Technological options and approaches to improve supply of desirable animal genetic
material: IPMS Experience
Azage TegegneMarket-Oriented Smallholder Development: IPMS
Experience-Sharing Workshop
ILRI, Addis Ababa, 2-3 June 2011
Background
Increasing urbanization
Increasing income
Increasing demand for meat, milk and milk products
Excellent pre-conditions GoE – favourable enabling environment, GTP, AGP, LGP Suitable agro-ecology Large livestock population Tradition of livestock keeping Culture of consumption of animal products Large labour force Huge market opportunity, etc
But, hindered by
Weak AI delivery system and low pregnancy rates
Inbreeding??
High prices for improved dairy animals
About 50% - male calves in dairy system
Low level of promotion of indigenous breeds
Weak targeted technological interventions
Cow♀ Bull♂
Joining/Mating
Conception
Calving
Weaning
Simple requirement for cattle reproductive performance
ConceptionParturition
Gestation280 days
Involution/breeding seasonCritical 75-90 days
Reproductive cycle
Some technological options
Conventional artificial insemination (AI)
Hormonal oestrus synchronization plus AI
Sexed semen
Sex fixer
Embryo transfer and sexed embryos
In-vitro fertilization plus sexed semen
Stages of bovine oestrous cycle
Stage Period Activity
Pro-oestrus 17-21 days Follicular growthCL regression
Oestrus 6-30 hrs Sexual receptivityGrowth and maturity of graffian follicles
Met-oestrus 1-3 days CL commences development
Dioestrus 4-16 days Luteal development (Progesterone)
What is oestrus synchronization?
Occurrence/induction of estrus in all females in a group at the same time; or simply…
Prostaglandins PRID Syncromate B Ear Implant
Natural hormones for oestrus synchronization
• Estrus (heat): 2-5 days after treatment
• Estrus interval - heifers ~50 hours; cows ~72 hours
• Estrus response - about 60-65% of treated herd
• Pregnancy rate to AI – about 50% of responding cows/heifers
General Response to Prostaglandin: PGF2α
Why synchronize? - Ethiopian context
To produce large number and uniform animals of desired germplasm (kick start)
To match calving with feed availability and market demand for dairy and meat
To control heat period and allow more accurate AI service
To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of AI service (AI staff deal year round; no AI in rural areas (butter and/or meat)
Possibility of avoiding milk production during fasting season
Options to improve use of human resource for AI services
Use of Regional/Zonal mobile teams; AI large numbers of animals in a two weeks period through:
Community mobilization to bring animals with the desired characteristics to a central point with good animal handling facility
Use of hormonal synchronization and subsequent insemination within 2-5 days of treatment
In a dairy system, use of sexed semen or sex fixer to increase the number of female
Performance of existing AI system (National data; Dessalegn et al., 2010)
One AI technician inseminates about 300 animals per year
Pregnancy rate to first AI is about 27% = 81 calves/year
50% female = 41 calves/year
Mobile teams - preliminary data from Tigray and SNNPR Oestrus response to hormonal treatment = 90%
Two AI technicians working in as a team can inseminate about 200 synchronized cows in a 2 week period – 100 cows/AI technician
Result of pregnancy testing - 60% (due to increased precision and effectiveness of AI)
A Possible Scenario
Assumptions on annual output of a mobile team
Two person team work 40 weeks in 10 villages/year (2 weeks/village) synchronize & inseminate 200 cows/village = 2000 cows 1000 cows/AI technician
Pregnancy rate of 60% = 600 calves/AI technician
Use of sex fixer/sexed semen = 90% female
Number of female calves per AI technician = 540/year
Applying this to the proposed plan - OromiaExisting plan
Sixty (60) Woredas/year involving 60 technicians 300 AI x 60 technician = 18,000 AI/year 50% pregnancy rate = 9,000 (improved performance) 50% female calves = 4,500 female calves/year
Alternative approach This would result in:
60 technicians x 540 female calves = 32,400 calves/year (7.2 times higher)
Animal handling facility
A.I. technicians
Body condition score, health and cyclicity of cows/heifers
Semen quality and handling techniques
Heat detection accuracy and time of insemination
Heat stress
Management factors affecting conception
Just do the right thing and do it right – No silver bullet!!
Attempts to solve the problemIPMS Experience
Tigray, Amhara, SNNPR
Hands-on training - regional teams @ EMDTI
Community Mobilization – Mekelle-Adigrat Milkshed, Tigray and Dale, SNNPR
Good site, lots of space and good animal handling facility!
Poor animal handling facility
Good conditioned animals
Poor conditioned animals
Pre-mature heifer calves
An old man asked by his wife to take the cows…no clue about the cow..when asked about the cow, he says ‘let me check with my wife first…’
School children with no clue about the cow!!
Women know better about their cows!!
Many on-lookers affect efficiency!!
Support from administration and PA officials… KEY
Explain properly and set clear expectations
Agree on clear roles and responsibilities
Practice, practice, practice - Key
Team work and multi-tasking – Key and critical
A little experience and record keeping!
Poor animal handling facility – causes stress, is high risk, creates inefficiency!!
Be prepared for on the spot insemination and treatment of some sick animals
Exhausted…….some break! Carry enough water and some food...
Beef System – Metema, Amhara
Good export market – live animals & meat High cattle population and large holdings Large underutilized feed resource Mainly highland zebu brought with settlers
Mismatch between genotype and environment
High environmental stress, particularly heat Lower fertility and calving rate High pre-weaning calf mortality Slower growth rate, low market weight Lower milk production
Highland Zebu, Transhumance & Heat Stress
Young Boran bulls at Andassa Ranch, Bahir Dar
Supplemented with synchronization and AI
Boran crossbred calves…
Key lessons Capacity building – multidisciplinary regional teams Proper Planning – commodity development Ensure necessary equipment and supplies for the team
and safe and efficient field operation Leadership - team formation, clear roles and
responsibilities Awareness creation and community mobilization Facilities – animals handling, lab, equipment, etc Technical, organizational & institutional arrangements The technology is a means not an end by itself!!
Synchronization ≠ milk or meat!!!
THE FUTURE
(for discussion)
Guernsey Jersey
Norwegian Red
Ayrshire
Introduction and testing other dairy breeds for fluid milk and butter systems
Brown Swiss
Kenya South Africa
USA
Australia
Beef system - Our own Boran….in
Potential milk sheds for fluid milk
Tigray• Adgirat-Mekelle• Adwa-Axum-Shire
Amhara• Gondar• Bahir Dar• Debre Markos• Dessie• Debre Berhan
Oromia• Addis Ababa• Adama• Jimma• Ambo• Arsi• Wellega• Zewai-Shashemene
SNNPR• Awassa-Dilla• Arbaminch• Butajira-Soddo
Special• Harar• Dire Dawa• Jigjiga
Potential for beef production and development using Boran cattle
Sperm sexing technology
First commercial sexed semen 1999.
Flow cytometers are used to sort female sperm cells from the male sperm cells.
The female (X bearing chromosome) contains 3.8% more DNA than the male (Y bearing chromosome).
It is this difference in DNA content that is detected by the sensors when the sperm cells pass by a laser beam, one at a time in a fluid stream.
On average sexed semen straw contains over 90% female sperm cells
In dairy system, almost doubles the number of heifer calves produced
Sex fixer with active constituent blocks the H-Y antibody receptor site on ovum; effectively blocking chance of Y chromosome from binding with ovum
Mid to long-term – ET and in-vitro fertilization
Training EIAR researchers – in-vitro fertilization technique
Thank You!
♀ ♂