Single Fixed-Time Post-Cervical Insemination in Gilts with Buserelin.

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Reproductive Biology
• Swine Production

Background:

• Current gilt insemination protocols involve multiple cervical doses post-estrus detection.
• Optimizing gilt reproductive efficiency is crucial for swine production.
• Post-cervical artificial insemination (PCAI) offers potential improvements over traditional methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of buserelin and a single fixed-time artificial insemination using PCAI (FTAI-PCAI) on gilt performance.
• To compare the novel FTAI-PCAI protocol with conventional estrus detection and double PCAI.

Main Methods:

• Control group (C): 240 gilts inseminated twice (8 & 12h post-estrus).
• Treatment group (T): 226 gilts received buserelin (10 μg IM) 120h after altrenogest, followed by a single PCAI 30-33h later.
• Reproductive and productive performance metrics were analyzed.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in overall reproductive and production performance between groups (p > 0.05).
• Treatment group exhibited significantly greater piglet birth weight and shorter estrus duration (p < 0.001).
• Delivery batch length varied by season, with the shortest in autumn; the treatment group showed shorter batch length in spring (p = 0.018).

Conclusions:

• The new FTAI-PCAI protocol with buserelin is effective and comparable to conventional methods in gilts.
• This protocol enhances piglet birth weight and reduces estrus duration, offering practical benefits.
• FTAI-PCAI with buserelin is recommended for optimizing gilt breeding, genetic dissemination, and resource management.