Fertility in dairy cows after artificial insemination using sex-sorted sperm or conventional semen.
The aim of this study was to compare pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI) after timed AI with sex-sorted sperm (SS) or conventional semen (CS) in lactating dairy cows. Cyclic cows (n = 302) were synchronized by Ovsynch and randomly assigned into two groups at the time of AI. Cows with a follicle size between 12 and 18 mm and clear vaginal discharge at the time of AI were inseminated with either frozen-thawed SS (n = 148) or CS (n = 154) of the same bull. A shallow uterine insemination was performed into the uterine horn ipsilateral to the side of probable impending ovulation. Pregnancy per AI on Day 31 tended (p = 0.09) to be less for SS (31.8%) than CS (40.9%). Similarly, P/AI on Day 62 was less (p = 0.01) for cows inseminated with SS (25.7%) compared with CS (39.0%). The increased difference in fertility between treatments from Days 31 to 62 was caused by the greater (p = 0.02) pregnancy loss for cows receiving SS (19.2%) than CS (4.8%). Cow parity (p = 0.02) and season (p < 0.01) when AI was performed were additional factors affecting fertility. Primiparous cows had greater P/AI than multiparous cows both on Day 31 (41.7% vs 25.0% in SS and 53.0% vs 31.8% in CS groups) and on Day 62 (33.3% vs 20.5% in SS and 48.5% vs 31.8% in CS groups). During the hot season of the year, P/AI on Day 31 was reduced (p = 0.01) in the SS group (19.6%) when compared with the rates during the cool season (38.1%). In conclusion, sex-sorted sperm produced lower fertility results compared to conventional semen even after using some selection criteria to select most fertile cows.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey.
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Karakaya
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Yilmazbas-Mecitoglu
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Keskin
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Alkan
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Tasdemir
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Santos
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Gumen
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000662:veterinary*; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D012743:Sex Preselection / Q000662:veterinary*