Swanand R Sathe
Iowa State University
USA
Title: Laparoscopic artificial insemination techniques in small ruminants
Biography
Biography: Swanand R Sathe
Abstract
Artificial insemination is a tried and tested method of improving flock genetics and is routinely carried out in several species worldwide. Small ruminants (sheep and goats) too have been artificially inseminated for several decades with varying success rates due to the elements of seasonality and anatomic pecularities of their reproductive tract. One such pecularity that has prevented producers from achieving higher pregnancy rates with traditional AI techniques is the presence of cervical rings. This is especially true in sheep where passing a insemiation rod and pipette is nearly impossible without causing trauma. Laparoscopic artificial insemination technique offers a newer way of circumventing the traditional route of AI and has the advantage of direct visual depostion of semen inside the reproductive tract. This method has shown to be superior in achieving higher pregnancy rates and efficiently using semen by reducing the the total numbers of spermatozoa deposited. Sheep, goats and wild cervids can be synchronized using various protocols and be bred on timed AI during and outside the traditional breeding season using laparoscopic methods. This has led to producers achieving two crops of offspring per year or lambing /kidding duirng a particular time of the year to meet market demands. In this talk we will focus on the current methods of synchronization of estrus as well as laparoscopic AI techniques that are currently utilized in small ruminant reproduction.