• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1479-1488
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• 2022

Objective: This work was to determine coat inheritance and evaluate production performance for crossbred pigs from Berkshire×Chenghua (BC) compared with Chinese indigenous Chenghua (CH) pigs. Methods: The coat color phenotypes were recorded for more than 16,000 pigs, and the genotypes of melanocortin 1 receptor (MCIR) gene were identified by sequencing. The reproductive performance of 927 crossbred BC F4 gilts and 320 purebred CH gilts was recorded. Sixty pigs of each breed were randomly selected at approximately 60 days of age to determine growth performance during fattening period, which lasted for 150 days for BC pigs and 240 days for CH pigs. At the end of the fattening period, 30 pigs of each breed were slaughtered to determine carcass composition and meat quality. Results: The coat color of BC pigs exhibits a "dominant black" hereditary pattern, and all piglets derived from boars or sows genotyped E^D1 E^D1 homozygous for MC1R gene showed a uniform black coat phenotype. The BC F4 gilts displayed a good reproductive performance, showing a higher litter and tear size and were heavier at farrowing litter and at weaning litter than the CH gilts, but they reached puberty later than the CH gilts. BC F4 pigs exhibited improved growth and carcass characteristics with a higher average daily live weight gain, lower feed-to-gain ratio, and higher carcass lean meat rate than CH pigs. Like CH pigs, BC F4 pigs produced superior meat-quality characteristics, showing ideal pH and meat-color values, high intramuscular fat content and water-holding capacity, and acceptable muscle-fiber parameters. C18:1, C16:0, C18:0, and C18:2 were the main fatty acids in M. longissimus lumborum in the two breeds, and a remarkably high polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio of ~0.39 was observed in the BC F4 pigs. Conclusion: The BC F4 pigs exhibit a uniform black coat pattern and acceptable total production performance.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.22-25
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• 1987

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of imported pellet frozen semen on sperm motility and NAR acrosomes after thawing, and the farrowing rates, litter sizes and preweaning body weights after artificial insemination. A total of 28 sows of Landrace, Large White and Duroc were inseminated at the Chungnam Provincial Animal Breeding Station. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. Landrace andLarge White had higher sperm motility than Duroc by about 20% and had higher NAR acrosomes by about 10%. 2. The farrowing rates of Landrace, Large White and Duroc were 63.6, 55.6 adn 50.0%, respectively. The number of pigs born alive per litter were larger in Landrace and Large White as compared with Duroc (p<.01). 3. Duroc had the highest mean pig weight at birth, followed by Landrace and Large White (p<.01). The mean pig weights at 21 days and 56 days had no significant differences between the breeds.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1435-1439
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• 2011

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of creep feed with different energy densities on litter performance. A total of 30 sows (Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire) and their litters were randomly assigned with 1, 2, or 3+parities into 1 of 3 treatments (10 sows). Dietary treatments were: i) CON (no creep feed), ii) LE (creep feed (DE 4,000 kcal/kg) from 5 d of age until weaning (21 d)), and iii) HE (creep feed (DE 5,000 kcal/kg) from 5 d of age until weaning). Each piglet was weighed at d 5, 10, 15, 21 (weaning), and d 7 postweaning to determine ADG. Creep feeding reduced concentrations of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol compared with those in CON group (p<0.05). Creep feeding reduced (p<0.05) the weaning-to-oestrus interval in sows. Piglets in the HE groups evidenced greater ADG (p = 0.024) and ADFI (p = 0.001) post-weaning than those in CON treatments. Creep feeding decreased (p<0.05) the suckling time of piglet in this study. In conclusion, creep feeding increased growth and feed intake of pigs after weaning. It can decrease the oestrus interval of sows. There was no difference between providing a high energy or a low energy creep fed diet to the piglets.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.66 no.2
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• pp.295-309
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• 2024

To investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with a fermented mixture of bean dregs and wheat bran (FBW) on sow performance. FBW was given to sows during late gestation and lactation; in total, 24 sows were randomly assigned to 4 groups (control diet; 3% FBW diet; 6% FBW diet; 9% FBW diet, n = 6). The weight ratio of bean dregs (wet) to wheat bran was 4:6. Sows were fed different diets from 85 d of gestation until weaning. The results showed that supplementation with FBW increased average daily feed intake (ADFI) during lactation (p < 0.05). FBW supplementation also increased litter weight and milk yield (p < 0.05). The contents of Escherichia coli in the feces of the treatment groups were significantly reduced by FBW supplementation (p < 0.01). FBW supplementation significantly improved the fecal morphology (p < 0.05), alleviating sows' constipation. In conclusion, FBW could increase the ADFI, improve lactation and piglet litter weight in sows and reduce the pathogenic bacterial content in sow feces and constipation.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.12
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• pp.1860-1868
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• 2023

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of optimal trace mineral levels on the physiological responses, reproductive performance, litter performance, blood profiles and milk composition in gestating sows. Methods: A total of 59 multiparous sows (Yorkshire×Landrace) with similar body weight (BW), backfat thickness (BF), and parity were assigned to one of four treatments with 14 or 15 sows per treatment using a completely randomized design. The treatments were 100% (M1), 300% (M3), 600% (M6), and 900% (M9) of the National Research Council (NRC) Nutrient Requirements of Swine. During lactation period, all the sows were fed the same commercial lactation diet. Results: No significant differences were observed in the BW, BF, reproductive performance, milk composition, or growth performance of the piglets. On day 70 of gestation, the serum zinc concentration showed a quadratic response to M6 treatment (quadratic, p<0.05). Moreover, as the dietary mineral levels increased, the zinc concentration increased linearly at 110 days of gestation (linear, p<0.05). Furthermore, copper and iron concentrations in the serum of sows at 24 h postpartum decreased linearly when high levels of dietary minerals were provided (linear, p<0.05). In the serum of piglets, serum zinc concentrations decreased linearly (linear, p<0.05), and iron concentration showed a quadratic response (quadratic, p<0.05) with an increase in trace mineral premix levels in gestation diets. Conclusion: The current trace mineral requirements of NRC (2012) are suitable for gestating sows, and the addition of dietary mineral levels in the gestating diet did not show any improvements during the gestation and lactation periods.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.678-688
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• 2024

Objective: Reduced crude protein (CP) diets offer potential benefits such as optimized feed efficiency, reduced expenses, and lower environmental impact. The objective of this study was to evaluate black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) meal on a low-protein diet for duck performance, blood biochemical, intestinal morphology, gastrointestinal development, and litter. Methods: The experiment was conducted for 42 days. A total of 210-day-old male hybrid ducklings (5 replicate pens, 7 ducks per pen) were randomly assigned to 6 dietary treatments (3×2 factorial arrangements) in randomized design. The factors were CP level (18%, 16%, 14%) and protein source feed soybean meals (SBM), black soldier fly larvae meals (BSFLM). Results: Reduced dietary CP levels significantly decreased growth performance, feed intake, the percentage of nitrogen, pH (p<0.05), and tended to suppress ammonia in litter (p = 0.088); increased lipid concentration; and enhanced relative weight of gastrointestinal tracts (p<0.05). In addition, dietary BSFL as a source of protein feed significantly increased lipid concentration and impacted lowering villus height and crypt depth on jejunum (p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, the use of BSFLM in a low-protein diet was found to have a detrimental effect on growth performance. However, the reduction of 2% CP levels in SBM did not have a significant impact on growth performance but decreased nitrogen and ammonia concentrations.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.320-327
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• 2017

Objective: The objective of this research was to estimate genetic correlations between number of piglets born alive in the first parity (NBA1), litter birth weight in the first parity (LTBW1), number of piglets weaned in the first parity (NPW1), litter weaning weight in the first parity (LTWW1), number of piglets born alive from second to last parity (NBA2+), litter birth weight from second to last parity (LTBW2+), number of piglets weaned from second to last parity (NPW2+) and litter weaning weight from second to last parity (LTWW2+), and to identify the percentages of animals (the top 10%, 25%, and 50%) for first parity and sums of second and later parity traits. Methods: The 9,830 records consisted of 2,124 Landrace (L), 724 Yorkshire (Y), 2,650 LY, and 4,332 YL that had their first farrowing between July 1989 and December 2013. The 8-trait animal model included the fixed effects of first farrowing year-season, additive genetic group, heterosis of the sow and the litter, age at first farrowing, and days to weaning (NPW1, LTWW1, NPW2+, and LTWW2+). Random effects were animal and residual. Results: Heritability estimates ranged from $0.08{\pm}0.02$ (NBA1 and NPW1) to $0.29{\pm}0.02$ (NPW2+). Genetic correlations between reproduction traits in the first parity and from second to last parity ranged from $0.17{\pm}0.08$ (LTBW1 and LTBW2+) to $0.67{\pm}0.06$ (LTWW1 and LTWW2+). Phenotypic correlations between reproduction traits in the first parity and from second to last parity were close to zero. Rank correlations between LTWW1 and LTWW2+ estimated breeding value tended to be higher than for other pairs of traits across all replacement percentages. Conclusion: These rank correlations indicated that selecting boars and sows using genetic predictions for first parity reproduction traits would help improve reproduction traits in the second and later parities as well as lifetime productivity in this swine population.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.254-259
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• 2004

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of supplemented diets with Malty Culture(MC) during lactation on sow and litter performance. Eighteen lactating sows were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments(basal diet, basal diet+MC0.5%, basal+MCl.0%). Average daily feed intake of sow was not affected by dietary treatments with treatment means ranging from 4.49 to 4.58kg(p>0.62). All sows lost their backfat thickness during lactation with no difference among the treatments(p>0.25). Fecal moisture was similar for sows fed the control and MC treatments with 70% moisture content. The growth rate of piglets was not significant difference among the treatments ranging from 47 to 48kg. Day to estrus postweaning was not affected by supplementation of MC with treatment means ranging from 5 to 7 days. There was not significant difference in the milk production(i.e, 8.9kg/d for control, 9.18kg/d for MC0.5 and 9.20kg/d for MC1.0). Survivability of piglet was affected by feeding added MC during lactation. There was no significant difference in the digestibility of DM, but the digestibility of N tended to increase in sows fed the MC0.5 and MC1.0 supplemented diets compared to the basal diet(linear effect, p<0.10; quadratic effect. p<0.08). Digestibility of P tended to increase by the treatment of supplemented MC. However, there was no significant difference among the treatments. In conclusion, the results of experiment suggest that lactation diet of supplemented MC could be a beneficial feeding for digestibility in sow and litter performance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.925-937
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• 2016

In the last few decades, transgenic animal technology has witnessed an increasingly wide application in animal breeding. Reproductive traits are economically important to the pig industry. It has been shown that the bone morphogenetic protein receptor type IB (BMPR1B) A746G polymorphism is responsible for the fertility in sheep. However, this causal mutation exits exclusively in sheep and goat. In this study, we attempted to create transgenic pigs by introducing this mutation with the aim to improve reproductive traits in pigs. We successfully constructed a vector containing porcine BMPR1B coding sequence (CDS) with the mutant G allele of A746G mutation. In total, we obtained 24 cloned male piglets using handmade cloning (HMC) technique, and 12 individuals survived till maturation. A set of polymerase chain reactions indicated that 11 of 12 matured boars were transgene-positive individuals, and that the transgenic vector was most likely disrupted during cloning. Of 11 positive pigs, one (No. 11) lost a part of the terminator region but had the intact promoter and the CDS regions. cDNA sequencing showed that the introduced allele (746G) was expressed in multiple tissues of transgene-positive offspring of No.11. Western blot analysis revealed that BMPR1B protein expression in multiple tissues of transgene-positive $F_1$ piglets was 0.5 to 2-fold higher than that in the transgene-negative siblings. The No. 11 boar showed normal litter size performance as normal pigs from the same breed. Transgene-positive $F_1$ boars produced by No. 11 had higher semen volume, sperm concentration and total sperm per ejaculate than the negative siblings, although the differences did not reached statistical significance. Transgene-positive $F_1$ sows had similar litter size performance to the negative siblings, and more data are needed to adequately assess the litter size performance. In conclusion, we obtained 24 cloned transgenic pigs with the modified porcine BMPR1B CDS using HMC. cDNA sequencing and western blot indicated that the exogenous BMPR1B CDS was successfully expressed in host pigs. The transgenic pigs showed normal litter size performance. However, no significant differences in litter size were found between transgene-positive and negative sows. Our study provides new insight into producing cloned transgenic livestock related to reproductive traits.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.249-254
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• 2016

It is imperious to know the reproductive parameters of the subsisting swine breed for profitable farming in Bangladesh. This study was designed to compare the reproductive parameters of sows at hilly areas between the local and crossbred at farm and backyard level. A total of 116 breedable sows were included. The data on age at puberty, litter size, birth weight, weaning weight, gestation length, interval between farrowing and number of piglets born per sow in local and crossbred sows were determined and direct questionnaire method was used for data collection. The present study revealed that age at puberty between farm and backyard system of crossbred sows was $8.88{\pm}0.153$ and $9.85{\pm}0.221$ months, respectively. The farrowing interval was shorter in crossbred sows which were kept in farming system rather than backyard system. The interval between farrowing and onset of estrus was shorter in crossbred sows. The gestation length was almost similar between backyard and farm condition. The number of litter size per sow per farrowing was $8.45{\pm}0.41$ in crossbred and $7.17{\pm}0.250$ in local pigs at backyard system. The birth weight and weaning weight were more in farm conditions than backyard system. The age at puberty in local breed was lower than the crossbred and litter size was $8.45{\pm}0.407$ in crossbred which was higher than local breed $7.17{\pm}0.250$ in backyard system. These results suggest that reproductive parameters of local sow need to be improved for better production and crossbred sows should be reared for obtaining desired productivity.