Risk factors underlining reproductive performance in smallholder beef cattle herds of South Africa.

Improving the historically low reproductive performance of beef cattle in smallholder systems is essential for its productivity and profitability. Therefore, identifying and addressing risk factors associated with low performance in this system present an opportunity for improvement. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of animal and management risk factors on pregnancy rate (PR), fetal and calf loss (FC), calving interval (CI) and days open (DO) in smallholder beef cattle farms.

Sperm cryopreservation in Windsnyer boars; principles, technique, and updated outcomes.

The domestic pig breeds are in danger of extinction whereas the erosion of their gene pool is a serious concern because they significantly contribute to the rich biodiversity. Overall aim of this study was to determine the protocol for preserving the semen of the Windsnyer boars for conservation. A total of 18 ejaculates (6 replications/boar) were collected from three Windsnyer boars of proven fertility with the use of hand-gloved approach method, twice per week.

Application of gender-ablated semen during timed artificial insemination following oestrous synchronization in dairy and beef cows.

The objectives of this study were to compare oestrous synchronization expression and conception rate following timed artificial insemination (TAI) with frozen-thawed X-sexed or unsexed semen in dairy and beef cows. For this study, 227 cows (dairy, n = 130 and beef, n = 97) were assigned to a 9-day Ovsynch + controlled intravaginal drug release (CIDR) protocol. All cows were TAI using X-sexed or unsexed semen from 8 sires.

Assessing Reproductive Performance to Establish Benchmarks for Small-Holder Beef Cattle Herds in South Africa.

Smallholder beef cattle farms in South Africa have had low reproductive performance, which has been associated with management practices. Considering current farm management practices, a multi-stage selection study was conducted to assess reproductive performance as defined by pregnancy rate, fetal and calf losses, calving interval and days open to benchmark reproductive performance. Data were collected twice, in autumn (March−May) for pregnancy diagnosis and in spring (September−November) for monitoring of confirmed pregnancies.

Investigation of the efficacy of different semen extenders and in vitro storage period on Windsnyer boar sperm quality equilibrated at 18°C.

The study aimed to determine the efficacy of different semen extenders and in vitro storage periods on the Windsnyer boar sperm quality equilibrated at 18°C. Ejaculates (n = 18) from three Windsnyer boars of known fertility were evaluated for macroscopic traits, pooled, and then allocated for extension in Beltsville Thawing Solution (BTS) and Kobidil extender. Diluted semen was stored at 18°C and evaluated at 0, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h post collection for sperm microscopic traits.

Investigation of the Efficacy of Dithiothreitol and Glutathione on In Vitro Fertilization of Cryopreserved Large White Boar Semen.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the properties of sperm motility and morphology under induced oxidative stress, compare the antioxidant capacity of dithiothreitol (DTT) and glutathione (GSH) following the cryopreservation of Large White boar semen, investigate the ability of cryopreserved Large White boar semen to fertilize the matured gilts oocytes and compare the efficacy of DTT and GSH antioxidants in improving the oocyte fertilization by cryopreserved Large White boar semen. The semen was collected from three Large White boars (ten ejaculates per boar) and transported (37 °C) to the laboratory. Semen freezing extenders were supplemented with 5 mM DTT, 5 mM GSH and a combination of 2.

Comparison of four different permitting and combination of two best cryoprotectants on freezing Nguni sperm evaluated with the aid of computer aided sperm analysis.

Cryopreservation has been reported to damage approximately 40-50% of viable sperm in bull semen. The present study was undertaken to assess the cryo-effectiveness of glycerol (GLY), ethylene glycol (EG), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and propylene glycol (PND) as cryoprotectant during the cryopreservation of Nguni bull semen. Semen was collected from 18 Nguni bulls and evaluated macroscopically and microscopically for sperm parameters.