Indian Breeds of Cattle and Buffaloes: A Huge Resource of Bovine Germplasm

India has 56.7 per cent of the world’s buffaloes and 14.7 per cent of the world’s cattle population. According to the 19^th Livestock Census 2012, there were 190.9 million cattle and 108.7 million buffaloes in India. Since 1951, the total cattle and buffalo population has increased by 50.78 per cent—buffaloes by 150.46 per cent and cattle by 22.92 per cent (Figure 1).

Also, as per the Livestock Census 2012, males in crossbred cattle, indigenous cattle and buffalo declined by 12.75 per cent, 19.32 per cent and 17.83 per cent, respectively during the years 2007 to 2012. At the same time, indigenous female population was static and females in crossbred cattle and buffalo has increased by 28.78 per cent and 7.99 per cent respectively (Figure 2).

During the 18th Livestock Census 2007, the cattle population was categorised as indigenous animals, graded indigenous animals, non-descript indigenous animals, exotic animals and crossbred animals (Figure 3). The census data (2007) revealed that 16.6 per cent of the cattle belonged to exotic and crossbred, 11.6 per cent to well described indigenous breeds (44 populations/breeds) and a large proportion of 69.7 per cent were classified as non-descript. In India, in sum total there are 190.9 million cattle heads in the year 2012. Among them, 39.73 million were crossbred and the rest 150.6 million were indigenous.

Figure 1: Trend in population of indigenous cattle and buffalo, 1951 to 2012.

Figure 2: Trend in male and female cattle and buffalo population, 2007 and 2012.

A closer look at Table 1 reveals that the Indian cattle population experienced an increase of 6.98 per cent during 1982 to 1997. The trends from 1992 to 1997, however, seem to be more or less static—a very limited increase in the population. Subsequently the Indian cattle population showed a decline of 10.06 per cent from 1997 to 2003 and remarkably increased by 7.50 per cent during 2003 to 2007. It again declined by 4.10 per cent during the years 2007 to 2012. The analysis of state-wise cattle population trends showed that the states of Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chandigarh remained unchanged over a long period from 1982 to 2007. The states displaying appreciable rising trends during the same period included Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and West Bengal. On the contrary, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh showed a declining trend over the same period. As evident, with few exceptions the geographically bigger states have shown diminishing trends in their cattle population.

Figure 3: Different categories of cattle population, 2007.

The major reason for such a decline in cattle population is envisaged as agricultural mechanisation and a general fondness of buffalo over cattle for milk production. The states of Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh were able to reverse their negative growth to positive during 1997 to 2003 and 2003 to 2007. While during the same duration, states of Goa, Kerala, Manipur and Punjab still showed negative growth in their number. The states of Mizoram, Sikkim and Odisha experienced their growth rate from positive to negative during the same period.

As per the Livestock Census 2012, Madhya Pradesh had the largest cattle population in India followed by the states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Rajasthan (Table 1). Between 2007 and 2012, the percentage growth observed was Gujarat (25.16%), Haryana (16.49%), Punjab (36.57%), Rajasthan (9.93%), Assam (2.64%), Chhattisgarh (3.40%), Sikkim (3.70%) and Uttar Pradesh (3.56%). The rest of the states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand showed negative growth in cattle population.

Table 1. Trends in cattle population, 1982-2012.

(thousand)

State	1982		1987		1992		1997		Trend (1982-1997)			2003	Trend (1997-2003)		2007	Trend (2003 -2007)	2012	Trend (2007-2012)
Andhra Pradesh	13,180		12,375		10,946		10,602		-19.55			9,300	-12.28		11,223	20.67	9,596	-14.58
Arunachal Pradesh	168		310		324		453		169.64			458	1.10		503	9.82	463	-7.95
Assam	6,750		7,279		10,118		8,080		19.70			8,440	4.45		10,041	18.96	10,307	2.64
Bihar	17,527		20,839		22,154		23,550		34.36			10,729	-21.91		12,559	17.05	12,231	-2.61
Delhi	52		53		41		96		84.61			92	4.16		92	–	86	-6.52
Gujarat	6,994		6,240		6,804		6,749		-3.50			7,424	10.00		7,976	7.44	9,983	25.16
Goa	132		112		98		92		-30.30			76	-17.39		71	-6.57	57	-19.71
Haryana	2,342		2,198		2,136		2,488		6.23			1,540	-38.10		1,552	0.78	1,808	16.49
Himachal Pradesh	2,174		2,244		2,165		2,174		–			2,236	2.85		2,269	1.47	2,149	-5.28
Jammu & Kashmir	2,325		2,765		3.055		3,175		36.59			3,084	-2.86		3,413	10.66	2,798	-18.01
Jharkhand												7,659			8,781	14.65	8,730	-0.58
Karnataka	11,300		10,174		13,173		10,831		-4.15			9,539	-11.92		10,503	10.11	9,516	-9.39
Kerala	3,097		3,408		3,524		3,396		9.65			2,122	-37.51		1,740	-18.00	1,328	-23.67
Madhya Pradesh	27,117		28,549		28,588		19,967		-26.36			18,913	-5.27		21,915	15.87	19,602	-10.55
Chhattisgarh	–		–		–							8,882	–		9,491	6.85	9,814	3.40
Maharashtra	16,162		16,979		17,446		18,072		11.81			16,303	-9.78		16,184	-0.73	15,484	-4.32
Manipur	747		770		719		508		-31.90			418	-17.71		342	-18.18	263	-23.09
Meghalaya	550		587		535		756		37.45			767	1.45		887	15.64	896	1.01
Mizoram	49		50		59		33		-32.65			36	9.09		35	-2.77	34	-2.85
Nagaland	151		203		332		383		153.64			451	17.75		470	4.21	235	-50.00
Odisha	12,930		13,636		13,841		13,810		6.80			13,903	0.67		12,310	-11.45	11,621	-5.59
Punjab	3,263		2,830		2,909		2,632		-19.33			2,039	-22.53		1,777	-12.84	2,427	36.57
Rajasthan	13,505		10,920		11,699		12,881		-4.62			10,854	-15.74		12,120	11.66	13,324	9.93
Sikkim	173		184		198		143		-17.34			159	11.18		135	-15.09	140	3.70
Tamil Nadu	10,365		9,342		9,278		14,931		44.05			9,141	-38.77		11,189	22.40	8,814	-21.22
Tripura	680		827		949		1,228		80.58			759	-38.19		954	25.69	948	-0.62
Uttar Pradesh	26,153		26,320		25,635		20,016		-15.69			18,551	-7.32		18,883	1.79	19,557	3.56
Uttarakhand*	–		–		–		2031					2,188	7.73		2,235	2.15	2,006	-10.24
West Bengal	15,658		20,311		17,453		17,832		13.88			18,913	6.06		19,188	14.54	16,514	-13.93
Union Territories
A & N Islands		37		46		50		60		62.16	64		6.66	49		23.43	45	-8.16
Chandigarh		7		7		5		7		–	6		-14.28	7		16.66	9	28.57
Lakshadweep		2		1		2		3		50.00	4		33.33	7		75.00	3	-57.14
Puducherry		93		89		90		73		21.50	78		6.41	84		7.14	60	-28.57
Daman & Diu		–		–		8		5		–	4		-20.00	3		25.00	2	-33.33
Dadra & Nagar Haveli		45		47		49		60		33.33	50		-16.67	57		14.00	42	-26.31
Total		192,453		199,695		204,583		205,903		6.98	185,181		-10.06	199,075		7.50	190,904	-4.10

Source: Livestock Census, Government of India.

Status of Indian Cattle Genetic Resources

Indigenous bovines are rich in genetic variability and excellent in desirable attributes like disease resistance, tolerance to hot and humid stresses, adaptability to different environment and production management systems and their ability to utilise coarse roughages and crop residues. Most of the indigenous breeds of cattle were evolved for draft and buffalo breeds for milk. Purebred cattle and buffalo breeds possess distinctive colour, size, body conformation and functions and have the prepotency to pass these traits into their progeny. Milk productivity is very low as compared to European breeds. Lack of planned breeding strategies and non-availability of quality breeding bulls in the breeding tracts are the foremost factors responsible for low milk productivity.

There were 44 cattle breeds numbering 23.14 million heads in the year 2007. A total of 23 cattle breeds were confined to a single state/UT, whereas the rest of the breeds were distributed across two or more states (Table 2). The breeds which were available in maximum number of states included Hariana (12), Sahiwal (10) and Gir (8) breeds. On a statewise basis, the number of breeds were 8 in UP and Madhya Pradesh, 7 each in Bihar, Rajasthan and Jharkhand, 6 each in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, and 5 in Karnataka. The population of dual purpose breed was: Kankrej 3.88 million, Hariana 2.6 million, Hallikar 2.19 million, Gir 2.13 million, Malvi 1.52 million, Khillar 1.42 million and Malnad Gidda 1.28 million. The large population of draft breeds like Hallikar and Khillar in the southern and western India indicated the utility of bullocks in the different agricultural operations. Registered breeds like Kosali and Pilikulam were not included in the Livestock Census 2007. There is also a possibility of some homogenous populations deserving to be given the status of registered breed and taken out of the huge non-descript population. For example, a large cattle population over 19 million of West Bengal and about 22 million of Madhya Pradesh was largely represented by non-descript animals.

Table 2. Breedwise cattle population and availability of different breeds in different states, 2007.

Breed	Number	States
Alamadi	31,874	Tamil Nadu (31,874)
Amrit mahal	96,021	Karnataka (96,021)
Bachaur	454,103	Bihar (213,697), Jharkhand (240,406)
Bargur	20,879	Tamil Nadu (20,879)
Binjharpuri	29,749	Odisha (29,749)
Dangi	303,630	Gujarat (208,862), Maharashtra (90,163), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (4,375), Daman & Diu (230)
Deoni	165,846	Andhra Pradesh (23,928), Karnataka (68,820), Maharashtra (73,098)
Gangatiri	375,154	Jharkhand (10,348), Uttar Pradesh (364,806)
Gaolao	222,566	Bihar (177,329), Madhya Pradesh (8,982), Maharashtra (36,255)
Ghumsuri	82,117	Odisha (82,117)
Gir	2,126,421	Andhra Pradesh (657), Chhattisgarh (44,873), Gujarat (1,399,677), Madhya Pradesh (71,909), Maharashtra (101,845), Rajasthan (506,096), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (260), Daman & Diu (1,104)
Hallikar	2,191,486	Andhra Pradesh (1,90,798), Goa (113), Karnataka (1,999,024), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (16), Puducherry (1,535)
Hariana	2,600,111	Bihar (339,566), Chhattisgarh (76224), Haryana (627,671), Himachal Pradesh (33,307), Jharkhand (58,521), Madhya Pradesh (27,118), Odisha (73,791), Punjab (202,017), Rajasthan (574,464), Uttar Pradesh (575,070), Uttarakhand (11,816), Chandigarh (546)
Jellicut	34,191	Tamil Nadu (34,191)
Kangayam	314,817	Tamil Nadu (314,817)
Kankrej	3,884,457	Gujarat (2,681,764), Rajasthan (1,195,814), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (6,407), Daman & Diu (472)
Kenkatha	179,987	Madhya Pradesh (62,913), Uttar Pradesh (117,070)
Kherigarh	171,414	Punjab (1,214), Uttar Pradesh (170,200)
Khillari	1,419,735	Karnataka (452,558), Maharashtra (967,177)
Krishna Valley	2,314	Karnataka (2,314)
Kumauni	459	Uttarakhand (459)
Ladakhi	24,213	Jammu & Kashmir (24,213)
Maland Gidda	1,282,121	Karnataka (1,282,121)
Malvi	1,515,753	Madhya Pradesh (726,378), Rajasthan (789,375)
Manapari	102,046	Tamil Nadu (102,046)
Mewati	75,427	Uttar Pradesh (75,427)
Motu	700,908	Odisha (700,908)
Nagori	837,334	Rajasthan (837,334)
Nimari	309,237	Madhya Pradesh (309,237)
Ongole	257,661	Andhra Pradesh (257,661)
Ponwar	24,072	Uttar Pradesh (24,072)
Punganur	733	Andhra Pradesh (733)
Purnea	147,988	Bihar (139,488), Jharkhand (8,500)
Rathi	924,057	Rajasthan (924,057)
Red kandhari	176,621	Maharashtra (176,621)
Red sindhi	550,272	Bihar (20,778), Chhattisgarh (4,841), Himachal Pradesh (4,696), Jharkhand (56,149), Odisha (4,57,080), Punjab (3,615), Uttarakhand (3,113)
Sahiwal	457,177	Bihar (43,042), Chhattisgarh (55,768), Haryana (34,721), Jharkhand (10,308), Madhya Pradesh (27,054), Punjab (42,111), Uttar Pradesh (241,114), Uttrakhand (2,958), Chandigarh (49), Delhi (52)
Siri	61,750	Goa (63), Sikkim (61,687)
Tarai	2,606	Madhya Pradesh (1,901), Uttarakhand (705)
Tharparkar	557,621	Bihar (25,789), Chhattisgarh (627), Haryana (5,896), Jharkhand (10,262), Rajasthan (460,201), Uttar Pradesh (54,846)
Tho tho	207,220	Nagaland (207,220)
Umblacherry	217,960	Tamil Nadu (217,193), Puducherry (767)
Vechur	160	Kerala (160)
Kasasagode	480	Kerala (475), Punjab (5)

Source: 18^th Livestock Census 2007, Government of India.

Note: Bold letters represent registered breeds in India

Indigenous cattle breeds

The Indian zebu cattle (Bos indicus) are described by such distinctive features like prominent hump, long face, upright horns, drooping ears, dewlap and slender legs. The body colour varies from white to grey and black. Zebus experience relatively lower basal metabolic rate and have a superior ability for heat dissipation in comparison to their taurine (Bos taurus) counterparts. Consequently, they easily adapt to the extreme tropical heat and acquire resistance to diseases, especially the tick-borne diseases. Indian zebu cattle, predominantly Ongole, Gir, Sahiwal and Tharparkar, have been exported to the United States, South America and Australia and further improved and propagated and crossed with dairy/beef cattle breeds. The global importance of Indian zebu cattle cannot be described in a better way than what has been conceived by Kanglade Sahiwal Cattle Stud, a member of the Australian Sahiwal Society. He suggested to switch Sahiwal breed because of her qualities like short age at calving, excellent mothering ability, resistance to eye cancer, ticks, drought and bloat tolerance. They have flourished in tropical areas for equable temperament, and lean meat with evenly distributed fat.

All indigenous cattle breeds have been further catalogued into milch, draft and dual-purpose breeds primarily based on their utility. The characterisation of indigenous cattle breeds is largely based on studies on animals maintained in their respective breeding tract. Information on Indian buffalo and cattle genetic resources with regard to their breeding tract, utility and phenotypic characteristics, morphometric and performance traits has been summarised in Tables 8 and 9. These are based on the field studies and surveys carried out by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), Karnal, by studying the breed characteristics and trait performance on animals maintained by farmers in the respective breeding tracts.

The best Indian dairy, draught and dual-purpose cattle breeds are mostly found in the north-western region of the country. Some superior dual-purpose breeds of north-western region, like Red Sindhi, Sahiwal and Tharparkar, have their home tracts in Pakistan. India now maintains only small population of these prized breeds and that too largely in few organised herds. Since these breeds are well adapted to the local Indian environmental conditions, there is a pressing necessity for their protection from dilution through crossbreeding and their conservation and multiplication using latest scientific advancements.

Status of Indian buffalo genetic resources

As per the Livestock Census 2012, there were 108 million buffaloes in the country. Breed-wise Livestock Census 2007 categorised buffalo population as descript 28 per cent (19 different breeds), graded 14 per cent and rest 58 per cent as non-descript (Figure 4). Indian buffalo has been increased by 150 per cent since 1951 (Table 3).

Figure 4: Different categories of buffalo population, 2007.

The analysis of buffalo population showed that between 2003 to 2007, the population was almost static in Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Goa states. During 1982 to 2003, the buffalo population increased in Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Mizoram, and decreased in Goa, and significantly so in Tamil Nadu. During 1982 to 1997, the buffalo population decreased in Kerala and Manipur but increased in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

During 1997 to 2007, the states of Assam, Odisha, Punjab and Tamil Nadu showed decreasing trends and Delhi showed an increasing trend. Generally, the larger states have shown an increasing trend in buffalo population in contrast to cattle population. The major reason for increase in buffalo population has been the preference for buffalo milk over the cow milk. As per the Livestock Census 2007, the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were able to reverse their growth from negative to positive during 2003 to 2007. While Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar reverse their positive trends into negative during the same period (Table 3). 

During the years 2007 to 2012, most of the states including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal showed negative growth in their population. The states of Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and significantly so in Kerala showed positive growth over the same period.

Table 3. Trends in buffalo population, 1982-2012.

(thousand)

State	1982	1987	1992	1997	Trend (1982-1997)	2003	Trend (1997-2003)	2007	Trend (2003 -2007)		2012	Trend (2007-2012)
Andhra Pradesh	8,704	8,758	9,150	9,658	10.96	10,630	10.06	13,272	24.85		10,622	-19.56
Arunachal Pradesh	12	12	5	10	-16.66	11	10.00	3	-78.72		6	100.00
Assam	558	623	959	721	29.21	678	-5.96	500	-29.66		435	-13.00
Bihar	4,641	4,872	5,352	5,879	26.66	7,086	20.53	6,690	-5.58		7,567	13.11
Chhattisgarh				1,941	–	1,598	-19.73	1,604	0.37		1390	-13.34
Delhi	177	285	247	203	-21.05	231	13.79	278	20.34		162	-41.72
Gujarat	4,443	4,502	5,268	6,285	41.45	7,140	13.60	8,774	22.88		10,385	18.36
Goa	44	40	42	40	-9.09	37	-7.50	37	–		32	-13.51
Haryana	3,369	3,827	4,372	4,820	43.06	6,035	25.20	5,953	-1.36		6,085	2.21
Himachal Pradesh	616	794	701	748	21.42	774	3.47	762	-1.55		716	-6.03
Jammu & Kashmir	563	565	729	787	39.78	1,039	32.02	1,050	1.06		739	-29.62
Jharkhand						1,343		1,506	12.13		1,186	-21.24
Karnataka	3,648	4,035	4,252	4,367	19.70	3,991	-8.61	4,327	8.41		3,470	-19.80
Kerala	409	327	296	147	-64.06	65	-55.78	58	-10.77		102	75.86
Madhya Pradesh	6,435	6,365	7,970	6,648	3.31	7,575	13.94	9,129	20.51		8,188	-10.30
Maharashtra	3,972	4,753	5,448	6,073	52.83	6,145	1.18	6,073	-1.17		5,594	-7.88
Manipur	138	140	114	95	-31.15	77	-18.94	62	-19.48		66	6.45
Meghalaya	29	28	33	18	-37.93	18	–	23	27.77		22	-4.34
Mizoram	4	5	7	5	25.00	6	20.00	6	–		5	-16.66
Nagaland	8	15	32	36	350.00	34	-5.55	35	2.94		33	-5.71
Odisha	1,333	1,506	1,536	1,388	4.12	1,394	0.43	1,190	-14.63		726	-38.99
Punjab	4,590	5,575	6,008	6,659	45.07	5,995	-9.97	5,062	-15-56		5,160	1.93
Rajasthan	6,043	6,343	7,708	9,722	60.88	10,414	7.11	11,092	6.51		12,976	16.98
Sikkim	4	2	2	2	-50.00	2	–	0	–		1	–
Tamil Nadu	3,212	3,129	2,814	3,182	-9.33	1,658	-47.89	2,009	21.17		780	-61.17
Tripura	16	16	20	18	12.50	14	-22.22	14	–		10	-28.57
Uttar Pradesh	15,785	18,240	20,084	18,997	20.34	22,914	20.61	23,812	3.92		30,625	28.61
Uttarakhand				1,094		1,228	12.24	1,220	-0.65		987	-19.09
West Bengal	987	1,163	1,012	998	1.11	1,086	8.81	764	-29.65		597	-21.85
Union Territories
A & N Islands	12	14	14	14	16.66	16	14.28	10		-37.50	8	20.00
Chandigarh	19	20	23	23	–	23	–	20		-13.04	14	-30.00
Lakshadweep	–	–	0	0	–	0	–	–		–	–	–
Puducherry	9	10	5	4	-55.55	4	–	3		25.00	2	-33.33
Daman & Diu	–	–	–	1	–	1	–	1		–	0.4	-60.00
Dadra & Nagar Haveli	2	3	3	5	150.00	4	-20.00	4		–	4	0
Total	69,783	75,966	84,206	90,589	29.81	97,922	8.09	105,343		7.57	108,702	3.19

Source: Livestock Census, Government of India.

Table 4. Breedwise and statewise buffalo population, 2007.

Breed	Population	States
Bhadawari	723,516	Goa (125), Haryana (267), Madhya Pradesh (77,936), Uttar Pradesh (639,974), Uttarakhand (5,214)
Banni	525,099	Gujarat (525,015), Sikkim (32), Daman & Diu (52)
Chilika	1,001	Odisha (1,001)
Godawari	194,204	Andhra Pradesh (193,998), Goa (124), Haryana (10), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (47), Delhi (25)
Jaffarabadi	1,843,727	Andhra Pradesh (20,276), Bihar (91,400), Goa (2), Gujarat (1,470,004), Jharkhand (15,817), Kerala (195), Maharashtra (245,965), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (7), Daman & Diu (61)
Jerangi	48,281	Odisha (48,281)
Kalahandi	146,052	Odisha (146,052)
Kujang	3,295	Odisha (3,295)
Manda	1,429	Odisha (1,429)
Marathwada	181,712	Maharashtra (1,81,712)
Mehsana	3,373,006	Gujarat (3,370,215), Karnataka (888), Punjab (56), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (1,761), Daman & Diu (86)
Murrah	20,488,488	Andhra Pradesh (159,178), Assam (8,104), Bihar (773,289), Chhattisgarh (73,563), Goa (580), Haryana (4,528,423), Himachal Pradesh (90,129), Jammu & Kashmir (251,635), Jharkhand (193,211), Karnataka (109,279), Kerala (19,744), Madhya Pradesh (448,501), Maharashtra (606,479), Meghalaya (4), Punjab (990,415), Rajasthan (4,256,986), Tamil Nadu (246,601), Uttar Pradesh (7,413,103), Uttarakhand (91,321), West Bengal (214,872), Chandigarh (13,063), Puducherry (8)
Nagpuri	139,939	Andhra Pradesh (12,883), Maharashtra (1,27,056)
Nili Ravi	591,001	Haryana (1,78,053), Himachal Pradesh (19,841), Jammu & Kashmir (5,596), Punjab (384,070), Chandigarh (3,441)
Pandharpuri	272,122	Goa (82), Karnataka (11,451), Maharashtra (260,589)
Paralakhemundi	46,143	Odisha (46143)
Sambalpuri	50,642	Chhattisgarh (20,325), Odisha (30,317)
Surti	2,982,514	Assam (311), Goa (74), Gujarat (1,556,856), Karnataka (361,905), Kerala (1,435), Maharashtra (109,705), Nagaland (28), Rajasthan (951,175), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (466), Daman & Diu (559)
Swamp Buffalo	128,130	Assam (89,957), Mizoram (5,832), Nagaland (32,341)
Total	28,404,473 (28%)

Source: 18^th Livestock Census 2007, Government of India.

Note: Bold letters represent registered breeds in India.

Buffalo breeds

In India there are two types of buffaloes—riverine and swamp. Riverine buffaloes are larger in size mostly with curled horns. Swamp buffaloes are stocky animals with marshy land habitats and have 48 (2n) numbers of chromosomes. They are primarily used for draught power in paddy fields and haulage and are also used for meat and milk production. There are 13 recognised breeds of riverine buffaloes in India. These include—Murrah, Nili-Ravi and Jaffarabadi; and medium-sized—Mehsana, Marathwada, Nagpuri, Pandharpuri, Bhadawari, Surti and Toda. Swamp buffaloes are found in north-eastern states. India posseses the best milch breeds of the world namely Murrah, Nili-Ravi, Surti and Jaffarabadi which had their origin in north-western parts of the country and have high potential for milk and fat production. These buffaloes are also used for work and their surplus stock for meat production. There are several other buffalo breeds in India which have regional importance and add to economic value of the farming community like Bhadawari and Tarai in Uttar Pradesh; Nagpuri and Pandharpuri in Maharashtra; Paralakhemundi, Manda, Jerangi, Kalahandi, Sambalpuri in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh; Toda in Tamil Nadu and South Kanara in Karnataka and Kerala. Mehsana breed has been developed from grading up of Surti buffaloes with Murrah in Mehsana District of Gujarat. Similarly, continued grading up of local non-descript buffaloes with Murrah breed in Krishna and Godawari District of Andhra Pradesh has resulted into a strain popularly known as Godavari. Though the overall population of buffaloes is increasing, but the population of certain breeds like Bhadawari, Nili-Ravi and Toda is declining.

The population of Murrah buffalo was 20.4 million in 2007, distributed among 22 Indian states. This was followed by 3.3 million of Mehsana in 5 states, 2.98 million of Surti in 10 states, 1.8 million of Jaffarabadi in 9 states. All buffalo breeds can be divided into two categories based on their coat colours—black (Murrah, Mehsana, Banni and Niliravi) and grey (Suri, Toda and Chilika). Based on body size they can be further divided in to three categories like large (Jafarabadi, Murrah and Banni), medium (Bhadawari, Marathawada and Pandharpuri) and small (Surti and Chilika). Based on horn patterns, the buffalo breeds can be divided in to four different categories—short and tightly curved (Murrah, Banni and Mehsana), large but downward (Jafarabadi, Marathawada and Nagpuri), medium (Bhadawari) and large upward (Toda and Chilika). Brief information on Indian buffalo genetic resources taking account of their breeding tract, utilty phenotypic characteristics, morphometric and performance traits is given in Table 9.

Characterisation and conservation of different breeds

A Network Project on Characterisation and Conservation of Different Breeds of Livestock & Poultry was initiated during the Eighth Five Year Plan (1992-97) at NBAGR, Karnal, with different centres at State Agricultural University (SAUs), Non Government Organisations (NGOs) and ICAR institutes. The project was successful and it significantly contributed in the characterisation and conservation of indigenous breeds of different livestock and poultry. In the current Twelfth Plan (2012-17), this project is running with 18 centres in the country for characterisation of Cattle of Assam, Binjharpuri cattle, Kosali cattle, Purnea cattle and Dharawadi buffalo and for conservation of Bargur and Ongole cattle.

Milk productivity

The milk productivity in terms of milk yield per day per animal in milk in the case of indigenous cows, crossbred cows and buffalo was 2.36 kg, 7.02 kg and 4.80 kg, respectively in 2012-13. The well known cattle milch breeds like Gir, Sahiwal, Tharparkar, Kankrej, Red Sindhi, and Rathi have average lactation milk yield ranging between 1,500-2,300 litres. These breeds can be used to upgrade native low yielders. The buffalo breeds of Murrah, Nilli Ravi, Jaffarabadi, Mehsana, Surti, and Banni have better milk yield and are and preferred by farmers in their native tracts. Bhadawari is probably of the highest milk-fat producing buffalo in the world. Lactation milk yield of important breeds of cattle and buffalo is given in Table 5.

Table 5: Lactation milk yield of important indigenous cattle and buffalo breeds.

Species	Breed	Average Lactation Milk Yield (kg)
Cattle	Sahiwal	2,325
	Red Sindhi	1,839
	Gir	2,110
	Kankrej	1,745
	Tharparkar	1,748
	Rathi	1,559
Buffalo	Murrah	1,751
	Nilli-Ravi	1,850
	Jaffarabadi	2,238
	Mehsana	1,988
	Banni	2,857
	Surti	1,285

Registration of cattle and buffalo breeds

The NBAGR has registered 30 cattle and 10 buffalo breeds as extant breeds and allotted accession numbers during 2008. After 2008 the institute has given accession numbers and recognised new cattle breeds. These were Binjharpuri, Ghumsuri, Motu and Khariar in Odisha; Pulikulam in Tamil Nadu; Kosali in Chhattisgarh and Malnad Gidda in Karnataka; and buffalo breeds were Banni in Gujarat and Chilika and Kalahandi in Odisha (Table 6). If any individual/organisation feels that there is a new cattle population in a particular area, they may contact NBAGR and request for its characterisation so that it may later be registered as new breed of cattle.

Table 6. New registered breeds, 2010-2012.

 

 

S. No.	Breed	Home Tract			Accession number	Year of registration
Cattle (Earlier 30)
01	Motu		Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh	INDIA_CATTLE_1526_MOTU_03031		2010
02	Ghumsuri		Odisha	INDIA_CATTLE_1500_GHUMSURI_03032		2010
03	Binjharpuri		Odisha	INDIA_CATTLE_1500_BINJHARPURI_03033		2010
04	Khariar		Odisha	INDIA_CATTLE_1500_KHARIAR_03034		2010
05	Pulikulam		Tamil Nadu	INDIA_CATTLE_1800_PULIKULAM_03035		2012
06	Kosali		Chhattisgarh	INDIA_CATTLE_2600_KOSALI _03036		2012
07	Malnad Gidda		Karnataka	INDIA_CATTLE_0800_MALNADGIDDA_03037		2012
Buffalo (Earlier 10)
01	Banni		Gujarat	INDIA_BUFFALO_0400_BANNI_01011		2010
02	Chilika		Odisha	INDIA_BUFFALO_1500_CHILIKA_01012		2010
03	Kalahandi		Odisha	INDIA_BUFFALO_1500_KALAHANDI_01013		2012

 

Genetic improvement of cattle and buffalo germplasm

To bring about genetic improvement of indigenous cattle and buffaloes, the following strategies may be adopted:

• Characterisation of non-descript population and their registration as distinct breed, provided they are eligible.
• Livestock Census may be conducted breed wise which will help formulating appropriate breeding strategies for genetic improvement.
• Establish/strengthening of nucleus breeding farms in the respective breeding tracts for all registered breeds to produce superior germplasm for breeding.
• Field Performance Recording (FPR) may be initiated/strengthened in the farmer herds.
• Implement and efficiently maintain artificial insemination (AI) coverage in the field.
• Breeding the farmers’ herds with superior germplasm.
• Establishment of breeding societies’ for all the registered breeds.

Status of characterisation and documentation of animal genetic resource (AnGR)

NBAGR is playing a significant role in characterisation, registration and documentation of AnGR India with the support of state agricultural universities and NGOs. Large proportion of different breeds of indigenous AnGR have been charactrised and documented (Table 7) and efforts are on for new populations.

Table 7. Status of characterisation and documentation upto 2012.

 

 

Species	Number of registered breeds	Phenotypic characterisation	Genetic characterisation	Documentation
Cattle	37	37	34	27
Buffalo	13	13	12	13
Sheep	39	37	38	25
Goat	23	23	23	21
Horse	6	6	6	3
Camel	8	4	4	3
Donkey	1	1	1	1
Chicken	15	13	14	13
Pig	2	2	1	1
Total	144	136	133	107

 

Table 8. Buffalo breeds of India, their breeding tracts, characteristics & performance parameters.

Breed	Tract	Utility & Physical Characteristics	Performance
Banni	Gujarat	Milch breed, large size, black colour, long body, elongated and straight wide forehead with no slop towards horn base, horns are small tightly coiled, well developed udder in bowel to round shaped BL Ht CG F 153 136 205	AFC 1200 LMY 2200 LL 290 ICP 420
Bhadawari	Agra, Etawah (Uttar Pradesh), Bhind, Morena (Madhya Pradesh)	Milch breed, high butter fat in milk, blackish to light copper body colour, two white chevron at the lower side of neck BL Ht CG F 115 117 184	AFC 1600 LMY 900 LL 320 ICP 450
Chilka	Odisha	Milch breed, brownish black to black coat colour, straight head sickle shape horns, small udder BL Ht CG F 125 122 172	AFC 1331 LMY 514 LL 262 ICP 431
Jaffarabadi	Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Amreli (Gujarat)	Milch breed, heaviest among the buffalo breeds, black coloured prominent, broad and convex forehead, long and horizontal ears, horns like a ring BL Ht CG F 140 145 205	AFC 1300 LMY 2000 LL 310 ICP 520
Kalahandi	Odisha	Draft breed, small size, grey or ash grey coat colour, forehead slightly protrudes forward, horns are broad and set apart, half curved and run backward BL Ht CG F 124 125 172	AFC 1500 LMY 600 LL 280 ICP 532
Marathawada	Latur, Aurangabad (Maharashtra)	Milch breed, greyish to jet black colour, medium size, white marking on forehead, short neck, eyes red tinged BL Ht CG F 127 135 165	AFC 1600 LMY 800 LL 300 ICP 425
Mehsana	Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad (Gujarat)	Milch breed, medium size, black body colour, long face, long neck, sickle shape horns BL Ht CG F 147 129 198	AFC 1200 LMY 1800 LL 300 ICP 450
Murrah	Haryana, North-West India	Milch breed, jet black colour, massive and long body, short horn, long neck, short ears BL Ht CG F 148 133 202	AFC 1300 LMY 2200 LL 310 ICP 450
Nagpuri	Nagpur, Wardha, Amrawati, Akola	Milch breed, black and brown colour, long horns, long face, long neck BL Ht CG F 122 135 170	AFC 1600 LMY 1200 LL 290 ICP 510
Niliravi	Ferozepur & Amritsar (Punjab)	Milch breed, medium size, black body colour with white markings on forehead, face, muzzle, legs and tail, long neck, small horn BL Ht CG F 165 135 210	AFC 1400 LMY 1800 LL 300 ICP 500
Pandharpuri	Kolhapur, Solapur, Satara (Maharashtra)	Milch breed, medium size, black colour, long and narrow face, long horns, long and thin neck BL Ht CG F 134 130 190	AFC 1300 LMY 1500 LL 330 ICP 475
Surti	Kheda, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat (Gujarat)	Milch breed, medium size, brown to silver grey body colour, straight back, moderate horn, reddish colour inside the horn BL Ht CG F 120 125 180	AFC 1600 LMY 1400 LL 350 ICP 550
Toda	Nilgiri Hills (Tamil Nadu)	Draft breed, fawn and ash grey coat colour, cream to dull white hair cover belly, medium size, long body and deep chest, large and heavy head, long horns BL Ht CG F 132 121 180	AFC 1200 LMY 500 LL 200 ICP 520

BL: Body length (cms)                      Ht: Height at wither (cms)                        CG: Chest girth (cms)

AFC: Age at first calving (days)       LMY” Lactation milk yield (kg)               LL: Lactation length (days)

ICP: Inter calving period (days)       F: Female

 

Table 9. Cattle breeds of India, their breeding tracts, characteristics & performance parameters.

 

 

Breed	Tract	Utility & Physical Characteristics	Performance
Amritmahal	Chikmagalur Chitradurga, Hassan (Karnataka)	Draft breed, grey colour, compact body, long head, long horns, ears small and fine, well develop dewlap and hump, bright eyes BL Ht CG F 133.6 ± 0.96 126.01 ± 1.08 149.4 ± 0.76	AFC 1520 LMY 572 LL 299 ICP 430
Bachaur	Madhubani, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur (Bihar)	Draft breed, grey colour, compact body, compact hump, forehead broad and flat, short face, ears small and dropping, horns small and stumpy BL Ht CG F 109.70 110.41 140.22	AFC 1453 LMY 540 LL 180 ICP 378
Bargur	Erode (Tamil Nadu)	Draft breed, light grey colour, forehead not prominent, moderate hump, dewlap fine but well mashed BL Ht CG F 99.7 ± 2.00 108.36 ± 0.80 139.92 ± 0.90	AFC 1600 LMY 350 LL 180 ICP 480
Binjharpuri	Jajpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak (Odisha)	Draft breed, compact medium size body, swiftness and long tail with well developed switch, predominately whitish in colour BL Ht CG F 115.11 ± 1.14 107.32 ± 2.16 136.2 ± 2.84	AFC 1090 LMY 900 LL 290 ICP 409
Dangi		Draft breed, white with red or black spots, skin oily, medium size, small head, ears small, short horns BL Ht CG F 122.28 113 139.29	AFC 1351 LMY 550 LL 249 ICP 562
Deoni	Maharashtra and Karnataka	Dual purpose breed, medium size, white with black spots or black with white spots, used for heavy work, well develop dewlap and sheath, ears short and pendulous BL Ht CG F 120.1 ± 2.16 122.2 ± 1.23 151.81 ± 1.92	AFC 11200 LMY 868 LL 317 ICP 480
Gaolao	Balaghat, Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh), Durg, Saloni Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh), Wardha (Maharashtra)	Dual purpose breed, medium size, white or grey colour, flat forehead, voluminous dewlap, long head, short and stumpy horns BL Ht CG F 96.05 ± 0.24 113.9 ± 0.24 142.3 ± 0.28	AFC 1600 LMY 559 LL 249 ICP 430
Ghumusari	Ganjam, Phulbani, Cuttack (Odisha)	Draft breed, small sized, horned strong, draft type docile cattle with good posture, greyish white in colour BL Ht CG F 107.8 ± 0.71 102.91 ± 1.58 126.2 ± 0.28	AFC 1497 LMY 628 LL 322 ICP 412
Gir	Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Amreli (Gujarat)	Milch breed, red or speckled red colour, well proportionate body, forehead broad and convex, prominent hip bones, long and pendulous ears, curved horns BL Ht CG F 131.4 ± 0.37 130.8 ± 0.36 166.4 ± 0.50	AFC 1440 LMY 2215 LL 315 ICP 483
Hallikar	Mysore, Mandya, Bangalore, Kolar, Tumkur, Hassan and Chitradurga (Karnataka)	Draft breed, grey colour, medium size, prominent forehead, short hump, long face, moderate dewlap, ears short and sharp, eyes small BL Ht CG F 130.2 ± 0.73 124.7 ± 0.54 148.4 ± 0.57	AFC 1400 LMY 541 LL 285 ICP 600
Hariana		Dual purpose breed, white or light grey colour, compact body, long and narrow face, flat forehead, small to medium ears, small dewlap BL Ht CG F 139.2 ± 1.11 136.1 ± 1.06 169.8 ± 1.56	AFC 1566 LMY 838 LL 276 ICP 527
Kangayam	Erode, Dindigul, Karur, Coimbatore, Namakkal (Tamil Nadu)	Draft breed, medium size, grey or white colour, broad forehead, ears short, face straight, short neck, strong dewlap, straight back, long horns BL Ht CG F 130.7 124.6 155.3	AFC 1400 LMY 700 LL 260 ICP 500
Kankrej	Mehsana, Kutch, Ahmedabad, Kheda, Sabarkantha & Banaskantha (Gujarat), Barmer & Jodhupur (Rajasthan)	Dual purpose breed, silver grey to iron grey colour, heavy animals, broad chest, well develop and large hump, dewlap moderate, thick skin, short face, large ears, lyre shaped horns BL Ht CG F 126.6 ± 1.5 134.6 ± 1.1 161.9 ± 1.8	AFC 1400 LMY 1600 LL 290 ICP 462
Kenkatha	Lalitpur, Hamirpur, Banda & Mahoba (Uttar Pradesh) Tikamgarh & Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh)	Draft breed, grey colour, small animals, compact body, hump well develop, dewlap moderate, drooping ears, short head, forehead dished BL Ht CG F 116.2 ± 1.6 111.5 ± 1.1 142.0 ± 1.1	AFC 1500 LMY 600 LL 240 ICP 550
Khariar	Naupada (Odisha)	Draft breed, small sized, horned strong, mostly draft type docile cattle with good posture BL Ht CG F 106.2 ± 1.41 102.2 ± 1.38 123.2 ± 1.31	AFC 1522 LMY 449 LL 252 ICP 512
Kherigarh	Lakhimpur, Kheri (Uttar Pradesh)	Draft breed, grey or white colour, small animals, well developed hump, dewlap thin and pendulous, small face, small eyes BL Ht CG F 124.0 ± 6.65 112.0 ± 5.48 152.0 ± 8.17	AFC 1500 LMY 362 LL 320 ICP 500
Khillari	Kohlapur, Solapur, Sangli, Satna (Maharashtra), Belgaum, Bijapur, Dharwad (Karnataka)	Draft breed, greyish white colour, long forehead, compact body, massive head, well developed hump, long horns, long and lean face BL Ht CG F 132.28 ± 0.34 126.57 ± 0.21 156.80 ± 0.30	AFC 1500 LMY 400 LL 230 ICP 450
Kosali	Bilaspur, Raipur, Durg, Janjgir-Champa (Chhattisgarh)	Draft breed, small size cattle, red or white/grey coat colours, compact body, straight forehead, stumpy, straight and small horns and small to medium hump and dewlap BL Ht CG F 102.79 ± 0.26 103.09 ± 0.24 125.39 ± 0.21	AFC 1590 LMY 210 LL 220 ICP 540
Krishna Valley	Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara (Maharashtra) Belgaum,	Draft breed, heavy animals, grey, white, brown & white, black & white colour, chest deep and broad, large body, moderate dewlap, small and pointed ears BL Ht CG F 106.2 110.5 155.6	AFC 1400 LMY 750 LL 375 ICP 450
Malvi		Dual purpose breed, white and grey colour, short breed, straight back, strong horns, deep and compact body, head short and broad, dewlap developed, small and pointed ears BL Ht CG F 117.9 ± 1.00 120.4 ± 1.2 151.6 ± 1.5	AFC 1476 LMY 915 LL 259 ICP 402
Malnad Gidda	Shimoga,Hassan Chikamanglur, Udupi, Mangalore, Karwar, Madikeri	Draft breed, five coat colours (black, brown, red, fawn and white), dwarf animals weighing 90 to 140 kg, compact body, straight head, short limbs, small and well defined hump BL Ht CG F 87.0 ± 0.65 90.3 ± 0.46 118.3 ± 0.67	AFC 1370 LMY 500 LL 268 ICP 510
Mewati		Dual purpose breed, white colour, compact body, hump and dewlap medium, small horns, long and narrow face, pendulous ears BL Ht CG F 116.8 ± 0.82 123.3 ± 0.72 155.6 ± 1.38	AFC 1400 LMY 958 LL 292 ICP 503
Motu		Draft breed, small sized, strong and hardy draft type cattle having small compact body short legs and good posture, mostly brown in colour BL Ht CG F 104.6 ± 1.27 98.5 ± 1.01 116.3 ± 1.78	AFC 1593 LMY 142 LL 160 ICP 422
Nagori	Nagaur, Jodhpur (Rajasthan)	Draft breed, white or light grey colour, powerful body, forehead flat, dewlap small, face is long and narrow, large and pendulous ears, hump well developed BL Ht CG F 137.5 ± 2.30 124.2 ± 3.0 165.4 ± 1.22	AFC 1410 LMY 400 LL 240 ICP 500
Nimari	Khandwa, Khargone, Barwani (Madhya Pradesh)	Draft breed, red or large splashes of white on various body parts, compact and large body, well develop hump, moderate dewlap, head moderately large, ears moderately long BL Ht CG F 113.4 113.9 148.3	AFC 1400 LMY 400 LL 240 ICP 500
Ongole	Nellore, Guntur, Prakasam (Andhra Pradesh)	Dual purpose breed, white or grey colour, large heavy animals, long face, short and stumpy horns, large dewlap BL Ht CG F 139.55 143.94 165.3	AFC 1299 LMY 658 LL 275 ICP 399
Punganur	Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh)	Draft breed, small cattle, white or light grey colour, forehead concave and broad, stumpy horns, long neck BL Ht CG F 108 97 128	AFC 1125 LMY 550 LL 280 ICP 500
Pulikulam	Madurai, Virudhunagar and Sivagangai (Tamil Nadu)	Draft breed, white or greyish coat colour, wide and spread horns, cylindrical body, short and horizontal ears, small udders BL Ht CG F 114.5 ± 0.69 112.2 ± 0.79 139.2 ± 1.10	AFC 1400 LMY 500 LL 270 ICP 700
Ponwar	Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh)	Draft breed, brown or black with white patches, small and narrow face, small horns, dewlap medium, small hump, forehead slightly concave BL Ht CG F 97.1 ± 0.05 108.9 ± 0.40 140.6 ± 0.50	AFC 1500 LMY 462 LL 280 ICP 480
Rathi	Bikaner, Ganganagar, Jaisalmer (Rajasthan)	Milch breed, brown with white patches colour, deep chest, straight face, moderate hump, horns short, medium ears, broad face BL Ht CG F 125-139 107-129 156-169	AFC 1500 LMY 1600 LL 350 ICP 550
Red Sindhi	Organized farms in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Kerala and Assam	Milch breed, dark red colour, head well proportionate, horns thick curved upward, heavy hump, dewlap and sheath, ears moderate drooping, well developed udder BL Ht CG F 123.66 ± 0.77 119.46 ± 0.90 162.43 ± 1.24	AFC 1382 LMY 1552 LL 291 ICP 385
Red Kandhari	Nanded, Latur, Bidar, Hingoli Parbhani (Maharashtra)	Dual purpose breed, good looking, dark red colour, broad forehead, ears long drooping, black ring around the hoof, moderate hump, dewlap moderate, shining eyes BL Ht CG F 109.3 ± 0.9 121.7 ± 1.2 149.8 ± 1.3	AFC 1443 LMY 565 LL 274 ICP 443
Sahiwal	Ferozepur, Amritsar (Punjab), Hanumangarh & Ganganagar (Rajasthan)	Milch breed, reddish, pale red or brown colour, long body, moderate forehead, horns are short and stumpy, ears are medium in size, capacious udder BL Ht CG F 131 124 164	AFC 1267 LMY 2236 LL 315 ICP 475
Siri	Darjeeling (West Bengal) and Sikkim	Draft breed, small animals, hill cattle, black or white with white patches, convex forehead, horns and ears are medium BL Ht CG F 119.7 ± 11.47 118.5 ± 8.85 147.9 ± 8.18	AFC 1600 LMY 500 LL 230 ICP 450
Tharparkar	Jodhpur, Barmer, Jaisalmer (Rajasthan)	Milch breed, white or light grey colour, head moderate thick, broad and flat forehead, curving horns, large udder, capacious udder BL Ht CG F 136.4 ± 3.76 122.6 ± 0.47 161.9 ± 0.94	AFC 1230 LMY 1868 LL 285 ICP 452
Umblacherry	Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu)	Draft breed, grey with white patches mostly on face and legs, short and straight face, short ears, broad forehead BL Ht CG F 109.3 ± 0.30 104.8 ± 0.26 134.7 ± 0.47	AFC 1600 LMY 500 LL 260 ICP 450
Vechur	Kottayam (Kerala)	Dwarf breed, light red or black or fawn and white colour, compact body, long head, narrow face, small horns curved upwards BL Ht CG F 93 89 122	AFC 1100 LMY 500 LL 225 ICP 450

BL: Body length (cms)                            Ht: Height at wither (cms)                      CG: Chest girth (cms)

AFC: Age at first calving (days)        LMY” Lactation milk yield (kg)                   LL: Lactation length (days)

ICP: Inter calving period (days)                 F: Female