Kumar Santosh

The reproductive biology of mammals has always been a topic of interest and curiosity to me and I wanted to put my whole life into this field of research.

Who would imagine that getting a cow pregnant could be a complicated thing? You get an amorous bull, put him in a field with a herd of voluptuous cows, the rest takes care of itself, doesn’t it? 

Well, no. Put simply, the problem is this: to manage a herd efficiently you need to synchronise the oestrus cycle of the cows using an appropriate exogenous hormonal treatment. Ok, let’s put it even more simply. Every female mammal has a regular cycle in their reproductive system. In humans we call it the menstrual cycle. In the cow community it is known as the oestrus cycle. At the end of her 21-day-cycle the cow ovulates, and only then does she allow the bull to mate with her. New Zealand’s pastoral farming system relies on having a concentrated calving date and you can only get this if all the cows in the herd become pregnant at roughly the same time. But in a dairy farm of 100 adult cows the oestrus cycle is random, all the cows ovulate on different days and times.  

Oestrus synchronisation is the manipulation of oestrus cycle so that all the cows will be fertile at the same time and can be artificially inseminated as one happy herd. Santosh Kumar is working with the Massey University School of Veterinary Medicine to carry out research which he hopes will help us to better understand the reproductive management of dairy heifers and cows for optimum production. Ultimately, he’d like his research to lead to an innovative and cost effective synchronisation protocol for dairy cows, optimised for New Zealand’s unique conditions.

“We know that better oestrus synchronisation will lead to a concentrated calving period which will again lead to better farm management and optimum production and profit.

”And it’s vital to tailor this method for New Zealand’s unique conditions. “There has been tremendous research into oestrus synchronisation throughout the world and the results are quite variable. If we talk in terms of reproductive biology of cows of New Zealand, they are quite different than those of European and American cows.” So careful research needs to be done to find the right protocol for our herds. New Zealand dairy cows are also much leaner compared to European dairy cows. “It has already been proved that a negative energy balance leads to hampered reproductive performances and poor response to hormonal treatment. So a careful attempt should also be made to consider these factors while searching for a suitable synchronisation protocol.”

Before October 2006, the commonly used synchronisation protocol involved the use of estradiol benzoate, which was a success under New Zealand conditions. But after a European Union ban on this product there has been a debate about the best and most cost effective field applicable protocol. The current recommended programme includes three hormonal preparations: GnRH (Gonadotrophin releasing hormone), PGF2 alpha (Prostaglandin F 2 alpha) and Progesterone. The debate is over whether to include this progesterone in the protocol. “There has not been concrete research under New Zealand conditions regarding its use, moreover this is a very expensive product. If we include this product in the protocol, in what way is it profitable?”

Kumar grew up on a farm so his interest was a natural one. “As I came from a rural background I had a dream of having my own dairy and poultry farming but this never happened. I was encouraged to join a post-graduate programme in Animal Reproduction. The reproductive biology of mammals has always been a topic of interest and curiosity to me and I wanted to put my whole life into this field of research.” While at Indira Gandhi Agricultural University (Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India,) he topped his class in graduation and post-graduation. He was awarded the university gold medal twice for his outstanding academic achievements.

Kumar describes doing his PhD at New Zealand’s only faculty of veterinary science (the Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences IVABS,) as a dream come true. “I am overwhelmed to get the quality and renowned supervision from my supervisors Dr. Richard Laven and Prof. Tim Parkinson. I learnt to do independent research and hard work after coming to New Zealand. The New Zealand International Doctoral Research Scholarship gave financial support to my study. Nothing is compromised in New Zealand to maintain the quality of Education.”

Kumar also cites our system’s international standing, ultramodern facilities and multicultural environments. “I always feel a sense of satisfaction because I got what I wanted.”

And thanks to Kumar Santosh, so will our hard-working dairy farmers.