ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION IN FARM ANIMALS Edited by Milad Manafi Artificial Insemination in Farm Animals Edited by Milad Manafi Published by InTech Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia Copyright © 2011 InTech All chapters are Open Access articles distributed under the Creative Commons Non Commercial Share Alike Attribution 3.0 license, which permits to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt the work in any medium, so long as the original work is properly cited. After this work has been published by InTech, authors have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in any publication of which they are the author, and to make other personal use of the work. Any republication, referencing or personal use of the work must explicitly identify the original source. Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of information contained in the published articles. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book. Publishing Process Manager Ana Pantar Technical Editor Teodora Smiljanic Cover Designer Jan Hyrat Image Copyright CLIPAREA, 2010. Used under license from Shutterstock.com First published June, 2011 Printed in India A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com Additional hard copies can be obtained from orders@intechweb.org Artificial Insemination in Farm Animals, Edited by Milad Manafi p. cm. ISBN 978-953-307-312-5 free online editions of InTech Books and Journals can be found at www.intechopen.com Contents Preface IX Chapter 1 Artificial Insemination: Current and Future Trends 1 Jane M. Morrell Chapter 2 Artificial Insemination at Fixed Time in Bufalloes 15 Gustavo Ángel Crudeli and Rodolfo Luzbel de la Sota Chapter 3 Artificial Insemination of Sheep – Possibilities, Realities and Techniques at the Farm Level 27 Sándor Kukovics, Erzsébet Gyökér, Tímea Németh and Elemér Gergátz Chapter 4 Artificial Insemination in Dogs 51 Rita Payan-Carreira, Sónia Miranda and Wojciech Niżański Chapter 5 Artificial Insemination in Pigs 79 Maes Dominiek, López Rodríguez Alfonso, Rijsselaere Tom, Vyt Philip and Van Soom Ann Chapter 6 Artificial Insemination in Swine 95 Eduardo Paulino da Costa, Aurea Helena Assis da Costa, Gustavo Guerino Macedo and Emílio César Martins Pereira Chapter 7 Sperm Preparation Techniques for Artificial Insemination - Comparison of Sperm Washing, Swim Up, and Density Gradient Centrifugation Methods 115 Ilaria Natali Chapter 8 Effect of Vitamin E on the Development of Testis in Sheep 123 Hailing Luo, Suyun Ge, Dubing Yue, Leyan Yan, Xu Xu, Kun Liu and Fei Yuan VI Contents Chapter 9 Evaluation of a New Method and Diagnostic Test in Semen Analysis 131 Petra Zrimšek Chapter 10 Particularities of Bovine Artificial Insemination 153 Antônio Nelson Lima da Costa, Airton Alencar de Araujo and José Valmir Feitosa Chapter 11 Management Factors Affecting Fertility in Sheep 167 Pilar Santolaria, Inmaculada Palacin and Jesús Yániz Chapter 12 Effect of Cryopreservation on Sperm Quality and Fertility 191 Alemayehu Lemma Chapter 13 Effect of Fatty Acids on Reproductive Performance of Ruminants 217 José Herrera-Camacho, Alejandra Soberano-Martínez, Karlos Edmundo Orozco Durán, Carlos Aguilar-Pérez and Juan Carlos Ku-Vera Chapter 14 Mechanical and Pharmacologic Applications of Artificial Insemination in Ewes 243 Faruk Aral, Füsun Temamoğulları and Semra Sezen Aral Chapter 15 Relationship Between IFN- Production by Bovines Embryos Derived Ex Vivo and Completely Produced In Vitro 255 Jorge Alberto Neira, Daniel Tainturier, René L’Haridon and Jacques Martal Chapter 16 Reproductive Endocrinology Diseases: Hormone Replacement and Therapy for Peri/Menopause 269 Zoe Roupa, Greta Wozniak, Konstantinos Tsipras and Penelope Sotiropoulou Preface As we look back over the millennium, it is difficult to imagine man’s evolution in the absence of domesticated livestock. Likewise, domesticated animals are so dependent upon man that in his absence their very existence would be jeopardized to the point where they would not thrive and some would fail to survive. Artificial insemination (AI) - one of the most important techniques ever devised for the genetic improvement of farm animals - is a widely used tool for livestock breeding and management programs and is a process by which sperm are collected from the male, processed, stored and artificially introduced into the female reproductive tract for the purpose of conception. A male animal produces millions of sperms daily. Theoretically, it can inseminate females regularly and produce several offsprings. Artificial insemination is used instead of natural mating for reproduction purposes. This is when a male animal, for example, a bull, is kept with a herd of cows and ‘covers’ (copulates with) them when they are ready to mate (in oestrus) so the bull’s semen fertilizes the cow’s eggs to produce calves. Fertilization can take place away from the bull and the two animals do not even meet! Although AI (in the form of intrauterine insemination) is not frequently used in human patients, it is the most commonly used method of breeding food production animals in developed countries, with more than 90% pigs and almost the same proportion of dairy cattle bred by this method in the European Union and North America. In the actual procedure used, semen is obtained from a male animal and, after being diluted, is deep-frozen, after which it can be stored for long periods of time without losing its fertility. For use, the semen is thawed and then introduced into the genital tract of a female animal. The first successful experiment with artificial insemination in animals was performed by an Italian physiologist Lazzaro Spallanzani, who in 1780, while investigating animal reproduction, developed a technique for artificial insemination in dogs. This approach was refined in the 1930s in Russia, and the subsequent development of methods for the cryopreservation (preservation through freezing) of semen led to the widespread use of AI in animals. There are many advantages to artificial insemination (AI) in domesticated and zoo animals, such as smaller chance of injury to either partner during the mating process, X Preface less stress to the female, who is often the one that has to be transported to and from the home of the male, but one should keep in the mind that the system of reproduction is perfect, including artificial insemination. The chief priority of artificial insemination is that the desirable characteristics of a bull or other male livestock animal can be passed on more quickly and to more progeny than if that animal is mated with females in a natural fashion. Ten thousand or more calves are produced annually from a single bull through the use of artificial insemination. Artificial insemination has been most widely used for breeding dairy cattle and pigs and has made bulls of high genetic merit available to all. It has been used to facilitate the reproductive success and conservation of threatened or endangered animals. Although AI (in the form of intrauterine insemination) is not frequently used in human patients, it is the most commonly used method of breeding food production animals in developed countries, with more than 90% pigs and almost the same proportion of dairy cattle bred by this method in the European Union and North America. Examples of wild animals that have been successfully impregnated through artificial insemination include big cats (e.g., the tiger, the puma, the cheetah, and the clouded leopard), the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) and the onager (Equus onager). This book contains under one cover 16 chapters of concise, up-to-date information on artificial insemination. AI in buffalos, ewes, pigs, swine, sheep, goats, pigs and dogs will be detailed in different chapters. Cryopreservation effect on sperm quality and fertility, new method and diagnostic test in semen analysis, management factors affecting fertility after cervical insemination, factors of non-infectious nature affecting the fertility, fatty acids effects on reproductive performance of ruminants, particularities of bovine artificial insemination, sperm preparation techniques and reproductive endocrinology diseases will be described in these chapters. The purpose of this book is to provide, as both a college text book and a reference source, a comprehensive text that contains current information on artificial insemination. This book is not a presentation of concepts of artificial insemination with an extensive list of references, but rather a consensus of important information with key references to allow the reader to further explore the artificial insemination field. This book will deal with the use of artificial insemination (AI) in animals, currently and in the future, with particular emphasis on comparative aspects between species. This book will explain the advantages and disadvantages of using AI, the various methodologies used in different species, and how AI can be used to improve reproductive efficiency in farm animals. I hope this book will be used worldwide as a college textbook and authoritative reference book for research and extension specialists, AI practitioners, teachers and students. [...]... reproductive tract in these species presents more of a barrier to successful insemination than in cattle, since the cervix is tightly folded, making insertion of the insemination catheter difficult Productivity in sheep and goats could be increased, by improving the quality of the spermatozoa assigned for use in AI, and improving the AI techniques in these species Recent innovations in sheep breeding include... (almost 100% in intensive production) AI is increasing in 2 Artificial Insemination in Farm Animals horses, beef cattle and sheep, and has been reported in other domestic species such as dogs, goats, deer and buffalo It has also been used occasionally in conservation breeding of rare or endangered species, for example, primates, elephants and wild felids The other ARTs in animals are generally confined to... oestrus in cows include restlessness or increased activity, vocalization, chin resting, swelling of the vulva, vaginal discharge and mounting other cows, although there are breed differences in the frequency and intensity of these Artificial Insemination: Current and Future Trends 7 signs In sheep and goats, vulval swelling and vaginal discharge may be seen, and there is usually pronounced male-seeking... seminal plasma is also introduced into the uterus, unless specific steps are taken to separate the spermatozoa from seminal plasma before IUI 8 Artificial Insemination in Farm Animals 3 Species differences in the use of AI Despite the fact that the basic principles of AI are the same in all species, there is wide variation in the uptake of this biotechnology in different species 3.1 AI in cattle In. .. Uppsala, Sweden 1 Introduction The chapter will deal with the use of artificial insemination (AI) in animals and humans, both currently and in the future, with particular emphasis on comparative aspects between species Although AI (in the form of intrauterine insemination) is not frequently used in human patients, it is the most commonly used method of breeding food production animals in developed countries,... mating In ruminants and primates, semen is deposited in the vagina whereas in pigs, dogs, camels and horses, semen deposition is intrauterine In most species, it is possible to pass an insemination catheter through the cervix, thus enabling semen to be deposited in the uterus during AI Exceptions are sheep and goats, where the tightly folded nature of the cervix does not permit easy passage of an insemination. .. cytokines are thought to be involved, for example granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a principle cytokine in the post-mating inflammatory response, targets the pre-implantation embryo to promote blastocyst formation, increasing the number of viable blastomeres by inhibiting apoptosis and facilitating glucose uptake (Robertson et al., 2001) Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and leukocyte inhibitory... are justified and optimized Through grazing or browsing and the recycling of nutrients, animals also contribute to maintaining the landscape in a productive state The production of food of animal origin is based on breeding offspring to enter various husbandry systems Therefore, one of the first points for optimization is in increasing reproductive efficiency, using an holistic approach Females should... sex-specific proteins on the sperm surface and have raised antibodies 12 Artificial Insemination in Farm Animals to them It is intended to use the antibodies to aggregate spermatozoa bearing a specific sex chromosome, thus enabling them to be removed from the general population A combination of ARTs would also be relevant for sperm sexing Thus, the speed of flow sorting can be increased by first removing the... (scale 1-5) from a farm in northeastern Corrientes Argentina (27◦ 20’ 33” S and 58◦ 08’ 27” W) were used in the study Cows were randomly assigned to one of 3 treatments (TRT, Figure 1): 1) TRT1 (n=6); synchronization: day (d) -10, 16 Artificial Insemination in Farm Animals 8 ug GnRH (buserelin, Receptal®, Intervet SA, Argentina); d -3, 150 ug PGF (cloprostenol, Preloban®, Intervet SA, Argentina); resynchronization: . ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION IN FARM ANIMALS Edited by Milad Manafi Artificial Insemination in Farm Animals Edited by Milad Manafi Published by InTech Janeza. Printed in India A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com Additional hard copies can be obtained from orders@intechweb.org Artificial Insemination in Farm. artificial insemination (AI) in animals and humans, both currently and in the future, with particular emphasis on comparative aspects between species. Although AI (in the form of intrauterine insemination)