Success drivers of pig artificial insemination based on imported fresh semen

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the factors that affect pig litter size, proportion of live pigs at birth, number of inseminations per conception, and efficiency of artificial insemination. The main factors assessed were sow breed (n = 2), sire breed (n = 3), sow parity (n = 7) and insemination method (n = 2). The sow breeds used were Landrace, LL (n = 27) and Landrace × Pietran crossbreds, LP (n = 37); boar breeds used were Landrace (LL), Pietran (PP) and Landrace × Pietran crossbreds (LP). Sows were randomly inseminated either by boar or artificially, with semen freshly imported from Belgium to Rwanda. Landrace (LL) sows had significantly smaller (P<0.05) litter sizes at birth (9.04±0.72) compared to LP sows (11.49±0.45). On the other hand, the litter size for LL (9.04±0.58) and LP (11.49±0.67) sires did not differ, while PP sires had the highest (P<0.05) litter size (13.37±1.43). Interestingly, the method of insemination, whether use of a boar or artificially did not (P>0.05) affect the number of inseminations per conception, litter size, and proportion of piglets born live. Sow parity was found to have a linear relationship with a mean litter size at birth of 6.9±0.43 piglets for primiparous sows and 15.2±1.12 piglets for a sow of parity 7. However, the number of piglets born dead increased with parity, peaking at 3.0±0.66 (parity 7), while it was only 0.2±0.2 for parity 1. Therefore, the LP crossbred sows and Pietran sires are recommended. Artificial insemination should be promoted since it performed as well as natural insemination but provides other advantages such as African swine fever and inbreeding prevention, and avoids boar management costs.

Isolation and molecular confirmation of Brucella suis biovar 2 from slaughtered pigs: an unanticipated biovar from domestic pigs in Egypt

“…This rapid increase in pig numbers (6000 heads in 2014 to 25,000 heads in 2018) over a short period [ 22 ] raised concerns about the restocking of the population via illegal routes to improve litter numbers, litter sizes, and meat production performance by the introduction of superior European breeds. Several African countries have imported pigs or boar semen to improve local breeds [ 23 – 25 ]. Another scenario is that the potential informal import of pigs or semen from other African countries lacking proper veterinary public health structures is an imminent risk for the pig industry in Egypt.…”

Review: Meningkatkan Populasi Ternak Babi Melalui Teknologi Reproduksi Pasca African Swine Fever

“…Litter size menggunakan teknologi IB lebih tinggi dibandingkan kawin secara alamiah. Hal ini sesuai dengan laporan oleh Niyiragira et al, (2018) di Rwanda menggunakan semen segar impor bahwa ukuran liter size dengan hasil IB mencapai dengan 8,06 anak babi per induk sedangkan litter size hanya mencapai 7,2 anak babi perinduk yang dilaporkan oleh Mbuza et al, (2016) di Rwanda menggunakan kawain alam. Litter size anak dari seekor pejantan per tahun melalui kawin alam hanya dapat mencapai rata-rata 21 ekor, sedangkan litter size anak dari seekor pejantan per tahun melalui kawin IB dapat mencapai 225 ekor dalam upaya peningkatan populasi ternak babi di Sulawesi Utara (Mandey et al, 2018).…”