PREPARED BY

DR SIDDHARTHA S. PATHAK

III Ph.D.

CONSERVATION OF INDIGENOUS GERMPLASM

INTRODUCTION

• In India, rural backyard poultry is reared by poor people, especially women.

• Over a period of time due to various reasons (availability of commercial broilers and layers at cheaper rates, outbreaks of Avian Influenza, New Castle disease etc.), the population of indigenous birds has decreased at an alarming rate.

• Globally, FAO (2000) has listed 30 extinct chicken breeds in the recent past with many more in critical list.

CONTD…

• The total percentage loss increases 51 to 63% in a matter of 4 years indicating the alarming trend.

• In India also all 18 of poultry breeds are under threat.

• As a result of intense genetic selection over many decades, there is loss of genetic variation in industrial stocks and many stocks may be nearing physiological plateau in the near future.

• So there is need to review the urgency of conserving poultry biodiversity.

CONSERVATION

Conservation is positive, embracing preservation, maintenance, sustainable utilization, restoration and enhancement of the endangered species particularly those of economic, scientific and cultural interest to mankind for agriculture either at present or in the future.

REASON FOR CONSERVATION• Endangered populations should be conserved for their possible scientific

use. This may include the use of conservation stocks as control populations, in order to monitor and identify advances and changes in the genetic makeup and production characteristics of selected stocks.

• Endangered populations should be conserved for their potential economic use in the future.

• Cultural Interest - There are breeds which have been associated with social and cultural development and religious ceremony.

• There are also many breeds which may be conserved for their aesthetic value.

OBJECTIVES• The idea of conserving animal genetic resources focuses on two

separate but interlinked concepts. The first is the conservation of ‘genes’ and the second, the conservation of ‘breeds’ or populations.

• The conservation of ‘genes’ characters inherent within a population or group of populations. It could, for example, be Naked neck gene, frizzle gene.

• The conservation of populations or breeds refers to action to ensure the survival of a population of animals/ birds as defined by the range of genetically controlled characteristics that it exhibits.

METHODS

• There are three methods for the conservation of animal genetic resources.

A. In the form of living ova, embryos or semen stored cryogenically in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees centigrade).

B. Genetic information as DNA, stored in frozen samples of blood or other animal tissue or as DNA segments.

C. Conservation of live populations.

CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES

• Ex-situ conservation

• In- situ conservation

• Gene pool

• Separate breeds

CRYOGENIC PRESERVATION OR EX-SITU CONSERVATION

WHAT IS EX-SITU CONSERVATION ??

• Ex situ preservation involves the conservation of animals in a situation removed from their normal habitat.

• It is used to refer to the collection and freezing in liquid nitrogen of animal genetic resources in the form of living semen, ova or embryos.

• It may also be the preservation of DNA segments in frozen blood or other tissues.

ADVANTAGES• In particular, once the material has been collected, the cost of

maintaining a cryogenic store is minimal.

• Such banks require few trained technicians.

• A very large number of frozen animal’s samples from a large number of populations can be stored in a single facility.

• Frozen animal genetic resources can be made available to livestock breeding and research programmes throughout the world.

• No genetic loss due to selection or drift

DISADVANTAGES• Availability of the necessary technology and access to the frozen

populations.

• Guaranteed supply of liquid nitrogen which must.

• No intrinsic value with respect to financial income unless material can be sold for research and development.

• Semen collection and freezing, superovulation, ova and embryo flushing and freezing not developed for all species.

• Potential risk to cryopreservative storage: human error, power failure, loss of liquid nitrogen, fire, flood, storm, earthquake or war.

IN-SITU CONSERVATION

WHAT IS IN-SITU CONSERVATION ??

• In situ conservation is the maintenance of live populations of animals in their adaptive environment or as close to it as is practically possible.

• For domestic species the conservation of live animals is normally taken to be synonymous with in situ conservation.

ADVANTAGES• requires no advanced technology.

• Live conservation projects involve animal utilization ensure that financial commitment to the conservation of animal genetic resources.

• numbers of breeding units must be established and maintained, however, for each conserved population.

• enable breeds to be properly characterized and evaluated in their own and related localities.

CONTD…

• adapt to changing environmental conditions and endemic diseases.

• The maintenance of live herds allows for selection and improvement of populations within the sustainable constraints.

DISADVANTAGES

• Require land and people which are limited resources in some regions of the world.

• Unpredictable financial and political change

• possible threat of disease.

• international transfer of animal genetic resources.

COMPARISON

GENE POOL• Endangered breeds of the common species, however, may be

maintained as separate ‘breeds’ or may be combined or pooled into groups of breeds or composites for the purposes of conservation.

• The conservation of genetic variation in a gene pool or breed composite requires less resource than individual breed conservation.

• Gene pools or composites can be used effectively to conserve genes that affect obvious morphological features which can be easily identified. The gene pool is not a useful strategy for the conservation of very varied populations. It may be used for the conservation and selection of a number of closely related breeds with economically important traits, whose physiology and adaptive characteristics are similar.

DISADVANTAGES

• Described breed is by definition predictable in its appearance and production, while a gene pool or composite population is not predictable in the expression of those characteristics.

• Combination of gene pools.

area specific breeds like Aseel in different places of the country.

SEPARATE BREEDS

• The advantage of conserving a distinct separate ‘breed’ is that it has a defined set of characteristics and parameters.

• Its appearance, behavior, production, and native environment should all be known or can be determined.

• The disadvantage of conserving ‘breeds' separately, is that there are a very large number of them, and that many have very similar characteristics.

SYSTEMATIC STEPS TO ARREST DECLINE OF POULTRY BIODIVERSITY

i.Training: It is important to take urgent steps to generate trained human resources with knowledge of conservation biology especially genetics.

ii.Education: Veterinary/animal husbandry curricula may incorporate conservation biology as one of core subjects.

iii.Research: Studies encouraged at post graduate and doctorate levels to assess and compile database on biologically important indigenous varieties of chicken species.

CONTD..

i.Data: Organization on the lines of American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC).

ii.Standards: Compilation of Indian Poultry Breed Standards and Specifications like British Poultry Standards and American Standards of perfection.

iii.Extension: Encourage local/fancy chicken breeding at their source locations.

iv.Coordination: Coordinate with zoological parks and wildlife personnel in assessing the genetic worth of avian/chicken species available with them and apply conservation genetics principles to maintain present levels of diversity.

v.Participation: Encourage private sector pharmaceutical, biotechnology, bioinformatics firms to invest in conservation of valuable avian genetic resources of India.

THANK YOU