Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T18:40:02.408Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Modification of body composition by altering the dietary lysine to energy ratio during rearing and the effect on reproductive performance of gilts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

M. C. Cia
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9YA
S. A. Edwards
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9YA
V. L. Glasgow
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9YA
M. Shanks
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9YA
H. Fraser
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9YA
Get access

Abstract

Fifty-four lean genotype crossbred gilts were allocated at 118 days of age among three diets with different protein concentrations to give lysine: energy (g/MJ digestible energy) ratios: high (0·9), medium (0·6) and low (0·3) given twice daily at 2·9 × maintenance energy. At 160 days of age, gilts were treated with exogenous gonadotropin (PG600™) and animals were examined daily for signs of oestrus. Animals were slaughtered after the second oestrus, if they had shown behavioural oestrus, or at the age of 212 days. Reproductive tracts were recovered for counting of corpora lutea and albicantia. L gilts were lighter than M or H gilts at puberty induction (80, 95, 97 (s.e. 0·73) kg for L, M, H respectively, P < 0·001), with greater backfat thickness (10·8,10·0, 9·2 (s.e. 0·21) mm P2,P < 0·001), lesser longissimus muscle depth (57·4, 65·9, 64·3 (s.e. 0·77) mm, P < 0·001) and poorer food conversion ratio during rearing (3·87, 2·48, 2·42 (s.e. 0·098) kg food per kg gain, P < 0·001). There was no statistically significant difference in the total number of animals that responded to the puberty induction, although L had a greater latency to oestrus than H. Ovulation rate at this induced oestrus was significantly lower in L gilts than in M or H gilts (12·5, 17·3, 21·5 (s.e. 1·32), P < 0·02). A lower proportion ofL, compared with M or H gilts showed spontaneous ovulation in a subsequent cycle (0·15, 0·75, 0·77, %2 = 12·72, P < 0·005). It proved possible, by means of low protein (lysine) diets, to increase body fat reserves in breeding gilts but protein restriction in the rearing phase negatively affected aspects of reproductive performance.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agricultural Research Council. 1981. The nutrient requirement of pigs. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Armstrong, J. D. and Britt, J. H. 1987. Nutritionally-induced anoestrus in gilts: metabolic and endocrine changes associated with cessation and resumption of oestrous cycles Journal ofAnimal Science 65: 508523.Google Scholar
Beltranena, E., Aherne, F. X. and Foxcroft, G. R. 1993. Innate variability in sexual development irrespective of body fatness in gilts Journal ofAnimal Science 71: 471480.Google ScholarPubMed
Booth, P. J. 1990. Metabolic influences on hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian function in the pig Journal of Reproduction and Fertility, Supplement 40: 89100.Google ScholarPubMed
Booth, P. J., Craigon, J. and Foxcroft, G. R. 1994. Nutritional manipulation of growth and metabolic and reproductive status in prepubertal gilts Journal of Animal Science 72: 24152424.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Close, W. H. 1989. The influence of the thermal environment on the voluntary food intake of pigs. In The voluntary food intake of pigs (ed. Forbes, J. M., Varley, M. A. and Lawrence, T. L. J.), British Society of Animal Production, occasional publication no. 13, pp. 8796.Google Scholar
Danielsen, V., Sørensen, M. T. and Jørgensen, B. 1993. The effect of nutrition during rearing on the longevity of sows. Proceedings of the 44th annual meeting of the European Association for Animal Production, Aarhus, Denmark, paper PN 3.2.Google Scholar
Foxcroft, G. R., Aherne, F. X., Clowes, E. C., Miller, H. and Zak, L. 1995. Sow fertility: the role of suckling inhibition and metabolic status. In Animal science research and development: moving towards a new century (ed. Ivan, M.), pp. 377393. Centre for Food and Animal Research, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa.Google Scholar
Hartog, L. A. den and Verstegen, M. W. A. 1990. Nutrition of gilts during rearing Pig News and Information 11: 523525.Google Scholar
Jones, R. D. and Maxwell, C. V. 1974. Effect of protein level on growth, nitrogen balance and reproductive performance in gilts. Journal ofAnimal Science 39: 10671072.Google ScholarPubMed
King, R. H. 1987. Nutritional anoestrus in young sows Pig News and Information 8:1522.Google Scholar
King, R. H. 1989. Effects of live weight and body composition of gilts at 24 weeks of age on subsequent reproductive efficiency Animal Production 49:109115.Google Scholar
King, R. H. and Martin, R. G. 1989. Relationships between protein intake during lactation, LH levels and oestrous activity in first litter sows Animal Reproduction Science 19: 283292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirkwood, R. N. and Aherne, F. X. 1985. Energy intake, body composition and reproductive performance of the gilt. Journal ofAnimal Science 60: 15181529.Google ScholarPubMed
Kyriazakis, I. and Emmans, G. C. 1992. The growth of mammals following a period of nutritional limitation. Journal of Theoretical Biology 156: 485498.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Matamoros, I. A., Cox, N. and Moore, A. B. 1991. Effects of insulin and body condition on metabolic hormones and gonadotrophin-induced follicular development in prepubertal gilts Journal ofAnimal Science 69: 20812091.Google Scholar
O'Dowd, S., Hoste, S., Mercer, J. T., Fowler, V. R. and Edwards, S. A. 1993. Nutritional modification of body composition in genetically lean breeding sows and the consequences for reproductive performance. Animal Production 56: 434(abstr.).Google Scholar
Pond, W. G. 1973. Influence of maternal protein and energy nutrition during gestation on progeny performance in swine Journal ofAnimal Science 36:175182.Google ScholarPubMed
Riley, J. E. 1989. Recent trends in pig production: the importance of intake. In The voluntary food intake of pigs (ed Forbes, J. M., Varley, M. A. and Lawrence, T. L. J.), British Society of Animal Production, occasional publication no. 13, 15.Google Scholar
Rozeboom, D. W., Moser, R. L., Cornelius, S. G., Pettigrew, J. E. and El Kandelgy, S. M. 1993. Body composition of postpubertal gilts at nutritionally induced anestrus Journal ofAnimal Science 71: 426432.Google ScholarPubMed
Ryan, B. F., Joiner, B. L. and Ryan, Jr. T. A. 1985. Minitab, second edition. Hilliday Lithograph, USA.Google Scholar
Shields, R. G., Mahan, D. C. and Maxson, P. F. 1985. Effect of dietary gestation and lactation protein levels on reproductive performance and body composition of first-litter female swine Journal ofAnimal Science 60:179189.Google ScholarPubMed
Sinclair, A. G., Edwards, S. A., Hoste, S., McCartney, A. and Fowler, V. R. 1996. Partitioning of dietary protein during lactation in the Meishan synthetic and European White breeds of pig Animal Science 62: 355362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Svajgr, A., Hammell, D. L., Degeeter, M. J., Hays, V. N., Cromwell, G. L. and Dutt, R. H. 1972. Reproductive performance of sows on a protein-restricted diet. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 30: 455.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Voermans, J. A. M., Verdoes, N. and Hartog, L. A. den. 1994. Environmental impact of pig farming. Pig News and Information 15: 51N54N.Google Scholar
Webb, A. J. 1989. Genetics of food intake in the pig. In The voluntary food intake of pigs (ed. Forbes, J. M., Varley, M. A. and Lawrence, T. L. J.), British Society of Animal Production, occasional publication no. 13, pp. 4150.Google Scholar