9 farming systems in the adopted villages of the
institute were identified.
Nomenclature was given to farming system.
Impact
of Artificial insemination area specific mineral
mixture and balanced feeding was examined on buffalo
milk production of different farming systems.
Cost
of milk production along with their break even
point and buffalo rearing by different farming
systems was calculated.
Paradigm
of decision making of different technologies by
different farming systems was prepared.
Protocol
for cryopreservation of buffalo semen standardized
and is being continuously assessed and further
improved for achieving best post-thaw semen quality.
Over the years, the laboratory has produced over
four lakh doses of quality frozen semen from elite
Murrah buffalo bulls and currently maintaining
a stock of nearly three lakhs doses. Research
in the backward motility pattern of buffalo bull
spermatozoa during cryopreservation lead to identification
of the factors responsible for the same and subsequent
modification of semen cryopreservation protocols
enabled us to successfully freeze 20 per cent
more ejaculates, thereby increasing the frozen
semen production.
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Follicular
dynamics in the ovaries of female buffaloes during
various phases viz. prepuberty, postpuberty, postpartum,
pregnant and anestrus / subestrus, have been studied.
Research indicated that follicular turn-over continues
in ovaries of female buffaloes irrespective of
the phase, but the ovulatory mechanism is compromised
during unfavourable phase / conditions.
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Effect
of different therapeutic protocols on ovarian
response, in terms of follicular dynamics, ovulation
and development / regression of luteal structures,
has been studied, in order to devise the optimum
protocol for consistent results in cases of infertility.
‘Ovusynch-Plus’ protocol gave encouraging results
in management of anestrus and subestrus with good
fertility to fixed time inseminations, thereby
circumventing the need for estrus detection, which
is otherwise inefficient in buffaloes.
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Endocrinology
of reproduction was studied in normal, superovulated
and infertile females as well as in breeding bulls.
Physiology of follicular fluid and ovarian histology
were also studied for delineating differences
in the ovarian structure and function in buffaloes,
which were found to be having more proportion
of atretic follicles in the ovaries. Peripheral
hormonal profiles were found not indicative of
the superovulatory response. Superovulation response
was poor in buffaloes.
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Early
fetal development is being studied with ultrasonography
and the earliest time for accurate pregnancy diagnosis
and sequential developmental changes in fetus
are being determined, together with the use of
technique for fetal sex determination.
-
Using
the technique of superovulation – embryo transfer,
Scientists in the division of BPR could successfully
produce 14 buffalo claves.
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The
technique of IVF using abattoir ovarian oocytes
after their maturation in vitro, was studied with
high fertilization rates and higher production
of morula and blastocysts using various media,
supplements, culture techniques etc. The influence
of various factors on yield of oocytes, in vitro
sperm capacitation and IVF was also studied.
-
In
order to check bull fertility in vitro at low
cost, in comparison to long and expensive field
fertility analysis, bull fertility testing is
being done using homologous IVF system with readily
available abattoir ovarian oocytes.
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The
technique of PCR was successfully employed for
sexing of in vitro produced buffalo embryos using
bovine specific primers. Biopsy of as little as
a single blastomere from developing morula / blastocyst
was sufficient to correctly diagnose the embryonic
sex, which always corroborated with determined
sex of the whole embryo.
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Requirements and economic
feeding regimens for all categories of buffaloes
developed.
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The nutritive value of wheat straw can be improved
in terms of increase in CP (2.49 to 7.59) and
decrease in fibre content (42.55 to 37.82), if it
is treated with 4% urea treatment at 35% DM and
ensiled for 30 days. The treated straw can serve
as complete maintenance ration if fed ad lib
along with 3-5 kg green fodder, 50 g mineral
mixture and salt to the adult buffaloes.
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Supplementation of formaldehyde treated (1g/100g
protein) groundnut cake at 750g / heifer along
with ad lib 4% urea treated wheat straw as
basal ration and 3-4 kg green fodder, a body
weight gain of 500g/day was obtained in growing
buffalo heifers of one year age.
-
Formaldehyde protected deoiled mustard cake proved
equally good as cotton seed cake when fed as
supplement to wheat straw based diet and such
feeding regimes can provide economical ration for
growing buffalo calves.
-
On straw based all forage diet, replacement of 1
kg concentrate mixture with 1.2 kg berseem hay
resulted in 40% reduction in cost of production
provided basal roughage is a quality non-legume
forage.
-
Feeding ammoniated straw
with green berseem along with available cereal
energy source provide economical ration for
buffalo calves.
-
Feeding growing buffalo calves at higher plane of
nutrition (120% above ICAR standard) resulted in
gain of 748 g / day on urea-ammonia treated wheat
straw based ration with little supplementation of
green.
-
Results of an experiment with lactating buffaloes
revealed that the costly groundnut cake (GNC) can
be replaced with 50% expeller pressed mustard cake
or 100% soybean meal in the concentrate mixture of
the buffaloes on urea-ammonia treated wheat straw
based rations without affecting the feed intake,
nutrient utilization and milk production.
-
The growth performance of buffalo calves (4-6
months) on urea-ammonia treated wheat straw based
ration remained same (i.e. 541, 540 and 507 g /
day) when groundnut cake was replaced with
sunflower cake or deoiled sunflower cake in the
concentrate mixture of these calves.
-
The DM intake (2.76, 2.81 and 2.90 kg / 100kg body
wt.) and growth rate (567, 589 and 570 g / day)
remained unaffected when groundnut cake was
replaced with sunflower cake or deoiled sunflower
cake in the concentrate mixture of the heifers on
urea treated straw based rations.
-
The requirements of the concentrate mixture can be
compensated up to 20% in buffalo heifers given
wheat straw ad lib and 5 kg seasonal green
and conventional concentrate mixture as per
requirements without affecting the DM intake
(around 3 kg/100 kg body weight), growth rate
(around 500g/day) and nutrient utilization.
-
Pregnant buffalo heifers given wheat straw based
rations with the difference only in composition of
concentrate mixture. The groundnut cake in
concentrate mixture in control group was replaced
with expeller pressed mustard cake and sunflower
cake in other two groups. A growth rate of 524,
478 and 486 g/day was obtained without affecting
the nutrient utilization.
-
Feeding of germinated oat seeds resulted in better
nutrient utilization, comparative growth rate (534
and 533 g/d) and improved semen quality in terms
of semen volume (2.23 and 3.38 ml per
ejaculation), mass activity (1.93 and 2.20), sperm
count (965 and 1046 million per ml), higher
percentage (63.89%) of creamy ejaculates in
buffalo bulls.
-
Feeding of cotton seed cake as a source of
concentrate mixture to early lactating buffaloes
in 2nd and 3rd lactation on urea-ammonia treated
straw based ration increases the milk yield (10%
increase) and fat content from 6.47 to 6.89 % in
early lactation. The buffaloes in control group
lost about 18 kg weight during first six weeks of
lactation, where as cotton seed cake fed buffaloes
maintained their body weight during the same
period.
-
Body weights, feed intake and nitrogen retention
data showed that feeding urea-ammonia treated
berseem or oats straw ad lib can meet the
maintenance requirements of buffalo bullocks
satisfactorily.
-
Murrah bullocks consumed higher DM (12.4, 13.7 and
14.5 kg/day) when solvent extracted mustard cake
was increased from 0, 1 and 2 kg in respective
groups on green oats fodder based diet The
apparent digestibility of all the nutrients
significantly increased.
-
Feeding growing buffalo calves at higher plane of
nutrition (120% above ICAR standard) resulted in
gain of 748 g/day on urea treated straw based
rations with little supplementation of green.
-
Pregnant heifers may be given 30% extra
concentrate allowance in the later part of their
pregnancy and if same feeding regime continue in
early lactation stage they would be able to
maintain their body weight.
-
Both, in vivo and in vitro results
indicated that the proportions of acetate
decreased and those of propionate, butyrate and
higher chain acids increased as the amount of
concentrate increased in the diet.
-
In vitro (and in vivo) experiments
indicated that higher population / biomass of
protozoa associated with increase in the amount of
concentrate in the diet increased the ammonia
concentration and decreased proportions of
propionate in the total VFA. The butyrate and
higher chain fatty acids were more due to larger
protozoal biomass as compared to bacterial
biomass.
-
A
significant population of microbes viz.
protozoa (48-55%, average 51.5%) and bacteria
(54-57%, average 56.1%) was associated with the
particulate phase of digesta. The chemical
composition of this microbial biomass from the
solute and particulate phases of digesta was
estimated and it was found that the composition of
protozoa from the two phases was similar while the
composition of bacteria was different.
-
The defaunating effects of some agents were in the
order: copper sulphate > sodium laury1 sulphate >
Enterolobium leaves > neem seed kernel.
Defaunation of animals increased the proportion of
propionate and synthesis of microbial nitrogen in
the rumen.
-
Buffaloes kept in open consumed 1.5 kg organic
matter extra to maintain their body weight and
milk yield as compared to covered shed animals in
extreme cold environment and need to be protected
to maintain their production performance.
-
Growth rate in buffalo heifers remained same (i.e
460 and 467 g/ d) but the cost per kg live weight
gain reduced from Rs. 35.73 to 30.81 in
conventional stall fed and complete feed in mash
form fed animals. Wheat straw intake increased
6.0% in buffaloes fed complete feed in mash form
as compared to the conventional system of feeding.
-
Defaunated buffalo calves gained more (425 g/day)
with less consumption of dry matter in comparison
of faunated calves (340 g/day) and the feed
conversion efficiency (feed:gain ratio) was also
better in defaunated animals. Nitrogen retained as
percent of nitrogen intake was better in
defaunated group. Further experiments on
fistulated animals indicated that defaunation of
animals increased the propionate production and
better nitrogen utilization consistent with the
observation recorded in the growth studies.
-
Deficiencies of essential minerals like calcium,
phosphorus, zinc and manganese is generally
observed in rural buffaloes. Lower content of
these minerals in the feeds and fodders fed to
these animals is the cause of the problem of
prolonged anestrous and reproductive problems.
Buffaloes when given specially developed ‘area
specific mineral mixture’ in their ration, 70%
of them conceived within a period of 2-4 weeks.
The composition of this mixture consisted of DCP
95%, zinc sulphate 2%, manganese sulphate 2%,
copper sulphate 0.50% and potassium iodide 0.01%.
-
Bio availability of essential minerals was
evaluated in buffalo calves fed common farm
rations.
-
Feeding grain less diet to buffalo heifers can
support a growth rate of about 500g/day without
affecting their nutrient utilization but the cost
per kg gain reduced significantly.
-
The in sacco DM and CP degradability showed
increasing trend as the proportion of the
concentrate increase in the diet. The extent of
increase tended to decline at very high level of
concentrate in the diet.
-
The rumen fermentation pattern i.e. the
concentration of NH3-N, Total N and
TVFA were higher in the animals fed high
concentrate in the diet. The proportion of
propionate and butyrate increased as the
proportion of the concentrate increased in the
diet.
-
Neem and Enterolobium timoba leaves extract were
able to completely remove the protozoa from the
rumen of the buffalo calves and can be effectively
used as defaunating agents.
-
Neem bark water extract inhibits development of
A. parasiticus to the tune of 63.3%.
-
Sodium bentonite and utrasil binds aflatoxins in
the feeds and can be used as
detoxifying/counteracting aflatoxins in livestock
feeds.
