CTAHR NEWS
30 August 2018

Reproductive Success from Hawai‘i to Brazil!

Reproductive Success from Hawai‘i to Brazil!

Kyle Caires (HNFAS) gave two presentations on his collaboratory research with partners at the University of Passo Fundo (RS, Brazil) at the XXIVth Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society of Embryo Technology in Florianopolis, Brazil, held August 16–19. The cattle project involved improving reproductive success in Wagyu, or ‘Japanese Black’, a breed heralded for their superior marbling ability and carcass quality. Unfortunately, genetic improvement is difficult and slow in this breed because Wagyu cows are known for poor embryo quality and pregnancy rates following multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) techniques. Kyle and his colleagues developed a new and improved superovulation protocol for use in Wagyu cows that led to pregnancy rates of 80% at 35 days post-transfer, significantly better than the industry average of 60–65% for cows in general and an unusually high mark for Wagyu cattle, which average 45–50%. They also presented on their sheep project, entitled “Characterization of Vaginal Tract Microbiota in Ewes Synchronized With Intravaginal Progesterone Implants,” which has several biomedical and agricultural applications and was one of the few selected for presentation during the “High Impact Advanced Reproductive Technologies” session.

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