NDRI Quinquennium Book COVER FINAL CURVE.cdr

Research & Development FacilitiesLivestock and Fodder FarmThe Institute possesses an elite herd of over 1600 Dairy animals,which mainly include cattle and buffaloes. The Institute herd servesas a nucleus stock of superior germplasm for its propagation anddissemination to various agencies. It also caters to the requirement ofmilk and experimental animals for various research projects. Surplusmilk is utilized for running experimental dairy. Karan Fries crossbredcows (Tharparkar X Holstein Friesian) developed at this Institute arecurrently producing over 4,000 litres of milk per lactation. Further,Sahiwal cows and Murrah buffalo produce over 2,100 litres of milkper lactation. These lactation yields are much higher than the nationalaverage i.e. 1,050 litres. The highest peak yields of 44 and 46.5 kg havebeen recorded in Karan Swiss (Sahiwal X Brown Swiss) and KaranFries, respectively. Also, through consistent selection, the indigenouscattle breeds i.e. Sahiwal and Tharparkar have been improved and thehighest peak yields of 23 and 19.5 kg milk per day have been obtainedin these two breeds, respectively. In Murrah, the best buffalo breed ofthe world, the peak milk yield of 25.1 kg in a day has been achieved.A small flock of indigenous and crossbred goats is also maintained forconducting research and the peak milk yield of 5.4 kg per day has beenregistered. A modern Milking Parlor System and Shelter ManagementSystem set up recently at the Livestock Farm serve as demonstrationmodels for the progressive farmers and provide infrastructure forconducting research on various aspects of milk production system,reproductive performance, growth profile and nutritional requirementsfor elite milch breeds.The entire fodder need of the farm is met by cultivating fodder cropsin over 300 hectares of land and under a Revolving Fund Scheme onSeed Production of Fodder Crops, good quality seeds of improvedvarieties of fodder crops are produced in 40 hectares area and suppliedto farmers for enhancing the fodder yield. Initiatives have also beentaken to modernize the irrigation system by brick-lining of irrigationchannels for improving the conveyance efficiency of limited quantityof irrigation water available. Systematic and computerized data andrecords on all aspects of dairy production and management are beingmaintained and used by students, researchers and the farm managers.Institute dairy farm, one of the most modern and well managedfarms of the country, has been serving has a model training cumdemonstration unit for the benefits of dairy farmers and farmersorganizations. Training on scientific dairy farming and consultancyfor setting up of commercial dairy farming enterprise is also providedto budding entrepreneurs, banking institutions, NGOs and Govtagencies.Artificial Breeding Research CenterThe Artificial Breeding Research Center (ABRC), erstwhile known asthe Artificial Breeding complex (ABC), was renamed in 2010. ABRChas the infrastructure and capacity for managing 146 bulls (Sahiwal,Tharparkar, Karan-Fries breeds of cattle and Murrah breed of buffalo)and is the Largest Institute Breeding Bull Center in the country.