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Hariana cow Photo: Pavanaja · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source ↗

Hariana cattle (Haryana dual-purpose)

Hariana is the most important indigenous dual-purpose cattle breed of the Indo-Gangetic plains. The breed is registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) and was the backbone of bullock-powered agriculture in the wheat-rice belt before mechanisation. Cows give a useful quantity of milk while bullocks have been the standard plough and cart animal across Haryana, western UP, Punjab and Rajasthan.

Origin and distribution

The home tract is Rohtak, Hisar, Gurgaon, Karnal and Jind districts of Haryana, extending into the adjoining districts of western Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Government farms at Hisar (CCS HAU) and Karnal (ICAR-NDRI) maintain pedigreed herds and supply semen of progeny-tested Hariana bulls under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission.

Appearance

Hariana animals are medium to large, with a short, smooth white or light-grey coat — bulls often turn darker grey on shoulders and quarters. The forehead is long, narrow and bulging in the centre with a typical bony prominence at the top. Horns are short, stumpy and turn slightly outward and upward; ears are small and held nearly horizontally. Bullocks are upstanding with long, straight legs and a tucked-up flank, well suited to fast work. Adult cows weigh 310–340 kg and bulls 430–500 kg.

Productivity

Lactation yield averages 1,000–1,400 kg over 300 days under village conditions, with elite organised farm cows producing 2,200–2,800 kg. Milk fat is 4.5–4.8%. Age at first calving is 40–48 months and the inter-calving interval is 14–16 months. Bullocks are renowned for stamina and pull 800–1,200 kg cart loads. Heat tolerance, disease resistance and ability to thrive on coarse rice/wheat straw make Hariana a stable smallholder breed.

Management

Hariana does well on rice and wheat straw-based rations with green fodder such as berseem and oats in winter and hybrid napier (Bullet Napier And Hybrids) or maize fodder (Maize Fodder) in summer. A balanced concentrate ration of 2.0–2.5 kg per cow per day plus 400 g per litre of milk is standard. Open loose-housing with shade is preferred; tie-stall floors should be non-slip. Breeding is mostly through artificial insemination (Artificial Insemination Cattle) with Hariana or upgraded Sahiwal/Hariana bulls.

See also: Sahiwal cow, Tharparkar cattle, Kankrej cattle, Gir cattle, Ongole cattle.

Sources

  1. Hariana — NBAGR breed profile. ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal.
  2. Hariana — Dairy Knowledge Portal. National Dairy Development Board.