Abstract
Human curiosity about the sexual orientation of living things has a long history. For thousands of years, livestock owners wanted to find a suitable way to predict the sex of the progeny to be born for their herds on their farm. Thanks to the development of semen sexing technology, animal breeding has undergone a revolution, which allows farmers to control the sex of their offspring. Sexed semen enhances overall productivity and also assists farmers in meeting the rising demand for high-quality dairy animals by enabling them to selectively generate seedstock female calves. The technology is a one-stop solution to enhance breed improvement especially in a country like Ethiopia where 97 percent of the cattle population is indigenous, which is not selected for milk production and results in undernourishment for animal source origin diet, including milk and meat. The benefits of using sexed semen include sex selection, improved genetic selection, enhanced breeding effectiveness, better control over herd dynamics, greater financial gains, environmental sustainability, and improved animal welfare. Hence, with the finding of this study, an overall result of a 98% response rate 95% female skewness, and 79% conception rate was recorded after being inseminated with sexed semen. The finding of the response rate is closer to the results reported by another researcher, while the average conception rate is comparatively higher. This could be due to careful animal selection, the use of fertile quality semen, proper heat detection, and inseminating at an optimum window of time. In general, from the piece of this study, it is possible to foresee and conclude that the adoption and application of sexed semen technology is a groundbreaking and game-changer technology for the dairy industry in a country like Ethiopia, which overcomes the limitations of improved crossbred dairy cattle, replacement heifers, and high milk prices on the one hand, a shortage of grazing land, and environmental destruction due to a decreasing number of unwanted cattle population on the other side.
Keywords
Dairy Industry, Game Changer, Seedstock Dairy Heifers, Sexed Semen
1. Introduction
Human curiosity about the sexual orientation of living things has a long history. For thousands of years, livestock owners wanted to find a suitable way to predict the sex of the progeny to be born for their herds on their farm. This dates back to the early Greeks, specifically Democritus (470–402 BC), who believed that the right testis produces males while the left testis produces females.
However, the advancement in the biological sciences, particularly genetics, led to many discoveries during the first half of the 20
th century, one of which was the identification of the sex chromosomes. Accordingly, improvement in livestock productivity could be achieved through selective breeding and control of production
| [26] | Stear, M. J., Bishop, S. C., Mallard, B. A., & Raadsma, H. (2001). The sustainability, feasibility, and desirability of breeding livestock for disease resistance. Research in Veterinary Science, 71(1), 1–7. |
[26]
. Artificial insemination (AI), the oldest and most effective reproductive technology with estrous synchronization, is a regular practice on large-scale animal farms, and desired-sex animals are in high demand in such animal forms
| [21] | Robertson, A. (1954). Artificial insemination and livestock improvement. In Advances in Genetics (Vol. 6, pp. 451–472). Academic Press. |
[21]
. Dairy animal keepers demand female cattle, whereas male calves are required for meat products for the beef sector. The ideal method for sex control in farm animals is the separation of “X” and “Y” chromosome-bearing live sperm cells from the natural mixture of semen samples.
Even though numerous traditional methods of sperm sorting have been developed, A recently developed flow cytometry technique increases the potential of commercially available sex-sorted semen. Normally, while using conventional semen, on average over thousands of animals, 49% of calves born will be heifers, and a few will be sterile freemartins
| [22] | Seidel GE Jr, Schenk JL, Herickhoff LA, Doyle SP, Brink Z, Green RD, Cran DG (1999). Insemination of heifers with sexed sperm. Theri-ogenology 52: 1407–1420. |
[22]
Currently, the supply of replacement heifers on dairy farms is a major issue in commercial ventures.
Sex-sorted bovine semen became commercially available in the early 2000s. The application of sexed semen technology has gained importance in the bovine (beef and dairy) industry due to the high demand for milk and meat by the growing population of the world
| [19] | Rath, D., Moench-Tegeder, G., Taylor, U., & Johnson, L. A. (2009). Improved quality of sex-sorted sperm: A prerequisite for wider commercial application. Theriogenology, 71(1), 22–29. |
[19]
. This technology is used to reduce animal-derived food scarcity on the one hand and to improve the economy of animal farmers on the other
| [9] | Garner, D. L., & Seidel, G. E., Jr. (2008). History of commercializing sexed semen for cattle. Theriogenology, 69(7), 886–895. |
| [18] | Rath, D., & Johnson, L. A. (2008). Application and commercialization of flow cytometrically sex-sorted semen. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 43, 338–346. |
| [11] | Holden, S. A., & Butler, S. T. (2018). Applications and benefits of sexed semen in dairy and beef herds. Animal, 12(s1), s97–s103. |
[9, 18, 11]
. On the other hand, sexed semen technology is important in reducing the number of animals with unwanted sex in the beef or dairy sector, and this will greatly reduce the maintenance cost of the animal farm
| [24] | Seidel, G. E., Jr. (2007). Overview of sexing sperm. Theriogenology, 68(3), 443–446. |
[24]
.
The flow cytometric approach of the sperm cell sorting technique is sorting the X chromosome-bearing sperm and Y chromosome-bearing sperm based on differences in their DNA content
| [29] | Weigel KA, 2004. Exploring the role of sexed semen in dairy production systems. J Dairy Sci, 87(E. Suppl.): E120-130. |
| [24] | Seidel, G. E., Jr. (2007). Overview of sexing sperm. Theriogenology, 68(3), 443–446. |
[29, 24]
. The differences in DNA content in domestic animals between X and Y chromosome-bearing spermatozoa range from 3% to 4.5%
| [12] | Johnson, L. A. (2000). Sexing mammalian sperm for production of offspring: The state-of-the-art. Animal Reproduction Science, 60, 93–107. |
[12]
, and while using a fluorescent dye that binds to DNA, male and female cattle sperm that carry different chromosomes can be electrically charged. This makes it possible for a fluorescence-activated cell sorter to separate them
| [24] | Seidel, G. E., Jr. (2007). Overview of sexing sperm. Theriogenology, 68(3), 443–446. |
[24]
. About 90% of the sperm contain the desired sex, indicating that the procedure is reasonably accurate
| [8] | Garner DL and Seidel GE, 2003. Past, present, and future perspectives on sexing sperm. Canadian J Anim. Sci, 83: 375- 38. |
| [4] | DeJarnette JM, Nebel RL, Marshall CE, Moreno JF and McCleary CR et al., 2008. Effect of sex-sorted sperm dosage on conception rates in Holstein heifers and lactating cows. J Dairy Sci, 91: 1778-1785. |
[8, 4]
.
In Ethiopia, where 97% of the total cattle population is indigenous and is not selected for milk production, the introduction of assisted reproductive technologies like sexed semen and estrus synchronization technologies will be considered a game changer for the sector. Therefore, keeping all facts into consideration, the objectives of this research work are to assess the efficacy of the CIDR-based estrus synchronization technique and ascertain the potential of sexed semen technology in producing seedstock heifers for the dairy sector.
2. Material and Methods
2.1. Description of Study Area
This study was carried out from August 2020 to November 2023. The experiment was conducted both at a research station, the Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Centre (DZARC), with the National Animal Biotechnology Research Program of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), and at a private dairy farm found in Bishoftu City, Dukem, Bishoftu and Oda Bultum University located in Oromia regional state, is located about 45 km east of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia (8°46′13.57"N, 38°59′50.45"E) at an altitude of 1920 m.a.s.l.
2.2. Experimental Animals
Indigenous Boran breed and high-grade Boran crossed Holstein Friesian heifers and cows were used for this study. All selected animals are cycling and had a body condition score (BCS) of 3- 8 on a scale of 1 to 9; (when 1=emaciated; 9 =obese). All the experimental animals were maintained as a group and were housed in a semi-opened housing system. Experimental animals were provided with a feed of different mixes: tef (Eragrostis tef) straw and grass (Andropogon abyssinicus) hay as a basal diet and supplemented with commercially prepared concentrate, mineral salts, and alfalfa green fodder. Management of these animals was nearly similar and sometimes DZARC experimental animals were released extensively for free grazing. Water was provided ad libitum. The experimental animals were regularly dewormed against a common parasitic disease and vaccinated for lumpy skin disease (LSD), foot and mouth disease (FMD), and other common infections.
2.3. Experimental Protocol
In the first trial, from the research center, a total of 104 animals were gynecologically examined with transrectal palpation for the presence of a well-developed and functional corpus luteum (CL) in either ovary, from the research center, university, and private farms. A total of 80 animals were technically selected and Control Intravaginal Drug Release (CIDR) devices were implanted for seven days for synchronization. A Zoetis product, luteolytic hormone (Lutalyse® injection dinoprost tromethamine), was injected deep intramuscularly on day six, post-CIDR implantation. Crayon livestock paint and ESTROTECT, a red or orange fluorescent color-coated heat detector, were applied on day seven during CIDR removal on the halfway point between the hip and tail heads perpendicular to the spine after brushing the hair thoroughly to create an optimal condition for adhesion. Hence, with each mount, the surface will gradually turn from silver to its indicator color, indicating true standing heat. As per the manufacturer's recommendation, approximately 50% of the silver rub-off coat removed should indicate standing heat. Sexed semen from ABS Global was used for insemination. Since sexed semen remains fertile for a shorter period in the female reproductive tract following insemination, insemination was conducted approximately 18 to 24 hours
| [27] | Thomas. J, (2021): Sexed Semen for Artificial Insemination: Recommendations and AI approaches, University of Missouri Division of Animal Sciences. |
[27]
after the start of that female’s standing heat behavior (
Figure 1).
In the second trial, a total of 40 heifers born from the first batch at the research center and private farm were gynecologically examined with transrectal palpation for the presence of a well-developed and functional CL in either ovary, and 35 heifers were technically selected. CIDR devices were implanted for seven days for synchronization (
table 2).
Figure 1. Synchronization and artificial insemination protocol.
Figure 2. a & b) CIDR and its applicator and c) ESTROTECT d) Crayon livestock paint for heat detection.
Figure 3. First batch synchronized animals manifesting behavioral estrus sign.
3. Results
During the first shoot of this study, in the research center, governmental university, and on a private farm, a total, of 104 animals were gynecologically examined, and screened animals were selected and synchronized. From the synchronized animals, those responded animals were inseminated using sex-sorted semen. The breed, conception rate, sex of newborn calves, or gender skewness at all farms were recorded. The overall response rate, conception rate, and sex skewness. was 98%, 79%, and 95% respectively.
Table 1. Estrus response, conception rate, and calve sex ratio in cattle inseminated with sexed semen at the research center's private dairy farm and universities.
Farm category | Gynecologically examined animals | Synchronized (CIDR) implanted animals | Animal responded | Inseminated animals | Pregnant animal | Abortion and calve mortality encountered | Female skewness (%) |
Research center | HF | 31 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 2 | 100% (18/18) |
B | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 67% (2/3) |
Private farm | HF | 31 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 0 | 91% (20/22) |
University | HF | 35 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 0 | 100% (18/18) |
Total | | 104 | 80 | 78 (98%) | 77 | 61 (79) | 2 | 95% (58/61) |
HF: Holstein Friesian breed; B=Boran Breed
Figure 4. Calves born on research station and private dairy farm using sexed semen (F1).
During the second phase of the experiment, heifers born from the first batch were synchronized once they reached puberty and inseminated using sexed semen following the same procedure as in the first phase experiment and given female calve crop (
Figure 5 and
Figure 6).
Table 2. Estrus response, conception rate, and calve sex ratio in heifers born from sexed semen and inseminated with sexed semen at the research center, private dairy farm, and universities.
Figure 5. Heifers born from sexed semen give female calve crops (seedstock) after estrus synchronized and inseminated with sexed semen (F2).
Figure 6. Collective figure for female calves born from whose mothers were born with sexed semen (F2) at DZARC.
4. Discussion
In a country like Ethiopia, where about 97% of the total cattle population is indigenous and is not selected for milk production due to low milk yielders which is below 1.5 liters per day, producing crossbred heifers through sexed semen technology is not a choice rather mandatory.
In several large-scale studies with the use of sexed semen in cows and heifers as well as within heifers in dairy and beef heifers, the conception rates are different. When using sexed semen compared to conventional semen in beef heifers, a 4% to 38% reduction in pregnancy rates were reported
| [20] | Rhinehart, J. D., A. M. Arnett, L. H. Anderson, W. D. Whittier, J. E. Larson, W. R. Burris, J. B. Elmore, D. T. Dean, and J. M. DeJarnette. 2011. Conception rates of sex-sorted semen in beef heifers and cows. J. Anim. Sci. 89 (Suppl. 2). |
[20]
. Similarly,
| [15] | Meyer, T. L., R. N. Funston, Kelly Ranch, Sexing Technologies, ABS Global, J. M. McGrann. 2012. Evaluating Conventional and Sexed Semen in a Commercial Beef Heifer Program. 2012 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report pp 20-21. |
[15]
reported that the pregnancy rate of heifers inseminated with sexed semen resulted in a 17% decrease in pregnancy rates compared to heifers inseminated with conventional semen. This is mainly due to two main reasons, these are, 1). Due to the effects of the sorting procedure, and 2). low number of sperm in a standard dose of sorted semen is responsible for the reduction in fertility. According to
| [7] | Frijters AC, Mullaart E, Roelofs RM, van Hoorne RP, Moreno JF, Moreno O, Merton JS. What affects the fertility of sexed bull semen more, low sperm dosage, or the sorting process? Theriogenology 2009, 71: 64-67. |
[7]
a low number of spermatozoa accounts for two-thirds of the reduction in the pregnancy rate whereas damage caused by the sorting accounts for one-third.
Regarding the finding of this study, In the first trial, of 104 gynecologically examined and screened animals from research centers, private farmers, and universities, 80 animals were selected and synchronized with the CIDR plus prostaglandin-based synchronization protocol. An overall result of a 98% response rate 95% female skewness and 79% conception rate was recorded after being inseminated with sexed semen. The finding of the response rate is closer to the results reported by
| [5] | Dhami, A. J., Nakrani, B. B., Hadiya, K. K., Patel, J. A., and Shah, R. G. 2015. Comparative efficacy of different estrus synchronization protocols on estrus induction response, fertility and plasma progesterone and biochemical profile in crossbred anestrous cows. Vet World, 8 (11): 1310–1316. |
| [14] | Kumaravel V. and Kumaran S. S. 2017. Estrus synchronization in crossbred dairy cows under field conditions. International Journal of Applied and Pure Science and Agriculture (IJAPSA), 03 (8): 2394-5532. |
[5, 14]
which is about a 100% response rate but in contrast to other reports like
| [2] | Chebel R. C., Santos J. E. P., Cerri R. L. A., Rutigliano H. M. and Bruno R. G. S. 2006. Reproduction in dairy cows following progesterone insert pre-synchronization and resynchronization protocols. Journal of Dairy Science, 89: 4205-4219. |
| [13] | Kalwar, Q., Memon, A. A., Bhutto, Md. B., Kunbhar, H. K., Mirani, A. H., Anwar, Md. and Wagan, S. A. 2015. Estrus response and fertility rate in Kundhi buffaloes following estrus synchronization in the breeding season. J. Adv. Vet. Anim. Res., 2 (3): 362-365. Available at- http://bdvets.org/JAVAR |
[2, 13]
where 30 and 76.47% estrus expressions were reported respectively. With regards to female skewness, the current result is higher compared to
| [16] | Nishant Sharma, DK Chand, Shriya Rawat, Mridula Sharma and Harshit Verma. Effect of sexed semen on conception rate and sex ratio under field conditions. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2018; 6(1): 702-705. |
[16]
, findings that are about 82.14% of female calves, and
| [3] | De Jarnette JM, Nebel RL, Marshall CE. Evaluating the success of sex-sorted semen in US dairy herds from on-farm records. Theriogenology. 2009; (71): 49-58. |
| [1] | Borchersen S, Peacock M. Danish AI. Field data with sexed semen. Theriogenology. 2009; 71: 59-63. |
| [17] | Norman HD, Hutchison JL, Miller RH. Use of sexed semen and its effect on conception rate, calf sex, dystocia, and stillbirth of Holsteins in the United States. Journal of Dairy Science. 2010; 93: 3880-3890. |
| [10] | Healy AA, House, JK, Thomson, PC. Artificial insemination field data on the use of sexed and conventional semen in nulliparous Holstein heifers. Journal of Dairy Science 2013; 96: 1905-1914. |
| [6] | Djedovic R, Bogdanovic V, Stanojevic D, Nemes Z, Gaspardy A, Cseh S. Involuntary reduction in vigor of calves born from sexed semen. Acta Veterinaria Hungarica. 2016; 64: 229-238. |
| [25] | Shekalgorabi SJ, Maghsoudi A, Mansourian MR. Reproductive performance of sexed versus conventional semen in Holstein heifers in various semiarid regions of Iran. Italian journal of animal science. 2017; 16(4): 666-672. |
[3, 1, 17, 10, 6, 25]
where 85–90% of desired sex calves were born by sexed semen.
The average conception rate of sexed semen was found to be 79%, which is comparatively higher than many previous reports, which stated that the fertility of sexed semen reached about 75–85% of the unsexed semen
| [8] | Garner DL and Seidel GE, 2003. Past, present, and future perspectives on sexing sperm. Canadian J Anim. Sci, 83: 375- 38. |
| [3] | De Jarnette JM, Nebel RL, Marshall CE. Evaluating the success of sex-sorted semen in US dairy herds from on-farm records. Theriogenology. 2009; (71): 49-58. |
| [1] | Borchersen S, Peacock M. Danish AI. Field data with sexed semen. Theriogenology. 2009; 71: 59-63. |
[8, 3, 1]
and some trials of
| [23] | Seidel Jr GE, 1999. Sexing mammalian spermatozoa and embryos - state of the art. J Reprod Fertil. Suppl, 54: 477-48. |
[23]
. This could be due to the cows being fertile, which are selected purposefully, the semen being fertile, which is obtained from ABS Global, proper heat detection using herd attendants and ESTROTECT heat detectors, and researcher-based inseminations being conducted at the optimum window of time.
For the second trial, about 40 heifers born from the first batch of sexed semen insemination at the research center, private farm, and university (
Figure 4) were gynecologically examined and 35 were synchronized and inseminated with sexed semen, resulting in a 94% response rate (
table 2), which is similar to the result of the first trial.
The main application of sex-sorted semen is producing a potential dairy heifer (seedstock) for future quality and highly productive herd replacement. Beyond this, there are several advantages to using sexed semen in the dairying system. 1
st the fertility of heifers is superior to that of lactating cows. 2
nd the ease of calving smaller and lighter female calves and thereby the occurrence of less dystocia compared with giving birth to male calves
| [28] | Tubman LM, Brink Z, Suh TK, Seidel GE, Jr (2004). Characteristics of calves produced with sperm sexed by flow cytometry/cell sorting. J Anim Sci, 82: 1029-1036. |
[28]
. steadily producing the replacements from heifers, shortens the generation interval. 4
th, herd expansion and the sale of heifers to others. 5
th Economic aspect (raising replacement heifers at a lower cost than purchasing them). 6
th building known genetics and 7
th biosecurity issues (including managing Johne’s disease).
Since the best genes in a herd are among the youngest animals, the genetic progress is accelerated when they are used to produce the next generation. Furthermore, one interesting advantage of using sexed semen and also realized in this particular study is a heifer born from sexed semen gives a heifer through sexed semen insemination which has created a stir in the dairy industry.
5. Conclusion and Recommendation
The dairy industry is ever-changing as technology alters management practices. At present, purebred and commercial seedstock producers will receive the most benefit from the use of sexed semen. In addition, the use of sexed semen by commercial producers to generate replacement heifers or to breed replacement heifers is a viable option. In this article, scenarios for using sexed semen have been critically evaluated.
In general, from the piece of this study, it is possible to foresee the adoption and application of sexed semen technology as a groundbreaking and game-changer technology for the dairy industry in a country like Ethiopia where there is an insignificant number of improved crossbred dairy cattle, which results in skyrocketing prices for replacement heifers, high milk prices, and the shortage of heifers for replacements is the only solution. Furthermore, rapid population growth, and urbanization, result in a shrinkage of grazing land, and environmental destruction due to the greater number versus low productive cattle population.
In conclusion, sex-sorted semen has revolutionized animal breeding by providing farmers with the desired sex of calve offspring, better control over herd dynamics, and greater financial gains. Overall, semen sexing offers tremendous potential for genetic advancement, improved herd management, and meeting the demands of the improved livestock potential specifically and agricultural industry at large.
Abbreviations
AI | Artificial Insemination |
BCS | Body Condition Score |
CIDR | Control Intravaginal Drug Release |
CL | Corpus Luteum |
DNA | Deoxyribonucleic Acid |
DZARC | Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center |
LSD | Lumpy Skin Disease |
FM | Foot and Mouth Disease |
ABS | American Breeder Services |
Acknowledgments
The authors sincerely thank the Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture (EIAR), and Debre Zeit Agricultural Research for providing research fund and all the needed logistics. Furthermore, the authors express their gratitude to Professor Curt. R. Youngs for donating a synchronization hormone, CIDR, and sexed semen.
Author Contributions
Sayid Ali: Conceptualizing research ideas, acquiring funding, developing methodologies, managing projects, procuring resources, and participating practically in field activities of the project, supervising, writing the first draft, and editing
Tamrat Degefa: Conceptualizing research ideas, participating practically in field activities, organizing data, conducting formal analysis, using software, and assessing and revising draft manuscripts
Asnaku Funga: Practical engaging on field activity, methodology designing, validation, Data collection and curation, Writing, review & editing
Mosisa Dire: Practical engaging on field activity, Data collection and curation, Methodology designing, Validation, Visualization, Writing, review & editing
Ayda Mohamed: Practical engaging on field activity, Methodology Validation, Data collection and curation
Asmarech Yeshaneh: Practical engaging on field activity, Methodology Validation, Data collection and curation
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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DeJarnette JM, Nebel RL, Marshall CE, Moreno JF and McCleary CR et al., 2008. Effect of sex-sorted sperm dosage on conception rates in Holstein heifers and lactating cows. J Dairy Sci, 91: 1778-1785.
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Dhami, A. J., Nakrani, B. B., Hadiya, K. K., Patel, J. A., and Shah, R. G. 2015. Comparative efficacy of different estrus synchronization protocols on estrus induction response, fertility and plasma progesterone and biochemical profile in crossbred anestrous cows. Vet World, 8 (11): 1310–1316.
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Djedovic R, Bogdanovic V, Stanojevic D, Nemes Z, Gaspardy A, Cseh S. Involuntary reduction in vigor of calves born from sexed semen. Acta Veterinaria Hungarica. 2016; 64: 229-238.
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Frijters AC, Mullaart E, Roelofs RM, van Hoorne RP, Moreno JF, Moreno O, Merton JS. What affects the fertility of sexed bull semen more, low sperm dosage, or the sorting process? Theriogenology 2009, 71: 64-67.
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Johnson, L. A. (2000). Sexing mammalian sperm for production of offspring: The state-of-the-art. Animal Reproduction Science, 60, 93–107.
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http://bdvets.org/JAVAR
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Kumaravel V. and Kumaran S. S. 2017. Estrus synchronization in crossbred dairy cows under field conditions. International Journal of Applied and Pure Science and Agriculture (IJAPSA), 03 (8): 2394-5532.
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Meyer, T. L., R. N. Funston, Kelly Ranch, Sexing Technologies, ABS Global, J. M. McGrann. 2012. Evaluating Conventional and Sexed Semen in a Commercial Beef Heifer Program. 2012 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report pp 20-21.
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Nishant Sharma, DK Chand, Shriya Rawat, Mridula Sharma and Harshit Verma. Effect of sexed semen on conception rate and sex ratio under field conditions. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2018; 6(1): 702-705.
|
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Seidel Jr GE, 1999. Sexing mammalian spermatozoa and embryos - state of the art. J Reprod Fertil. Suppl, 54: 477-48.
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Seidel, G. E., Jr. (2007). Overview of sexing sperm. Theriogenology, 68(3), 443–446.
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|
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APA Style
Ali, S., Degefa, T., Funga, A., Dire, M., Mohamed, A., et al. (2024). Reproductive Biotechnology Tools as a Game Changer for the Dairy Sector: The Case of Sexed Semen and Estrus Synchronization to Produce Seedstock Dairy Heifers. International Journal of Animal Science and Technology, 8(3), 30-37. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijast.20240803.11
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ACS Style
Ali, S.; Degefa, T.; Funga, A.; Dire, M.; Mohamed, A., et al. Reproductive Biotechnology Tools as a Game Changer for the Dairy Sector: The Case of Sexed Semen and Estrus Synchronization to Produce Seedstock Dairy Heifers. Int. J. Anim. Sci. Technol. 2024, 8(3), 30-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijast.20240803.11
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AMA Style
Ali S, Degefa T, Funga A, Dire M, Mohamed A, et al. Reproductive Biotechnology Tools as a Game Changer for the Dairy Sector: The Case of Sexed Semen and Estrus Synchronization to Produce Seedstock Dairy Heifers. Int J Anim Sci Technol. 2024;8(3):30-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijast.20240803.11
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@article{10.11648/j.ijast.20240803.11,
author = {Sayid Ali and Tamrat Degefa and Asnaku Funga and Mosisa Dire and Ayda Mohamed and Asmarech Yeshaneh},
title = {Reproductive Biotechnology Tools as a Game Changer for the Dairy Sector: The Case of Sexed Semen and Estrus Synchronization to Produce Seedstock Dairy Heifers
},
journal = {International Journal of Animal Science and Technology},
volume = {8},
number = {3},
pages = {30-37},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijast.20240803.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijast.20240803.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijast.20240803.11},
abstract = {Human curiosity about the sexual orientation of living things has a long history. For thousands of years, livestock owners wanted to find a suitable way to predict the sex of the progeny to be born for their herds on their farm. Thanks to the development of semen sexing technology, animal breeding has undergone a revolution, which allows farmers to control the sex of their offspring. Sexed semen enhances overall productivity and also assists farmers in meeting the rising demand for high-quality dairy animals by enabling them to selectively generate seedstock female calves. The technology is a one-stop solution to enhance breed improvement especially in a country like Ethiopia where 97 percent of the cattle population is indigenous, which is not selected for milk production and results in undernourishment for animal source origin diet, including milk and meat. The benefits of using sexed semen include sex selection, improved genetic selection, enhanced breeding effectiveness, better control over herd dynamics, greater financial gains, environmental sustainability, and improved animal welfare. Hence, with the finding of this study, an overall result of a 98% response rate 95% female skewness, and 79% conception rate was recorded after being inseminated with sexed semen. The finding of the response rate is closer to the results reported by another researcher, while the average conception rate is comparatively higher. This could be due to careful animal selection, the use of fertile quality semen, proper heat detection, and inseminating at an optimum window of time. In general, from the piece of this study, it is possible to foresee and conclude that the adoption and application of sexed semen technology is a groundbreaking and game-changer technology for the dairy industry in a country like Ethiopia, which overcomes the limitations of improved crossbred dairy cattle, replacement heifers, and high milk prices on the one hand, a shortage of grazing land, and environmental destruction due to a decreasing number of unwanted cattle population on the other side.
},
year = {2024}
}
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Reproductive Biotechnology Tools as a Game Changer for the Dairy Sector: The Case of Sexed Semen and Estrus Synchronization to Produce Seedstock Dairy Heifers
AU - Sayid Ali
AU - Tamrat Degefa
AU - Asnaku Funga
AU - Mosisa Dire
AU - Ayda Mohamed
AU - Asmarech Yeshaneh
Y1 - 2024/07/29
PY - 2024
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijast.20240803.11
DO - 10.11648/j.ijast.20240803.11
T2 - International Journal of Animal Science and Technology
JF - International Journal of Animal Science and Technology
JO - International Journal of Animal Science and Technology
SP - 30
EP - 37
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2640-1312
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijast.20240803.11
AB - Human curiosity about the sexual orientation of living things has a long history. For thousands of years, livestock owners wanted to find a suitable way to predict the sex of the progeny to be born for their herds on their farm. Thanks to the development of semen sexing technology, animal breeding has undergone a revolution, which allows farmers to control the sex of their offspring. Sexed semen enhances overall productivity and also assists farmers in meeting the rising demand for high-quality dairy animals by enabling them to selectively generate seedstock female calves. The technology is a one-stop solution to enhance breed improvement especially in a country like Ethiopia where 97 percent of the cattle population is indigenous, which is not selected for milk production and results in undernourishment for animal source origin diet, including milk and meat. The benefits of using sexed semen include sex selection, improved genetic selection, enhanced breeding effectiveness, better control over herd dynamics, greater financial gains, environmental sustainability, and improved animal welfare. Hence, with the finding of this study, an overall result of a 98% response rate 95% female skewness, and 79% conception rate was recorded after being inseminated with sexed semen. The finding of the response rate is closer to the results reported by another researcher, while the average conception rate is comparatively higher. This could be due to careful animal selection, the use of fertile quality semen, proper heat detection, and inseminating at an optimum window of time. In general, from the piece of this study, it is possible to foresee and conclude that the adoption and application of sexed semen technology is a groundbreaking and game-changer technology for the dairy industry in a country like Ethiopia, which overcomes the limitations of improved crossbred dairy cattle, replacement heifers, and high milk prices on the one hand, a shortage of grazing land, and environmental destruction due to a decreasing number of unwanted cattle population on the other side.
VL - 8
IS - 3
ER -
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