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The National Research Centre on Yak (NRC-Yak), Dirang, Arunachal
Pradesh is the only ICAR institute for conservation of yak
germplasm and development of yak husbandry in the country.
Recently Dr. Vinod Duttabaruah, Senior Research Fellow and Dr.
Mihir Sarkar Scientist of NRC-Yak in collaboration with Dr. B.C.
Deka, Dr. B.C. Sharma and Dr. P. C. Chakraborty, the Professors
of College of Veterinary Science, AAU, Khanapara, Guwahati
achieved a breakthrough in training yak bulls for semen
collection.
A total of five genetically selected superior yak bulls
maintained at National Research Centre on yak, Nyukmadun,
Arunachal Pradesh were taken for the purpose. The bulls were
trained and semen was collected from them using estrous yak cows
as dummy following artificial vagina technique. Semen was
collected once in a week. A total of 25 ejaculates were used for
freezing of yak semen, and nearly 500 frozen yak straws were
prepared.
The post thaw motility was studied after one month, and found to
be satisfactory. A total of 10 estrus animals comprising 9 yaks
and 1 local cow were inseminated using frozen yak semen straws
at late estrus. Pregnancy rate was determined on the basis of
non-returning to estrus. Five number of the inseminated animals
were observed to be not returning to estrus, estimating
fertility rate to be 50%. Inbreeding in yak herds is very
common due to maintenance of improper herd size, and this
problem has been found to be responsible for many reproductive
disorders, poor production potential and ultimately rapid
dwindling of yak population in India.
Therefore, use of frozen yak semen for artificial insemination
in yak pockets in collaboration with state agencies has
tremendous potential to ameliorate aforesaid problems of yak
husbandry. Hence, development of yak frozen semen by NRC on Yak,
ICAR for the first time in India may be considered as a
breakthrough in yak husbandry.
  
  
 
Processing
of yak semen
AI with frozen yak semen
First
Yak Calf born through embryo transfer
The National
Research Centre on Yak (NRC-Yak) Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh is
the only ICAR institute for conservation and development of yak
husbandry in the country. In the year 2004, Dr. M. Sarkar, Dr.
K.P. Remesha, Dr. M. Bhattacharya, the Scientists of NRC-Yak in
collaboration with Dr. B.C. Deka, Dr. B.C. Sharma and Dr. P.
Chakraborty, the Professors of Collage of Veterinary Science,
AAU, Khanapara, Guwahati conducted an experiment on EET in yak.
One yak cow, superovulated with Folltropin-V, was used for
collection of embryos.
Three numbers
of embryos were successfully collected non-surgically from the
donor yak cow. One of the transferable embryos (morula) was
transferred to a recipient yak cow whose heat was synchronized
with that of the donor. One female yak calf which was named
‘MISMO’ took birth from that recipient yak cow.
This was the
pioneering work in yak ETT indicating prospect of implementing
ETT in ex-situ conservation as well as for augmenting
reproductive efficiency in yak.
September 2008
Dr. Mihir Sarkar
is a senior scientist in the National Research Centre on Yak, an
ICAR project, at Dirang Arunachal Pradesh, India. |
