Discuss the various techniques adopted in cattle breeding.

Explanation

Methods of Animal breeding :
There are two methods of animal breeding :
1. Inbreeding :
i. Breeding between animals of the same breed for 4-6 generations is called inbreeding. Increases homozygosity and exposes the harmful recessive genes.
ii. Continuous inbreeding reduces fertility and even productivity, resulting in "inbreeding depression’’.
iii. This can be avoided by breeding selected animals of the breeding population and they should be mated with superior animals of the same breed but unrelated to the breeding population.
iv. It helps to restore fertility and yield.
2. Outbreeding:
The breeding between unrelated animals is called outbreeding. It helps to produce new and favourable traits, to produce hybrids with superior qualities and helps to create new breeds.
i. Out crossing : It is the breeding between unrelated animals of the same breed but having no common ancestry. The offspring of such a cross is called outcross. This method is suitable for breeding animals below average in productivity.
ii. Cross breeding : Breeding between a superior male of one breed with a superior female of another breed. The cross breed progeny has superior traits ( hybrid vigour or heterosis).
iii. Interspecific hybridization : Method of breeding between male and female of two different species. Eg: Mule (male donkey and a female horse).
3. Artificial insemination :
i. it is a technique in which the semen collected from the male is injected to the reproductive tract of the selected female.
ii. Artificial insemination is economical measure where fewer bulls are required and maximum use can be made of the best sire.
Multiple Ovulation Embryo Transfer technology (MOET) :
i. It is another method of propagation of animals with desirable traits. This method is applied when the success rate of crossing is low even after artificial insemination.
ii. In this method Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is administered to cows for inducing follicular maturation and super ovulation.
iii. Instead of one egg per cycle, 6-8 eggs can be produced by this technology. The eggs are carefully recovered non-surgically from the genetic mother and fertilized artificially.
iv. The embryos al 8-32 celled stages are recovered and transferred then a surrogate mother. For another round of ovulation, the same genetic mother is utilized.
v. This technology can be applied to cattle, sheep and buffaloes. Advantage of this technology is to produce high milk yielding females and high-quality meat yielding bulls in a short time.