ICAR preserves Germplasm of Kerala breeds

PANAJI: Germplasm conservation enables reproductive tissues from animals to be preserved for breeding in the future. The Goa-based ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (CCARI) has therefore brought animals native to Kerala – a cattle breed called Vechur and the Malabari Tellicherry goats – to its campus to preserve their germplasm in Goa.
“This is ex situ conservation wherein an animal that is not native to Goa, is brought to Goa for conservation,” said director, ICAR-CCARI, Parveen Kumar.
Ex situ conservation is the technique of conservation of all levels of biological diversity outside their natural habitats.
Kumar said that there are less than 500 animals of the Vechur breed in India. The maximum height of this cattle is 90cms and they are similar looking to goats. The cattle is, however, known for its high milk yield which is said to have medicinal qualities.
“Their milk is so nutritional that it is just like elixir,” he said. “The animals are highly adaptable and do not get easily affected by any disease. However, they give a maximum of only three litres of milk per day,” he said.
Speaking on the conservation effort, he said that given the limited population of the cattle breed in the country, conserving its germplasm could protect the species from extinction.
“If something goes wrong in Kerala, the entire herd will be finished. Therefore, we brought a pair of Vechur cattle to Goa,” he said.
Since the climate of Goa is similar to that of Kerala’s, the scientists are of the opinion that it is conducive for them to stay in Goa.
The institute has also brought five goats of the Malabari Tellicherry breed to Goa for conservation of germplasm as well. Prior to this, the institute had brought the Konkan Kalyan goat from Maharashtra.
“We will bring two to three breeds of other animals from other coastal states so that they can adapt to Goa. That way, their fertility rate and milk yield will not be drastically affected,” he said.