Reproductive seasonality of hair rams under tropical conditions: an alternative for non-seasonal lamb production?

Autor: de Sá Geraldo A; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil., Pinto PHN; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil., da Silva Carvalho AB; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil., da Costa MMCP; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil., Santos JDR; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil., Taira AR; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil., Cosentino IO; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil., de Figueiredo BRR; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil., Balaro MFA; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil., Ungerfeld R; Departamento de Biociencias Veterinarias, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de La República, Ruta 8 Km 18, 13000, Montevideo, Uruguay., Brandão FZ; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil. fzbrandao@id.uff.br.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Tropical animal health and production [Trop Anim Health Prod] 2023 Dec 05; Vol. 56 (1), pp. 4. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Dec 05.
DOI: 10.1007/s11250-023-03848-1
Abstrakt: Reproductive seasonality limits the periods of breeding on the year and, therefore, productive output. However, some breeds appear as probably non-seasonal. The aim of the study was to characterize the seasonal pattern of Santa Inês rams, including an ultrasound characterization of the reproductive tract, testosterone concentrations, and semen characteristics. Fifteen Santa Inês rams remained in a grazing system with concentrate supplementation, and measurements of the reproductive tract and ultrasound evaluation (biometrics and pixel intensity) of the testicles and accessory sex glands were monthly recorded. Computerized seminal evaluations were also performed monthly, and serum testosterone concentration was measured every 15 days. Body weight and condition remained stable throughout the year. In general, reproductive traits varied along the year and reached maximum values during autumn and minimum in spring. Despite that, as fresh semen remained with enough quality to breed all along the year, seasonality does not appear as a limiting factor to breed along the year. Therefore, Santa Inês rams can be used for all-year-round breeding or for crossbreeding when rams from other breeds decrease their fertilizing ability.
(© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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