Presented by Chanda Nimbkar, Agricultural Research Institute Phaltan, Maharashtra, India and Board member of International Livestock Research Institute at the Public talk, Arbaminch University, 11 April 2019

1. Livestock breed purity:
Whose goal?
Chanda Nimbkar
Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute
Phaltan, Maharashtra, India
and
Board member
International Livestock Research Institute
Public talk
Arbaminch University, 11 April 2019

2. Presentation to stimulate thinking
• Does a livestock population have to be defined as a
‘breed’ to carry out its genetic improvement?
• ‘Restrictive’ vs. ‘Inclusive’ uses of the ‘breed’
concept
• What are the goals of the livestock keeper vs those
of the scientists?

3. Definition of a ‘Breed’
• Dictionary: A stock of animals within a species,
having a distinctive appearance and typically having
been developed by deliberate selection
• Woolliams and Toro, 2007: ‘A breed is a breed if
enough people say it is’.
• FAO, 2007: ‘A breed is either a sub-specific group of
domestic livestock with identifiable external
characteristics that enable it to be separated by
visual appraisal from other groups within the same
species’.

4. Flexible/Inclusive definition of a
‘Breed’
• A group for which geographical and/or cultural
separation from phenotypically similar groups has
led to acceptance of its separate identity. (FAO,
2007)
• Excessive emphasis on finer points of phenotypic
features is likely to leave large numbers of animals
outside the purview of development projects,
leading to a loss of genetic diversity.

5. Latest tally: 34 registered
goat breeds
Total goats: 135 million
Excellent adaptability (in their
agro-climatic regions) and
production potential but NEED
effective, systematic
breeding programs
BUT 70% of the goats do not
Belong to any of these breeds.
They are ‘not described’ yet

6. True-to-type Osmanabadi
• Colour
- Completely black
- Black with brown stomach and underside of
tail, brown markings from eyelids to mouth
and on borders of ears
- Slightly white or brown long hair on hind
legs
- Black ears or white spots on ears (morkani)
• Horns
- Backward and downward bending horns or
polled

7. Non-true-to-type Osmanabadi
Outward, upward horns
White patches on head or other body parts

8. Non-Osmanabadi breed type
• Local breeds
(so-called non-descript (?))
• Osmanabadi crosses

9. ‘desi’ or so-called non-descript animals (breed types)
just as adapted and productive as ‘recognized’ breeds
Breed type of does Number of does LSM ± s.e.
True-to-type Osmanabadi (TT) 92 79.9 ± 4.7
Non true-to-type Osmanabadi (NTT) 169 87.1 ± 4.1
Non-Osmanabadi (NO) 186 87.4 ± 3.8
Least Squares Means of 100-day milk yield of does in three
villages measured using the weigh-suckle-weigh method
True to Type Non-True to Type Non-Osmanabadi

10. Black Bengal goat breed in Bihar, India

11. Thank you