Influence of body condition previous to a short undernutrition period on embryo survival in ewes

VAZQUEZ, M.I.; ABECIA, J A; FORCADA, F; CASAO, A

Sao Pablo, Brasil

Simposio; II International Symposium on Animal Biology of Reproduction; 2008

All ewes maintained BC during the whole experimental period (BC3=2.80±0.05 and BC2=2.22±0.08). Only ewes fed with L diets (L3 and L2) experienced a reduction in live weight. Ovulation rate, number of recovered ova and fertilized embryos per ewe were not affected by level of nutrition (Table 1). However, a higher BC seems to override the detrimental effects of undernutrition on ovulation rate (P<0.1), viability rate (P<0.1) and in vitro development of embryos (P<0.1) (Table 1). A weak relationship was found between the diameter of ovulatory follicles at ovulation time and the in vitro embryo development (r=0.804; P=0.08). These results seem to indicate that a good BC score prior to undernutrition period could be a determinant factor to improve embryo survival and development during early pregnancy stages in undernourished ewes.