Animal Reproduction Science 114 (2009) 219–227
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Animal Reproduction Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/anireprosci
The effects of PG600 and boar exposure on oestrus detection and potential litter size following mating at either the induced (pubertal) or second oestrus
A. Bartletta, S.J. Paina, P.E. Hughesb, P. Stotta, W.H.E.J. van Wetterea,∗
a Discipline of Animal Science, School of Agricultural and Animal Science, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, Roseworthy, South Australia 5371, Australia
b Pig and Poultry Production Institute, Roseworthy Campus, Roseworthy, South Australia 5371, Australia
article info
Article history:
Received 10 June 2008
Received in revised form 12 August 2008 Accepted 12 August 2008
Available online 26 August 2008
Keywords:
Puberty PG600 Oestrus Litter size
abstract
Within gilt pools, incidences of delayed puberty attainment, failure to exhibit regular oestrous cycles and low first litter size are often high. Boar exposure is an effective method of accelerating puberty; however, the timing of gilt response can vary greatly. Although, PG600® (400 IU of PMSG and 200 IU of hCG; Intervet) can induce a rapid and synchronous ovulatory response, thus providing an alter- native to boar contact, the quality of the response is often variable. This study compared the effect of PG600, either alone (NBC) or in conjunction with boar exposure (BC), on puberty attainment and maintenance of oestrous cyclicity. The effects of first mating these gilts at the hormonally induced (pubertal) or second oestrus on ovulation rate and early embryo survival were also studied. Eighty Large White cross terminal (Duroc) line gilts were used in this study. The study was conducted in two blocks, with 10 gilts allocated to each of the four treatments in each block. Gilts were artificially inseminated at the allocated oestrus, with the reproductive tracts collected at 26.5 ± 0.29 days after first mating (mean ± S.E.M.), and the number of corpora lutea and viable embryos recorded. Mean days-to-puberty was significantly reduced (P<0.05) when gilts received both PG600 and boar exposure as opposed to PG600 alone (5.7 ± 0.15 versus 6.9 ± 0.37 days; P < 0.01). The proportion of gilts exhibiting an ovulatory response to PG600 was similar for the BC and NBC treatment groups (0.88 and 0.84); however, the proportion of gilts exhibiting visible signs of oestrus in response to PG600
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 8 8303 7911; fax: +61 8 8303 7972.
E-mail address: william.vanwettere@adelaide.edu.au (W.H.E.J. van Wettere).
0378-4320/$ – see front matter © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2008.08.020
220 A. Bartlett et al. / Animal Reproduction Science 114 (2009) 219–227
was significantly higher for the BC compared to the NBC treat- ment groups (0.81 versus 0.49; P < 0.05). Boar contact resulted in a numerical, but not significant, increase in the proportion of gilts exhibited a second oestrus (1.00 versus 0.76). There was no signif- icant effect of boar contact on ovulation rate, embryo number or survival. Although ovulation rate was unaffected by oestrus at mat- ing, embryo number was significantly increased (P < 0.05) following mating at the second compared to the first oestrus (11.2±0.96 versus 7.8 ± 1.17). In conclusion, the current data indicate that the timing of puberty attainment and oestrus detection are significantly improved when PG600 treated gilts receive full boar contact. Fur- ther, it is evident that mating gilts at their second as opposed to the hormonally induced oestrus significantly increases embryo number at day 26 post-mating.
© 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Gilt reproductive performance exerts a considerable impact on the productivity of the breeding herd. Consequently, optimising gilt reproductive performance through the development of appropri- ate management strategies is a vital step towards maximising sow lifetime productivity (Evans and O’Doherty, 2001; Hughes and Varley, 2003; van Wettere and Hughes, 2007). However, incidences of delayed puberty attainment, failure to exhibit regular oestrous cycles and low first litter size remain a common problem within cohorts of replacement gilts (Whittemore et al., 1996). The age at which female pigs attain puberty can vary greatly (Hughes et al., 1990) and reducing this variation by controlling puberty onset can dramatically improve breeding herd efficiency. Synchronous puberty attainment facilitates gilt entry into the breeding herd and increases the efficiency of cull sow replace- ment. Equally important, reducing age at puberty can result in younger mating ages resulting in a shorter non-productive period prior to breeding herd entry, and a reduction in rearing costs (Brooks and Smith, 1980; Koketsu et al., 1999).
The efficacy of daily physical boar contact as a stimulus for precocious puberty attainment (the ‘boar effect’) has been repeatedly demonstrated (Hughes and Cole, 1976; van Wettere and Hughes, 2007). However, even with boar stimulation, a large proportion of gilts exhibit delayed or asynchronous puberty attainment, with puberty occurring anywhere between 5 and 90 days after commencement of boar stimulation (Hughes et al., 1990). Compared to boar exposure, exogenous hormone treatments, such as PG600, can induce a faster and more synchronous ovulatory response within cohorts of gilts (Britt et al., 1989; Tilton et al., 1995; Knox et al., 2000). Although approximately 90% of gilts ovulate within 5 days of PG600 administration, roughly 22% fail to exhibit behavioural oestrus, with an equal number failing to exhibit normal subsequent oestrous cyclicity (Paterson, 1982; Varley et al., 1989; Tilton et al., 1995; Kirkwood et al., 2000; Knox et al., 2000). However, recent studies demonstrate a reduction in days-to-oestrus detection when boar contact is provided prior to PG600 administration (Breen et al., 2005) and an increase in pregnancy rates when boar exposure is provided during the three days after administration of pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) (Smits et al., 2001). It is therefore appropriate to investigate whether daily boar contact following PG600 administration improves gilt response to PG600 administration.
Early parity sows constitute a large proportion of modern breeding herds (Hughes and Varley, 2003). Consequently, litter size at first farrowing is an important determinant of breeding herd productivity. It is common practice for gilts to be mated at their second or third oestrus (Martinat-Botte et al., 1985; Whittemore, 1996). Although it remains equivocal whether delaying mating beyond the boar- stimulated pubertal oestrus improves first litter size (reviewed by van Wettere et al., 2007), increased incidences of oocyte and embryo abnormalities are commonly associated with hormonally induced ovulations (Guthrie et al., 1997; Ziecik et al., 2005).
The present study had two objectives: first to investigate whether physical boar contact improves oestrus expression, maintenance of cyclicity and potential litter size of gilt induced to ovulate using
A. Bartlett et al. / Animal Reproduction Science 114 (2009) 219–227 221 PG600; second, to investigate whether mating gilts at their second, as opposed to the hormonally
induced (pubertal) oestrus increases potential litter size.
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