Warriach H M, McGill D M, Bush R D, Wynn P C, Chohan K R
University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, Pakistan ; EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Charles Sturt University, 2650 NSW, Australia .
EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Charles Sturt University, 2650 NSW, Australia .
Asian-Australas J Anim Sci. 2015 Mar;28(3):451-5. doi: 10.5713/ajas.14.0259.
The buffalo is an important livestock resource in several countries of South Asia and the Mediterranean regions. However, reproductive efficiency is compromised due to known problems of biological and management origins, such as lack of animal selection and poor nutrition. Under optimal conditions puberty is attained at 15 to 18 months in river buffalo, 21 to 24 months in swamp buffalo and is influenced by genotype, nutrition, management and climate. However, under field conditions these values deteriorate up to a significant extant. To improve reproductive efficiency, several protocols of oestrus and ovulation synchronization have been adopted from their use in commercial cattle production. These protocols yield encouraging pregnancy rates of (30% to 50%), which are comparable to those achieved in buffaloes bred at natural oestrus. The use of sexed semen in buffalo heifers also showed promising pregnancy rates (50%) when compared with conventional non-sexed semen. Assisted reproductive technologies have been transferred and adapted to buffalo but the efficiency of these technologies are low. However, these latest technologies offer the opportunity to accelerate the genetic gain in the buffalo industry after improving the technology and reducing its cost. Most buffaloes are kept under the small holder farming system in developing countries. Hence, future research should focus on simple, adoptable and impact- oriented approaches which identify the factors determining low fertility and oestrus behaviour in this species. Furthermore, role of kisspeptin needs to be explored in buffalo.
水牛是南亚和地中海地区几个国家重要的家畜资源。然而，由于生物学和管理方面的已知问题，如缺乏动物选育和营养不良，繁殖效率受到影响。在最佳条件下，河水牛15至18个月达到性成熟，沼泽水牛21至24个月达到性成熟，且受基因型、营养、管理和气候影响。然而，在实际生产条件下，这些数值会大幅下降。为提高繁殖效率，从商业养牛生产中借鉴了几种发情和排卵同步方案。这些方案能产生令人鼓舞的妊娠率（30%至50%），与自然发情配种的水牛相当。与传统未分选精液相比，在水牛小母牛中使用性别分选精液也显示出可观的妊娠率（50%）。辅助生殖技术已被应用于水牛，但这些技术的效率较低。然而，这些最新技术提供了一个机会，在改进技术并降低成本后，加速水牛养殖业的遗传进展。大多数水牛饲养在发展中国家的小农养殖系统中。因此，未来的研究应侧重于简单、可采用且以影响为导向的方法，以确定该物种繁殖力低下和发情行为的决定因素。此外，需要探索水牛中 kisspeptin 的作用。
