Reproductive outcomes of anestrous goats supplemented with spineless Opuntia megacantha Salm-Dyck protein-enriched cladodes and exposed to the male effect.

Abstract

The possible influence of the "male effect" upon reproductive outcomes of adult anestrous goats under marginal rangeland conditions and supplemented with protein-enriched Opuntia megacantha Salm-Dyck was evaluated. Reproductive variables included: estrus percentage (EST, %), estrus latency (ESL, hours), ovulation percentage (OP, %), ovulation rate (OR, units), average largest follicle at ovulation (LFO, mm), largest corpus luteum (LCL, mm), embryo number (EBN, units), and embryo implantation percentage (EIP, %). During early May, anestrous mix-breed adult goats (Criollo x Alpine-Saanen-Nubian; n=38, 26° N) were randomly distributed to (1) Control (CC; n=12), (2), Non-enriched Opuntia (NEO; n=14), and (3) Protein-enriched Opuntia (PEO; n=12). Neither LW (P>0.05) nor BCS (P>0.05) or any of the evaluated ovarian variables differed (P>0.05) among treatments; EST=89.66%, ESL=53.66 h, OP=70.33%, OR=1.07 units, LFO=4.5 mm, LCL=9.6 mm, EBN=0.94 embryos, and EIP=48.66%. Irrespective of nutritional supplementation regime, all goats denoted an increased response to the male effect just in the middle of the anestrous season and managed under marginal grazing conditions during the dry season (May to June; 26° N). The use of the male effect successfully invoked neurophysiological pathways to re-activate ovarian follicular and luteal pathways during the natural anestrous season in the female goat. Yet, such successful physiological scenario was not equally exerted to promote an increased embryo implantation rate; this issue claims further consideration. Therefore, it is essential to align not only the peri-conceptional but also the peri-implantation stages to the best suited environmental conditions in the rangeland, in order to increase both reproductive and economic efficiency while promoting sustainability in those rangeland-based marginal goat production systems.