Dr.Sajjan Singh, Principal Scientist, ICAR CIRB, Hisar
Rajasthan is ecologically fragile area. Desert farmer economy is livestock dependent. The most commonly reared animals are cattle and small ruminants. Sheep and goat are economical venture in term of feeding but over past 50 year land available for grazing has shrunk to almost half and forest land are overgrazed. Community land has been captured illegally. This has made sheep husbandry an asset for desert formers to a liability. Shift of farmers from agriculture is livestock and preference to small ruminants on return basis has projected some basic problems of sheep husbandry. Farmer interest to improve his local breed either through exotic or indigenous with high merit traits of meat production. Over the period of time utility of sheep has shifted to mutton production instead of wool. The breeding of Sheep with species yielding higher birth weight of lamb are preferred for natural mating or artificial insemination. An Experiment was conducted at village Kuhada Bujurg under Transfer of Technology Project of CSWRI Avikanagar resulted in a success story as narrated below:
The economic benefits of estrus synchronization (ES) apply to every flock, regardless of how the animals are bred (artificial or natural). However, ES with natural service is usually cost prohibitive because of the number of rams required to breed ewes during this short period of time. Artificial insemination (AI) of late has given a good head way with chilled liquid semen and came out logical, cost-effective alternative and ES will save the labor required for heat detection. In reality, the economic benefits available through AI alone pale in comparison to the return on investment when ES and AI are used together as “a reproductive management tool”
Under transfer of Technology project of the institute, the use of ES and AI together (ESAI) has been demonstrated to progressive farmers at institute farm as a way to breed ewes in a shorter time period and improve the genetics of flocks and its progeny without the involving extra expenditure of buying superior rams. Considering benefits of ESAI a poor farmer Sh. Heera Lal Jat of village Kuhada Bujurg, District Tonk who had a flock of 35 ewes without breeding ram approached the institute for breeding of his ewes with semen of elite rams to get extra heavier and superior lambs so that he can fetch a good income on marketing of these lambs.
Response:
To breed his flock ESAI was applied. All the 35 ewes were induced and synchronized using institute developed cost effective, easy to perform intra-vaginal progesterone impregnated sponges and PMSG (200IU) protocol (Fig.1). Sponges were inserted in the vagina for 12 days. At the time of sponge removal, the ewes are treated with gonadotropins (PMSG,200 IU). Fixed time AI using chilled semen (twice after 36 and 48 hrs of sponge withdrawal) was performed in ewes exhibiting behavioral estrus. For AI semen from Patanwadi (a medium to large-sized sheep breed of Gujrat) rams maintained at Institute was collected, evaluated and diluted 1:1 in EYMG dilutor. Semen having more than 80 per cent progressive motility and high sperm concentration was used for AI
Results:
As a result of intervention, 33 (94.3%) ewes exhibited estrus within 2 days of sponge removal. AI of these synchronized ewes resulted in the birth of 28 healthy Patanwadi x Malpura crossbred lambs with an average birth weight of 1.2 kg as per farmer’s version.
Evidence:
To assess ESAI impact, the growth performance and marketing of these Patanwadi x Malpura crossbred lambs were monitored. The average live weight of these lambs at the age of 6 months reached more than 30 kg with the market values of approximately Rs. 70 per kg live weight (at that time). To compare breeding by ESAI with natural mating, information about live weight and marketing of lambs born by natural mating was gathered from other farmers of same village. The average live weight of contemporary lambs of other native breeds reached approximately 20 kg with the market value having an edge per kg live weight. So on sale of these Patanwadi x Malpura crossbred lambs, Sh. Heera Lal Jat earned an amount of approximately Rs. 20,000 which is immediate net profit gained by this farmer after use of ESAI. Beside this he reared a male lamb to perform as breeding ram for further improvement his flock. Further, ESAI induced approximately 95 % ewes to exhibit estrus, which is higher than natural mating because ESAI induces fertile heat in anestrous ewes and therefore the number of lambs born after ESAI will be more as compared to natural mating. Therefore, in reality the return was more. In future, ESAI will facilitate maximum lamb production within shortest possible time, giving maximum economic benefit to the farmers. This innovative farmer was exemplary for the laggards and many farmers namely Ghisha Nayak and Shanker adopted this technique for economic viability of their flock in parched area of Rajasthan to earn livelihood out of this occupation. Subsequently many village Panchyats in Tonk district of Rajasthan offered their village flocks for this technique and farmers were economically benefitted.
