Management of photoperiod to control caprine reproduction in the subtropics
José Alberto Delgadillo A C , Gonzalo Fitz-Rodríguez A , Gerardo Duarte A , Francisco Gerardo Véliz A , Evaristo Carrillo A , José Alfredo Flores A , Jesús Vielma A , Horacio Hernandez A and Benoît Malpaux B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Caprina (CIRCA), Departamento de Ciencias Médico Veterinarias, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Torreón, Coahuila, México.
B Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR 6073 INRA-CNRS-Université de Tours, 37380 Nouzilly, France.
C To whom correspondence should be addressed. email: joaldesa@yahoo.com
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 16(4) 471-478 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD04030
Accepted: 23 March 2004 Published: 6 July 2004
Abstract
Reproductive seasonality is observed in some breeds originating from or adapted to subtropical latitudes. In ‘photoperiodic flexible breeds’, such as Australian cashmere goats, the annual breeding season can be manipulated through nutrition, whereas in ‘photoperiodic rigid breeds’, such as Creole goats from subtropical Mexico, sexual activity can be controlled by altering the photoperiod. In males from the latter breed, artificial long days, whether or not accompanied by the administration of melatonin, stimulate sexual activity during the non-breeding season. These treated males are able to induce the sexual activity of anoestrous females through the male effect under intensive or extensive conditions. Photoperiodic treatments and the male effect can be easily integrated into different breeding management systems in subtropical latitudes.
Extra keywords: goats, reproductive seasonality, melatonin, male effect.
Acknowledgments
We thank the Comité Evaluation-Orientation de la Coopération Scientifique, the Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Instituciones de Educación Superior, the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología and the Secretaría de Educación Pública exchange programme between Mexico and France (ME02-A04); the members of the Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Caprina of the University Antonio Narro for their invaluable technical assistance; Dolores López for her kind and excellent secretarial assistance; Graciela Viera, Guadalupe Bugarín and Lorena Ríos for their administrative help, and Sonia López for her logistical assistance.
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