African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12496

Full Length Research Paper

Comparison of embryo developmental rates in Nguni, Bonsmara and Boran beef cattle breeds following in vitro fertilization and artificial insemination

Mohleko Helen Mapeka
  • Mohleko Helen Mapeka
  • Agricultural Research Council, Animal Production Institute, Germplasm Conservation and Reproduction Technology, Private Bag X2, Irene 0062, South Africa.
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Cyril Mpho Pilane
  • Cyril Mpho Pilane
  • Agricultural Research Council, Animal Production Institute, Germplasm Conservation and Reproduction Technology, Private Bag X2, Irene 0062, South Africa.
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Robert Treadwell
  • Robert Treadwell
  • Embryo Plus, P. O. Box 2644, Brits 0250, South Africa.
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Jones Ng’ambi
  • Jones Ng’ambi
  • Department of Animal Production and Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga 0727, South Africa.
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Cuthbert Banga
  • Cuthbert Banga
  • Agricultural Research Council, Animal Production Institute, Germplasm Conservation and Reproduction Technology, Private Bag X2, Irene 0062, South Africa.
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  •  Received: 13 August 2019
  •  Accepted: 09 October 2019
  •  Published: 31 October 2019

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the embryonic developmental rates in the Southern African cattle breeds. To do this, cryopreserved semen straws from Nguni, Bonsmara, and Boran bulls were thawed at 38°C and evaluated for sperm motility characteristics using Sperm Class Analyser (SCA). The fertilizing ability of frozen/thawed sperm was evaluated by performing artificial insemination (AI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). For AI, superovulated cows were inseminated with frozen/thawed semen and then further evaluated for embryo development. For IVF, oocytes from the respective cows were retrieved using ovum pickup, and then matured. Following maturation, oocytes were co-incubated with semen for 6 h. In the Nguni breeds, the IVF method of embryo production was mildly superior to the in vivo method at the morula stage while the Bonsmara breed revealed the opposite effect at both the morula and blastocyst stages. In the Boran breed, the IVF method was highly superior with the in vivo method at the 8-cell stage while the opposite effect was observed at the blastocyst stage of embryonic development. This study suggests that the Boran breed is less susceptible to loss of embryonic development as compared to the Nguni and Bonsmara breeds.

 

Key words: Nguni, Bonsmara, Boran, embryo, beef breeds, motility, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization.

Copyright © 2024 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article.

This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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