Vol. 11, Special Issue 11 (2022)

Author(s):
Vani A, Rohit Singh, Vinay Kishor Tiwari, Mukesh Gangwar, Md Mir Hussain, Pradeep Chandra and Tapendra Saini

Abstract:
India being home to a large number of livestock breeds is facing with the risk of extinction of some of the breeds. There is a necessity for proper management of the animal genetic resources. Conservation and improvement of livestock breeds is essential for maintaining the biodiversity and for sustainable production. Ex situ in vitro (gene bank) method is one such conservation method. A gene bank is an ex-situ (off site) genetic material collection stored over long periods for security of germplasm or for its easy access. For conservation of germplasm in a gene bank, firstly the risk status of all breeds is assessed and after identification of the breeds under risk, they are prioritized for conservation based on their risk status. The different types of germplasm maintained in an animal gene bank are semen, ova, embryo, other types of germinal cells, tissues, DNA etc. Gene banks are an inevitable aspect of conservation programmes. They have wide applicability for breed reconstitution, breed improvement, new breed development and reducing the inbreeding levels etc. Currently in India, several breeds belonging to seven domestic animal species have been conserved at the National Gene Bank, ICAR-NBAGR.