Animal Nutrition Division

Major Achievements

• Use of microbial feed additives resulted in reduced intensity and duration of diarrhea and also mortality of calves.
• Inoculation of buffalo rumen with superior fibre degrading microbes from the rumen of wild animals resulted in better feed utilization.
• Higher compensatory growth can be achieved during recovery phase of buffaloes following fascioliosis on a standard protein ration.
• Widespread contamination with organochloro pesticides residues along with heavy metals was observed in animal feeds and fodder of Indo-gangetic plains.
• Homemade diets of pet dogs in northern and western India are highly imbalanced and inadequate to meet the requirements of energy, protein and minerals for optimum health.
• Several plants showing antimehanogenic activity under in vitro conditions have been identified.
• Role of functional foods in modulating nutrient utilization, gastro-intestinal parasitism, health effects of sub-clinical heavy metal exposure and other stressful conditions through improvement of antioxidant status has been established.

• Suitable detoxification methods for castor bean meal, cotton seed cake and karanj cake developed.
• Sugarcane bagasse, tops and pith based complete feeds were developed for cattle.
• Strategic feeding of urea treated cereal straws with rice polish to dairy animals during late gestation and lactation resulted in higher birth weight and survivability of calves and milk production in buffaloes.
• Chelated organic complex of zinc has been standardized and tested for nutrient digestibility, immune response and semen quality.
• A mixture of three plants having antimethanogenic activity in vitro showed 12% reduction in methane emission in crossbred calves.
• Several antimethanogenic compounds of herbal origin have been identified and use of some of them either alone or in combination resulted in reduced methane production in animals.
• Integration of strategic supplementation of N within the existing feeding systems significantly improved the growth rate in buffalo calves, heifers and milk production giving a higher (244%) marginal rate of return.
• Urinary excretion of endogenous purine derivatives (PD) was standardized in crossbred cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats as an index of nutritional status of ruminants

Honours & Awards:

• Faculties of the division have been conferred with THREE national awards
  • Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award
  • Panjabrao Deshmukh Best Woman Scientist Award
  • Hari Om Ashram Trust Award

• Division has been conferred the BEST MAINTAINED DIVISION AWARD at the institute level TWICE.
• Institute’s best teacher award has been given thrice to the divisional faculty members.
• Students’ research work has been recognized with JAWAHARLAL NEHRU AWARD six times.
• Scientists have been awarded different national awards and Fellowships (NAAS/FANA) for their excellent scientific contributions.
• Scientists are being invited as members of the expert panels of ICAR, DBT and IAEA.

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