Contributed more than 50,000 diet Of SemenGorakh, Alone Gangathiri The bull at Uttar Pradesh government’s Hapur farm has emerged as a leader in this field. Protection and propagation of high quality Gangathiri germplasm Above,
Gangatiri (Ganga Bank) is a dual purpose indigenous river. breed Native to eastern Uttar Pradesh and western parts of Bihar, this breed is resistant to many diseases and is also economical, has good adaptability to the region and is low cost.
Gangathiri cow weighs around 300-350 kg and gives 8-10 litres of milk per day. However, genetically improved breeds can have higher yields. This breed was registered by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) in 2015.
Born on January 29, 2014, Gorakh got his parentage verified and thus became eligible as a donor for production of sexed semen (in which 90% of the Y chromosomes are removed) for Gangatiri breed of cows in the state. Two female Gangatiri calves born on March 26 and 27 at a government farm in Varanasi using embryo transfer technology and IVF for Gangatiri cows for the first time in the country are Gorakh’s offspring. bull More than 2200 semen doses are produced every month.
As per Gorakh’s records, he will stay strong for at least three more years, having a unique identification number called 287020. He was born in a cowshed in Mirzapur to Rahu and Pinki, both excellent cows. He was brought to the farm in Hapur in January 2015, when he was just a year old. His training for the semen collection programme began in August 2019 and two months later, the farm began collecting his semen.
Considering that bulls become sexually productive by the age of three years and can remain productive till at least eight years of age and up to 15 or even 18 years as seen in some cases, Gorakh still has a lot left to contribute to the programme he is already contributing to, especially when his records suggest that he is a bull with good libido and good quality semen.
As far as his temperament is concerned, his keepers describe him as gentle. If Gorakh has been able to donate more than 50,000 semen so far, it is because he has been on herbal libido boosting medicine and a balanced diet. His daily diet includes 7.5 kg of balanced concentrates, 12 kg of dry fodder and a premix of vitamins, minerals and probiotics. His exercise schedule is also strict and regular to keep him healthy and fit. The farm spends about Rs 30,000 on his maintenance every month.
This is a tough scan that a bull has to go through to qualify as a sperm donor. The first stage is rearing. Many bulls are eliminated at this stage because they do not match the physical standards, or their sperm concentration may be low. The second is the training stage, where bulls are trained to ejaculate with fake partners around to stimulate them. This is the final stage, the collection stage, in which the bull begins donating sperm.
Standards have also been set for the collection stage. The sperm count should be at least 500 million per ml of semen to qualify a bull as a donor. Each ejaculation yields 3-4 ml of semen. Gorakh must have already met the minimum standards to emerge as the leading sperm donor for Gangatiri cows. Currently, he is the only male contributing to the programme. There was another male, but he died a few years ago, officials said.
Dr. Neeraj Gupta, CEO, UP Animal “Norms have been set for every stage. Each stage is monitored by experts. The collection is done in a scientific manner and under the supervision of experts,” the development board chairman said.
The dummy partners for Gorakh are other male bulls who are given artificial vaginas with a standard temperature of 37 degrees Celsius so that the male gets natural heat during ejaculation. Gorakh mounts the dummy partner every time he gets sexually aroused. This process is done in the presence of experts and requires quick collection of semen. The sperm is flushed twice a week, if done more frequently, the quality of the semen may deteriorate. Each semen flush yields at least 200 doses, i.e. 400 doses in a week. As per the standards, 2 lakh doses of semen can be taken from a bull in his lifetime.
Gorakh is ten years old, but he is fit for a long time. When embryo transfer technology (ETT) and IVF were used for the first time in the country to produce Gangatiri cows in July-August 2023, four of the farm’s best females were selected as egg donors after their lactation and parental records were verified. Gorakh’s sex-determined semen was used to fertilise the eggs in-vivo (inside the body).
Later, after about seven days, the embryos were removed from the donor cows and transferred to four recipient cows, which were probably not highly qualified due to being only surrogates. In the end, as only two pregnancies were successful, two calves were born.
ETT is being used extensively in many places to improve the breeds of native cows as the best cows are used as egg and sperm donors. The standard gestation period for cows is more than nine months. As per that standard, a female can produce one calf a year, at most. Through ETT, a best cow can produce multiple offspring in a year. Principal Secretary of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Ravinder said, “In the current fast-growing era of Artificial Intelligence, future strategies and better planning on artificial insemination (AI) will bring significant improvement in the entire livestock herd and reduce the risk of financial insecurity of farmers from unexpected loss of agricultural returns. In the near future, calves produced through AI with the best cows will be able to produce many offspring in a year. Genetics This will benefit farmers as predictive analysis can be done much before production begins.
Gangatiri (Ganga Bank) is a dual purpose indigenous river. breed Native to eastern Uttar Pradesh and western parts of Bihar, this breed is resistant to many diseases and is also economical, has good adaptability to the region and is low cost.
Gangathiri cow weighs around 300-350 kg and gives 8-10 litres of milk per day. However, genetically improved breeds can have higher yields. This breed was registered by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) in 2015.
Born on January 29, 2014, Gorakh got his parentage verified and thus became eligible as a donor for production of sexed semen (in which 90% of the Y chromosomes are removed) for Gangatiri breed of cows in the state. Two female Gangatiri calves born on March 26 and 27 at a government farm in Varanasi using embryo transfer technology and IVF for Gangatiri cows for the first time in the country are Gorakh’s offspring. bull More than 2200 semen doses are produced every month.
As per Gorakh’s records, he will stay strong for at least three more years, having a unique identification number called 287020. He was born in a cowshed in Mirzapur to Rahu and Pinki, both excellent cows. He was brought to the farm in Hapur in January 2015, when he was just a year old. His training for the semen collection programme began in August 2019 and two months later, the farm began collecting his semen.
Considering that bulls become sexually productive by the age of three years and can remain productive till at least eight years of age and up to 15 or even 18 years as seen in some cases, Gorakh still has a lot left to contribute to the programme he is already contributing to, especially when his records suggest that he is a bull with good libido and good quality semen.
As far as his temperament is concerned, his keepers describe him as gentle. If Gorakh has been able to donate more than 50,000 semen so far, it is because he has been on herbal libido boosting medicine and a balanced diet. His daily diet includes 7.5 kg of balanced concentrates, 12 kg of dry fodder and a premix of vitamins, minerals and probiotics. His exercise schedule is also strict and regular to keep him healthy and fit. The farm spends about Rs 30,000 on his maintenance every month.
This is a tough scan that a bull has to go through to qualify as a sperm donor. The first stage is rearing. Many bulls are eliminated at this stage because they do not match the physical standards, or their sperm concentration may be low. The second is the training stage, where bulls are trained to ejaculate with fake partners around to stimulate them. This is the final stage, the collection stage, in which the bull begins donating sperm.
Standards have also been set for the collection stage. The sperm count should be at least 500 million per ml of semen to qualify a bull as a donor. Each ejaculation yields 3-4 ml of semen. Gorakh must have already met the minimum standards to emerge as the leading sperm donor for Gangatiri cows. Currently, he is the only male contributing to the programme. There was another male, but he died a few years ago, officials said.
Dr. Neeraj Gupta, CEO, UP Animal “Norms have been set for every stage. Each stage is monitored by experts. The collection is done in a scientific manner and under the supervision of experts,” the development board chairman said.
The dummy partners for Gorakh are other male bulls who are given artificial vaginas with a standard temperature of 37 degrees Celsius so that the male gets natural heat during ejaculation. Gorakh mounts the dummy partner every time he gets sexually aroused. This process is done in the presence of experts and requires quick collection of semen. The sperm is flushed twice a week, if done more frequently, the quality of the semen may deteriorate. Each semen flush yields at least 200 doses, i.e. 400 doses in a week. As per the standards, 2 lakh doses of semen can be taken from a bull in his lifetime.
Gorakh is ten years old, but he is fit for a long time. When embryo transfer technology (ETT) and IVF were used for the first time in the country to produce Gangatiri cows in July-August 2023, four of the farm’s best females were selected as egg donors after their lactation and parental records were verified. Gorakh’s sex-determined semen was used to fertilise the eggs in-vivo (inside the body).
Later, after about seven days, the embryos were removed from the donor cows and transferred to four recipient cows, which were probably not highly qualified due to being only surrogates. In the end, as only two pregnancies were successful, two calves were born.
ETT is being used extensively in many places to improve the breeds of native cows as the best cows are used as egg and sperm donors. The standard gestation period for cows is more than nine months. As per that standard, a female can produce one calf a year, at most. Through ETT, a best cow can produce multiple offspring in a year. Principal Secretary of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Ravinder said, “In the current fast-growing era of Artificial Intelligence, future strategies and better planning on artificial insemination (AI) will bring significant improvement in the entire livestock herd and reduce the risk of financial insecurity of farmers from unexpected loss of agricultural returns. In the near future, calves produced through AI with the best cows will be able to produce many offspring in a year. Genetics This will benefit farmers as predictive analysis can be done much before production begins.
