trade.

The direct economic loss due to FMD in India is estimated at Rs. 20,000 crore in a year. Small, marginal and poor farmers of the unorganized dairy sector are the most affected farmers economically due to this disease. It also affects the export potential of the livestock industry as milk and milk

products, meats and hides are not accepted by the disease-free importing countries. If FMD is controlled, the milk production can be increased by at least 5% annually and the export of meat could be enhanced by 3-5 times of the present level. FMD has been ranked as the highest priority disease for control and eradication by India and FMD control programs have been initiated in several states of the country. During 11th five year plan, the Government of India had allotted 260 million USD to fight FMD but has increased that to almost 900 million USD in the 12th five year plan. However, still the disease is endemic in India. Recent studies indicate the emergence and re-emergence of different genotypes/lineages within the serotypes, which is a concern. Some of the affected animals carry FMD virus for prolonged periods after recovering from acute disease and unrestricted movements of such animals across the state in the country play a major role in the spread of FMD.

One of the major reasons that slow down the pace of FMD control is lack of awareness on the part of the animal husbandry personnel, especially those engaged in the livestock health and management at the field and farm levels. Limited availability of vaccine cold chain facility also poses difficulties in controlling the disease. The knowledge on landscape genetics of the particular area is also essential to decide the vaccine to be

From the Director’s Pen 1

Research 2

Extension 4

- Dairy Extension Division 4

- Southern Campus, Bangalore 5

- Eastern Campus, Kalyani 5

Events 6

- Main Station, Karnal 6

- Southern Campus, Bangalore 12

- Eastern Campus, Kalyani 13

Awards/Honours 13

- Personalia 14

Feature Article 15

- Forthcoming Events 16

‘Mahima’, a female calf was born at NDRI on January 25, 2013 to cloned buffalo ‘Garima-II’. This is the first calf in the world to be

born to a cloned buffalo.

**Stop Press: Breaking News**

www.ndri.res.in A QUARTERLY NEWS LETTER OF DAIRY SC IENCE & TECHNOLOGY


In this issue...

Volume 17 No. 3

October – December, 2012 NDRI NewsFrom the

Director’s Pen


2 www.ndri.res.inA QUARTERLY NEWS LETTER OF DAIRY SC IENCE & TECHNOLOGY

used. FMD control programme is urgently needed to ward off huge economic losses to livestock industry. A long-term road map for FMD control needs to be in place for zoning following progressive control pathway with strong extension disease reporting mechanism. Controlling FMD will certainly help in improving the livelihood of small, marginal and resource poor farmers

besides lifting the trade barrier with countries that are free from the disease. It is to mention that all developed countries are free from FMD, whereas developing nations are still fighting to control it. Therefore, freedom from FMD is an indicator of developed status of a Nation.

RESEARCH

(A. K. Srivastava)

Sweetened Functional Chocolate CheeseDivision of Dairy Technology

Sweetened functional soft cheese from buffalo milk was developed by incorporating fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS), inulin and cocoa to enhance health attributes. The proximate composition of the product was 49.89% total solids, 12% fat, 14.29% protein, 1.83% lactose, < 250ppm sucralose and 20.66% dietary fiber. The shelf life of the product was over 4 weeks under refrigeration without any preservatives. This product could have great potential in the fastest growing functional food market.

Health Benefits

• Polyphenolic substances from cocoa powder contribute to reduction in LDL cholesterol, elevation in HDL cholesterol, the suppression of oxidized LDL and even in cancer prevention.

• Inulin is known as soluble dietary fiber, which acts as prebiotic.

• FOS is a very good prebiotic, which helps to improve immunity and is a healthy sweetener for diabetics.

In-line Production of BasundiDivision of Dairy Engineering

Basundi is a popular heat desiccated Indian dairy product. Traditional method is a batch and labour intensive process. Therefore, for mechanization, scraped surface heat exchanger (SSHE) was integrated with conical process vat (CPV) for inline production of basundi. Buffalo milk was standardized to 5% fat and 9% SNF. For in-line production of basundi, milk was preheated to 90oC for 10 min in SSHE and was concentrated upto 20% TS. Concentrated milk was transferred to CPV and sugar was added. Heating was continued till concentration of 2.5 times of initial milk solids (including sugar) was achieved Variable parameters were SSHE speed (50 to 200 rpm), SSHE steam pressure (2-4 kg/cm2) and CPV steam pressure (0.5 to 3 kg/cm2). Optimized parameters were SSHE speed 165 rpm, SSHE steam pressure 4 kg/cm2 and CPV steam pressure 3 kg/cm2. Viscosity of the best sample was 67.58 mPas. And Hunter L*a*b color values were 96.04, -11.99 and 26.45, respectively.

Predicted sensory score viz. Flavour (45), body and texture (35), colour and appearance (15) and packaging (5) were 42.97, 33.6, 13.24 and 4.87, respectively. The predicted score and observed score were comparable (p<0.05).

Whey Based Media for Lactobacillus spp.Division of Dairy Microbiology

The invention linked to formulation of cost effective novel food grade media (which are free of ingredients of direct animal proteins) for Lactobacillus spp. A key feature of this is the use of whey (a potential dairy processing by-product) where lactose is the primary carbohydrate source, as opposed to the more typical use of glucose in commercial culture media of Lactobacillus spp. Whey has been used to formulate media for culturing, biomass production and enumeration of Lactobacillus spp. after supplementation with required amounts of minerals, simple nitrogen and vitamin sources. The medium has also been incorporated with buffering agent(s) to maintain pH to 6.4 for optimum growth of lactobacilli. Whey has also been suitably diluted for using efficiently. Whey based media formulated by adding the calculated amounts of the dry blends of supplements into the whey resulted in growth of lactobacilli similar to freshly formulated whey based media and MRS medium.

• Three types of cost effective whey based media have been formulated for culturing and biomass production of Lactobacillus spp.

In-line system for production of Indian dairy products


3www.ndri.res.in A QUARTERLY NEWS LETTER OF DAIRY SC IENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Growth performance of the Lactobacillus spp. in formulated whey based media is equivalent or sometimes better than in the commercial media e.g. MRS media.

• Media are food grade and hence, can be used for production of Lactobacillus spp. biomass for food and pharmaceutical applications.

• Whey based agar medium can be used for enumeration of Lactobacillus spp. in culture and foods.

Ameliorative Potential of Whey Protein Hydrolysate against Paracetamol-Induced Oxidative StressDivision of Dairy Chemistry

Protective effect of whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) against paracetamol-induced hepato-nephro toxicity was studied. WPH was prepared by hydrolysing ultra filtrated retentate of mozzarella cheese whey with commercial food grade enzyme alcalase having an in vitro antioxidant activity of 1.18 ± 0.015 μM of trolox/ mg of protein. Male albino mice were treated with the WPH for 4 days (intraperitoneally-4 mg/kg body wt and orally-8 mg/kg body wt) prior or post to oral administration of paracetamol (300 mg/kg body wt) for 2 days. Levels of different marker enzymes (namely, glutamate pyruvate transaminase and alkaline phosphatase), creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were measured in the experimental sera. Indices of different antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase as well as lipid peroxidation end-products) were determined in liver homogenate. The WPH successfully mitigated the rise in the concentration of oxidative biomarkers like creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, glutathione pyruvate transaminase and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and restored the activities of antioxidant enzymes in liver and level of blood urea nitrogen significantly with the group treated with paracetamol. But the protective effect was less in oral group compared to intraperitonially injected groups.

Identified Level of Fertility for Optimum Milk Production / Productivity in Murrah BuffaloesDivision of Dairy Cattle Breeding

The study showed that increase of milk production/productivity is associated with decline in fertility (pregnancy rate), as the pregnancy rate has negative correlation with production/ productivity traits of Murrah buffaloes. In the present study, fertility was defined in terms of pregnancy rate. Pregnancy rate measures the percent of eligible buffaloes that become pregnant during each oestrous cycle, encompasses buffalo’s ability to return to normal reproductive status after calving, to display visible signs of oestrus, to conceive when inseminated, and to maintain the pregnancy. The Voluntary Waiting Period (VWP) i.e. days to first service is the initial phase of lactation during which no inseminations occur, voluntarily left by the management for better pregnancy rate, and was considered as 63 days, standardized for Murrah buffaloes in the herd. For optimization of level of fertility with milk production/ productivity, pregnancy rate of 522 Murrah buffaloes scattered over a period of 19 years (1993 to 2011) had been classified into seven classes / intervals with the increment of 10%, with the corresponding averages of pregnancy rate, lactation milk yield and wet average i.e average per day milk yield per buffalo. The trend of pregnancy rate and milk production/ productivity in Murrah buffaloes showed no linear trend of milk yield/ wet average in the herd as the pregnancy rate varied over the years. The study revealed that to achieve around 2000 kg lactation milk yield or 7.5 kg wet average, the level of fertility should be in between 30% - 50 %. The results also showed that with the increase of 100 kg milk yield in lactation or 1 kg milk yield per day per buffalo the level of fertility (PR) declined from 1.7% to 4.4% and 0.3% to 1.4%, respectively. The decline of milk production/productivity was found maximum with the increase of pregnancy rate in first parity and minimum in fourth parity of Murrah buffaloes.

Development of Improved Calf Feeder Device to Minimize Feed WastageEastern Campus, Kalyani

The use of suitable feeding troughs or feeding devices for calves helps to manage the feeding practices in the farm in more efficient way with minimizing the feed/fodder wastage. Different types of feeding troughs/appliances like basket, bucket and small round shaped dishes etc. are being used in various organized farm



at this region. The survey in village condition also revealed that there are no proper feeding appliances used for calves at farmers’ level. The calves tend to contaminate the feed/fodder in most of these devices by voiding faeces and urine, standing inside or over these feeding troughs. Sometimes, the feed wastage varies from 25 - 30 % in these feeding devices. Farms in any organized sector incur about 70 % of their running expenditure on feed materials to maintain the animals. To minimize the feed/fodder wastage, a feeding device/appliance has been developed

which is much more effective as compared to earlier trough. Materials like angle iron, G.I. sheets, iron bars etc. are needed for fabrication, which are locally available. One device is sufficient for 6-8 calves (upto 6 months of age) at a time for all types of feeding materials. This will eliminate contaminations of feed/fodder through urine and faeces and reduced feed/fodder wastage (no wastage in pelleted feed, <10 percent wastage in case of dry and green fodder). Further, the calves can consume feed/fodder easily from trough with comfort.

EXTENSION

DAIRY EXTENSION DIVISION

Dairy Education at Farmers’ Door

Dairy Extension Division organized the new Extension Education Programme “Dairy Education at Farmers’ Door” to strengthen the effective dissemination of dairy production and processing technologies among farming community. Under this programme, a team of NDRI scientists including subject matter specialists from production, processing and management group visited villages viz. Khrijpur and Wazidpur Karnal district on 2nd Saturday of each month.

Issues Emerged

Endo-parasites & ecto-parasite problems in cattle: Parasites infestation was a serious problem in these villages. However, since this problem had also been reported by the preceding teams under this programme, due action had been taken by the Dairy Extension Division and Tick Control treatment was administered on the animals.

Reproductive problems: The scientists educated the farmers on recommended breeding and feeding practices to resolve this problem.

Field/Farm Activities

Activities Conducted No. of Cases

A.I. in Cows 353

Conception Rate 43.50%

A.I. in Buffaloes 451

Conception Rate 38.0 %

No. of Cross- bred calves born 80

No. of buffalo calves born 65

General Treatment 180

Activities Conducted No.

Infertility and Veterinary Aid Camps

15

Anoestrus and Late Maturity 120

Repeat Breeding (Conception Failure)

35

Metritis&Endometritis 20

Pyrexia 10

Wound 10

Eye Infection 05

Indigestion 20

Diarrhea 10

Mastitis 15

Ret. Placenta 25

Prolapse of Uterus 10

Cystic Ovarian Condition 10

Blood Protozoa Diseases 10

Tick Control 350

Deworming (Endo-parasite) 150

Total Cases 800

Low price of milk: The villagers were selling milk to the milk vendors at very cheap rate (` 20 per liter for cow milk, ` 25 per liter for mix milk (cow and buffalo) and ` 30 per liter for buffalo milk. Moreover, majority of the farmers was not taking dairying in a very serious manner. For landless farmers, dairying was still a viable occupational option in the village. Some of the small farmers were rearing goats and selling goat milk at very high prices during the period of dengue outbreak, as doctors recommend goat milk as a diet in that case. So scientific goat rearing can be a profitable occupational option for small farmers in the village.



In 15 Veterinary Camps, 800 cases were treated for reproductive disorders and various Veterinary ailments. Ecto & Endo-parasite control programmes were conducted. Special attention was given to improve the productive & reproductive performance of dairy animals

Empowerment of Women and Mainstreaming of Gender Issues

Twelve women empowerment training campaigns were organized with the objective to create awareness in the field of dairying and home science and also impart skill in these areas so that farm women could generate more income from dairying and maintain healthy atmosphere in their respective families. By these programmes, 164 farm women were trained.

Sl. No.

Programme Village No. of courses

Participants

1. Capacity building of farmwomen in value added milk products

Kulwahri

Vazidpur

Shahpur

7 96

2. Capacity building of farmwomen in scientific dairy farming

Subri 3 48

3 Empowerment of farm-women through self-help group

Kharajpur 2 20

Total 12 164

Kisan Sangosthies

Thirteen Kisan sangosthies were organized at the village level and following topics were discussed in detail. In all 65 male and 45 female farmers were attended & benefitted from these sangosthies.

• Awareness on ecto-parasite infestation.

• Importance of animal deworming.

• Role of mineral mixture in animal diet.

• Care and management of prolepses of genital organs.

• Correct time of breeding of females.

• Prevention and control of mastitis.

• Clean milk production practices in rural areas.

• Role of reducing inter-calving period in lactating animals.

• Awareness of vaccination programme & FMD in cross bred animals and its control measures in all categories of the animals.

SOUTHERN CAMPUS, BANGALORE

Six days training programme on ‘Commercial Dairy Production’ was conducted from 19th to 24th November, 2012.

Training programmes on Scientific Dairy Farming were organized at the adopted villages in two batches for 162 rural women from eight Self-Help-Groups (SHGs).

In all 132 visitors in five batches comprising of students from various educational institutes from various parts of southern region, farmers and entrepreneurs visited the institute. The visitors were taken round the institute to various sections as per their needs and were explained the ongoing activities.

Advisory services / technical advice was rendered to thirteen needy clientele during their personal visits to the institute. The profile of information needed included availability of publications in dairy farming aspects, technical know-how and consultancy facilities for dairy business projects and training programme on dairy management aspects.

Extension literature on dairy production and processing was distributed to the needy clientele groups, visitors, students and trainees during their visits to the institute.

EASTERN CAMPUS, KALYANI

Infertility and Deworming Camp

A total of 63 livestock cases were attended during the camp in Haiderpur village, Baduria Block for repeat breeding, pregnancy diagnosis, digestive disorders, metabolic disorders, deworming etc.

Extension Activities

ERS-NDRI attended theTitumir Rural Fair organized by the SEVA, an N.G.O. in 24 (N) Pgs on 19th November 2012. Forty-six men and one woman attended the session. The issues highlighted were the participatory role of farmers in monitoring the health and feeding practices of their livestock, and breeding system to be adopted in goats.



Annual Rabi Fodder Demonstration

The demonstration of annual rabi fodder was carried out on the field of four selected farmers in Haiderpur village of Baduria Block. Berseem (Wardan) +Mustard (Chinese cabbage) and Oats (Kent) + Mustard (Chinese cabbage) were the selected crops, which have been sown by using only bio-fertilizers and farm yard manure.

EVENTS

MAIN STATION, KARNAL

International Training Programme

An International Training Programme entitled “Milk and Dairy Products Processing” was organized at the Dairy Technology Division of NDRI, Karnal from 3rd to 9th October 2012. Ten officials representing National Institution Building Project of the United Nations Development Project, Kabul, Afghanistan participated in the course. They were drawn from Dairy Unions, Government Departments and one coordinator from the UNDP. The course curriculum was structured to lay emphasis on hands-on-training in the areas of selected dairy products which are relevant to the needs of the nascent dairy industry of Afghanistan. Unit operations for liquid milk processing, flavoured milk, sterilization, UHT Processing, fat rich products like cream and butter, heat and acid coagulated products like Paneer and Mozzarella Cheese, Ice Cream, Whey based Beverages are some of the areas which were covered during the training. Packaging of milk and dairy products, sensory evaluation aspects, microbiological and chemical quality, marketing of dairy products were the other topics that formed part of the curriculum. A field trip was also organized for the trainees. The Course Director was Dr. R. R. B. Singh, Principal Scientist of Dairy Technology Department.

ICAR Institute- SAU-Development Departments and Stake-holders Interface

ICAR Institute- SAU-Development Departments and Stake-holders Interface was held on Oct.19, 2012. The interface was inaugurated by Dr. K. S. Khokhar, Vice-Chancellor, CCSHAU -Hisar. One hundred seventy four participants attended the Interface.

Dr. K. S. Khokhar, Vice-Chancellor, CCSHAU –Hisar inaugurating exhibition

These included 53 participants from CCSHAU-Hisar, 68 from NDRI, 9 from CSSRI, 6 from NBAGR, 4 from DWR, 25 from industrial and farmers groups, 7 from IARI Regional Station and 2 from CIRB, Hisar. This Hub Meeting was held at the initiative of Dr. S. Ayyappan, DG, ICAR and Secretary DARE. Karnal has been identified as one of 13 Hub-centres identified in the country. This will become annual feature and at this interface all the stakeholders from R & D organizations, development departments, entrepreneurs, and progressive farmers will interact at one platform with ultimate objective to enhance productivity and profitability in agriculture. Presentations and discussions were held on soil and water management, seed production, sugarcane protection, maize production, rice production, animal production, breed conservation, fish production and milk processing. On this occasion, exhibition depicting product and process development and new varieties of crops was organized. Afghanistan trainee receiving certificate of participation

from Hon’ble Director, NDRI



Winter school on Advanced Molecular Techniques in Gene Regulation and Functional Genomics

Rapid progress in biological sciences including genomics, functional genomics, systems biology and other molecular biology cutting edge research techniques showed a necessity about their utilization in livestock production. As a preliminary step to get familiarize with these advanced techniques for a nation wide agriculture related scientific community, NDRI took a lead in organizing the winter school during December 3-23, 2012, sponsored by Education Division, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The school was inaugurated by the Chief guest Dr. M. J. Khan, Chief Editor, Agriculture Today, and the function was presided over by Dr. A. K. Srivastava, Director & Vice-Chancellor, NDRI. The school was well organized by the course director Dr. Dheer Singh, Senior Scientist under the guidance of Dr. Y. S. Rajput, Head, Animal Biochemistry Division. Scientific and resource support of the faculty from multiple disciplines made the program more enthusiastic and thought provoking. In total 25 scientists of different levels from agriculture, veterinary, fisheries and horticulture institutes all over India participated in this program. The participants got hands on experiences starting from DNA isolation to genome and proteome analyses. Dr. A. K. Srivastava, Director & Vice-Chancellor, NDRI awarded all participants with a certificate during valedictory function. This school not only enhanced the knowledge of the participants but also provided a platform for future research collaborations among the participants.

NDRI-Industry Meet

NDRI-Industry Meet was held on 1st December, 2012. At this Meet, thirty four technologies developed at NDRI were presented before stakeholders for their commercialization. These technologies included detection test for detergent, antibiotic residues, Listeria monocytogenes, Enterococci, aflatoxin M1 in milk,

National Training on Innovative Trends in Dairy and Food Products Formulation

The 26th 21-day National Training on “Innovative Trends in Dairy and Food Products Formulation” at the Dairy Technology Division at NDRI (Karnal) was held during 10th – 30th October, 2012 under the auspices of Centre of Advanced Faculty Training in Dairy Processing. The programme, which was inaugurated by Director, NDRI, had 18 participants from across the country. Dr. Latha Sabikhi was the Course Director, and Mr. Yogesh Khetra and Mr. Sathish Kumar were the Course Co-ordinators. The lecture sessions included current status, issues and challenges in the area of functional foods, probiotics, bioactive peptides, application of nano-emulsions in food processing, micro-encapsulation for protecting food ingredients, composite and designer dairy foods, milk fortification, statistical tools for food processing operations, membrane processing, extrusion technology, omega-3 fatty acids, CLA, and phytosterols in food processing, food safety standards, packaging, patent filing procedures and cost cutting measures in the food industry, besides a pedagogy session on scientific writing and communication. There were three guest speakers who shared their experiences on Trends in the Ice Cream Manufacturing Sector, Personnel Hygiene in the Food Processing Workplaces and Innovations in Educational System for Improved HRD in the Area of Food Science Technology and Nutrition. Two study visits were arranged for the participants to AmritpurKalan, whereby the efforts of the scientists of NDRI, a Self Help Group of women entrepreneurs is running successfully and to Nestle India factory at Samalkha, where they were exposed to the activities of the plant. The training concluded on October 30th, during which Mr. Ajit Kumar, IAS, Vice Chancellor, National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (Sonepat) addressed the participants and distributed certificates to them.

Dr. K. S. Khokhar being explained about the adulterant detection kits developed by NDRI

Dr. K. S. Khokhar, Vice-Chancellor, CCSHAU –Hisar giving the inaugural address



cheese spread, Feta cheese, Quarg cheese, Mistidahi, plain cow and buffalo dahi and yoghurt; herbal ghee, long-life milk-cake, low-fat Gulab-jamun, functional milk drink, iron-fortified biscuits, reconstituted kheer rasmalai and basundi; extended shelf-life of paneer, cereal based fermented beverages, whey based beverages, and soups, anionic diet for controlling milk fever, milk protein based bajra snacks, whey-skim milk-millet based complementary food, continuous khoa making, butter melter and ghee making machines; supplements mixtures, mineral mixture and Degcure mixture. Forty two personnel from thirty two industrial-houses or sweet manufacturers participated in NDRI-Industry Meet. This awareness programme helped in sensitization of available technologies for their commercial transfer. At this meet, the participants were shown live demonstration on dairy equipments viz. khoa making machine, butter melter and ghee making machine. Big industrial-houses viz. Healcraft Pharma Pvt. Ltd. Baddi, Zytex Biotech Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, Qabool querensees Pvt. Ltd. Delhi, The Hershey Company, USA, Westfalia Surge India, IDMC Pvt Ltd. Gujrat, North and South KenthInd South Asia Pvt. Ltd. Chennai and Modern Dairy, Karnal and sweet manufacturers showed interest in technologies.

NAIP-NDRI-CIPHET-Punjab Halwai Association Interface

NAIP-NDRI-CIPHET-Punjab Halwai Association Interface was held on 3rd October 2012. This interface was organized by NDRI at the door steps of sweet manufacturers with close support from CIPHET, Ludhiana. This was a unique Interface in the sense that it was held at the request of Halwai Association to allow wider participation of sweet manufactures for getting latest insight into technologies developed. These include detection test for detergent, antibiotic residues, Listeria monocytogenes, enterococci, aflatoxin M1 in milk, mistidahi, herbal ghee, functional milk drink, iron-fortified biscuits, reconstituted kheer,

reconstituted rasmalai, reconstituted basundi, cereal based fermented beverages, whey based beverages, and soups, whey strawberry beverage and ethanol production from whey. Concerns and issues related to milk adulteration were discussed at length. Technologies and products developed at NDRI were exhibited. Sweet manufactures showed interest in selected technologies. In total, 66 participants attended the interface. These included 28 sweet manufactures, 9 from CIPHET Ludhiana, 20 from NDRI, 7 from GADVASU, Ludhiana and one from IVRI, Izatnagar.

Patenting and Commercialization of Technologies

Two patent applications viz. “Breakfast smoothie using composite dairy and non-dairy ingredients” (Mr. Sathish Kumar, M. H.; Dr. Latha Sabikhi, Mr. Sunil Kumar and Dr. D. K. Thompkinson) and “A milk protein-based nutritive antacid and method of making the same” (Mr. Ankit Thesiya, Dr. A. A. Patel, and Dr. R. R. B. Singh) were presented before Institute Technology Management Committee meetings held on 5th October and 24th November 2012. Inventors presented the novelty, inventiveness, and commercial aspects of patent applications. These patent applications were approved for their submission to patent office through NRDC.

Pricing of the technologies viz. Functional processed cheese spread, buffalo-milk feta cheese, functional quarg cheese, dietetic misti dahi, buffalo-milk set plain dahi, buffalo-milk set plain yoghurt, cow-milk set plain yoghurt, cow-milk set plain dahi, extended shelf-life functional paneer, long-life milk cake, low-fat Gulab Jamun mix and Arjun herbal Ghee were finalized for initiating commercialization process.

ILRI Delegation Visits NDRI Adopted Village

On 4th November 2012, 28 member ILRI delegation visited NDRI adopted village Arainpura, in Karnal

Participants being shown live demonstration on dairy equipments



District. They held discussions with dairy farm families adopted under NDRI-ILRI collaborative project initiated in July 2011 in village Arainpura. The ILRI’s management team and board of trustees also visited the National Dairy Research Institute. ILRI’s Director General Dr. Jimmy Smith and ILRI’s Asia Program Head Dr. Purvi Mehta-Bhatt alongwith other board members visited Livestock Research Centre and Animal Breeding Research Centre of NDRI. They appreciated the livestock research facilities at NDRI and showed their interest for future collaborative research programmes.

Agriculture Education Day

Agriculture Education Day was celebrated at NDRI (Deemed University) with full fervor and enthusiasm by the students and the faculty on 23rd November, 2012. Various activities like competitions on Essay Writing on “FDI in Agriculture: Indian Context”; Poster Making on “Sustainable Dairy Farming” and Debate on “Cross Breeding – boon or bane” were organized. Dr. V. P. Singh Joint Director (Academic) welcomed the Chief Guest and the participants and expressed the need of Agricultural education for upliftment of the rural poor and overall development of national economy. On this occasion, Dr. A. K. Srivastava, Director & Vice Chancellor, NDRI (Deemed University) in his

presidential address emphasized on the nutritional security of the country in context of past and future requirements and provided useful insight into the country’s meteoric rise in dairy sector. However, he added that need of the hour is to focus on not only providing enough food but also on nutritious food to the common man. He extolled effort of scientific community as well as encouraged students who as future scientists can bring about definite positive change in food security, via their scientific pursuit, so as to make India a healthy and prosperous nation. He advised to organize and promote discussions on various topics amongst faculty and students, which can help in convergence of new ideas for better policy planning and execution. Dr. Rajiv Singal, Vice Chairman, RP Educational Trust and Chief Guest delivered the valedictory address and distributed the prizes to the winners. Dr. G. S. Sharma, Director, RPET and Guest of Honour expressed his views at this occasion for need of imparting agricultural education to meet our ever growing population and also to earn export potential. Dr. S. K. Kanawjia, Principal Scientist & Academic Coordinator coordinated the programme and delivered vote of thanks.

Review Workshop of PME Cells of ICAR

Review workshop of scientists incharges of Prioritization, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) Cells of ICAR was organised on 8th December, 2012 under the aegis of PIU-NAIP. Dr S. Ayyappan, Secretary DARE and Director General ICAR chaired the workshop and interacted with the PME incharges with a view to find viable solutions for strenthening the PME cells and improving their day-to-day functioning. Dr Bangali Baboo, National Director, NAIP; Dr A. K. Srivastava, Director NDRI; Dr Ramesh Chand, Director NCAP; Dr S. L. Goswami, Director NAARM and Dr P. S. Pandey, Coordinator, NAIP gave presentations and shared their experiences with PME Incharges.

ILRI delegation at village ArianpuraILRI delegation visiting Institute

Livestock Farm

A Participant receiving award for debate on “Cross Breeding – boon or bane”



National Seminar on Prosperity through Diversification in Agriculture

A National Seminar on “Prosperity through Diversification in Agriculture” was organized jointly by the Haryana Farmers’ Commission, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Department of Agriculture, Haryana, Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Authority, and Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary Sciences (LLRUVS) on December 22, 2012, at NDRI Karnal. The seminar was part of the two-day Kisan Divas celebrations organized to mark the 110th birthday of Chaudhary Charan Singh, former Prime Minister and the great visionary from Haryana.

so as to share the new knowledge and technologies with large number of farmers of the state.

Financial Commissioner Haryana Mr Roshan Lal spoke on the benefit of conservation agriculture technologies to promote water efficiency. He urged farmers not to burn agricultural waste, and also shift to direct seeded rice, zero tillage and also diversification of rice with maize. Mr A. K. Singh, Director General Agriculture, Haryana, urged farmers to adopt modern technologies like laser leveling, micro irrigation and conservation agriculture to maximize the gains for the farming community.

Dr A. K. Srivastava Director NDRI spoke on livestock diversification and stressed that there was an urgent need of breed improvement of both cattle and buffaloes and adoption of AI in Murrah buffaloes using superior germ plasm. He emphasized on improving goat farming in the state that could bring livestock diversification for rural upliftment.

The agricultural luminaries who participated in the seminar included Dr K. M. L. Pathak, Deputy Director General (Animal Sciences), ICAR, Dr Satyavir Singh, Director General Horticulture Haryana, Dr K. D. Kokate, Deputy Director General Extension (ICAR); Dr A. K. Srivastava, Director NDRI, Dr Indu Sharma, Project Director, Directorate of Wheat Research, Dr M. L. Jat, Senior Agronomist, CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre), Dr R. S. Dalal, Member Secretary, Haryana Kisan Ayog . During the technical sessions, the progressive farmers of Haryana shared their experiences in crop production, dairy farming, fisheries, bee keeping, horticulture, soil health management, vegetable and fruit cultivation, floriculture, crops like baby corn, sweet corn, mushroom, processing and marketing.

Kisan Divas

Haryana Kisan Ayog and National Dairy Research Institute organized Kisan Divas on 23rd December, 2012 in which Chaudhary Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Hon’ble

Dr R. S. Paroda, Chairman of Haryana Kisan Ayog, giving his inaugural address at the seminar

More than one thousand progressive and innovative farmers from different districts of Haryana including leading agricultural scientists, horticultural and livestock experts participated in the seminar.

Dr R. S. Paroda, Chairman of Haryana Kisan Ayog, chaired the inaugural session of the seminar and he stressed on linking farmers to market for prosperity and highlighted the significance of strengthening the Kisan Clubs and develop them as knowledge centers

Hon’ble Secretary DARE and Director General ICAR being shown the Low Cholesterol ghee commercialised

by NDRI

Dr. S. Ayyappan , Hon’ble Secretary DARE and Director General ICAR giving insights on the PME functioning at

ICAR



benefits of the conservation agriculture especially of the Direct Seeding of Rice followed by Zero till wheat system were explained in detail. Dr. A. K. Srivastava, Director, NDRI explained to the Hon’ble Chief Minister the various activities carried out by the KVK through the exhibits.

During the Kisan Divas Dr. R. S. Paroda, Chairman, Haryana Kisan Ayog presented the reports of the Ayog and explained the newer initiatives taken in the recent past for the benefit of the farmers of Haryana. Dr. S. Ayyappan, Director General, ICAR, New Delhi stressed on having strong linkage between the farmers and Research Institutes to increase the farm productivity upon adoption of various technologies. Dr. S. Ayyappan and Dr. A. K. Srivastava were conferred the mementoes by the Hon’ble Chief Minister for their outstanding contribution for the farming communities.

NDRI Hosts ICAR-DARE Informal Retreat

A two-day DARE/ICAR Informal Retreat to discuss India’s role and place in International Agricultural Research (IAR) was held on 28th-29th December, 2012 at NDRI, Karnal. Leading Indian agricultural scientists and innovators collectively tried to explore and revisit ICAR-Vision 2030 for delineating India’s future role and position in International Agricultural Research and suggesting appropriate strategic options.

While identifying driving forces, values and principles for India’s role in IAR, the Informal Retreat discussed in detail what is India’s vision and where it needs to focus in the future to improve its contributions by identifying SMARTER (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time bound, Ethical, Rewarding) goals for research, extension, education and research management and what transformational changes the ICAR needs in its institution, organization, structures, work processes to deliver the vision and the goals set thereof. The retreat also considered how progress on reaching these goals could be monitored through indicators and milestones and how the outcomes and impact could be evaluated and assessed. The retreat also identified how ICAR can excel in contributing to and participating in IAR and who it can work with.

Hon’ble Chief Minister Haryana Sh. Bhupinder Singh Hooda on the occasion of Kisan Divas

Chief Minister of Haryana was the Chief Guest. In this programme more than 7,000 farmers including farm women from different districts of Haryana participated in the progrmme.

Hon’ble Director General, ICAR Dr. S. Ayyappan, receiving appreciation award from the Chief Minister, Haryana.

Hon’ble Chief Minister visited the Krishi Vigyan Kendra of NDRI and was explained the long term trials on conservation of agriculture being conducted under the Cereal System Initiative for South Asia (CISA). The

Hon’ble Director General, ICAR Dr. S. Ayyappan addressing the farmers during Kisan Divas



The two day Informal Retreat was attended by Dr. S. Ayyappan, Secretary DARE and Director General, ICAR, Dr. R. B. Singh, President, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, DDGs and ADGs (ICAR), Directors of IARI, NDRI and NAARM and the Vice-Chancellors of PAU and CAU (Imphal).

Foundation Stone Ceremony for Establishment of National Referral Centre for Milk Quality & Safety at NDRI, Karnal

A proposal on National Referral Centre for Milk Quality and Safety” has been approved as a part of ongoing NAIP project entitled “Development of bio-sensors and micro-techniques for analysis of pesticide residues, aflatoxin, heavy metals and bacterial contamination in milk”. The National Referral Centre will be established at NDRI with fund provision of ` 1743.6885 lakhs approved by PIU, NAIP through PMC meeting held on 25th Oct 2012 at ICAR, New Delhi. A review meeting along with the foundation stone ceremony was held on 30th December 2012 at NDRI, Karnal under chairmanship of Dr. Bangali Baboo, National Director, NAIP. Dr. A. K. Srivastava, Director, NDRI delivered the presidential address and briefed about the structure and functions, vision/ mission and milestone for the establishment of National Referral Centre at NDRI. Dr. Sudhir Kochhar, National Co-coordinator, PIU, NAIP also briefed the house regarding genesis and prospects of National Referral Centre.

Training of C.V. Raman International Fellow at NDRI, Karnal

Dr. M.Y. Kurtu from School of Animal Sciences, Harmaya Univ., Ethiopia was at this Institute for training for three months (17th Sept. – 19th Dec., 2012) in the area of Dairy Processing under CV Raman International Fellowship for African Researchers awarded by Dept. of Science and Technology, Govt. of India as a part of India-Africa Science and Technology Initiative. Dr. R. K. Malik, Head Dairy Microbiology co-ordinated the training.

Hon’ble Dr. S. Ayyappan, Secretary DARE and Director General, ICAR deliberating at the ICAR-DARE Informal Retreat

Guest Lecture Organised

Dr. Debasisa Mohanty, Scientist – VI, Bioinformatics Center, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi delivered lecture entitled, ‘Structural bioinformatics approach for deciphering protein interaction networks’ on 20.12.2012 at N. N. Dastur Auditorium under the aegis of Society of Biological Chemists (India) Karnal Chapter.

SOUTHERN CAMPUS, BANGALORE

Visit of QRT

The Quinquennial Review Team under the chairmanship of Dr. V. K. Taneja visited the station during 15th – 16th October 2012. Dr. Satish Kulkarni made a brief presentation highlighting various activities of the station in the preceding five years. He also presented the future thrust of the station in the next five years along with the needed infrastructural facilities. The QRT visited the different laboratories and interacted with the Scientists, other staff and students. There was an interactive session of QRT with past Alumni & professionals from dairy industry for comprehending the linkage of the SRS with them. QRT was appreciative of the activities of SRS of NDRI and its strong linkage with the industry.

Visit of Director General, ICAR

Dr. S. Ayyappan, Director General ICAR & Secretary DARE, visited the station on 20th October 2012. He

Hon’ble Dr. S. Ayyappan, Secretary DARE and Director General, ICAR Visited Southern Campus, Bangalore



AWARDS/HONOURS

visited most of the laboratories, cattle yard, forage land, library, hostel and administrative block and had detailed interaction with the staff. Dr. Satish Kulkarni briefed the DG on the activities of the station and future activities.

IRC Meeting of Concluded Research Projects & New Project Proposals

The IRC meeting was convened at SRS on 11th December 2012 to discuss the concluded research projects and new project proposals for 2013. Dr. A. K. Srivastava, Director NDRI chaired the meeting. Dr. Rishendra Verma, Joint Director (Res.), NDRI Karnal was also present at the meeting and guided the proceedings of the meeting.

Farmers’ Training Programme on Malnad Gidda cattle and Release of Technical Folders & Training Manual

The Malnad Gidda Cow Samvardhana Samsthe (Regd) was inaugurated on 26th October 2012. During the occasion, a technical folder on “Malnad Gidda cattle - unique cattle of Karnataka” authored by Dr. K. P. Ramesha and others published in Kannada & English, was released by Prof. B. M. Chandrashekar and Dr. Satish Kulkarni. A Training Manual on “Malnad Gidda cattle” developed by Dr. K. P. Ramesha and

Dr. K. M. Nagaraja was also released by Sh. Anath Hegde Ashisara on the occasion.

A farmer’s training on “Management and Improvement of Malnad Gidda Cattle under Changing Scenario” was organised by SRS of NDRI, Bangalore on 27th October 2012 at Igalakoppa, Talaguppa, in Shimoga District of Karnataka under Karnataka Livestock Development Agency funded project entitled “Evaluation and Improvement of Indigenous Cattle of Malnad Region of Karnataka”. About 152 farmers including large number of farm women registered for the training programme. Presentations were made by experts including Dr. K. P. Ramesha and Dr. Satish Kulkarni from NDRI, Bangalore. The training programme evinced huge interest among the farmers rearing the Maland Gidda. .

EASTERN CAMPUS, KALYANI

Visit of QRT Team

The QRT team with Dr. V. K. Taneja, as Chairman, Dr. S. N. Maurya, Dr. B. N. Mathur, Dr. K. T. Sampat, Dr. Satish Kumar, Dr. G. R. Ralhan and Dr. A. A. Patel visited ERS of NDRI, Kalyani during 17th October 2012. The team had detailed discussion with scientists and all categories of staff. The team also visited individual laboratories and interacted with scientists.

• A project entitled “Characterization and Differentiation of Embryonic and Spermatogonial Stem Cells in Cattle and Buffaloes” was awarded Certificate of Appreciation under National Agricultural Innovation Project, in Component-4, in July 2009. Under this project ‘GARIMA-II’, a cloned buffalo calf, produced through the new and advanced ‘Hand-guided Cloning Technique’ was born at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on August 22, 2010. This cloned buffalo calf was unique in the sense that the donor cell used for producing

this calf was from embryonic stem cell. On this achievement, Secretary (DARE) and Director General (ICAR), New Delhi awarded certificate of appreciation on December 14, 2012 to the Project at NDRI, for outstanding contribution in model translational research in buffalo to establish developmental competence of embryonic stem cells, having produced GARIMA-II,

• The project entitled “A value chain on composite dairy foods with enhanced health attributes” under was awarded with “Certificate of Appreciation” under the National Agricultural Innovation Project component-2 for outstanding contribution in development of technological packages for milk and pearl millet based innovative composite dairy foods. The NAIP also complimented the activities related to popularization and commercialization of developed technologies among the stakeholders and consumers. Secretary DARE and Director General (ICAR) presented the certificate on December 14, 2012 during the Inauguration Ceremony of Regional Committee Meeting of ICAR.

• Mukesh P. Singh, S. K. Kanawjia, Apurba Giriand Y. Khetra bagged “First Best Research Paper Award” entitled “Moisture sorption Isotherms and thermodynamic Properties of

Dr. M. S. Chauhan receiving the Certificate of appreciation from Hon’ble Dr. S. Ayyappan, Secretary DARE and Director

General, ICAR



Mozzarella Cheese Added with Microcrystalline Cellulose”during the International Conference on “Food Technology for Health Promotion” organized by International Institute of Food and Nutritional Sciences (IIFANS), from 27th - 28th

December 2012, at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

• Apurba Giri, S. K. Kanawjia, Mukesh P. Singh and Y. Khetra bagged “First Best Research Paper Award” entitled “Effect of Phytosterol on the Quality of Processed Cheese Spread and its Hypocholesterolemic Study” during the International Conference on “Food Technology for Health Promotion” organized by International Institute of Food and Nutritional Sciences (IIFANS), from 27th-28th December 2012, at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

• Apurba Giri and S. K. Kanawjia bagged “Second Best Oral Paper Award” entitled “Effect of Inulin on the Quality Processed Cheese Spread and its Hypocholesterolemic Study” during the International Conference on “Food Technology for Health Promotion” organized by International Institute of Food and Nutritional Sciences (IIFANS), from 27th - 28th December 2012, at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

• Ms. Neha Pandey, Ph. D. (Dairy Technology) has been awarded with ‘DST-INSPIRE’ fellowship by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, for pursuing full time doctoral Programme at National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. The fellowship is tenable for five years or completion of Ph. D. program, whichever is earlier with effect from Oct-2012. Under this program a sanction of ` 2, 50,400/- is done for one year including a contingency grant of ` 20,000/- only. Presently, she is working on “Technology optimization for milk protein-millet based extrudates” under the guidance of Dr. Ashish Kumar Singh, Senior Scientist, Dairy Technology Division of NDRI.

• Dr. B. S. Meena, Sr. Scientist was awarded Fellow of Range Management Society of India, Jhansi on the occasion of National Symposium on Sustainable production of forages from arable and non-arable land and its utilization held on Nov.2-3, 2012 at Indian Grassland & Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi.

• Ms. Vandana, Ph. D. student (Animal Bio-chemistry) working under the guidance of Dr. Y. S. Rajput was awarded European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) fellowship and received training an conversion of white adipocytes into brown adipocytes at Institute de Biologie Valrose, CNRS, INSERM, NICE (France) from Ist to 31st Sept. 2012.

DEPUTATIONS

• Dr. S. S. Thakur, Principal Scientist, Dairy Cattle Nutrition Division participated in the Science Symposium, Elanco Animal Health at Chicago IIIinois USA from 1.10.12 to 5.10.12.

• Dr. V. P. Singh, Joint Director (Academic) was deputed for consortium meeting of Indo-UK Collaborating Programme on Development of HS Vaccine to be held at UK from 29.10.12 to 30.10.12.

• Dr. Satish Kulkarni, Head, SRS Bangalore participated in “India – New Zealand Business Forum 2012” and delivered a talk on “The Indian Dairy Industry – Opportunities & Challenges” on 28.11.12 at University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Dr. Kulkarni also participated in the Panel Discussion on “Delivering on the promise – connecting New Zealand firms with Indian firms” as the Resource person.

PERSONALIAJoining

• Dr. Sunil Kumar Onteru, Sr. Sci. joined Animal Bio-chemistry Division on 20-12-2012

Promotions

• Dr. (Mrs.) Anjali Aggarwal, Sr. Sci. (Animal Physiology) promoted to Principal Scientist from 01-01-2009.

• Dr. Ajay Kumar Dang, Sr. Sci. (Animal Physiology) promoted to Principal Scientist from 01-01-2009.

• Dr. (Mrs.) Anand Laxmi, Sr. Sci. (Animal Physiology) promoted to Principal Scientist from 01-01-2010.

• Dr. K. Jayaraj Rao, Sr. Sci (Dairy Technology) SRS, Bangalore promoted to Principal Scientist from 01-10-2009.

• Dr. (Mrs.) Latha Sabikhi, Sr. Sci (Dairy Technology,) promoted to Principal Scientist from 01-01-2009.

• Dr. Dayal Nitin Das, Sr. Sci (Genetics Breeding) SRS, Bangalore promoted to Principal Scientist from 22-03-2012

• Dr. Sumit Arora, Sr. Sci (Dairy Chemistry) was promoted to Principal Scientist from 26-8-2011.

• Dr. Naresh Kumar, Sr.Sci (Dairy Microbiology)was promoted to Principal Scientist from 01-01-2009

• Dr. Sudhir Kumar Tomer, Sr. Sci (Dairy Microbiology) was promoted to Principal Scientist from 01-01-2009

• Sh. K. R. Kisku, AAO promoted to AO at ERS Kalyani from 26-11-2012 (AN)

• Sh. Mukesh Kumar Dua, Asstt. was promoted to AAO from 05-11-2012 (FN)



FEATURE ARTICLE

• Sh. Dharam Singh Meena, Asstt. was promoted to AAO from 01-12-2012 (AN)

• Sh. P. S. Shivaprasad, T-7/8 (Retd.), SRS, Bangalore was promoted to T-9 w.e.f 1.1.2012.

• Sh. M. Sreenath, T-7/8, SRS, Bangalore was promoted to T-9 w.e.f 3-2-2012.

• Sh. Sarwar, T-7/8, SRS, Bangalore was promoted to T-9 w.e.f 3-2-2012.

• Sh. L. Krishna Murthy, T-7/8, SRS, Bangalore was promoted to T-9 w.e.f 3-2-2012.

• Sh. Veeraju, T-6, SRS, Bangalore was promoted to T-7/8 w.e.f 24-2-2012.

• Mrs Janakshi , T-4 SRS, Bangalore was promoted to T-5 w.e.f 12-07-2009.

• Sh. Govindaraju, T-4 (Retd.), SRS, Bangalore was promoted to T-5 w.e.f 1-7-2010.

Retirements/Transfers

• Dr. Harjeet Kaur, Principal Scientist (Nutrition) relieved on 15-12-2012

• Dr. Raka Saxena, Sr. Scientist, Dairy Economics relieved on 15-12-2012

• Dr. D. K. Jain, Principal Scientist, Statistics retired on 30-9-2012

• Dr. Balbir Kaur Wadhwa, Head, DC Division retired on 31-12-2012

• Dr. D. K. Thompkinsion, Principal Scientist, DT retired on 31-12-2012.

• Smt. Neelam Bala, AAO retired on 31-10-2012

• Sh. Jagdish Kumar Wadhawa, retired on 30-11-2012

• Ms. M. A. Usha, T-7/8, SRS, Bangalore retired on 31-10-2012.

Demise

• Dr. A. D. Deodhar, Former Principal Scientist, Animal Biochemistry NDRI, expired in December 2012

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS

6.11.2012 Sixteen member delegation from France.

27.11.2012 Thirteen member delegation from Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry, Bhutan.

10.12.2012 Study visit of 15 member delegation from Afghan Dairy Nationals with Mr. K. L. Arora, IDA (NZ), New Delhi.

Deoni Cattle: A Dual Purpose Breed of Southern India

(D. N. Das, S. Jeyakumar, K. P. Ramesha, Bandla Srinivas and M. A. Kataktalware)

Southern Campus, Bangalore

The last livestock census (2007) depicted that out of total milch animals, there was reduction from 44 to 43% in population of indigenous cows. However, there was phenomenal growth in crossbred population from 11 to 13 %. The declining trend of our indigenous milch and dual purpose cattle could be due to inadequate attention for conservation, evaluation and improvement in a systematic way. Nevertheless, the indigenous breeds are well adapted to local climatic conditions and perform well under low to medium input production system with better resistance against common tropical diseases. Deoni, an important dual purpose indigenous breed of southern India is generally found in northern part of Karnataka i.e. Bidar district and south eastern part of Maharashtra covering Latur district. This breed is also distributed in small numbers in the neighboring districts of Gulberga in Karnataka, Parbhani, Nanded, Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra and some parts of Medak district in Andhra Pradesh. The home tract is mainly hilly with an average altitude of 480 to 705 meters above mean

sea level. The minimum ambient temperature in the home tract ranges from 9o C to 26o C and the maximum ambient temperature from 29o C to 44o C. The average annual rainfall in these areas varies from 736 to 919 mm. Based on the morphological characters, the animals are classified into 3 types viz. Balankya (pure white), Waghya (white and black spots on the body) and Wannera (animals with complete white body and black face). This breed is hardy and well adapted for tropical draught prone areas. The molecular characterization of this breed based on microsatellite and phylogenetic study on Deoni, Gir and Kankrej breeds revealed that the high gene flow among these breeds is in agreement with their origin of close proximity in their breeding tract. Productive and reproductive performances of Deoni cattle at NDRI-SRS herd showed that mean lactation yield, mean lactation length, average daily milk yield, highest yield recorded/cow/day, calf mortality, birth weight of calves, age at first calving and calving interval was 911.14kg, 206.03days, 4.42kg, 14.0kg, 2.17 %, 20.81kg, 38.73 months and 447.22 days, respectively. The short lactation length in Deoni cattle could be improved through manipulation of rumen microbial mileu regulating feed utilization, and studying the mechanism regulating hormones viz. insulin, IGF-I, cortisol and prolactin levels in plasma of lactating cows. Studies on behavioural patterns

Afghanistan delegation being explained about processing and evaluation of semen in Animal Breeding Research Centre



revealed that Deoni cattle exhibit significantly better degree of estrus symptoms, majority of the animals came into estrus during early morning hours and the most characteristic symptoms indicating initiation of parturition exhibited were raising of tail and arching of back, thereafter expulsion of fetus which occurred within two hours. The studies on milk composition revealed that the fat and protein content was 4.6-5.6 and 3.1-3.6, % respectively. The milk of Deoni cattle was analysed for β casein polymorphism and it was found that all animals were showing A2 type (A2A2 genotype). Molecular genetics studies on targeted genes viz., MHC II-DRB3, PRL, BTN1A1, HSP70, HSP90, TLR 2, and TLR4 in relation to production, thermo tolerance and disease resistance traits indicated that these animals have unique characteristics of adaptability with moderate production performance and disease resistance. Association of SSCP patterns in Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) gene with performance traits in Deoni cows indicated AFC, Calving interval and lactation length were similar among cows belonging to three SSCP patterns. Lactation yield was higher in cows with AB and BB patterns as compared to cows with AA pattern. The allele DRB3.2*23 was found to be associated with elevated level of SCC as well as occurrence of mastitis in cattle and the higher frequencies of two alleles of DRB3.2*6 and *15 in Deoni cattle was found to be associated with lower level of SCC, indicating lesser incidence of mastitis. However, animals with genotype AA in Exon 3 of BTN1A1 gene was related to an increased milk SCC content in Deoni cows. Genetic characterization of exon3 of TLR4 (8028 to 11013) gene revealed that the somatic cell count detected in BB genotype of exon 3.3 was found to be lower in Deoni cattle. Hence, the possibility of udder infection in cattle with BB genotype is less than other genotypes. BTN1A1 gene polymorphism indicated that in Exon 8 of BTN1A1 locus, genotype AA and allele A were related to

more milk fat percent in Deoni cattle. In PRL gene exon 3, genotype BB was associated with highest lactation milk yield (1007.35 ± 92.32 kg). Whereas, genotype AB was associated with highest fat and protein of 4.78 ± 0.13 and 3.29 ± 0.03 % respectively. The above findings show that there is a wide scope of genetic improvement of this native breed through selection based on QTL information in combination with performance data. Considering the farmers’ preference especially for organic farming, ability to withstand draught, suitability of these breeds for local climatic condition, better performance under low to medium input production system, there is an urgent need for its genetic improvement and manage these animals through modern scientific tools to enhance their productivity by identification of QTLs for production and reproduction traits, maintenance of elite bull mother farm and production of frozen semen straw, establishment of elite herds and fertility augmentation .

Deoni cow: Balankya type (complete white body)

Deoni cow: Waghya type (white and black spots on the body)

Deoni cow: Wannera type (complete white body and black face)

Patron: Dr A. K. Srivastava, Director, NDRI Karnal

Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Rishendra Verma Members: Dr. Y. S. Rajput, Head, Animal Biochemistry Joint Director (Res.) Dr. A. Kumaresan, Senior Scientist(Animal Reproduction) Editor: Dr. (Mrs.) Meena Malik Associate Professor (English)

Layout & Design: Mr. Sunil Sharma, Technical Officer Photography: Mr. G.D. Joshi, Technical Officer

Published by: Director, NDRI Karnal

Tel.: 0184-2252800 | Fax: 0184-2250042 | E-mail : [email protected] | Gram : DAIRYRESEARCH

Editorial-Board

FORTHCOMING EVENTS• Eleventh Convocation of NDRI to be held on

16th February, 2013

• NationalDairyMelatobeheldfrom25th to 27th February, 2013

• National Training Programme on “MolecularGenetic Data Generation, Analysis and Utilization in Animal Breeding” (5-25 March, 2013)

• National Seminar on “New Paradigms ofLivestock Production from Traditional to Commercial Farming and Beyond” and XXth Annual Convention of Indian Society of Animal Production and Management (Jan 28-30, 2013

• National Training programme on “In Vitro Fertilization Technology” (January 10-30, 2013).

national dairy research institute, karnal ndri news of 522 murrah buffaloes scattered over a period...

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