Question

Discuss the achievement made through the technique of embryo transfer in livestock.

Answer 1

Achievements made through the technique of embryo transfer in livestock:

1. Allows faster multiplication of genetically superior, high-yielding animals.
2. One donor cow can produce about 18 superior calves yearly, versus one calf naturally.
3. Enables production of many progeny from elite females without multiple matings.
4. Frozen embryos can be stored long-term and transported cheaply rather than importing animals.
5. Helps in genetic improvement and herd enhancement (MOET program).
6. Enables production of homozygotic twins by splitting embryos.
7. Facilitates advanced technologies like in vitro fertilization, sexing, cloning, and transgenic animal production.
8. Detects carriers of undesirable genetic traits effectively.
9. Reduces dependency on importing live cattle, reducing costs.
10. Widely used to improve milk production and livestock quality rapidly.