Genetic improvement of cattle through field progeny testing programme: An evaluation of achievement

Abstract

Evaluation of bulls through progeny testing and their extensive use has been a major source of genetic improvement in dairy animals. Adequate numbers of progeny tested bulls are not available in India and whatever small numbers of bulls are progeny tested, they have low repeatability as the progeny tests are based on a small number of daughters mostly reared at the institutional farms. Since the facilities available with the institutional farms are limited, it is necessary that the progeny testing programmes are extended to the farmers’ herds where large number of daughters per bull can be produced and recorded. A mega field progeny testing (FPT) program in mid-eighties was initiated at the Project Directorate on Cattle (PDC), presently upgraded as ICAR- Central Institute for Research on Cattle, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with Agricultural Universities and Non-Government Organization at different agro-climatic regions of the country. This article reviews the detailed progress of the FPT Program executed at ICAR- Central Institute for Research on Cattle since inception.