First Badri calf born through OPU-IVF technology in a milestone for Uttarakhand's indigenous cattle
On 11 September 2026, a Badri female calf was born through Ovum Pick-Up and In Vitro Fertilization (OPU-IVF), after a Badri embryo was transferred into a Sahiwal recipient cow.
Summary
A healthy Badri female calf was born on 11 September 2026 through Ovum Pick-Up and In Vitro Fertilization (OPU-IVF) technology at the Academic Dairy Farm, after a Badri embryo was transferred into a Sahiwal recipient cow. Badri cattle are an indigenous breed of Uttarakhand and its state animal. The work was a collaboration between ICAR–National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, and G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, funded by the Uttarakhand Biotechnology Council, Haldi; the programme began in 2023. Oocytes from genetically valuable Badri cows were fertilised in vitro with semen from a superior Badri bull. The team is also exploring cloning of elite Badri cows and has produced cloned Badri embryos.
Key facts
- Born
- 11 Sep 2026 — Badri female calf
- Technology
- OPU-IVF (Ovum Pick-Up and In Vitro Fertilization)
- Recipient
- Sahiwal cow
- Badri
- Indigenous cattle and state animal of Uttarakhand
- Partners
- ICAR-NDRI Karnal + GBPUAT Pantnagar; funded by Uttarakhand Biotechnology Council
- Next
- Cloned Badri embryos produced; cloning being explored
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Badri cattle, in whose breed a calf was born through OPU-IVF on 11 September 2026, are the state animal of which state?
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Correct answer: B — Uttarakhand
Badri cattle are an indigenous breed of Uttarakhand and are recognised as its state animal.
Into which breed of recipient cow was the Badri embryo transferred to produce the OPU-IVF calf born on 11 September 2026?
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Correct answer: C — Sahiwal
The Badri embryo was transferred into a Sahiwal recipient cow.
Consider the following about the Badri OPU-IVF calf born on 11 September 2026: 1. The calf was produced through cloning of an elite Badri cow. 2. The work was a collaboration between ICAR-NDRI, Karnal and G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 2 only
Only statement 2 is correct. The calf came from OPU-IVF, not cloning — cloning of elite Badri cows is still being explored — and the work was done by ICAR-NDRI Karnal with GBPUAT Pantnagar.