Abstract
Compensatory growth induced by lysine (Lys) restriction in grow-finish pigs is a complex physiological process affected by many factors and interactions, principally genotype, stage of growth at restriction, nature of nutritional restriction, and patterns of restriction and recovery. The scarcity of standard comparisons across the literature has hindered the characterization of important determinants of compensatory growth. Therefore, the present publication aims to review the current state of knowledge on compensatory growth induced by Lys restriction in grow-finish pigs, develop a database from peer-reviewed literature to standardize comparisons to characterize the occurrence of compensatory growth, and provide practical considerations for compensatory growth under field conditions. The literature search focused on publications directly or indirectly evaluating compensatory growth by having a period of Lys restriction followed by a recovery period of Lys sufficiency for grow-finish pigs. The database included 14 publications and 57 comparisons expressed as relative differences of restricted pigs compared to nonrestricted pigs. The database analysis described compensatory growth into complete, incomplete, and no compensatory growth categories and characterized the patterns of restriction and recovery in each category. The review of literature and database analysis supports the occurrence of compensatory growth induced by Lys restriction in grow-finish pigs. The degree of Lys restriction and duration of restriction and recovery periods seem to be critical in explaining differences between complete and incomplete compensatory growth, whereas Lys level in the recovery period seems to be critical between incomplete or no compensatory growth. Compensatory growth seems to be more likely if: 1) the degree of Lys restriction is between 10% and 30%; 2) Lys restriction is induced before pigs reach their maximum protein deposition; 3) duration of Lys restriction is short (maximum 40–45% overall duration) and duration of recovery period is long (minimum 55–60% overall duration); and 4) Lys level in recovery is close to or above the estimated requirements. In addition, compensatory growth can occur under commercial conditions and there seems to be an opportunity to exploit compensatory growth in grow-finish pigs to reduce feed cost and improve feed efficiency under certain market conditions.
Highlights
Compensatory growth is defined as a physiological process whereby animals undergo a period of accelerated growth rate following a period of restricted growth (Hornick et al, 2000)
The approach in the present review is threefold: 1) develop a database from peer-reviewed literature to standardize comparisons across the literature to characterize the occurrence of compensatory growth; 2) review the basis, types, factors, and dynamics involved in compensatory growth; and 3) provide practical considerations for compensatory growth under commercial conditions
An analysis of factors affecting compensatory growth within the database in the present review aims to aid in the clarification of some of these complex interactions
Summary
Compensatory growth is defined as a physiological process whereby animals undergo a period of accelerated growth rate following a period of restricted growth (Hornick et al, 2000). Compensatory growth induced by Lys restriction in grow-finish pigs has been described in the literature (Chiba et al, 2002; Fabian et al, 2004; Reynolds and O’Doherty, 2006; Suárez-Belloch et al, 2015), but the response is not consistent (Chiba et al, 1999; Fabian et al, 2002; Cloutier et al, 2016). Strategies to exploit compensatory growth induced by Lys restriction aim at the improvement of Lys and nitrogen utilization for lean growth and, reduction of nitrogen excretion in the environment (Whang et al, 2003; Fabian et al, 2004; O’Connell et al, 2006). The high cost of protein sources favors the exploitation of compensatory growth induced by Lys restriction to allow reductions in feed cost and improvements in feed efficiency. The present publication aims to review the current state of knowledge on compensatory growth induced by Lys restriction in grow-finish pigs. The approach in the present review is threefold: 1) develop a database from peer-reviewed literature to standardize comparisons across the literature to characterize the occurrence of compensatory growth; 2) review the basis, types, factors, and dynamics involved in compensatory growth; and 3) provide practical considerations for compensatory growth under commercial conditions
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