Use of embryo transfer to increase the fertility of dairy herds during the summer heat stress and in repeat breeder cows

Gabriel A. Bo¹ and Pietro S. Baruselli²

¹ Instituto A.P. de Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas, Carrera de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional de Villa María, Córdoba, Argentina.

² Instituto de Reproducción Animal Córdoba (IRAC), Zona Rural General Paz, 5145, Córdoba, Argentina.

³ Departamento de Reprodução Animal, FMVZ-USP, CEP 05508-000 São Paulo, Brazil.

Introduction

            Although Embryo transfer (ET) is a reproductive technology widely used around the world to reproduce the animals with high genetic merit, the application of this technology in combination to traditional artificial insemination (AI) can improve the reproductive performance of high producing dairy herds. The main reason for that potential improvement is the higher fertility reported after embryo transfer in cows experiencing heat stress (Ambrose et al., 1999; Baruselli et al., 2010; Putney et al., 1989; Rodrigues et al., 2004, 2007a, 2007b; 2011) and those diagnosed as repeat-breeders (Dochi et al., 2008; Ferreira et al., 2011; Rodrigues et al., 2010; Stewart et al., 2011). The objective of this brief review is to show information generated in recent years that demonstrate how embryos can improve the fertility in dairy herds because it bypasses the problems associated with disruption of the oocyte, fertilization rates and early embryo development.

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Embryos in heat stress and repeat breeders

Embryos in heat stress and repeat breeders