Management of reproduction in farm animals : present and future

Abstract

Modern techniques applied to reproduction of domestic mammals aim at increasing the efficiency of production of offspring under the conditions of management best suited to the farmers. This report presents the different techniques now available to achieve this objective. For the male, in addition to the use of semen in artificial insemination now possible in all species of farm animals, emphasis will first be on the possibility to deliver a small number of spermatozoa from the best pedigree sires to a maximum number of females with the best chance of fertilization and, second, to keep the males of seasonal breeders (like sheep and goats) permanently at the top of their potential sperm production. For the female, as cestrus and ovulation can now be efficiently controlled, reproduction may be managed in the different species of farm animals at any chosen period of the year. Sophisticated methods of reproductive technology have also been developed with embryo manipulation in order to further improve the rate of genetic gain. If embryo transfer is now at the stage of commercial development, techniques for in vitro fertilization, sexing and cloning of embryos, as well as gene transfer, are still being developed in research laboratories. These techniques will also be considered in this report as they will certainly change the future of the farm animal industry.

•