Buffalo Genetic Resources of India and Their Conservation

The contribution of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) to the Indian agrarian economy is considerable by way of milk, meat and draught power production and as a source of security that requires minimum inputs. The domesticated buffaloes in Indian are mainly of river type with small number of swamp buffaloes present mainly in north-eastern part of India. India is having 56.70 percent of the world buffalo population and they supply 68.21 percent of the total milk produced around the world. The river buffaloes of the Indian sub-continent are maintained chiefly for milk production, but all of them are also dual purpose animals, exhibiting good meat characteristics. The swamp buffalo is more or less a permanent denizen of marshy lands, where it wallows in mud and feed on coarse marsh grass. India has rich repository of buffalo breeds with 13 recognized breeds and the best known breeds of buffaloes are Murrah, Nili-Ravi, Jaffarabadi, Surti and Mehsana. The germplasm of such well-defined breeds constitute a valuable genetic resource which needs to be conserved on priority basis. The rich biological diversity of this species is progressively being eroded due to unplanned breeding. Except in few organized farms which maintain small herds of pure breed, there is almost unrestricted interbreeding among different breeds and there is a marked decline in the availability of unique animals conforming to the attributes of defined breeds, particularly in their native breeding tracts. The situation is further complicated by the fact that there exists no breed societies or breed registration/improvement societies to register animals of specific breeds, maintain herd books and ensure the purity of the breeds. Hence, proper conservation measures have to make to preserve the valuable buffalo genetic resources of India for the sustainable utilization.