The effect of new monochromatic light regimes on egg production and expression of the circadian gene BMAL1 in pigeons

We examined the effect of monochromatic light supplementation on pigeon reproductive performance and on the expression of the brain and muscle aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like (BMAL1) protein in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. White King pigeons were selected randomly from 4 lofts (510 pairs/loft) with 3 sub-groups/ loft. The lofts were exposed to one of 4 light treatments for 3 months administered in the morning and evening as follows: blue light (480 nm), green light (540 nm), red light (660 nm), and control white light. The laying rate, fertility rate, and birth rate were recorded. After 3 months, 48 birds were selected randomly from the 4 lofts (6 females and 6 males from each loft), sacrificed, and the HPG axis was isolated. Following exposure to red light, laying rate was greater than the control group (P = 0.013), but there were no significant differences in the fertility rate (P = 0.41) or birth rate (P = 0.66). Expression of BMAL1 in the hypothalamus was unaffected by the light regime but was greater in the pituitary of females exposed to red light (P = 0.046) and in the pituitary of males exposed to the control white light (P = 0.059). The change in BMAL1 expression in the pituitary of females was negatively correlated with birth rate in monochromatic light (P = 0.021). We suggest that reproductive performance of pigeons is improved by light supplementation in the morning and evening. According to these data, 100 pigeons exposed to red light could lay 26.68 more eggs per month than the control group. Additionally, BMAL1 expression in the HPG axis of pigeons exposed to monochromatic light correlated with birth rate.