Research Projects

India and Japan are collaborating to develop innovative technologies for the preservation and conservation of male and female avian germplasm. The collaboration involves researchers from Central University of South Bihar Gaya, National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, and Kyoto University Japan. The goal is to address the extinction threat of birds like the Great Indian Bustard, Bengal florican, and indigenous chicken and duck species. The exchange program aims to address the knowledge gap in avian female germplasm conservation and share the expertise in male avian reproductive biology. The collaboration will provide a chance to add new skills to the project team and train more human resources on the same expertise. The research focuses on cryopreservation of spermatozoa in birds, a method that has limited success due to species-specific requirements. Several commercial breeds of chicken, Guinea fowl, turkey, and quail are being cryopreserved for conservation purposes. A vitrification protocol using DMSO, ethylene glycol, and sucrose has been successful in preserving Japanese quail ovarian tissue.