Nair Prasanth M, Srivastava Rashika, Mani Veena, Arulkumar S, Tyagi Nitin, Mondal Goutam
ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India.
Biometals. 2025 Jun;38(3):763-784. doi: 10.1007/s10534-025-00692-8. Epub 2025 May 19.
Trace minerals are essential for the growth, development and total well-being of all living organisms. Although there are various standards regarding the amount of supplementation of minerals, compared with other nutrients like energy, protein, and others; trace minerals are still unexplored, especially in the case of male livestock. These minerals help in improving the growth rate of calves, the utilization of absorbed nutrients, and the immunity of animals thereby preventing metabolic diseases. They also act as growth promoters that can hasten the growth rate of calves and help them reach early puberty. Therefore, the deficiency of these minerals can compromise the growth and development of male calves and impair the fertility of adult bulls. Their physiological importance and role are often underestimated, and their presence in feed in adequate quantities is taken for granted. However, they are essential for maintaining various functions in the body, such as optimising growth, development and reproduction, and fortifying the immune response therefore determining the overall well-being and health status of the animal. The current review highlights specific trace minerals, which include Zn, Cu, and Mn, and their effect on the growth, immunity and reproductive development of males. Artificial insemination is becoming popular in cattle, and this has significantly increased conception rates and per capita milk production. However, due to inadequate management techniques and inadequate feed and trace mineral intakes, India has a very low (30%) AI coverage. Male breeding animals have different needs from lactating and maintenance females. They influence the productivity of a large herd of animals. As the guidelines for trace mineral requirements for breeding animals are not specifically provided, the needs of male livestock are often misinterpreted.
微量矿物质对于所有生物的生长、发育和整体健康至关重要。尽管关于矿物质补充量有各种标准，但与能量、蛋白质等其他营养素相比；微量矿物质仍未得到充分研究，尤其是在雄性家畜方面。这些矿物质有助于提高犊牛的生长速度、促进吸收养分的利用以及增强动物免疫力，从而预防代谢疾病。它们还可作为生长促进剂，加快犊牛的生长速度并帮助它们提前进入青春期。因此，这些矿物质的缺乏会影响雄性犊牛的生长发育，并损害成年公牛的生育能力。它们的生理重要性和作用常常被低估，并且人们认为饲料中含有足够数量的它们是理所当然的。然而，它们对于维持身体的各种功能至关重要，例如优化生长、发育和繁殖，以及增强免疫反应，因此决定了动物的整体健康状况。本综述重点介绍了特定的微量矿物质，包括锌、铜和锰，以及它们对雄性动物生长、免疫和生殖发育的影响。人工授精在养牛业中越来越普遍，这显著提高了受孕率和人均牛奶产量。然而，由于管理技术不足以及饲料和微量矿物质摄入量不足，印度的人工授精覆盖率非常低（30%）。雄性种畜的需求与泌乳和维持状态的雌性不同。它们影响着一大群动物的生产力。由于没有专门提供种畜微量矿物质需求的指导方针，雄性家畜的需求常常被误解。
