Induced spawning of hatchery-raised Brazilian catfish, cachara Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum (Linnaeus, 1766)

In the months of January 2001 and 2002, female cachara Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum were selected during their first and second gonadal maturation (2 years and 7 months old and 3 years and 7 months old, respectively) with an of oocyte diameter of 937.5 μm (82.5% with central nuclei and 17.5% with peripheral nuclei). Nine females in first maturation received two doses of carp pituitary extract (CPE), 0.5 mg/kg and 5.0 mg/kg; seven received two doses of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), 5 and 10 IU/g; five received doses of 0.5 CPE mg/kg and 5 hCG IU/g (CPE+hCG); and four received 0.9% saline (saline). Nine females from CPE and seven from hCG presented oocytes with the same diameter at the moment of oocyte release (100% with germinal vesicle breakdown and fertilization rate of 53.44±18.3 and 54.81±11.8%; larvae number of 165,330±94.1 and 158,570±20.6, respectively). The five females from CPE+hCG did not respond to the hormonal treatment. The four females from the saline group did not ovulate. In January 2002, 6 of 15 selected females that were going through the second reproductive cycle received CPE (five received hCG and four received saline), showing oocyte diameters similar to the ones in the first maturation. At stripping, CPE females had an oocyte diameter of 1062.5 μm (the hCG females had oocyte diameters ranging from 937.5 to 1125.0 μm; fertilization rates of 56.08±30.9 and 81.90±17.3%; 364,547±244 and 633,129±190, larvae, respectively). The fertilization rates and larvae number were higher in the second gonad maturation, both for CPE and hCG.     

抑制素被动免疫对大鼠排卵率及血浆雌二醇与孕酮的影响

本试验研究了注射人抑制素α亚基（１－２６）Ｔｙｒ．Ｇｌｙ抗血清对大鼠排卵率、血浆Ｅ２与Ｐ水平的影响。     

The combined effects of temperature and GnRHa treatment on the final stages of sexual maturation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) females

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) females (2 SW), maturing for the first time, were reared under one of three temperature regimes (high: 14.3 ± 0.5°C; natural: 10.6 ± 1.0°C; and cold: 6.9 ± 1.0°C) in combination with one of two experimental treatments; an injection of GnRH analogue (GnRHa) contained in biodegradable microspheres, or a sham injection (microspheres only). The six experimental groups were then reared under simulated natural photoperiod for 4 weeks. Blood samples were drawn for analysis of plasma steroid levels and the fish were inspected for ovulation weekly. Batches of stripped eggs were incubated in triplicate incubators in raceways until the eyed stage. Treatment with GnRHa resulted in a substantial advancement and synchronization of ovulation at all temperatures, while exposure to cold water also appeared to advance ovulation slightly. While 75% (warm and cold) to 90% (natural) of GnRHa fish ovulated during the 4-week trial, only 30% of sham-treated females exposed to cold water, and none of the sham-treated fish held at higher temperatures, ovulated during this period. Survival rates of embryos to the eyed-stage were significantly higher for broodstock exposed to cold water. Plasma levels of testosterone (T), 17β-oestradiol (E₂), and 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17,20βP) were all significantly affected by treatment with GnRHa and, to a lesser extent, temperature. The efficiency of GnRHa in counteracting the negative effects of high temperature on ovulation and the associated changes in circulating sex steroids suggest that temperature inhibition operates at least in part at the brain or pituitary.     

大约克母猪排卵规律的研究

通过对大约克母猪在发情不同时间分批屠宰测定表明，大约克母猪排卵时间是在发情开始后４８小时左右至７２小时之前这一范围。并采用杜洛克和大约克公猪分别在母猪发情的不同阶段先后配种，从所产仔猪的遗传特征鉴别结果判断，排卵大多集中在发情３６小时后至６０小时左右范围内，与屠宰测定基本一致。据上试验结果，确定掌握适配期为母猪发情开始后３６－４８小时期间第一次配种，间隔１２－２４小时内复配一次。经两年配种实践取得良好效果，情期受胎率分别达到９１．２７％（２０９／２２９）和９３．３６％（２６７／８６）。     

Reproductive characteristics in female Swedish moose (Alces alces), with emphasis on puberty,timing of oestrus,and mating

Background

The moose (Alces alces) is an intensively managed keystone species in Fennoscandia. Several aspects of reproduction in moose have not been fully elucidated, including puberty, timing of mating and oestrus, and the length of the oestrus period. These aspects are relevant for an adaptive management of moose with respect to harvest, population size, demography and environmental conditions. Therefore, an investigation of female moose reproduction was conducted during the moose-hunting period in southern Sweden from 2008 to 2011.

Results

A total of 250 reproductive organs and information on carcass weight and age was collected from four different hunting areas (provinces of Öland, Småland, Södermanland, and Västergötland) in southern Sweden. The results showed that puberty in female moose varied with carcass weight, age, and time of season. The period for oestrous/mating lasted from about mid September to the beginning of November.

Conclusions

The oestrus period (predominantly for heifers) is longer than previously reported and was not finished when the hunting period started. Sampling the uterine cervix to detect spermatozoa was a useful method to determine if mating had occurred. To avoid hunting of moose during oestrus, we suggest that the hunting period should be postponed by at least 14 days in southern Sweden.     

Relationships between endometrial cytology and interval to first ovulation, and pregnancy in postpartum dairy cows in a single herd

The objectives were to investigate the relationships between endometrial cytology (EC) and interval from calving to first ovulation, and pregnancy in dairy cows, and that between uterine fluid and EC. On day 25 postpartum, 39 dairy cows were grouped based on EC, as having low (?8%) or high (>8%) polymorphonuclear cells (PMN), and the quantity of uterine fluid was assessed by ultrasound. The interval from calving to first ovulation was shorter in low, than in high PMN cows (32 vs. 45 d). A greater proportion of cows with uterine fluid had high PMN (64% vs. 21%), and the PMN increased from 14% to 34% as the quantity of uterine fluid increased. The mean interval from calving to ovulation was longer in primiparous cows with high PMN (49 d) compared to that of primiparous and multiparous cows with low PMN (28 and 29 d, respectively). Although the conception rate to first service at 92 d postpartum was not different between PMN groups, the cumulative pregnancy at 270 d tended to be higher in low than in high PMN (80% vs. 58%) multiparous cows. Also, cows that had uterine fluid on day 25 postpartum had a shorter interval from calving to pregnancy than those with no uterine fluid (161 vs. 208 d). In conclusion, combining transrectal ultrasonography with endometrial cytology on day 25 postpartum has diagnostic value in the assessment of uterine inflammation.     

Progesterone and pregnancy status of buffaloes treated with a GNRH agonist

The primary aim of the present study was to establish whether the treatment with a GnRH agonist on Day 5 after AI may result in the formation of an accessory corpus luteum, greater progesterone secretion, and the increased likelihood of pregnancy success in buffaloes. The study was conducted during a period of increasing daylight length when progesterone secretion is suppressed and embryonic mortality is relatively high in buffaloes. In Experiment 1, treatment with a GnRH agonist (buserelin, 12 μg) on Day 5 after AI induced acute increases in circulating concentrations of LH, FSH and oestradiol-17β. Pregnant buffaloes (n = 14) at Day 40 following AI showed an increase (P < 0.01) in milk whey progesterone concentration between Day 5 (310 ± 55 pg/ml) and Day 15 (424 ± 50 pg/ml). The non-pregnant buffaloes (n = 7) showed a decrease (P < 0.01) in progesterone level from Day 5 (410 ± 87 pg/ml) to Day 15 (188 ± 30 pg/ml) following AI. In Experiment 2, the treatment with buserelin (12 μg) on Day 5 after AI induced ovulation in 62% of the buffaloes (31/50) and these buffaloes showed a progressive increase in milk whey progesterone concentration on Day 10, 15 and 20 of pregnancy. Buffaloes that did not ovulate, recorded a relatively constant milk whey progesterone level from Day 10 to Day 20 following AI. Milk whey progesterone concentrations increased after the administration of the GnRH agonist in 97% of the pregnant buffaloes and 68% of the non-pregnant buffaloes. The diameter of the largest follicle in buffaloes that ovulated (ovulated n = 31) (8.9 ± 0.04 mm; range 4.2 – 13.0 mm) did not differ significantly from the diameter of the largest follicle in buffaloes that did not ovulate (not ovulate n = 19) (8.7 ± 0.04 mm; range: 4.0 – 12.0 mm). The latter observation suggested that notional ovulatory size follicles in buffaloes are heterogeneous with respect to stage of follicle maturation and capacity to respond to plasma LH. The present study showed that treatment with a GnRH agonist on Day 5 following AI provides a strategy to increase progesterone secretion and the likelihood of pregnancy in buffaloes mated during periods of increasing daylight length.     

Reproductive and productivity traits of goats grazing Acacia cyanophylla Lindl. with and without daily PEG supplementation

A grazing experiment, conducted for 90 days compared the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) supplementation on postpartum reproductive traits and productivity of suckling goats grazing Acacia cyanophylla Lindl. A total of 54 native adult goats (34.4 ± 5.49 kg) were randomly allocated, 24 h after kidding, to 2 treatment groups balanced for age and the number of reared kids. Goats in both treatment groups designed C and PEG grazed in acacia for approximately 5 h every day and received each on daily basis 0.3 and 0.4 kg of hay and concentrate respectively. In addition, goats in treatment PEG were initially supplemented with 10 g/day of PEG and this supplement was then increased to 20 g /goat/day over the last 60 days of the trial. Goats receiving PEG tended (P > 0.05) to spend more time browsing acacia than those in treatment C. There were no treatment effects on live weight change of the goats, growth of their kids until 90 days of age or composition of their milk in terms of fat, protein and urea contents. Similar proportions of 74.1 and 77.8% of goats resumed postpartum ovulation with a mean ovulation rate of 1.50 ± 0.61 and 1.67 ± 0.47 (P > 0.05) in respectively the PEG and C treatments. PEG supplementation was associated with an increase (P < 0.05) in ovulation rate at the second postpartum ovulation occurring approximately 27 days after the application of the nutritional treatments (1.76 ± 0.60 versus 1.25 ± 0.45); 9 of the 13 goats ovulating in the PEG treatment were bearing more than one corpus lutuem in comparison to only 3 out of 12 females in the C group (P < 0.05). The likely increased availability of proteins in the PEG receiving goats could explain their higher ovulation rate.     

Selection for ovulation rate in rabbits

An experiment of selection for ovulation rate was carried out. Animals were derived from a synthetic line first selected 12 generations for litter size, then 10 generations for uterine capacity. Selection was relaxed for 6 generations. Selection was based on the phenotypic value of ovulation rate with a selection pressure on does of 30%. Males were selected from litters of does with the highest ovulation rate. Males were selected within sire families in order to reduce inbreeding. Ovulation rate was measured in the second gestation by a laparoscopy, 12 days after mating. Each generation had about 80 females and 20 males. Results of three generations of selection were analyzed using Bayesian methods. Marginal posterior distributions of all unknowns were estimated by Gibbs sampling. Heritabilities of ovulation rate (OR), number of implanted embryos (IE), litter size (LS), embryo survival (ES), fetal survival (FS), and prenatal survival (PS) were 0.44, 0.32, 0.11, 0.26, 0.35, and 0.14, respectively. Genetic correlation between OR and LS was 0.56, indicating that selection for ovulation rate can augment litter size. Response to selection for OR was 1.80 ova. Correlated responses in IE and LS were 1.44 and 0.49, respectively. Selection for ovulation rate may be an alternative to improve litter size.     

黄牛发情规律观察

黄牛及其改良牛的配种受胎率是体现肉牛生产力的重要指标。为提高母牛的繁殖率和肉牛业的经济效益,本文对多年来通过外部观察和直肠触诊积累的母牛发情时的行为表现及生理特点进行了初步的汇总分析,结果表明:①爬跨行为是群养牛群发情的主要特征,而鸣叫不安、食欲减退是散养牛发情的主要特征;②母牛发情多在早晨6:00-11:00及下午16:00- 19:00,发情持续期平均为25-26 h;③由发情开始到排卵的持续时间平均为33．98 h;排卵高峰多集中在12:00-14:00和晚上23:00到次日凌晨3:00;④卵泡发育以直径0．8-1．2 cm居多;⑤在发情开始后24 h输精,可望有一个较高的受胎率。