Vadivel Balasubramanian Raghavendran

Pelleted feeds ensure balanced nutrition, improved digestibility, long-term preservation and enhanced palatability, making them vital for livestock during lean seasons. With the growing demand for optimized feed formulations, evaluating complex nutritional data has become crucial. However, ranking feed combinations using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods remains a significant challenge. This study, conducted at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, during 2024–2025, assessed 27 fodder pellet combinations using a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework that integrated the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Pellets comprised Bajra Napier hybrid, Guinea grass, Fodder maize and legumes such as Lucerne, Desmanthus and Agathi, combined with crop residues from rice, maize and groundnut. Nutritional parameters, including crude protein, fibre fractions (ADF, NDF, ADL, cellulose and hemicellulose), crude fat, total ash, palatability and in vitro dry matter digestibility, were studied. AHP assigned weights to each parameter, while TOPSIS ranked combinations by closeness to the ideal solution. The Bajra Napier Hybrid + Agathi + Groundnut haulms combination had the highest TOPSIS score (0.8808), indicating superior nutritional performance. This study validates AHP-TOPSIS as a reliable tool for optimizing fodder pellet formulations. Correlation studies showed a negative relationship among various pellet formulations. Guinea grass + Desmanthus + Maize stover exhibited the highest crude fibre content (32 %) with moderate digestibility (66 %), indicating greater fibre accumulation. Conversely, Fodder Maize + Agathi + Groundnut haulms had a lower crude fibre content (28%) but achieved a digestibility of 64%, making it a favourable choice for improved nutrient bioavailability. The findings from this study can guide feed industries and farmers in selecting nutritionally balanced, cost-effective pellet combinations that contribute to local fodder availability and support sustainable livestock nutrition strategies.

This study focused on improving the milk fat percentage for crossbred dairy cows in smallholder systems, using GEBV. The data were collected from 2507 animals between 2016 and 2023 under BAIF’s Enhanced Genetic Gains program in Pune, India. After refining the dataset, 33,845 records from 1896 animals were analyzed. The result showed that 75.54% of farms had either one or two animals. Prior to quality control, the mean milk fat percentage was 3.94%, but it decreased to 3.83% after data pruning, which necessitated removing the outliers. Genetic analysis involved 1478 animals genotyped for 49,911 SNPs after applying a rigorous quality control process, and imputation improved the accuracy of genomic data, boosting allele frequency correlation from 0.594 to 0.882. The study revealed that the additive genetic variance, phenotypic variance, and error variance were calculated as 0.012, 0.118, and 0.106, respectively. The heritability was estimated at 0.10, suggesting cautious use for breeding improvements. The GEBV ranged from 0.096 to 3.10%, which offers breeders a practical tool for selecting high-fat-producing cows. This research provides valuable insights into optimizing milk quality and advancing genetic improvement strategies in smallholder dairy systems.

Integrating crop and livestock production, especially with cattle, is vital for food security and economic growth in India. The livestock sector helps increase farm income, boosts the national economy, and provides employment opportunities for millions of people. However, productivity lags global standards due to shortages of quality feeds, including green fodder, dry fodder, and concentrates. Stagnant fodder crop cultivation and dwindling permanent pastures exacerbate the challenge of meeting the rising demand for milk and meat. Addressing these issues is crucial for enhancing livestock productivity and sustaining agriculture. This review highlights the importance of fodder pelletization, compressing animal feeds into dense pellets using a pellet mill. Pelleted feeds offer balanced diets, improved digestibility, and nutrient absorption, with benefits including long-lasting preservation, enhanced handling, stability, bulk density, and palatability. Factors influencing the pelleting process, such as ingredient characteristics, drying, grinding, conditioning, steam pressure, and moisture content, are examined in depth. The positive effects of pelleted feed on ruminant growth and productivity, particularly in cattle and goats, are emphasized, including improvements in milk yield, weight gain, and reproductive performance. These findings emphasize the potential of pelletized feed to address challenges related to fodder scarcity, feed wastage, and transportation costs. This provides valuable insights for efficient diet management in livestock production.

Newcastle disease (ND) is highly contagious and usually causes severe illness that affects Aves all over the world, including domestic poultry. Depending on the virus’s virulence, it can impact the nervous, respiratory, and digestive systems and cause up to 100% mortality. The chIFITM genes are activated in response to viral infection. The current study was conducted to quantify the mRNA of chIFITM genes in vitro in response to ND viral infection. It also examined its ability to inhibit ND virus replication in chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells of the Aseel and Kadaknath breeds. Results from the study showed that the expression of all chIFITM genes was significantly upregulated throughout the period in the infected CEF cells of both breeds compared to uninfected CEF cells. In CEF cells of the Kadaknath breed, elevated levels of expression of the chIFITM3 gene dramatically reduced ND viral growth, and the viral load was 60% lower than in CEF cells of the Aseel breed. The expression level of the chIFITMs in Kadaknath ranged from 2.39 to 11.68 log₂ folds higher than that of control CEFs and was consistently (p < 0.01) higher than Aseel CEFs. Similar to this, theIFN-γ gene expresses strongly quickly and peaks at 13.9 log₂ fold at 48 hpi. Based on these cellular experiments, the Kadaknath breed exhibits the potential for greater disease tolerance than Aseel. However, to gain a comprehensive understanding of disease resistance mechanisms in chickens, further research involving in vivo investigations is crucial.