DURATION OF PRODUCTIVE LONGEVITY OF SOWS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ADAPTATION AND VIABILITY

Abstract

The work aimed to investigate the reproductive qualities of sows of different levels of adaptation and viability. The research was carried out in the conditions of the breeding breeder for breeding pigs of the large white breed of the experimental farm and the laboratory of animal husbandry and fodder production of the Institute of Agriculture of the Northeast of the National Academy of Sciences, as well as the laboratory of animal husbandry of the State University “Institute of Grain Crops of the National Academy of Sciences”. The work was carried out by the program of scientific research of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine No. 31, “Genetic improvement of agricultural animals, their reproduction and preservation of biodiversity” (“Genetics, conservation, and reproduction of biological resources in animal husbandry”) and No. 30 “System of organizational and technological solutions for adaptation of animals to climate change for the production of animal husbandry products (“Climate-adaptive and organic animal husbandry”). The object of the study was sows of a large white breed of French origin. The evaluation of the animals of the specified production group by indicators of reproductive qualities was carried out taking into account the following characteristics: total farrowing, live piglets total, weight, fertility, weight, milk yield, kg; weight of the nest at the time of weaning at the age of 28 days, kg, preservation, %. The viability index was calculated according to the method of V. P. Kovalenko et al. (2012), index “level of adaptation” – Smirnova V.S. (2003), selection index of reproductive qualities of the sow (SIRQS) – O. M. Tsereniuka et al. (2010). It was established that the difference between sows of different adaptation levels by age and fertile insemination is (17.0 days; td=2.70), life span (17.0 months; td=9.04), the number of farrowing obtained (3.3 of farrowing; td=13.20), the number of live piglets obtained (46.2 head.; td=10.52), multifertility (1.2 head; td=4.00), litter weight at the time of weaning at the age of 28 days (3.5 kg; td=3.21). Animals of the specified production group with a viability index variability of 90.75-144.55 points prevailed over peers with a viability index of 39.75-77.46 points in terms of age and fertile insemination, number of live piglets obtained, multifertility, nest weight at the time of weaning at the age of 28 days and conservation by an average of 11.43%. The correlation between life expectancy, duration of breeding use, signs of reproductive qualities of sows, and indices of "adaptation level" (RA) and viability (I) ranges from –0.758±0.0371 (tr=20.45) to +0.859 ±0.0228 (tr=37.62). The maximum increase in additional production was obtained from sows of the 1st experimental group of intrabreed differentiation according to the index "level of adaptation" (+3.31%) and according to the viability index (+11.24%), and its value is +155.80 and +529.08 hryvnias obtained from 1 animal for one farrowing.