Artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET) are the most widely used biotechnologies in the world with the goal of increasing genetic gain and improving reproductive efficiency of beef and dairy herds. The protocols for ovulation synchronization for timed AI (TAI) or ET (TET) are tools that allow artificial insemination or transfer of a high number of embryos in a pre-established moment and without the necessity of estrous detection. Currently, 86% of inseminations in Brazil are performed using TAI (13.6 million TAI out of a total of 15.4 million doses of semen marketed in 2018). With the use of TAI, it was possible to verify that the percentage of artificially inseminated females in Brazil went from 5.8% in 2002 to 13.1% in 2018. The ET market also presented considerable growth in the last 20 years. There was an increase of approximately 8 fold in the number of produced embryos, escalating from 50,000 in 1999 to 375,000 in 2017. In this period, there was a significant increase on the in vitro embryo production, which represented 92.1% of embryos produced in Brazil in 2017. Also, in this period, there was an increase on the embryo production of dairy breeds and reduction on the embryo production of zebu breeds in comparison to data from the early 2000's. TET increases significantly the number of recipients suitable to receive an embryo. After synchronization, 75 to 85% of recipients present a suitable CL for ET without estrous detection. Currently, many synchronization and resynchronization protocols for TAI/TET have been studied to attend different managements, breeds and animal categories, with predictable and satisfactory results. With the intensification of the use of these biotechnologies, it is possible to obtain elevated reproductive efficiency with increase on the genetic gain, which determines greater productivity and economic return for dairy and beef farms. However, the challenge to keep the market growing in the next decade could depend on some factors, such as: increase of the extension services for producers and of the extension training for specialists, improvement of the technological advances to develop more efficient and cost-effective products and practical protocols, increase the integration between universities, research institutes, veterinarians and industries and also, asses market demand for production of animal protein with higher quality, efficiency and environmental and economic sustainability.
A ausência da categoria asinina nas normas técnicas de avaliação seminal promove a necessidade de informações reprodutivas desta espécie. Objetivou-se descrever o perfil proteômico do plasma seminal de jumentos da raça Pêga (Equus asinus). Utilizaram-se seis animais púberes, com peso 239±32,6 Kg e circunferência escrotal de 36,8±6,9 cm, criados em mesma propriedade no estado do Tocantins, Brasil. Foi realizada eletroforese unidimensional, utilizando 12,5% de acrilamida e 30μg de proteína. As bandas foram descoradas e digeridas com tripsina para análise em espectrômetro de massa ESI-Q-TOF. Através de bioinformática, pelo banco de dados UniProtKB, as proteínas foram identificadas. Os termos da ontologia genética foram obtidos a partir do software STRAP®. A média da concentração proteica do plasma seminal foi 23,6±12,6 μg/μL. Foram detectadas pelo menos 26 bandas por animal (QuantityOne®). Um total de 19 bandas e 52 proteínas, com pesos entre 9,51 e 155,9 kDa, foram identificadas pela espectrometria. Os processos biológicos mais relevantes ligados às proteínas identificadas foram a regulação (24%) e processo celular (22%). As funções moleculares das proteínas foram descritas como ligação (42%) e atividade catalítica (31%). Em conclusão, a existência da descrição do padrão eletroforético destas proteínas plasmáticas seminais contribuirão com a construção de parâmetros para fertilidade.Palavras-chave: Proteômica, eletroforese, sêmen.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of using technology to reduce the age at first calving (AFC; from 48 to 24 months) and increase the weaning rate (WR; from 60% to 80%) in beef herds. The need for pasture area (hectares) and the CO2 equivalent emissions (CO2eq.) of animals present in the production system were analyzed. Data from a livestock breeding system were used to produce 400 male calves per year: System 1) using reproductive biotechnology (fixed-time artificial insemination [FTAI] and System 2) without the use of reproductive biotechnology (only natural mating). System 1, which used reproductive biotechnology (FTAI; composed of 1,540 AU of animals in 1,540 hectares), presented a lower AFC (24 months), a higher WR (80%), and lower CO2eq. emissions per year (2,311.3 tons). System 2, which did not employ reproductive technology (composed of 2,475 AU [450 kg of animals] on 2,475 hectares), had the highest AFC (48 months) and lowest WR (60%) and emitted 3,714.5 tons of CO2eq. per year. The reduction in CO2eq. emissions per year was 1,403.3 tons in the system that used reproductive biotechnology, corresponding to gains of US$ 135,920.42 (US$ 96.86 per ton of CO2eq.). It is estimated that the adoption of the FTAI increases the reproductive efficiency of a cow-calf operation system, which can produce the same number of male calves (400) on 935 fewer hectares of pasture (-37.3%) and with a reduction of 1,403.3 tons of CO2eq. produced per year.
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