Research ProgramsDairy Buffalo Upgrading Research ProjectThe Victorian Buffalo Industry Council has been approved to conduct a research project to introduce Bulgarian Murrah Buffalo to Australia with an aim to upgrade Dairy Buffalo in Australia. The project will use imported semen from Bulgaria and detect heat in buffalo cows by using a vasectomised bull, instead of drug-induced synchronization. With buffalo being shy breeders, it is hoped to achieve higher conception rates using the vasectomised bull. Both methods to be used for comparison. The objective of the research project is to upgrade the quality of milking buffalo in Australia and to provide a pool of genetic material for buffalo dairy farmers in Australia. This is to be done via artificial insemination using imported Bulgarian Murrah Buffalo semen, which will be sourced from the Bulgarian Government Dairy Farms. The expertise of Dr George Malinov will be utilized to carry out the procedures in the capacity of Principal Investigator. It is proposed to enable the participation of all individuals and associations affiliated with the Australian Buffalo Industry Council (ABIC). A vasectomised bull will be used for heat detection instead of drug inducement as commonly used in Australia. The objective being to improve the conception rate for artificial insemination of buffalo in Australia, which currently is below a desirable level. The Murrah was selected because of its milking qualities, conformation, size and its ability to upgrade the milking quality of non-descript buffalo. Although the Bulgarian Murrah is slightly different to the Indian Murrah they have similar qualities and look more like dairy cattle.
Page last updated on 03 May 2017.
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