Relationship of testicular biometry with semen variables in breeding soundness evaluation of Nellore bulls

Penitente-Filho, Jurandy Mauro; Silva, Fabyano Fonseca e; Guimarães, Simone; Waddington, Bruna; Costa, Eduardo Paulino da; León, Victor Gomez; Siqueira, Jeanne Broch; Okano, Denise Silva; Maitan, Paula Piccolo; Guimarães, José Domingos

doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2018.07.010

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Scrotal circumference is a predictor of fertility in bulls` daughters [ 27 , 28 ]. A study based on 2,055 Nellore bulls at five different ages reported average SC ranging from 32.10 cm to 40.00 cm in animals from 18 to 48 months or more [ 29 ]. Usually, taurine ( Bos taurus taurus ) bulls with ages around 12 to 15 months present SC values of 30 cm on average at the beginning of the breeding season.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic parameters for various semen production and quality traits and indicators of male and female reproductive performance in Nellore cattle

et al. 2023

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Background Given the economic relevance of fertility and reproductive traits for the beef cattle industry, investigating their genetic background and developing effective breeding strategies are paramount. Considering their late and sex-dependent phenotypic expression, genomic information can contribute to speed up the rates of genetic progress per year. In this context, the main objectives of this study were to estimate variance components and genetic parameters, including heritability and genetic correlations, for fertility, female precocity, and semen production and quality (andrological attributes) traits in Nellore cattle incorporating genomic information. Results The heritability estimates of semen quality traits were low-to-moderate, while moderate-to-high estimates were observed for semen morphological traits. The heritability of semen defects ranged from low (0.04 for minor semen defects) to moderate (0.30 for total semen defects). For seminal aspect (SMN_ASPC) and bull reproductive fitness (BULL_FIT), low (0.19) and high (0.69) heritabilities were observed, respectively. The heritability estimates for female reproductive traits ranged from 0.16 to 0.39 for rebreeding of precocious females (REBA) and probability of pregnancy at 14 months (PP14), respectively. Semen quality traits were highly genetically correlated among themselves. Moderate-to-high genetic correlations were observed between the ability to remain productive in the herd until four years of age (stayability; STAY) and the other reproductive traits, indicating that selection for female reproductive performance will indirectly contribute to increasing fertility rates. High genetic correlations between BULL_FIT and female reproductive traits related to precocity (REBA and PP14) and STAY were observed. The genetic correlations between semen quality and spermatic morphology with female reproductive traits ranged from -0.22 (REBA and scrotal circumference) to 0.48 (REBA and sperm vigor). In addition, the genetic correlations between REBA with semen quality traits ranged from -0.23 to 0.48, and with the spermatic morphology traits it ranged from -0.22 to 0.19. Conclusions All male and female fertility and reproduction traits evaluated are heritable and can be improved through direct genetic or genomic selection. Selection for better sperm quality will positively influence the fertility and precocity of Nellore females. The findings of this study will serve as background information for designing breeding programs for genetically improving semen production and quality and reproductive performance in Nellore cattle.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic parameters for various semen production and quality traits and indicators of male and female reproductive performance in Nellore cattle

et al. 2023

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“…The breeding soundness evaluation (BSE) is very useful to select bulls in breeding programmes; the evaluation of SC for many years has been used and contributed to this selection. However, the inclusion of measurement of testicular parameters and the testicular volume could bring a more accurate evaluation because there is a positive correlation with semen variables (Penitente Filho et al., 2018) and may yield superior results, including Bos taurus indicus crossbred bulls (Vijetha et al., 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testicular shape, scrotal skin thickness and testicular artery blood flow changes in bulls of different ages

Claus

Junior

Koetz

et al. 2021

Reprod Domestic Animals

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The aim of this study was to compare the biometric testicular characteristics, skin thickness and haemodynamics of the testicular artery of 12-and 24-month-old bulls using Doppler ultrasonography, the study was conducted using 48 indicus-taurus animals.The scrotal circumference (SC) and biometry characteristics of the bulls were measured to calculate the testicular volume. Doppler ultrasonography was used to obtain the haemodynamic values of the testicular artery. The skin thickness and volume were lower (p<.01) in the younger bulls (12 months:4.68 ± 0.68 mm; 168.76 ± 47.96 cm 3 ) versus 24 months (5.05 ± 0.89; 499.73 ± 129.24 cm 3 ) animals (p<.01). During diastole, mean velocity was lower in the 12 months (7.98 ± 3.83) than in the 24 months How to cite this article: Claus LAM, Barca Junior FA, Junior CK, et al. Testicular shape, scrotal skin thickness and testicular artery blood flow changes in bulls of different ages.

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“…These factors can also be influenced by the environment, nutrition, age, breed, and genetics (Menegassi et al, 2015). The SC is the most commonly used and perhaps the most important reproductive trait in young bulls; it has strong and favourable correlations with several reproductive traits measured in both the bull (semen quality) and their female progeny (age at puberty, age at first calving, probability of pregnancy at 14 months, pregnancy rate, and ovulation rate) (Burns et al, 2011; Penitente‐Filho et al, 2018; Santana Jr et al, 2012). Although these factors have been reported and investigated, the effect of the calving date on the sperm quality and BSE result of future sires remains to be elucidated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calving date as a potential predictor for the probability of approval in the first breeding soundness evaluation of Nellore bulls

Diaz-Miranda

Penitente-Filho

Gomez-León

et al. 2023

Reprod Domestic Animals

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Beef production systems primarily use natural service (NS) for breeding. However, a significant number of bulls used for NS are subfertile, limiting the profitability of the cow‐calf operations. Therefore, producers should select bulls based on breeding soundness evolutions (BSE) to ensure higher pregnancy rates. Several factors can affect the bull ability to pass a BSE. We hypothesize that calving date would be a factor that affects the bull probability of approval at the first BSE. For this purpose, a multivariate logistic regression in a dataset of 14,737 BSEs from young Nellore bulls was used. Correlations between calving date, biometrics, and semen traits were evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Our results demonstrated that the calving date affected the probability of approval at the first BSE (p < .05). Indeed, the variable that added more information to our model was the calving date, far more than the age group of the bulls according to Akaike's information criterion. Hence, bulls born on day 0 of the calving season have 1.26 more chances to be approved at the first BSE than bulls born 21 days later. This result highlights the importance of getting the dams of future bulls pregnant as soon as possible in the breeding season. In addition, the calving season should be no longer than 47 days to achieve 80% BSE approval in 20–22 months old Nellore bulls. The strongest correlation was with SC, which decreased as the calving date increased. Therefore, the calving date may be used as a predictor of the outcome of the first BSE in young bulls. In that way, the calving date can help seedstock producers to maximize efficiency in making crucial management decisions during the breeding and calving season including nutrition, reproductive, and culling.

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Relationship of testicular biometry with semen variables in breeding soundness evaluation of Nellore bulls

Cited by 9 publications

References 24 publications

Genetic parameters for various semen production and quality traits and indicators of male and female reproductive performance in Nellore cattle

Genetic parameters for various semen production and quality traits and indicators of male and female reproductive performance in Nellore cattle

Testicular shape, scrotal skin thickness and testicular artery blood flow changes in bulls of different ages

Calving date as a potential predictor for the probability of approval in the first breeding soundness evaluation of Nellore bulls

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