Abstract
This study was conducted to assess the factors that affect pig litter size, proportion of live pigs at birth, number of inseminations per conception, and efficiency of artificial insemination. The main factors assessed were sow breed (n = 2), sire breed (n = 3), sow parity (n = 7) and insemination method (n = 2). The sow breeds used were Landrace, LL (n = 27) and Landrace × Pietran crossbreds, LP (n = 37); boar breeds used were Landrace (LL), Pietran (PP) and Landrace × Pietran crossbreds (LP). Sows were randomly inseminated either by boar or artificially, with semen freshly imported from Belgium to Rwanda. Landrace (LL) sows had significantly smaller (P<0.05) litter sizes at birth (9.04±0.72) compared to LP sows (11.49±0.45). On the other hand, the litter size for LL (9.04±0.58) and LP (11.49±0.67) sires did not differ, while PP sires had the highest (P<0.05) litter size (13.37±1.43). Interestingly, the method of insemination, whether use of a boar or artificially did not (P>0.05) affect the number of inseminations per conception, litter size, and proportion of piglets born live. Sow parity was found to have a linear relationship with a mean litter size at birth of 6.9±0.43 piglets for primiparous sows and 15.2±1.12 piglets for a sow of parity 7. However, the number of piglets born dead increased with parity, peaking at 3.0±0.66 (parity 7), while it was only 0.2±0.2 for parity 1. Therefore, the LP crossbred sows and Pietran sires are recommended. Artificial insemination should be promoted since it performed as well as natural insemination but provides other advantages such as African swine fever and inbreeding prevention, and avoids boar management costs. Key words: Breeding, genetic merit, performance, Pietran, pigs.
Highlights
The global pig population in 2017 was estimated at 784.83 million head (National Hog Farmer, 2017), with China leading in pig population at 435.04 million head, the top pork-producing country at 51.85 million tons (47.9% of world total), top pork-importers (40% of world total), and the leading per capita pork consumer at 40.9 kg (National Hog Farmer, 2017; Statista, 2018)
The differences in number of piglets born live between boars of the two breed types were not significant; instead, it is the value for Pietrain boars that stood out; 53% piglets more than the other categories
The litter size as well as the number of piglets born alive did not differ between sows bred using artificial insemination and those that were bred using natural service
Summary
The global pig population in 2017 was estimated at 784.83 million head (National Hog Farmer, 2017), with China leading in pig population at 435.04 million head, the top pork-producing country at 51.85 million tons (47.9% of world total), top pork-importers (40% of world total), and the leading per capita pork consumer at 40.9 kg (National Hog Farmer, 2017; Statista, 2018). Pig farming in peri-urban areas is highly competitive when compared to goat and cattle farming (Nabikyu and Kugonza, 2016) This is attributed to pigs requiring less land per livestock unit for acceptable levels of production. Farmers in peri-urban areas in much of East Africa have access to agro-industrial byproducts such as wheat pollards, brewers waste, molasses, and brans of maize, rice and wheat (Mwesigwa et al, 2013; Kugonza et al, 2015). These feedstuffs form the basal diet of pigs under commercial production. A major drawback to improving productivity is the breeding management, especially regarding unavailability and limitations in propagation of superior pig genetic material
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