Seminar: "Developmental Programming of Boar Fertility: Implications for Swine Production and Human Health" -Dr. Amy Desaulniers

Dept. of Animal Science Seminar

"Developmental Programming of Boar Fertility: Implications for Swine Production and Human Health"

Amy Desaulniers, PhD
Assistant Professor
School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

   Conception rate, farrowing rate, and litter size govern the productivity of pork production. Due to the nearly exclusive use of artificial insemination in the swine industry, a single boar affects the fertility of thousands of females. Thus, the boar has the greatest cumulative impact on reproductive outcomes and drives genetic progress in the herd. Yet boar fertility is often overlooked, representing an untapped avenue to rapidly improve swine production efficiency. New evidence demonstrates that nursing promotes the growth and development of the swine testis leading to greater reproductive function in the boar. Our objective is to identify early nutritional interventions that improve reproductive development and fertility of boars. In addition, we are also working to identify the specific components of milk that confer these benefits. This knowledge is critical because extensive testicular growth and development occurs during the neonatal period, yet replacement boars may not have adequate colostrum access due to growing litter sizes and climate change. Simple interventions (e.g., targeted supplementation) could be rapidly implemented to improve testis function in neonatal boars currently being developed, leading to advancements in both swine fertility and genetic progress which will enhance the profitability of pork production. In addition, this research has biomedical applications because nursed human infants have improved testis growth compared to formula-fed controls but only 25% of babies exclusively receive breast milk through 6 months of age. Interventions (e.g., targeted supplementation) could improve nutrition for 1.9 million male infants annually leading to population-level fertility and health benefits for men.