Abstract
Blood metabolite concentrations and postpartum resumption of ovarian cyclicity in Sanga cowsAn experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of concentrations of certain blood nutrient-sensitive metabolites and the resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclicity in 16 Sanga cows (mean BCS 5). Blood samples were taken from cows from weeks 1 to 13 (90 days) postpartum, processed and the plasma progesterone concentration measured to determine the resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclicity. The cows were classified as having resumed ovarian cyclicity when a plasma progesterone concentration of ≥1.0 ng/mL was recorded for two consecutive weekly samples. Based on the resumption of ovarian activity, cows were classified as early cycling, late cycling or non-cycling. The plasma glucose, cholesterol, total protein, albumin and globulin concentrations recorded were similar in the early cycling, late cycling and non-cycling cows. The mean blood glucose, cholesterol, total protein, albumin and globulin concentrations were 3.60 mmol/L, 2.47 mmol/L, 83.1 g/L, 29.9 g/L and 52.9 g/L, respectively. Plasma urea concentrations in late (6.57 ± 0.17 mmol/L) and non-cycling (6.59 ± 0.17 mmol/L) cows were higher than in the early cycling (5.99 ± 0.17 mmol/L) cows in weeks 1 to 13 postpartum. In addition, the plasma creatinine concentration in the early cycling cows was higher than in late cycling cows (101.8 ± 1.82 versus 94.0 ± 1.99 mmol/L). Cows with higher plasma concentrations of urea and lower creatinine concentrations were at risk of delayed resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclicity. Results suggest poor nutritional status, especially energy deficiency, as a major underlying factor suppressing the postpartum resumption of ovarian cyclicity. Keywords : BCS, creatinine, cycling cows, plasma, postpartum, urea
Highlights
Cattle production in smallholder systems in Ghana is mainly pasture based
Cows were classified as early cycling, late cycling or non-cycling
The early cycling cows tended to be heavier than late cycling and the non-cycling cows at the resumption of cyclic activity
Summary
Cattle production in smallholder systems in Ghana is mainly pasture based. The animals are grazed extensively on natural pastures in the open range, with minimal feed supplementation. The low productivity of cattle in these pasture-based extensive grazing systems needs improvement, and this entails an evaluation of their nutritional status. The changes in the circulating nutrient-sensitive metabolite concentrations are important signals of the metabolic status of the animal and the ovarian function (Lindsay et al, 1993; Wettemann et al, 2003). These metabolites include non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), glucose and cholesterol, which reflect energy status. Factors including the physiological status of an animal, breed, nutrition, season and age may affect the concentration of these metabolites in the blood (Ndlovu et al, 2007)
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