Conservation and genetic issues in Indian cattle breeds

Indian cattle face genetic erosion due to crossbreeding, shrinking numbers in some native breeds, and inbreeding; conservation needs recording, selective breeding, breed societies, cryopreservation, and policy support focused on local adaptation.

Key problems

• Genetic dilution: Unplanned crossbreeding with imported taurine breeds can reduce unique indicine traits like heat and disease tolerance.
• Small populations: Some native breeds have low effective population size, which raises inbreeding risk and loss of rare alleles.
• Inbreeding and drift: Limited sires and closed herds can concentrate harmful variants over time.
• Loss of use value: Mechanization cuts demand for draught breeds, shrinking their herds.
• Data gaps: Weak performance recording makes it hard to identify the best animals for breeding.
• Market pressure: Preference for high-yield exotics in short term can sideline hardy local cows that perform better in heat and low-input systems.

Why native genetic diversity matters

Indian breeds carry genes for heat tolerance, tick and disease resistance, efficient feed use, and fertility under stress. In a warming climate, these traits protect farmer income and national food security. Losing them would make future herds less resilient to heat waves, new parasites, and feed scarcity.

Action plan for conservation

• Breed registration and herd books: Identify pure animals, keep pedigrees, and certify sires and dams.
• Structured selective breeding: Use open nucleus schemes, community bull programs, and AI with proven native sires.
• Performance recording: Milk, fertility, growth, disease events. Digital tools make on-farm data easy.
• Cryopreservation: Store semen and embryos from elite bulls and cows to safeguard lines.
• Genomic tools: Use SNP chips and sequencing to measure diversity, avoid inbreeding, and select for adaptive traits.
• Focused crossbreeding: Where needed, apply planned, limited crossbreeding with clear targets and maintain purebred nuclei.
• In-situ and ex-situ conservation: Support breed farms and village herds; maintain conservation herds in institutions.
• Policy and incentives: Support for native semen, insurance, grazing rights, fodder banks, and market branding of native-breed milk and ghee.
• Community involvement: Breed societies and farmer producer organizations can scale best practices.

Efforts typically involve national breeding programs, state livestock departments, agricultural universities, and research bodies. Examples include initiatives for native cattle development, semen stations, and field progeny testing. Collaboration among these groups plus local communities is key.