Pregnancy rates following AI with sexed semen in Mediterranean Italian buffalo heifers (Bubalus bubalis)》.pdfVIP

Available online at Theriogenology 76 (2011) 500–506 Pregnancy rates following AI with sexed semen in Mediterranean Italian buffalo heifers (Bubalus bubalis) a a a a b c G. Campanile , B. Gasparrini , D. Vecchio , G. Neglia , E.M. Senatore , A. Bella , G.A. Presicceb, *, L. Zicarellia a Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche e Ispezione degli Alimenti, Università “Federico II”, Napoli, Italy b ARSIAL, Roma, Italy c Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy Received 14 November 2010; received in revised form 16 January 2011; accepted 26 February 2011 Abstract The use of sexed semen in farm animal production and genetic improvement has been shown to be feasible with variable degree of efficiency in a number of species, and proved to be economically viable in cattle. In the last two decades, various newly developed reproductive technologies applicable in buffaloes have mushroomed. Recently, following the birth of the first buffalo calves using AI with sexed semen, commercial interest to exploit sexing of semen in this species too is aroused. In order to verify the successful adoption of this technology in the buffalo, the present study on the use of sexed semen for AI was carried out and compared with conventional artificial insemination using nonsexed semen. A total of 379 buffalo heifers were used for synchronization of ovulation using the