Latest news with #NDRI
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.
Hindustan Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Moving towards record wheat production this year: Chouhan
Union agriculture and farmers' welfare minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday expressed high hopes that the country will witness record wheat production during the ongoing Rabi season and that has been only possible due to high yielding variety of seeds developed by the wheat scientists. The minister said this during 'Krishak Sanwad', a dialogue with the farmers and wheat experts organised at Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) in Karnal. Chouhan, who was on a day long visit here, also inaugurated a Genome Editing Lab funded by 'Enhancing Climate Resilience and Ensuring Food Security with Genome Editing Tools', one of the schemes by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The lab aims to utilise modern genomic tools to enhance desired traits for better adaptation and enriched grain quality, the IIWBR said. '25% increase in production in last decade' During a brief interaction with Hindustan Times, Chouhan said that despite climatic change and increasing temperatures, the productivity of wheat has not declined in the country. 'It is a proud moment for the country that despite the climate change, there has been an increase in wheat production by 25% in the last one decade, since Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister of the country. The farmers and scientists have done a commendable job,' he said. When asked about this year's figures for wheat yield, the union minister said, 'Our teams are currently gathering data from the fields, and it will be shared as and when it is compiled.' However, Chouhan said that at the farmer's gathering, a local peasant Vikas Chaudhary informed him about getting wheat yield of 70 quintals per hectare (nearly 28 quintals per acre) at his farm using seeds from IIWBR. 'The wheat and barley institute has so far developed bio-fortified verities of wheat that are climate resilient and water intensive, and we aim to develop more of them,' he added. Senior agricultural officials said that the field surveys are underway in several regions of Haryana as well and are likely to conclude by the end of the month. The country is aiming to achieve an annual wheat production of 115 million tonnes (MT) in the 2024-25 season as against 113.2 MT achieved during the last season, which was an all-time high. India, which is the second-largest wheat grower after China, achieved this feat despite a fall in area under cultivation. During his public address with the farmers, the minister said that there was time in the 1960s, when the country was depended on 'rejected' wheat from the United States and now it is not only self-reliant, but is also exporting the crop to other countries, in free of cost to a few of them. 21st convocation at NDRI Earlier in the day, the minister also chaired the 21st convocation ceremony of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI). The minister conferred degrees to a total of 201 students from various out of which 32 students were awarded BTech degree, 98 students were awarded master's degree and 71 researchers were awarded PhD degrees NDRI director Dheer Singh said the Best Thesis Research Award was given to Liza S, Animal Physiology in the Doctoral Programme; Poornima, Dairy Technology in the Processing Group and P Akshith Sai in Social Sciences and Management. Similarly, awards were also given to students of the master's programme as well, while Dairy Extension Division of the NDRI was handed over the Best Division Award for the year 2024. During his address, the minister urged the students to think beyond salary packages and become a citizen with values for the society, also aiming to provide employment and skills to the youth. The chief guest further added that convocation is an opportunity to take a pledge when the students completing their education ponder over imparting the nation a novel direction. Bhagirath Chaudhary, Union minister of state for agriculture Raghavendra Bhatta, deputy director general (Animal Science), ICAR MS Chauhan, vice chancellor GBPUAT Pantnagar Srinivas Rao, director ICAR-IARI Pusa Campus other officials of the institute and local dignitaries were present. In the evening, Chouhan was the chief speaker at a program organised by the Indian Medical Association on 'One Nation-One Election'.
