Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, a publicly funded, institute for water buffalo research. It is located 170 kilometres (110 mi) from Delhi, at Hisar in the north Indian state of Haryana. It has a sub-campus, Bir Dosanjh, at Nabha. CIRB operates a nationwide network of 10 research centres working on breed improvement of the 7 main native breeds. CIRB, with over 20 laboratories for buffalo research, is the world's largest buffalo research institute with the widest range of breeds under study. With the aim of improving breeds and dissemination of information, CIRB has sold over 1,000 bulls, conducted ~200,000 artificial insemination in the field for the farmers’ buffaloes with a 41% conception rate, distributed ~520,000 progeny tested frozen semen kits to 45,000 farmers and over 250 institutes, imparted training to several thousand farmers on advanced buffalo husbandry, and created the world's first online Buffalopedia in several languages. It has a large research partner network across India and the globe. It is the second institute to successfully clone a buffalo in 2016, after the first successful cloning was achieved by the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal in 2010. In July 2017, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research ranked CIRB Hisar as India's number one Buffalo research institute for the year 2016–17.India has 58% the world's buffaloes and 35% of India's cattle are buffaloes. Buffalo milk is 70% of the total milk yield in India, with its national gross domestic product (GDP) share being larger than wheat and rice combined. Buffalo meat makes up 86% of India's total meat exports, earning INR 26,000 crore (US$4 billion) in 2013–14. CIRB makes high-quality semen available for buffalo breeding at a very low cost to India's farmers. Semen and buffaloes, particularly the Murrah buffalo, are exported to other nations worldwide for the improvement of the breed.In January 2019, Haryana has 3,600,000 cattle (2,100,00 buffaloes and 1,500,000 cows) and state govt is making efforts to raise the average daily production to 10 liter per milch animal from the existing 6.8 liter, which compares poorly to global best practices such as 15 litres in Australia, 16 litres in New Zealand and 30 litres in Israel. MoU have been signed with Brazil to improve the cattle breed through Embryo transfer technique and another with Israel for milk production through genetic engineering, cattle feed improvement, cold chain and other technologies.
This study presents the first pedigree analysis of the Ganjam goats of Odisha from the data collected on field condition over a decade (2014-2024). The research aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity, population structure and inbreeding levels using pedigree data of 5147 animals and the animals born between 2020 and 2022 forming the current reference population. A total of 406 animals were identified as founders. The average age of breeding bucks and does were 3.78 and 3.45 years, respectively and each animal produced an average of 4.3 no. of replacement kids. Pedigree completeness indices indicated moderate to good pedigree depth, with higher completeness observed in the reference population. Low levels of inbreeding were observed in both the total (0.5%) and reference populations (0.63%), while average relatedness remained moderate. The effective population size was estimated at 231.8 for the total population and 225.7 for the reference population. The average generation interval for the population was 3.34 +/- 0.06 years. The effective number of founders (fe), ancestors (fa), founder genomes (fg) and non-founder genomes (fng) were 114.5, 110.6, 85.5 and 48.2, respectively. The GD-GD* analysis revealed minimal loss in heterozygosity (0.15% for the entire population and 0.27% for the reference population), showing that genetic diversity is well-maintained. However, continued monitoring and conservation efforts are needed to sustain this status.
Abstract During growth in ovaries, mammalian oocytes accumulate maternal transcripts, proteins, and metabolites that support meiotic divisions and embryogenesis. As oocytes become fully grown, RNA Polymerase II is degraded and transcription is effectively silenced. However, RNA splicing appears to be required for oocyte division, a requirement which remains poorly characterized. Here, we define this post-transcriptional RNA splicing landscape of fully grown mouse oocytes and develop a computational resource that identifies post-transcriptional splicing events, signatures, sequence features, and protein binding motifs responsive to splicing perturbation. We show that, unlike transcription, RNA splicing in fully grown oocytes is essential for meiotic progression. Applying our resource across perturbations, we identify hundreds of genes whose proper splicing is required for oocyte division and reveal that distinct perturbations converge on overlapping regulatory programs controlling cytoskeletal organization and cell cycle progression that drive oocyte division. We experimentally validate selected resource-derived predictions using chemical and protein-based splicing perturbations. These findings demonstrate that extensive RNA processing persists after transcription has ceased and position post-transcriptional splicing as a fundamental regulator of mammalian oocyte development.
Livestock rearing anchors cultural identity and household sustenance in rural Punjab, where the Nili-Ravi buffalo continues to carry ecological and social importance despite the expanding preference for other high-yielding breeds. Farmer perceptions shape the continuity of this indigenous breed, yet these perception systems remain poorly represented in formal breeding and conservation frameworks. The study was conducted in the four districts of Punjab that host India’s only concentrated Nili-Ravi population—Firozpur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Gurdaspur—using a stratified random sampling plan covering eight blocks and 240 respondent households. Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) was applied to calibrate four farmer-defined traits, construct truth tables, test necessity conditions, and explore sufficiency configurations. Findings revealed that farmers engaged in different rearing systems interpret the breed through distinctly different perceptual logics. Only-Nili-Ravi rearers relied strongly on pinkish tongue, short forelimbs, and walled eyes as core identification cues, whereas mixed rearers managing both Nili-Ravi and Murrah prioritised Panch Kalyani due to the need for clearer visual differentiation across breeds. Configurational analysis showed that high breed recognition among Nili-Ravi-only rearers required combinations of pink tongue, short forelimbs, and walled eyes, while among mixed rearers, Panch Kalyani consistently emerged as the core condition. These results demonstrate that breed perception is context-dependent, shaped by herd composition, visual contrast, and experiential familiarity. The study suggests that conservation policy must integrate farmer-defined perceptual cues, periodically revisit breed descriptors, and design participatory extension strategies aligned with the recognition systems actually used by rearers in the field.
Heat stress (HS) poses a significant challenge to pig production worldwide, with far-reaching consequences for productivity, reproduction, and overall animal welfare. Stress, broadly defined as the nonspecific physiological response to environmental demands, disrupts homeostasis, leading to health imbalances, behavioral changes, and reduced productive efficiency. Pigs are particularly susceptible to HS due to their limited thermoregulatory capacity, influenced by a low density of functional sweat glands and a thick subcutaneous fat layer. Rising global temperatures have exacerbated HS-induced economic losses in the swine industry, manifesting as decreased growth rates, poor reproductive performance, reduced feed efficiency, increased morbidity, and mortality. HS impairs pig production by diminishing feed intake and nutrient availability, which leads to reduced growth, suboptimal carcass quality, and compromised reproduction. Sows experience increased anestrus, extended weaning-to-estrus intervals, and smaller litter sizes, while boars exhibit reduced semen quality and fertility. The genetic selection for higher productivity has inadvertently lowered heat tolerance, as metabolic heat production increases with improved production traits. Furthermore, inadequate environmental management in pig housing exacerbates the impact of HS. Variations in heat tolerance among pigs underscore the importance of understanding genetic, physiological, and environmental factors influencing their response to HS. Research reveals genetic differences in thermotolerance, offering potential avenues for selective breeding to improve resilience. Effective management strategies, including nutritional adjustments, environmental modifications, and genetic selection, are crucial for mitigating the negative effects of HS and enhancing pig productivity. This review highlights the multifaceted impacts of HS on swine production, explores the physiological and reproductive consequences, and discusses adaptive and ameliorative measures to address these challenges, with a focus on maintaining sustainable pig production in the face of climatic changes. • Limited number of sweat glands and a thick subcutaneous adipose tissue layer makes pigs susceptible to the heat stress. • Heat stress affects growth rate and productive performance of pigs. • Heat stress mediated release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) results in down regulation of Hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis resulting in negative effect on fertility. • The amelioration strategies include development of cooling systems and enhancing genetic heat tolerance. • Heat stress has negative impact on production and fertility of swine population. • Heat stress reduces basal metabolic rate, feed intake and growth rate leading to productive loss in swine industry. • Heat stress negatively influences reproductive performance in pigs. • The amelioration strategies include development of cooling systems and enhancing genetic heat tolerance.
Since Spallanzani’s first attempt to preserve sperm cells by cooling in ice, reproductive biology in animals has evolved significantly, from semen cryopreservation to the creation of genome-edited embryos. Animal reproductive technologies encompass semen cryopreservation, artificial insemination (AI), in vitro maturation/fertilization, embryo production (in vivo or in vitro), embryo transfer, ovum pick-up, cloning, genome editing, and nanotechnology. These technologies have revolutionized genetic improvement and productivity through optimizing reproduction in the livestock sector. Among these, nanotechnology, in particular, is promising for transforming the assisted reproductive domain of theriogenology such as sperm/oocyte and embryo biology. In sperm biology, nanotechnology has its application in semen purification, bioimaging, cryopreservation, sperm sorting, and sperm-mediated genomic engineering. Further, preliminary studies have shown that nanotechnology may augment follicular growth, maturation, and fertilization during in vitro culture of oocytes. Additionally, nanotechnology has led to notable improvements in embryo production and the development of advanced procedures like selection, bisection, and genetic engineering of embryos. Thus, nanotechnology stands out as a transformative tool with the potential to revolutionize every facet of reproductive biology across animal species. Looking ahead, the continued integration of nanotechnology with reproductive biotechnologies offers immense promise for enhancing the efficiency and precision of reproductive management. This review will underscore the evolution of nanotechnology applications in reproductive biology and their prospects for the livestock industry.
