Relationship between energy intake and growth performance and body composition in pigs selected for low backfat thickness.

Genetic selection of pigs over recent decades has sought to reduce carcass fat content to meet consumer demands for lean meat in many countries (e.g., Australia).

Reproductive responses to daily injections with porcine somatotropin before mating in gilts.

Litter size and progeny birth weights are lower in gilts than in sows. Somatotropin (ST) is an important regulator of ovulation, fetal growth and survival. We therefore investigated effects of pST treatment of gilts for two to four weeks before mating on ovulation rate, behavioural estrus, fetal growth and survival, litter size and birth weights.

Variable maternal nutrition and growth hormone treatment in the second quarter of pregnancy in pigs alter semitendinosus muscle in adolescent progeny.

Maternal nutrition and growth hormone (GH) treatment during early- to mid-pregnancy can each alter the subsequent growth and differentiation of muscle in progeny. We have investigated the effects of varying maternal nutrition and maternal treatment with porcine (p) GH during the second quarter of pregnancy in gilts on semitendinosus muscle cross-sectional area and fibre composition of progeny, and relationships between maternal and progeny measures and progeny muscularity. Fifty-three Large White x Landrace gilts, pregnant to Large White x Duroc boars, were fed either 2.