SUMMARYOne-hundred-ninety-five Duroc (D), Hampshire (H), Duroc X Hampshire (DXH) and Hampshire X Duroc (HX D) boars were evaluated for reproductive performance. One-hundred-sixteen boars were castrated at approximately 225 days of age to evaluate testicular and epididymidal weights and sperm numbers. Testes from crossbred boars were 95.33 + 22.81 g heavier (P<.01) and contained 14.4I + 3.92 billion more sperm (P<.01) than those from purebred boars. Testes from Hampshire boars were 50.40 + 31.75 g heavier with 6.27 + 5.45 billion more sperm than those from Durocs. There were no significant differences between breeds for caput-corpus epididymidal measurements. Durocs had 24.55 + 12.16 billion more sperm (P<.05) in the cauda epididymis than Hampshire boars. Testes weight and testes sperm numbers were significantly correlated with caput-corpus epididymidal and cauda epididymidal sperm numbers. Correlations of testicular and epididymidal characteristics with growth rate and backfat to 100 kg were small and nonsignificant.Twenty 7.5-month to 9-month-old D, Dx H and HXD boars and 19 H boars were each mated to two Yorkshire gilts to evaluate reproductive efficiency. Conception rates were: D, 63.2%; DXH, 67.5%; HXD, 60.0%; and H, 48.6%. Number of embryos 30-days postbreeding was 10.66 + .49 and 11.25 -+ .43 (P>.10) for gilts mated to purebred and crossbred sires, respectively. Twenty-eight of 36
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.