PREGNANCY DIAGNOSIS IN CATTLE BY INDIGENOUS TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Punyakoti Test –
Punyakoti Test – An Ancient Egyptian Test (2200 BC) Extended to Diagnose Pregnancy in Cattle .On the basis of ancient Egyptian knowledge obtained from medical papyri, which dates back 4000 years, a simple non-invasive test has been developed to diagnose pregnancy in cattle. In ancient Egypt, doctors were apparently diagnosing pregnancy in women by treating wheat and barley seeds with the urine of the woman suspected of being pregnant. She was diagnosed as pregnant if the seeds germinated and as non-pregnant if they did not. This test was extended and standardized to make it suitable for the diagnosis of pregnancy in cows and buffaloes. The test is simple, non-invasive and can be easily applied in rural veterinary hospitals and artificial insemination centres, which is important as 70% of the livestock in the villages of rural India do not have access to modern pregnancy diagnostic facilities. The Punyakoti seed germination test involves treating wheat seeds with 15 ml of diluted urine from the cow whose pregnancy is to be diagnosed. Simultaneously, a set of four petri dishes containing wheat seeds treated with 15 ml of water serves as the control. After five days, the cow can be diagnosed as pregnant if the wheat seeds have not germinated and have turned brown to blackish in colour and as non-pregnant if the seeds have germinated, exhibit good seedling growth (a mean shoot growth 4.00 ± 0.47 cm) and appear similar to those in the controls. The mean germination and shoot length of wheat seeds treated with urine from a pregnant cow were found to be significantly different from that of seeds treated with urine from a non-pregnant cow or with plain water. The results that were obtained for cattle were just opposite to those obtained for women as deciphered in the papyri of ancient Egypt (2200 BC). Apart from the normal urinary constituents such as urea and uric acid, a plant hormone known as Abscisic acid (ABA) has been identified in the urine of cattle. Its main effect on seeds is to maintain their dormancy. A high concentration of ABA is found in the urine of pregnant cows (170.62 nanomoles/ml of urine) as compared with that in the urine of non-pregnant cows (74.46 nanomoles/ml). The presence of ABA could be one of the factors causing the observed decreased germination and shoot growth of wheat seeds when they are treated with the urine of pregnant cows. On the basis of this, an attempt will be made to develop a simple bioassay kit, which can be readily used in the rural areas to diagnose pregnancy in cows and buffaloes. Thus, the modified seed germination bioassay (Punyakoti test) is simple, non-invasive, from the animal welfare point of view, and does not require any chemicals or sophisticated instruments. The test has been extended to buffaloes, sheep and goats using locally available seeds such as paddy and green gram so as to suit the needs of the farmers and dairy owners of rural India. India being a land of agriculture, farmers depend on animal husbandry for their livelihood. The total cattle population is 280 million, 70% of which are in rural areas and these cattle do not have access to modern diagnostic techniques. Pregnancy Traditional Knowledge Systems of India is an important requirement for successful dairying and to increase the wealth of farmers. At present, there are no simple laboratory tests available to diagnose pregnancy in the cattle and buffaloes of rural India. The methods available to diagnose pregnancy such as ultrasonography, radio immunoassay, rosette inhibition test etc. have mostly been developed in western countries and cannot be implemented in the rural areas of developing countries as they are sophisticated, costly and laborious. The only method widely used at the field level is the rectal palpation method for pregnancy detection. But, this method has its own disadvantages as the pregnant cows have to be brought to the nearest veterinary hospital or artificial insemination centre, which are generally located at least 4–10 km away, and this puts stress on pregnant cows. Secondly, about 10–20% of rectal examinations result in rectal bleeding or embryonic mortality.
A simple pregnancy diagnostic technique was developed on the basis of an ancient practice deciphered from medical papyri, dating back 4000 years, recovered from the tombs of Egypt. According to the papyri, in ancient Egypt, doctors for humans were diagnosing pregnancy in women on the basis of a seed germination method. The woman suspected of being pregnant was asked to urinate on cotton bags containing wheat and barley seeds. The woman was diagnosed as pregnant if the seeds germinated and as non-pregnant if they did not. On the basis of this ancient clue, a simple technique was developed that involves the germination of wheat seeds in the diluted urine of the cow whose pregnancy is to be diagnosed. Inhibited germination suggests pregnancy and uninhibited growth suggests non-pregnancy in cows. With this as the basis, continuous efforts have been made at the various Veterinary College/ research station, to develop a simple and non-invasive field-oriented pregnancy detection test. The technique has been christened the Punyakoti test and can easily be carried out by field veterinarians and dairy owners and farmers in rural areas on their farms. The Punyakoti seed germination test involves treating wheat seeds (15 seeds placed in a petri dish containing filter paper) with 15ml of diluted urine (1 ml of urine with 14 ml of water) from the cow whose pregnancy is to be diagnosed. Simultaneously, a set of four petri dishes containing wheat seeds treated with 15 ml of water serves as the control. After five days, the cow can be diagnosed as pregnant if the wheat seeds have not germinated and have turned brown to blackish in colour (mean germination is 46.48 ± 4.24%, with a mean shoot growth of 0.93 ± 0.83cm) and as non-pregnant if the seeds have germinated (mean germination is 75.40 ± 6.99%), exhibit good seedling growth (mean shoot growth 4.00 ± 0.47cm) and appear similar to those treated with water (mean germination is 87.70 ± 5.13 %, with a mean shoot growth 6.43 ± 0.34 cm). The mean germination and shoot length of wheat seeds treated with urine from a pregnant cow were found significantly different from that of seeds treated with plain water or urine from a non-pregnant cow. An attempt will be made to develop a simple bioassay kit based on this hormone, which can be readily used in the rural areas to diagnose pregnancy in cows and buffaloes. Thus, the modified seed germination bioassay (Punyakoti test) is simple, noninvasive, from the animal welfare point of view, and does not require any chemicals or sophisticated instruments. The test has been extended to buffaloes, sheep and goats using other locally available monocot and dicot seeds such as paddy, Jowar, Navane and green gram so as to suit the needs of the farmers and dairy owners of rural India.
COMPILED BY- DR. RK SINGH, JAMSHEDPUR
Source- itk system, Balasubramaniam
