title: A preliminary study of the effects of organic farming on oocyte quality in ewe lambs.
abstract: This study tested whether feeding Rasa Aragonesa ewes certified organic feed, from 15 days before mating until lamb weaning, improved oocyte quality and in vitro maturation (IVM) and fertilization (IVF) performances of the offspring. In a second experiment, ovaries from ewe lambs that were bred on an organic farm and were of the same breed were compared with those from conventionally bred animals. The number (± standard error of the mean) of healthy oocytes per ewe lamb did not differ significantly between organic (12.2 ± 3.3) and conventionally (13.6 ± 4.0) fed ewes. Ovaries from ewe lambs born on an organic farm had significantly (P < 0.0001) more healthy oocytes per ewe lamb (39.6 ± 5.2) than did those born on a conventional farm (25.0 ± 4.2), and higher IVM (76.5% vs. 53.1%, P < 0.0001) and IVF (97.3 vs. 91%, P < 0.05) rates. In conclusion, this preliminary approach to the study of the effect of organic procedures on the sheep oocyte quality indicates that the total integration in the complete organic system improved the oocyte quality of ewe lambs, although organic feeding alone was insufficient to improve quality.
authors.affiliation: IUCA Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular,Facultad de Veterinaria,Zaragoza,Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casao
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Producción Animal y Ciencia de los Alimentos,Facultad de Veterinaria,Zaragoza,Spain.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: María
authors.affiliation: Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA) Department de Producción Animal y Ciencia de los Alimentos,Facultad de Veterinaria,Miguel Servet,177,50013 Zaragoza,Spain.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Abecia
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D059471:In Vitro Oocyte Maturation Techniques; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D058871:Organic Agriculture; D010053:Ovary / Q000166:cytology; D011247:Pregnancy; D034561:Sheep, Domestic
keywords: 
                 In vitro
              ; Feeding; Oocyte; Organic; Sheep