Dehradun: A healthy female calf of Uttarakhand’s indigenous Badri cattle breed has been born through Ovum Pick-Up and In Vitro Fertilisation (OPU-IVF) technology, marking a significant step in efforts to conserve and genetically improve the breed.
The calf was born on September 11, 2026, at the Academic Dairy Farm following the transfer of a Badri embryo into a Sahiwal recipient cow.
Badri cattle are an important indigenous genetic resource of Uttarakhand and are recognised as the state animal.
ICAR-NDRI, Pantnagar University Collaborate on Breed Conservation
The achievement is the result of a collaboration between ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (ICAR-NDRI), Karnal, and G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar.
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The programme received financial support from the Uttarakhand Biotechnology Council, Haldi.
The collaboration has focused on establishing advanced reproductive technologies for the conservation and multiplication of Badri cattle germplasm.
Key developments under the programme include:
- Establishment of OPU-IVF procedures for Badri cattle.
- Production and culture of Badri embryos under controlled laboratory conditions.
- Embryo transfer into synchronised recipient cows.
- Work on multiplying genetically valuable Badri germplasm.
- Ongoing research into cloning elite and high-producing Badri cows.
How the Badri OPU-IVF Calf Was Produced
Under the programme, oocytes were collected from selected genetically valuable Badri donor cows through ultrasound-guided ovum pick-up.
The collected oocytes were matured and fertilised in vitro using semen from a genetically superior Badri bull sourced through the Uttarakhand Livestock Development Board.
The resulting embryos were then cultured under controlled laboratory conditions before being transferred into synchronised recipient cows.
One of the Badri embryos was transferred into a Sahiwal recipient cow, which subsequently delivered the healthy female calf.
Another synchronised crossbred recipient cow is expected to deliver a Badri calf within the next five to seven days, according to the sources.
OPU-IVF to Support Multiplication of Elite Germplasm
ICAR-NDRI Director Dr Dheer Singh said advanced reproductive technologies such as OPU-IVF can help multiply elite female germplasm at a faster rate.
The technology allows multiple embryos to be produced from genetically superior female animals, potentially increasing the rate at which valuable germplasm can be multiplied compared with conventional reproductive methods.
The programme began in 2023 under the leadership of then G.B. Pant University Vice-Chancellor Dr M. S. Chauhan, with the university and ICAR-NDRI subsequently working together to establish OPU-IVF, embryo production and embryo-transfer procedures for Badri cattle.
Cloning Research Also Underway
The collaborating team is also exploring the use of cloning technology for elite and high-producing Badri cows.
The team has successfully generated cloned Badri embryos through multiple stages of its ongoing research.
In the next phase, embryos produced through OPU-IVF and cloning are planned to be transferred into suitable Sahiwal, crossbred and Badri recipient cows.
The programme is intended to support the long-term conservation, multiplication and genetic improvement of the Badri breed while strengthening research and technology-transfer efforts involving indigenous livestock resources.
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