<p style="text-align:justify">This book offers a clear, practice-oriented pathway through modern animal breeding&mdash;bridging classical quantitative genetics with contemporary genomic tools. Beginning with the history of animal breeding and the characterization of India&rsquo;s major livestock and poultry breeds, it builds core fluency in economic traits, karyotyping, data correction/standardization, and variance components. Readers learn how to estimate heritability and repeatability, interpret genetic and phenotypic correlations, and design effective selection programs&mdash;from individual and family selection to pedigree, sib, and progeny testing&mdash;culminating in robust sire evaluation.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">Advanced chapters introduce marker-assisted selection, gene introgression, genomic selection, and GWAS, showing how DNA-based insights accelerate accuracy and genetic gain. Mating systems are treated comprehensively: inbreeding (with coefficients, consequences, and controlled uses), outbreeding and its forms, heterosis, and selection for combining ability. The text then scales to nucleus breeding systems (open/closed), integrated breeding strategies for livestock and poultry, and targeted improvement for disease resistance and fitness traits. Practical sections on breed characterization/registration, development of new strains, national/state policies and programs, conservation methods, and the emerging landscape of sexed semen round out an India-centric, ICAR-aligned resource for UG/PG students, breeders, and extension professionals.</p> <p><strong>Key Features (at a glance)</strong></p> <ul> <li> <p>Worked examples and formulas for estimates</p> </li> <li> <p>Field-ready selection and mating templates</p> </li> <li> <p>Genomics and GWAS simplified for practitioners</p> </li> <li> <p>India&rsquo;s breeds, policies, and conservation programs highlighted</p> </li> </ul>