Journal
ANIMAL REPRODUCTION SCIENCE
Volume 244, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2022.107035
Keywords
Litter birth weight phenotype; Multiparous sows; Low birth weight; Placenta; Embryo; Intrauterine development
Funding
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council,Collaborative Research and Development Program
- Hypor Inc. a division of Hendrix Genetics BV
- Alberta Pork
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This study found that poor placental development in sows with low litter birth weight phenotype may lead to lower birth weights for the entire litter.
The aim of this study was to understand the intrauterine biological processes associated with the low litter birth weight phenotype in pigs. Analyses were conducted on reproductive data from a purebred Large White maternal line to identify sows (> 2 parities) with repeatable high or low litter birth weight phenotype (HLBWP or LLBWP). A total of 40 sows were selected (n = 20 HLBWP and n = 20 LLBWP) and bred with semen from purebred Large White boars of proven fertility. Sows were euthanized on day 28-30 of gestation (day 29.5 +/- 0.6) and samples of placenta and embryos collected. Total number of embryos (TNE), embryonic weight (EW), embryonic viability, and crown-rump (CRL) measurements were recorded, along with the ovulation rate (OR) and allantochorionic fluid volume (AFV). No significant difference was detected (P > 0.05) in OR, TNE, and number of viable embryos on day 30 of gestation between the two groups. There was no significant difference in EW (LLBWP: 0.80 +/- 0.05 g; HLBWP: 0.88 +/- 0.04 g, P = 0.18) or CRL (LLBWP: 21.5 +/- 0.7 mm; HLBWP: 21.9 +/- 0.68 mm, P = 0.46). Placental development represented by the average AFV was significantly lower in the LLBWP compared to HLBWP (LLBWP: 131 +/- 9.82 mL; HLBWP: 149 +/- 9.39 mL, P = 0.03). In conclusion, placental development may be the main factor causing lower BW of entire litters in LLBWP sows.
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