The All India Co-ordinated Research Project (AICRP) on poultry breeding, Mannuthy, under the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University (KVASU), bagged the national breed conservation award for 2021. The Centre received the prestigious award from ICAR – The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) for the conservation and research activities on the Tellicherry breed, the only registered native chicken breed from the State.
The award carries a citation and a purse of ₹10,000. The award was established by ICAR – NBAGR for their contribution towards conservation and improvement of registered Indian breeds of domestic livestock and poultry. The centre started conservation of the Tellicherry breed in 2014. Through scientific selection and management, the breed began laying eggs as early as in five months and the annual egg production increased to 160-170 eggs, C.S. Suja, Assistant Professor, AICRP on poultry breeding, Mannuthy, said.
The centre has also initiated the genetic characterisation of the Tellicherry breed, which played an important role in the recognition, Dr. Suja, who is also the co-investigator of the project, said. The research team behind the success includes Dr. P. Anitha; Dr Binoj Chacko; Dr. Beena C Joseph. and Dr. Sankaralingam (principal investigators of the project) and Dr. S. Harikrishnan (co-investigator ). The award was received at the Kisan Divas celebrations organised by ICAR-NBAGR recently.
