Authored by Alejandro Córdova Izquierdo
Abstract
Despite the advances that exist today on feasible technologies
applied in breeding and animal production, few farmers or ranchers have
shown
concern for improving the general environmental conditions of their
Units of Animal Production, without taking into account that these
conditions
are largely responsible for animal health, welfare altering them and
impacting significantly in the presence of problems of reproductive and
productive nature, significantly increasing production costs in the
dairy industry. In this paper, some nutritional causes that can cause
reproductive
disorders in cows are described.
Introduction
Most of the chronic nutritional deficiencies determine, first,
a decrease in the rate of growth; In adult animals, loss of muscle
status, weakness and death. Nutrition infertility can be present in
cases such as: if the amount of food available is limited during the
stages of growth of heifers, from weaning to puberty, at the end
of gestation and during the first few days Which follow calving,
when pastures or forage crops occur on lands that have insufficient
amounts of minerals considered essential for reproduction. The
most common minerals are: cobalt, copper, manganese, phosphorus
and selenium [1].
The effect of the metabolic changes caused by the negative energy
balance (BEN), caused by the energy-poor diet, provided to high
producing cows, causes low fertility; Which is caused when high protein
diets are administered in relation to energy consumption.
Diets with crude protein content of 17 to 19% may cause decreased
fertility; Cows fed this way have high concentrations of urea and
ammonia in blood and uterine fluids, which affects the viability of
sperm, oocytes and embryos [2].
Blood urea concentrations greater than 20 mg/dl are associated
with low fertility. In in vitro conditions, it has been observed that
concentrations equivalent to those that would have the cows
consuming diets high in protein, affect the embryonic development,
which is reflected in a reduction of the proportion of embryos that
arrive at the state of blastocyst.
In order to supply all the nutrients to the high producing cows,
it obliges to offer high energy diets based on high proportions of
grains, whose effect is reflected in subclinical alterations in ruminal
pH, being associated to problems of low fertility, due to loss of
Gestations caused by ruminal acidosis. A proposed hypothesis of
the mechanism of this phenomenon is that the diet high in grain
content, causes acidosis and an elevation of free endotoxins, causing
release of prostaglandin F2α and regression of the corpus luteum.
We can say that poor nutrition is one of the major causes
of reduced fertility in cattle in tropical/ subtropical areas.
Reproductive research in the postpartum period indicates that body
condition estimation (CC) is a useful indicator of the energy status
and reproductive performance of dairy cows [3]. The following are
the most important components to be taken into account for the
good nutritional and nutritional management of dairy cows.
Energy
A negative energy balance is the main source of the problem,
the origin of which is low consumption of energy-rich food [4].
In addition, other postpartum reproductive disorders may occur,
such as delayed ovulation, prolonged open days, and periods of
infertility, which may be temporary or permanent.
Vitamins
The absence or deficiency of vitamin A and beta-carotene
in the feeding and nutrition of farm domestic females results in
reproductive disorders, including placental retention. Another of
the vitamins involved in the problem is the E, whose consideration
is diet is fundamental, as well as vitamin C. These vitamins are
natural antioxidants and their presence in nutrition is critical for
the prevention of placental retention and other disorders [5].
Minerals
The presence of micronutrients, like minerals in the feeding of
reproductive animals, both females and males, is of fundamental
importance. Many reproductive failures, including placental
retention, could be avoided by including small amounts of the
following minerals in the diet: Selenium, copper, molybdenum
and zinc [5-15]. The following Table 1 shows the role of some
micronutrients in the reproductive performance of dairy cows and
in the reproduction of animals in general (Table 1).
Acknowledgment
None.Conflict of Interest
No conflicts of interest.
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