Evaluation of l-glutamine for cryopreservation of boar spermatozoa

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2009 | No Comments

Some amino acids (AAs), particularly l-glutamine (l-Gln), have been employed in sperm cryopreservation for mammalian species. However, no studies have been published on boar sperm cryopreservation using AA. Therefore, the objectives of the following experimentswere to evaluate l-Gln as a freezing extender ingredient for cryopreserving boar sperm. We hypothesized that l-Gln would improve the cryosurvival of boar sperm when used in the freezing extender either as an additive to or a replacement for glycerol or EY. The results suggest l-Gln does have the ability to cryoprotect boar sperm, which was particularly shown by an enhancement of post-thaw sperm motility. However, the cryoprotective effect is dependent on the glycerol concentration of the freezing extender, and is only evident when the glycerol concentration is lowered. Additional studies will be required to elucidate the specific cryoprotective mechanisms of l-Gln for boar sperm, which could be different from those suggested for the sperm of other mammalian species.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03784320

Identification of genetic markers for productive life in commercial sows

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The objective of this research was to test the hypothesis that these well conserved genes and gene pathways could also play a role in SPL, even though the productive life of sows is a measure of longevity and their reproductive performance during that time frame. Therefore, genes involved in the IGF pathway, along with genes more specific to reproductive traits, were targeted for marker development and association analyses in the evaluation of length of productive life among commercial breeding females. It was found that several markers were significantly associated with the sow survival portion or the reproductive portion of SPL. The CCR7 gene should be considered in marker-assisted selection schemes for improved sow survival, and IGFBP1 should be considered if selection pressure is warranted on reproductive traits. The inclusion of CPT1A in a marker-assisted selection scheme should improve both the sow survival and reproductive components of SPL and should therefore be strongly considered for improvement of sow productive life in commercial females.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

Setting Pigs Up to SUCCEED

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Farms with a strong focus on setting pigs up to succeed can earn dividends, both in more pigs produced and more quality pigs finished. To reach that success, it takes engaged employees who have been trained in the proper concepts and who understand what it takes to carry them out in a consistent fashion, says Sarah Probst Miller, DVM, Carthage (IL) Veterinary Service (CVS), who maintains a veterinary consulting office at Neoga, IL. “I see a lot of farms where employees might be going through the motions, but unless they are engaged and understand what they are doing and can multitask,” working in the demanding farrowing rooms may not be the right place for them. CVS promotes a “critical care” program that encompasses the importance of both sow and pig care in its Training Toolboxes software programs used to guide and educate farrowing room managers, according to Miller. Three goals are pursued: getting pigs off
to the best start, reducing mortalities and ultimately reducing variation, she says.

Absorption of carbohydrate-derived nutrients in sows as influenced by types and contents of dietary fiber

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This study investigated the absorption and plasma concentration of carbohydrate-derived nutrients and the apparent insulin production sows fed diets containing contrasting types and contents of dietary fibre. It was concluded that feeding high dietary fiber diets resulted in an increase and more uniform uptake of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) than when feeding the low fibre (LF) control. Also, the high soluble fiber (HF-S) diet reduced diurnal variation in glucose and insulin concentrations.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

Teamwork drives new progress in livestock transport

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Livestock, meat and transport sectors working together across North America for humane, safe and effective livestock transport.

Livestock producers, transporters and meat processors each deal with different business challenges but all share a critical interest – the welfare of livestock under their care. This priority and the benefits of working together to address it was a key focus of the recent Livestock Transport Conference in Calgary, AB. Themed “Are we there yet?” the conference brought together over 120 people including transporters, livestock producers, researchers and other industry leaders from across North America. “Livestock care is a growing focus of industry and consumers worldwide, and livestock transport is one of the most critical and visible components,” says Dr. Duane Landals, a veterinarian and a board member of Alberta Farm Animal Care, one of the conference sponsors.

The standardized ileal digestible valine-to-lysine requirement ratio is at least seventy percent in postweaned piglets

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To reduce the impact of animal production on the environment, the CP content of the diet can be reduced by limiting the excess supply of AA. Improving the balance between AA relative to the requirement of the animal implies that we need to have accurate knowledge of the requirement of individual AA.The purpose of this study was to determine the Val requirement in postweaned piglets (12 to 25 kg) because Val is considered to be potentially limiting to performance after Lys, Met (and Cys), Thr, and Trp. The results of the experiments indicated that the SID Val:Lys was at least 70%, which was slightly greater than the current NRC recommendation.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

Torque teno virus (TTV) infection in sows and suckling piglets

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The goal of this study was to gain insight into the potential role of the sow in transmitting TTV to piglets and the
infection dynamics of both swine TTV genogroups (TTV1 and TTV2) during the lactation period. The number of sows delivering stillborns and the mean number of stillborns per sow tended to be higher in the TTV2 infected sows and old parity sows had a higher percentage of TTV1 infected 1-week-old piglets.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03781135

Use of double-choice feeding to quantify feed ingredient preferences in pigs

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The knowledge of the pig apatite for the different feed ingredients should allow for improving selection of ingredients that may encourage feed intake at weaning and contribute to prevent problems associated with weaning. Therfore, this study used a double choice feeding protocol to quantify the preference of pigs for sorghum, maize, rye and lupine, at different levels of inclusion, relative to a standard reference diet. It could be anticipated that differences in palatability between these ingredients exist as a result of their different contents in fibre, tannin or alkaloids. Additionally the effect of a previous experience feeding pigs dry feed was also evaluated by conducting these measurements in both newly-weaned and post-weaned pigs. The results show that broken rice has a higher acceptability in pigs, than sorghum, maize or rye. As sorghum, maize and rye were tested against the same reference diet, an indirect comparison of these three feedstuffs was possible. In that case it appears that at 250 g kg−1 of inclusion maize has the highest palatability (35%), sorghum and rye being similar (29%), and that at 500 g kg−1 of inclusion rye has a higher palatability (49%) followed by maize (28%) and sorghum (21%). The lower palatability in sorghum may be explained in part by its relatively high content in bitter-tasting tannins (Mariscal-Landin et al., 2004). The comparisons using pure ingredient preparations, on the other hand, resulted in similar values for all three cereals relative to rice (overall period preferences ranging between 16 and 19%). It is concluded that Feedstuff palatability can be quantified with a double choice protocol using a reference diet. This will allow taking into account palatability aspects of feed ingredients, as well as nutritional value, when formulating diets for young pigs. This may become a useful tool to improve piglets feed initiation at weaning.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/livsci

Effect of floor cooling and dietary amino acids content on performance and behaviour of lactating primiparous sows during summer

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This study evaluated the effects of floor cooling and the use of two dietary amino acid (AA) contents on the performance and behaviour of lactating primiparous sows in summer under Brazilian climatic conditions. It was found that the dietary AA content had no effect on the performance and behaviour of the sows and their litters.
The cooling of the floor under the sows increased daily feed intake, and as a consequence, increased lysine intake.
This fact leads to a lower body weight loss and a lower weaning-to-oestrus interval. The floor cooling also
improved the nursing behaviour of the sows, leading to a higher milk production and, consequently, higher weight gains for piglets and litter during the lactation period. The detrimental effect of exposure to high ambient temperature and humidity fluctuations on voluntary feed intake and lactation performance of lactating primiparous sows can be reduced by using the floor cooling system.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/livsci

It’s in the details

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An award-winning Minnesota hog operation finds the most
effective manure management approach includes a strong focus on
records and taking care of the details. The Braun Farms’ efforts in manure management, and their high standards
in general farm management, were recently recognized by the
Pork Checkoff of the National Pork Board. The Brauns were one
of four pork production operations to receive the 2006 Pork
Industry Environmental Steward Awards. Working off a FarmWorks software program, they use tracking
software and have an account of what they have done in every
field, right back to 1998.