BIOTECHNOLOGYCAL APPLICATION : RELEAVANCE TO THE INIDAN FARMER IN THE FIELD OF VOAT AND SHEEP REARING.

In this fielf biotechnological applications are extremely relevant if we are to made rapid progress in raising the productivity of these small ruminants.

Techniques such as embryo transfer, dilution of semen and its cryo preservation and artificial insemination (A.I.) are well developmed and expertise in these fields is available. This technology is extensively used in the case of cows and to some extent Buffaloes.

The main lacuna in the case of sheep and goats is the non availability of improved breeds which could be utilised. As these animals are owned by the poor strata of society and there is a mistaken prejudice that they are responsible for environmental degradation no sustained efforts have been made to improve indigenous breeds and thus make available genetic stock for upgrading. In spite of this the numbers of these animals have been inceasing rapidly (*2.5% per year in the case of goats) due to an increasing demand for meat. Our breeds have developed over the centuries to survive and adapts themselves to harsh enviornmental conditions but do not universally possess ability to respond to better management and nutrition.

Outstanding work in the case of the Sirohi goat was carried out from 1981 to 1993 by the Indo-Swiss Goat Development and Fodder Production Project in Rajasthan where they showed that outstanding animals are available within this breed. However, before the impact of this project could be felt the project was discontinued.

Goats

Out institutes is a very small NGO with only three technically qualified staff, one of who is in an honorary capacity and one on deputation from the Government of Maharashtra. We decided to initially concentrate on crossbreeding using the outstanding South African Boer Goat the worlds only meat goat as an improve breed. With assistance from the Government of Australia we imported 20 embryos of this breed from Australia implanted them in local goats and now have a small flock of Boer goats.

This goat unlike many temperate breeds of Dairy goats have proved to be extremely hardy, producing excellent crossbreed when crossed with local goats. In order to utilise this germplasm effectively we have developed and modified the techniques of semen cryopreservation so that it can be done with low cost equipment producing pellets instead of straws. We have also improvised. A.I,. techniques using cervical insemination to get better conception rates. We have so far trained over 50 trainees among them farmers. We have supplied pure Boer goat frozen semen to Governmental agencies in Orissa, Tamil Nadu as well as to may private goat rearers in Maharashtra.

Our veterinarian is capable of carrying out multiple ovulation and embyo transfer if there is need for rapid expansion of our flock. However, this technology is expensive and only to be used if costs justify its use.

A I technology in goats has been spread to near by villages where fresh diluted semen as well as frozen semen have been used to produce 800 crossbreeds over the past five years. This technology is viable and easily transferable but unfortunately dependent on the sincerity of the inseminator.

sheep

We were unable to identify a suitable improver breed to be imported which had the most desirable but greatly neglected attribute of prolificacy. We did locate a prolific and unusual breed in the hot humid sundarbands of West Bangal called the Garole. Up to 1993 this breed had remained unnoticed by the community of sheep breeders. We did however import a small flock of Awassi Dairy Sheep from Israel. This breed has produced an outstanding crossbred animal when crossed with the Malpura of Rajasthan. This crossbred has been developed by the Central Sheep and Wool Reserach Institute (CSWRI) using Awassi rams obtained from us.

The Australian Center for International Agricultural Research has sponsored a collaborative

project between the University of New England, Australia, The national Chemical Laboratory, Pune and the Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute ( A SISTER NGO of Maharashtra Goat and sheep Research & Development Institute), Phaltan entitled,''Prolific Worm Resistant Meat Sheep for Maharashtra, Inida.

This project is making full use of Biotechnology. We are comparing three breeds of Inidan sheep the Grole, Deccani and the bannur. We hope to evaluate lamb production including prolificacy and resistance to parasites and try and determine the genetic basis of these differences by DNA analysis. We also hope to account for the interaction between measurement of resistance to parasistic nematodes and envronmental effects. The project has completed one year and the results so far are encouraging.

Our ultimate objective is to provide shepherds with rams incorporating the prolificacy of the Garole, the growth potential of the Awassi and the meat quality and hardiness of the Bannur.

A very important but at present neglected application of Biotechhnolovy which requires considerable investment is in the field of disease diagnosis and vaccine preparation. Once productive animals that respond to inputs are available and the rearers can afford to pay for the above services I am confident that the private sector will enter this field to provide this input.