Latest news with #NDRI
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Science
- New Indian Express
Chhattisgarh's wild buffalo clone, claimed to be 'first-ever' 11 years back, embroils in scepticism
RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh forest department made headlines 11 years ago, claiming to have produced the first-ever clone of the wild buffalo, named 'DeepAsha' and is currently embroiled in scepticism. The project was executed by the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, which claimed to have cloned the wild buffalo for the first time in the country through the 'Hand-guided Cloning Technique' at ICAR-NDRI in December 2014. The clone appears like a Murrah buffalo (domestic) breed, and notably the Wild buffalo is listed under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act. Amid the demand by wildlife enthusiasts of DeepAsha's DNA report, the state forest department decided to raise a query to the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) asking, 'Is it technically possible to create xerox copy of wild buffalo in a cloning method where ovaries (that produces oocyte/egg cells) for cloning is sourced from slaughter house?' The response given to the department by CCMB in March this year that it was 'not possible', was acquired under the Right to Information.
Hindustan Times
15-07-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
In a first: Calf produced using cloned Gir cow's eggs say NDRI experts
In a major breakthrough in Indian animal biotechnology, the ICAR–National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, has successfully produced a Gir calf using ovum pick-up and in vitro fertilisation (OPU-IVF) from oocytes (developing eggs) retrieved from a cloned Gir cow — a first-of-its-kind achievement in the country, experts at the institute said. The calf, born to a Sahiwal surrogate, was created from oocytes aspirated from 'Ganga', India's first cloned Gir cow. (HT Photo) The institute stated that this success highlights NDRI's leadership in cattle reproduction innovation. The entire process, which usually takes five to seven years through traditional breeding, was accomplished in just 39 months. The calf, born to a Sahiwal surrogate, was created from oocytes aspirated from 'Ganga', India's first cloned Gir cow, and fertilised with semen from a genetically superior Gir bull, according to NDRI scientists. The research team responsible for the milestone includes Manoj Kumar Singh, Ranjeet Verma, Kartikey Patel, Priyanka Singh, Nitin Tyagi and Naresh Selokar. 'Ganga' was born on March 16, 2023, through handmade cloning technology developed in-house by NDRI scientists. She matured normally and attained puberty by 18 months. At that stage, her oocytes were collected using OPU — a non-surgical, ultrasound-guided method — matured in vitro, and fertilised to generate embryos. Announcing the development on Monday, ICAR-NDRI director and vice-chancellor Dheer Singh called it a significant step toward self-reliance in dairy genetics. 'This achievement marks a revolutionary leap in improving indigenous cattle breeds. It enables faster multiplication of elite germplasm and brings science-backed prosperity to farmers,' he said. He added that the newborn Gir calf — yet to be named — is the second-generation offspring of the original elite donor and Ganga. 'The fact that this was achieved in just 39 months underscores the transformative potential of combining cloning and IVF for livestock development,' Singh said. Despite India having over 145 million female cattle and leading global milk production, challenges remain due to low per-animal productivity, Singh noted. He emphasised that integrating cloning with OPU-IVF could rapidly multiply elite indigenous animals, conserve valuable genetic resources, and address future needs for milk and high-quality breeding bulls. Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) vice chancellor MS Chauhan also hailed the development. He said such technologies are crucial for building a genetically superior and productive dairy herd. NDRI scientists said that OPU-IVF enables significant improvements in dairy productivity by allowing non-invasive and repeatable oocyte collection, even from young, infertile, or early pregnant donors. The process yields more embryos per donor and supports the production of elite bulls, helping to address shortages in artificial insemination (AI) semen supply. NDRI has a strong track record in indigenous cattle research. In 2012, the institute produced the country's first OPU-IVF Sahiwal calf, named 'Holi'.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan: Lack of quality seeds, market for produce among major challenges for farmers
As the 15-day nationwide 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' (VKSA) ended with a programme by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Gujarat on Thursday, heads of the ICAR institutes in Karnal presented the summary of Haryana chapter of the campaign, putting poor availability of quality seeds, lack of marketing access and awareness regarding crop insurance, loans and other subsidies as major challenges before farmers. National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) director Dheer Singh, who was the Nodal Officer for VKSA in Haryana, said that 902 teams worked to gather the issues and written feedback or grievances were taken from the farmers during the campaign from May 29 to June 12. At a press conference at his office, Singh said that the teams comprising scientists from the central institutes, with support from the state government and other institutes visited 3,482 cluster villages in all 22 districts of the state and had a direct interaction with nearly 4.5 lakh farmers. 'We received feedback of more than 10,000 farmers and some common among them will be clubbed for a final report to be submitted with the higher authorities,' the NDRI director said. Ratan Tiwari, director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR); Shiv Kumar Yadav, head, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), regional station, Karnal; Rajan Sharma, joint director, NDRI, BS Meena, principal scientist and coordinator of VKSA in Karnal and others also joined the media interaction. Officials said that the campaign announced by Union minister Chouhan last month, aimed to create awareness among farmers about modern technology and new seed varieties, while also laying the foundation for advanced agriculture, modern farming techniques, introducing welfare schemes of the government and also hearing their grievances. Among the major challenges faced by the farmers, NDRI and IIWBR directors said, is chronic shortages and poor timing of DAP, urea, gypsum and other as well as frequent adulteration in fertilisers, insecticides, oil cakes and seeds. 'Also among the major problems captured during the discussion were over use of nitrogen-based fertilisers, particularly urea, need for effective management strategies against Bakanae disease in rice, poor seed germination and high weed pressure in direct-seeded rice (DSR). Farmers demanded introduction of high-yielding, salt-tolerant varieties of rice, wheat, and other major crops as well as short-duration rice varieties to support crop diversification and timely sowing, high-yielding crop varieties suited for natural and organic farming systems and strengthening of public sector hybrid development programs in rice, maize, and vegetables were other suggestions,' IIWBR director Tiwari said. Similarly, NDRI director said that they were told about persistent delays and blockages in subsidy disbursement, severe delays in crop insurance claims and cumbersome process of agri or animal loans. 'There is a strong demand for agricultural implements like DSR machines, mulchers, balers, paddy straw balers and others. We also came across the fact that there is a need for para-veterinary services at village and block level and there has been poor coordination in animal husbandry services as often the insemination services are done by untrained personnel. In dairies, farmers demand guaranteed and uniform milk pricing, reduction of middlemen and direct-to-customer sales via local markets or apps. There were numerous complaints about lack of marketing access for produce like crops, honey, milk, paneer, vegetables and others,' Singh added.
Hindustan Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
NDRI develops easy to digest goat milk cheese, trays using apricot kernels from Ladakh
ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal has introduced easily digestible goat milk cottage cheese, joha rice-based kheer and prepared biodegradable trays using apricot kernel. The newly developed products by the dairy institute were introduced before the students, public and the media during an event organised at the campus to mark World Milk Day on Sunday. Officials said that the programme titled as 'Let's Celebrate the Power of Dairy', was chaired by ICAR-ATARI, Jodhpur director JP Mishra and also attended by ICAR-NDRI director and vice-chancellor Dheer Singh and joint director (academics) AK Singh, joint director (research) Rajan Sharma and others. Sharing details about the products, the director said that non-bovine milk is a niche area in which NDRI has been working for the last several years. 'NDRI has developed various value-added products from goat and camel milk. Products like goat milk cottage cheese, which is easily digestible and possesses antioxidant and antibacterial properties, has been developed along with joha rice-based kheer,' he said. Joha rice, Singh said, is an aromatic rice cultivated in Assam and is known for its low glycaemic index and rich in several antioxidants, flavonoids, and phenolics. The milk products, NDRI scientists said, will be available at the milk parlour after the formalities are completed in the next two months. The director further said that the institute scientists have also prepared biodegradable trays using apricot kernels, which is considered 100% waste. 'Apricot kernel based biodegradable packaging can be used for the packaging of dairy products such as sweets. The NDRI is also supporting prospective entrepreneurs by nurturing their ideas,' he added. Scientists said that they have started exploring using these trays made of apricot kernel from the Ladakh region, to replace plastic-based trays used in pinni packs. About the milk productivity and its economies, Singh said that Indian dairy sector involves about 450 million small and marginal farmers and the contribution of dairy and animal husbandry sector to India's GDP is 4.5% and the contribution of dairy sector to agriculture sector is 24%, which is valued around ₹10 Lakh crore and it is highest in the world. He further emphasised that ICAR-NDRI supported the nation's white revolution by producing quality germ plasm, elite breeds, skilled manpower and valuable insights and timely inputs. 'Due to these collective efforts, India has been reigning as the largest milk producer of the World since 1998. Currently, the annual milk production in India is 239 million metric tonnes (MMT) and per capita milk availability is 471 gallons per day. The per capita availability of milk in India is higher than the world's average per capita availability i.e. 322 gallons per day,' he added.
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Kashmir university researchers produce India's first gene-edited sheep: ‘Birth of a new era'
A team of researchers from the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences (SKUAST) in Srinagar has produced India's first gene-edited sheep. The gene-editing of the sheep was possible after four years of research and will enhance the muscle mass of the animal by 30%, the researchers said. The breakthrough comes after the release of India's first gene-edited rice variety recently. 'As of now, this has been done at the research level,' said Prof Riaz Ahmad Shah, who led a team of five researchers at SKUAST. 'The technique has multiple applications. We can edit the genes responsible for diseases to produce disease-resistant animals. It can also help in the twinning of animals at birth,' he said. The team of researchers edited the myostatin gene of the lamb that is responsible for regulating the growth of muscle in the sheep. 'By disrupting the sheep, the muscle mass in the animal is enhanced by nearly 30%, a trait naturally absent in Indian sheep breeds but known in select European breeds like the Texel,' Prof Shah said. 'The introduction of this mutation through gene editing, and not through traditional crossbreeding, represents a technological leap.' Earlier, a team of researchers at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) had developed a gene-edited embryo of a buffalo. 'This is not just the birth of a lamb, but the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in India,' said Dr Nazir Ahmad Ganai, vice chancellor of SKUAST-Kashmir. 'With gene editing, we have the ability to bring precise, beneficial changes without introducing foreign DNA, making the process efficient, safe, and potentially acceptable to both regulators and consumers.' The project was sponsored by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Shah said, 'The gene editing was performed using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and adhered to international biosafety protocols.' The gene-editing technique, CRISPR, won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. 'The edited sheep doesn't contain any foreign DNA, thus distinguishing it from transgenic organisms. This can pave the way for regulatory approval under India's evolving biotech policy framework,' he said. A veteran scientist, Shah is also credited with the development of the first cloned Pashmina goat, Noori, in 2012. The Pashmina goat survived for 11 years and produced seven kids. With a specialisation in Animal Cloning and Gene Editing, Shah has also played a key role in producing the world's first cloned buffalo at NDRI, Karnal. 'The government is already in the process of making regulations for gene-edited animals. Once that is done, and it is allowed at the farmer level, it will have a widespread application,' he said.
