**3. Breeding innovations**

Breeding innovations generally known as cross breeding have resulted in profitable dairy farming with serious health and fertility concerns. Selection of good, diseases resistant and climate resilient breed coupled with adoption of scientific breeding innovations laid the strong foundation to the dairy farm to grow in future. Topography, soil type, feed and fodder availability must also be given due consideration while selecting the animals. Highly productive animal requires special care in terms of management, disease control and feeding strategies. Native breeds with quality germplasm would be more appropriate for local climatic conditions. Genetic up-gradation of non-descript animals by using local superior germplasm proves more beneficial in terms of sustainable production. However introducing exotic germplasm to a certain limit generally known as cross breeding have resulted in profitable dairy farming with serious concerns. Breeding innovations commonly introduced at field level are highlighted in this chapter.

### **3.1 Artificial insemination (AI) technique**

Artificial Insemination (AI) is an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) used worldwide to deposit proven sire's stored semen directly into a cow's uterus. The technique is used as a rapid way to improve desired characteristics through intensive genetic selection. Advantages, such as facilitating the use of superior quality semen without the expense and risk of sire's ownership; reduction in the risk of introducing venereal diseases into the herd have achieved with this innovative technique. Being the quickest and most effective mean of breeding through AI, developing countries like India could witness position as the top most milk producing country of the world. Not only it exclude the need of keeping a bull for natural service but also helps in exploiting the excellent germplasm up to the fuller extent.

### **3.2 Progeny testing**

Progeny testing is the practical and best technique, in which bulls are evaluated on the basis of their daughters' performance. When large numbers of animals are spread in many villages for a particular breed in its native tract, these villages can get AI services and progeny produced in this way is evaluated for their performance. Progeny testing is a practical and the best option for achieving genetic improvement in that breed.
