Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T00:36:30.707Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Controlling reproductive seasonality in the geese: a review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2008

Z.D. SHI*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Y.B. TIAN
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Technology, Guangzhou, 510225, China
W. WU
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, 130118, China
Z.Y. WANG
Affiliation:
College of Animal Sciences, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
*
Corresponding author: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The following paper reviews the breeding seasonality and its control in the domestic geese. Geese breeds can be classified into 3 types according to their breeding season: Type 1 inhabits higher latitude (40 to 45º N) temperate zones, and breeds during the longer days in spring and early summer. Types 2 inhabits mid-latitude (30 to 40º N) temperate regions, and start their breeding season in autumn and end in the following spring - early summer. Type 3 are the short-day breeding geese, located in subtropical areas (22 to 25º N), which breed from late summer to the following spring. Differences in breeding seasonalities are attributed to adaptations to environment conditions, enabling geese to fully utilize these conditions to achieve maximal reproductive performance and survival. Divergent breeding seasons are caused by the different pituitary secretions of gonadotrophins and prolactin in response to annual changes in photoperiod. In practical goose production, laying seasons can be controlled by imposing artificial photoperiods, with almost opposite photo-programmes for long or short day breeding geese, respectively. In addition, genetic selection and other animal husbandry measures such as timing of gosling stocking and nutritional intake levels can modify, to various degrees, the goose breeding seasonality.

Type
Review Article
Copyright
Copyright © World's Poultry Science Association2008

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

AKESSON, T.R. and RAVELING, D.G. (1981) Endocrine and body weight changes of nesting and non-nesting Canada geese. Biology of Reproduction 25(4): 792-804.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
BARASH, I.A., CHEUNG, C.C., WEIGLE, D.S., REN, H.P., KABIGTING, E.B., KUIJPER, J.L., CLIFTON, D.K. and STEINER, R.A. (1996) Leptin is a metabolic signal to the reproductive system. Endocrinology 137: 3144-3147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BO, W.C. (1996) The origin of Chinese domestic geese. Agricultural Archaeology 3: 268-272.Google Scholar
BUCKLAND, R. and GUY, G. (2001) Goose production, FAO Animal Production and Health. Paper 154.Google Scholar
CHEN Y.S., (1990) Water fowl breeds in China. In: CHEN Y.S. & ZENG F.T. (Eds) China Water Fowls, China Agricultural Publication House, Beijing. pp. 14-51 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
DAWSON, A., GOLDSMITH, A.R. and NICHOLLS, T.J. (1985) Development of photo-refractoriness in intact and castrated male starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) exposed to different period of long-day lengths. Physiological Zoology 58: 253-261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DITTAMI, J.P., GOLDSMITH, A.R. and FOLLETT, B.K. (1985) Seasonal changes in follicle-stimulating hormone in a breeding population of barheaded geese, Anser indicus. General and Comparative Endocrinoogyl 57: 195-197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HAHN, T.P., BOSWELL, T., WINGFIELD, J.C. and and BALL, G.F. (1997) Temporal flexibility in avian reproduction. Current Ornithology 14: 39-80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HARGITAI, C., FORGÓ, V., MÉZES, M., DO, , THI, , DONG, , XUAN, and PÉCZELY, P. (1993) Seasonal and circadian fluctuation of plasma LH level and its change in the domestic goose as an effect of GnRH treatment. Acta Bioogical Hungarica 44: 255-68.Google ScholarPubMed
HUANG, Y.M., SHI, Z.D., LIU, Z., LIU, Y. and LI, X.W. (2008) Endocrine regulations of reproductive seasonality, follicular development and incubation in Magang Geese. Animal Reproduction Science 104: 344-358.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
IZUMI, T., SHIMADA, K., SAITO, N., ISHIDA, H., SATO, K., UCHIDE, K., TOMITA, Y., SAKAKIDA, S. and NISHIDA, E. (1992) Changes in body weight, egg production, hackle growth, and plasma sex steroid hormones and prolactin during the annual cycles in domestic geese. Japanese Poultry Science 29: 378-388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ORTAVANT, R., PELLETIER, J., RAVAULT, J.P., THIMONIER, J. and VOLLAND-NAIL, P. (1985) Photoperiod: main proximal and distal factor of the circannual cycle of reproduction in farm mammals. In: CLARKE, JR (Ed.) Oxford Review of Reproductive Biology, Vol. 7, pp. 305-345 (Clarendon Press, Oxford).Google Scholar
PACZOSKA-ELIASIEWICZ, H.E., PROSZKOWIEC-WEGLARZ, M., PROUDMAN, J., JACEK, T., MIKA, M., SECHMAN, A., RZASA, J. and GERTLER, A. (2006) Exogenous leptin advances puberty in domestic hen. Domestic Animal Endocrinology 31: 211-26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
PÉCZELY, P., EL HALAWANI, M.E., HARGITAI, C., MÉZES, M., FORGÓ, V. and JÁNOSI, S. (1993) The photo-refractoriness in domestic goose: effect of gonads and thyroid on the development of postbreeding prolactinemia. Acta Biologica Hungarica 44: 329-52.Google Scholar
PÉCZELY, P., CZIFRA, G., SEPRÖDI, A. and TEPLÁN, I. (1985) Effect of low light intensity on testicular function in photorefractory domestic ganders. General and Comparative Endocrinology 57: 293-300.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
ROUSSELOT-PAILLEY, D. and SELLIER, N. (1990) Influence de quelques facteurs zootechniques sur la fertilité des oies. In: BRILLARD, J.P. (Ed.) Control of fertility in domestic birds. Les Colloques de L'INRA 54.Google Scholar
SHARP, P.J. (1996) Strategies in avian breeding cycles. Animal Reproduction Science 42: 505-513.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SHARP, P.J. and BLACHE, D. (2003) A neuroendocrine model for prolactin as the key mediator of seasonal breeding in birds under long- and short-day photoperiods. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 81: 350-358.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SHI, Z.D., SUN, A.D., HUANG, Y.M. and LIANG, S.D. (2004) Using artificial photoperiod to control reproductive seasonality in geese: data from production trials. Proceedings of XXII World Poultry Congress, Abstract 952, Istanbul, Turkey, 2004, June 8-13.Google Scholar
SHI, Z.D., SUN, A.D., HUANG, Y.M. and LIANG, S.D. (2005) Study on photoperiodic regulation of reproductive seasonality of Guangdong greylag geese. Guangdong Agriultura. Science 3: 72-75.Google Scholar
SHI, Z.D., HUANG, Y.M., LIU, Z., LIU, Y., LI, X.W., PROUDMAN, J.A. and YU, R.C. (2007) Seasonal and photoperiodic regulation of secretion of hormones associated with reproduction in Magang goose ganders. Domesic Animal Endocrinology 32: 190-200.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SILVERIN, B., MASSA R., and STOKKAN, K.A. (1993) Photoperiodic adaptation to breeding at different latitudes in Great Tits. General and Comparative Endocrinology 90: 14-22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SUN, A.D., SHI,Z.D., , HUANG, Y.M. and LIANG, S.D. (2007) Development of geese out-of season lay technique and its impact on goose industry in Guangdong Province, China. World's Poultry Science Journal 64: 481-490.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WANG, C.M., KAO, J.Y., LEE, S.R. and CHEN, L.R. (2005) Effects of artificial supplemental light on the reproductive season of geese kept in open houses. British Poultry Science 46: 728-32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
WANG, J.W., QIU, X.P., ZENG, F.T., SHI, X.W. and ZHANG, Y.P. (2005) Genetic differentiation of domestic goose breeds in China. Acta Genetica Sinica 32: 1053-105.Google ScholarPubMed
WANG, S.D., JAN, D.F., YEH, L.T., WU, G.C. and CHEN, L.R. (2002) Effect of exposure to long photoperiod during the rearing period on the age at first egg and the subsequent reproductive performance in geese. Animal Reproduction Science 73: 227-234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ZHAO, W.L., WANG, Z.Y., GONG, D.Q., ZHANG, J., DAI, G.J., XIE, K.Z., JU, J.G., JU, Y., DUAN, B.F., WEN, G.B., WU, H.J., DING, T. and TIAN, Y. (2004) Preliminary Study on egg-laying pattern of Yangzhou Geese. China Poultry 26(15): 12-13.Google Scholar