• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.135-141
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• 2013

This study aimed to improve the reproductive efficiency of dairy herds by comparison and analyzing estrous appearance rate, conception and non-conception rate according to the stage of lactation using the lactation and reproductive records of average (less than 10,000 liters milk in 305 days) and high yielding (more than 10,000 liters milk in 305 days) Holstein cows (n=102). Milk production and reproduction data were collected between January 2010 and December 2012 from Holstein cows kept in the commercial dairy farms. Average (n=32) and high yielding (n=24) Holstein cows used to analyze the relationship between milk yield and reproductive performance. Our results showed that estrous appearance rate according to the stage of lactation was 25.0% (30~59d), 40.6% (60~89d), 25% (90~110d) and 9.4% (>111d) in average yielding cows and 16.7% (30~59d), 20.8% (60~89d), 12.5% (90~110d) and 50.0% (>111d) in high yielding cows, respectively. Conception rate according to the stage of lactation was 87.5% (30~59d), 61.5% (60~89d), 75.0% (90~110d) and 66.7% (>111d) in average yielding cows and 25.0% (30~59d), 0% (60~89d), 33.3% (90~110d) and 50.0% (>111d) in high yielding cows, respectively. Days between parturition and conception was 23.7% (<149d), 0% (150~209d) and 0% (>210 d) in average yielding cows and 69.0% (<149 d), 77.8% (150~209d) and 38.9% (>210d) in high yielding cows, respectively. Conception rate from 110 days postpartum in high yielding cows was 41.7% (110~150d), 50.0% (151~180d) and 50.0% (>181d). Body condition score (BCS) in 120 days postpartum was $2.64{\pm}0.1$ in average yielding cows and $2.28{\pm}0.1$ in high yielding cows, respectively.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.523-531
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• 2008

Buffalo are a major source of milk production, contributing 12.1% in the World and 38.0% in Asia. The buffaloes are kept under peri-urban farming systems to produce milk for urban populations. Breeding is delayed in these herds to get more economic benefit because farmers believe that the pregnancy decreases milk production. The lactation milk value has been studied in this paper as an economic indicator. Complete milk yield records of 3,304 buffaloes was collected from a group of state farms. Economic traits including lactation yield, lactation length, calving interval (CI), dry period and milk yield per day of calving interval (MYPDCI) were derived from the data. The animals were grouped according to parity number (1-3), service period (G1 to G4, conceiving during <150, 150-200, 200-300 and >300 days post calving) and yield levels (HMY>2,500; MMY 2,001-2,500; and LMY 1,500-2,000 liters/ lactation). To study the effect of pregnancy on milk composition a research trial was conducted at a medium size private dairy farm, using forty lactating buffaloes of three yield levels and four service period groups, as described already. Milk was sampled on alternate weeks and analyzed for fat and protein contents (%). For quantifying the value of milk produced during a lactation period, the value corrected milk (VCM) was determined and converted to lactation milk value (LMV). Group means were compared for varicous parameters. Highest milk yield ($2,836.50{\pm}15.68$ liters/lactation) was recorded in the HMY animals of G4 group while lowest milk yield of $1,657.04{\pm}8.34$ liters/lactation was found in LMY of G1. Lactation was significantly increased with the extending of service period. The shortest dry period was recorded in HMY, parity 1, G1 animals and the longest in parity 2, MMY, G4.The CI was shortest in HMY, parity 1, and G1 animals and longest in LMY, parity 3, G4 buffaloes. The HMY, parity 2, G1 buffaloes showed the highest MYPDCI and the lowest value was recorded ($6.53{\pm}0.17$ vs. $2.76{\pm}0.04$ liter/day) for LMY, parity 1, G4 buffaloes. The VCM decreased with the delayed conception. This decreasing trend was higher in respect of the total yield but decrease in the VCM was smaller due to the increasing levels of fat and protein in the milk. The gap between the various production classes was reduced based on the VCM as compared with the yield per day of CI. LMV showed a consistent decline with extending service period in all three production groups. The study suggests that CI increased with delayed conception, showing a consistent trend in the low, moderate and high yielding buffaloes. There was a coherent declining pattern of milk yield with delaying conception, associated with prolonged CI. An animal conceiving at a later stage of lactation showed a decline in financial returns of 24 to 27% compared with those conceiving earlier.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.143-147
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• 2007

Records on 546 Korea native pigs for average daily gain (ADG), age at 70 kg (D70 kg) and backfat thickness (BF) made between 2001 and 2006 in herds on National Institutes of Animal Science in Korea were used to estimate genetic parameters. The data was analyzed by the DF-REML (Derivative-Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood) program of Boldman using a single-trait animal model. Heritabilities were 0.26, 0.09, and 0.29 for ADG, D70 kg and BF, respectively. The phenotypic correlations of ADG with D70 kg and BF were -0.71 and 0.30. The phenotypic correlation of D70 kg with BF was -0.15. The genetic correlations of ADG with D70 kg and BF were -0.11, 0.41, respectively. The genetic correlation of D70 kg with BF was -0.16. The data of weights and measurements on body length, body height and chest width after age at 11 months (days to 330) were shown scarcely less differences compare to data of age at 11 months.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.154-158
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• 2010

Embryo Transfer (ET) is one of the assisted reproductive technologies and a useful tool for improving herds. The purpose of this study is to produce the calves using frozen embryos which were produced in the top one percent Holstein in Canada by ET. One hundred seventeen recipients were used for surrogate mothers and seventy cows were diagnosed to be pregnant. Fifty seven calves were born successfully and thirteen out of them failed to produce viable calves (abortion: 4, stillbirth: 9). Their gestational length, birth body weight and sex ratio for all the viable calves(n = 57) were $278.1{\pm}3.6$ days (range: from 271 to 286 days), $44.0{\pm}3.0\;kg$ (range: from 37 to 49 kg) and 57.9 vs. 42.1 % (male 33 and female 24), respectively. Microsatellite analysis confirmed that they were derived from frozen embryos. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that viable calves derived from frozen-thawed embryos from Canada were born by ET.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.111-114
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• 2007

This study was carried out to investigate the reproductive performance of average (less than 10,000 liters milk in 305 days) and high yielding (more than 10,000 liters milk in 305 days) Holstein cattle at commercial dairy herds (n=22). Data on milk progesterone (10 to 60 days postpartum), days to post-partum estrous, days to post-partum conception, service per conception and calving interval were recorded for two consecutive years. Post-partum milk progesterone concentration and days to reach peak milk progesterone concentration were similar in high and average yielding cows. High yielding cows took more days to show signs of first postpartum estrous than average yielding cows. Post-partum conception was 20 days earlier in average yielding cows than high yielding cows. Artificial insemination per conception was similar between average and high yielding cows. Calving interval was 26.9 days longer in high yielding cows compared to average yielding cows. In conclusion, better reproductive and feeding management may help improve the reproductive performance of high yielding dairy cattle in commercial dairy farms.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Grassland Science Conference
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• 2002.09b
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• pp.131-156
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• 2002

Although economically viable, the livestock industry is currently facing a number of challenging environmental problems and highly complex social issues, many of which are related to its size and geographically concentrated nature. Increased emphasis on environmental quality has also placed new demands on livestock producers to ensure that their production practices are in harmony with natural environment. In terms of sustainable agricultural systems, ruminants have served and will continue to serve a valuable role. They are particularly useful in converting vast renewable resources from rangeland, pasture, and crop residues or other by-product into food edible for human. With ruminants, land that is too poor or too erodable to cultivate becomes productive. Also, nutrients in by-products are utilized and do not become a waste-disposal problem. In Korea, however, native and dairy cattle production is not consistent with the advantageous roles of ruminant livestock in sustainable agricultural system because imported feed grains become the main basis for cattle raising. At present the ruminant livestock producers are heavily concentrated in and around the urban areas. About 75% of all the nation's cattle herds are kept on the outskirts of urban areas. As a result, the amount of pasture and forage land available per head of cattle is generally small. Furthermore, animals are raised in a cattle shed with high density. This situation is rather unfavorable for the national economic and environmental points of view As nation income increased, the demand for livestock products grew at an unforeseeable pace. But the pasture area involving in current utilization is tended to decrease during recent years. Based on the above figures more than 250,000 ha of pasture ought to be available for the present herd of cattle. It is obvious that these needs can scarcely be met with arable lands. Lands area for the establishment of new grassland have to be found in the hills and mountains which have not yet been used for crop framing or livestock. The development of extensive grasslands in the hill and woodland areas is now a declared aim. The starting point of the present work is the lack of knowledge of forage production and utilization in hill pasture and woodland in spite of indispensable necessity for livestock production in Korea. The importance of pastoral system in hill region and woodland is particularly emphasized in a standpoint of sustainable livestock production. Main chapter comprises the principle and techniques applicable for improving the utilization of hill pasture and woodland. We finally discussed the problems to solve and future works for a successful livestock production in hill and mountainous area in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.35-42
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• 1981

A total 2,488 ejaculates during 4 years from 80 Korean native bulls over the age from 3 to 12 years of bull herds of Artificial Breeding Center, National Livestock Federatives Cooperation were collected and analyzed to study the effects of collection year, age of bulls, month of years, collection interval and ejaculation frequency per day on semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm per ejaculate and sperm motility. 1. Semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm per ejaculate and sperm motility index for the all ejaculates using least squares procedure averaged 5.73ml, 9.133${\times}$108/ml, 52.527${\times}$108 and 62.81, respectively. 2. Semen volume varied significantly with collection year, collection interval and ejaculation frequency per day(P<0.01), but effects of age of bulls and month of years on semen volume were not significant. Eight to 15 days collection interval showed the highest volume, and 1st ejaculate contained 5.6% more volume than 2nd ejaculate. 3. There were significant differences among collection years, months of years and ejeculation frequencies per day except collection intervals in sperm concentration per ml(P<0.05, P<0.01). Six to 8-year-old bulls was the highest concentration. Higher sperm concentration per ml was in April to July and lower month was October and December. Sperm concentration in 2nd ejaculate was higher than in 1st ejaculate. 4. Total sperm per ejaculate affected by all environmental factors studied(P<0.05, P<0.01). Age of bulls, collection interval and ejaculation frequency per day showed the highest total sperm was 6 to 8-year-old bulls, 8 to 15 days interval and 1st ejaculate, respectively. Higher total sperm per ejaculate was in April to July and lower total sperm was in September to December. 5. In sperm motility, there were significant differences among collection years, ages of bulls and collection intervals except months of years and ejaculation frequencies (P<0.01). Higher sperm motility was in 6 to 12-year-old bulls and in 5 to 7 days collection interval.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.345-352
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• 1998

The diagnosis of brucellosis is currently based on serological and microbiological tests. However, the microbiological isolation and identification have several disadvantages such as time-consuming and laborious, and the serological methods have been reported to cross-react with antigens other than those from Brucella spp. To develop a sensitive and rapid diagnostic method for detection of Brucella species, the genus-specific primers were designed and synthesized from the sequence of gene encoding a 31kDa cell surface protein(BCSP) and a 36kDa outer membrane protein(OMPB) of B abortus. The amplified 711bp and 982bp DNA fragments were only visible in each species of Brucella by PCR method using the BCSP and OMPB primers, respectively. However, PCR product was not obtained with DNA from other Gram-negative bacteria. As little as 1pg of the B abortus genomic DNA could be detected by this PCR method. Using the PCR technique, semen samples from 185 bulls of Brucella-seronegative herds in Cheju island were examined for comparison of this PCR method with conventional methods in 1995. The semen samples from 5 bulls were positive by culture method and PCR, and one was positive and 5 were suspect by semen plasma agglutination test. However, the semen samples obtained from 177 bulls were negative by semen plasma agglutination, culture and PCR methods in 1996. The results of comparison tests suggested that PCR was a better test than agglutination test against semen of bulls. This study indicated that the PCR technique was a valuable for the diagnosis of bovine brucellosis, particulary in bull semens.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.255-260
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• 2017

Ketosis has become a very common and important metabolic disorder that causes substantial economic loss in modern dairy herds. We determined the risk factors for ketosis and associations with some blood metabolite concentrations in dairy cows. Blood from 475 Holstein cows on four dairy farms was collected weekly until 4 weeks after calving to measure blood ${\beta}$-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) concentrations using electronic handheld meters. Cows were grouped based on the BHBA concentration into two groups: a ketosis group (${\geq}1.2mmol/L$, n = 150) and a non-ketosis group (< 1.2 mmol/L, n = 325). Peripartum health status (dystocia, retained placenta, and metritis), cow parity, and calving season were recorded to identify the risk factors for ketosis. Serum albumin, total cholesterol (TCH), and haptoglobin concentrations were compared between sub-groups of cows selected from the ketosis (n = 92) and non-ketosis (n = 50) groups 1 week postpartum ($7.5{\pm}0.2days$). The farm influenced the incidence of ketosis (P < 0.05). Cows calved during summer tended to have a higher risk (odds ratio [OR]: 1.61, P < 0.1) of ketosis than cows calved during spring. Cows with parities of two (OR: 1.95, P < 0.05) and three or higher (OR: 2.55, P < 0.01) were at higher risk than primiparous cows. Cows with metritis had a higher risk (OR: 7.02, P < 0.0001) of ketosis than cows without metritis. Serum albumin and TCH concentrations were lower (P < 0.01) in the ketosis group than in the non-ketosis group, whereas haptoglobin concentration was higher (P < 0.05) in the ketosis group than in the non-ketosis group. In conclusion, our results indicate that farm, summer calving, parity greater than one, and postpartum disease (metritis) were risk factors for ketosis. In addition, lower serum albumin and TCH concentrations and higher haptoglobin concentration were also associated with the incidence of ketosis in dairy cows.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.788-794
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• 2013

Mastitis set apart as clinical and sub clinical is a disease complex of dairy cattle, with sub clinical being the most important economically. Of late, laboratories showed interest in developing biochemical markers to diagnose sub clinical mastitis (SCM) in herds. Many workers reported noteworthy alternation of acute phase proteins (APPs) and nitric oxide, (measured as nitrate+nitrite = NOx) in milk due to intra-mammary inflammation. But, the literature on validation of these parameters as indicators of SCM, particularly in riverine milch buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) milk is inadequate. Hence, the present study focused on comparing several APPs viz. ${\alpha}_1$-anti trypsin, ${\alpha}_1$-acid glycoprotein, fibrinogen and NOx as indicators of SCM in buffalo milk. These components in milk were estimated using standardized analytical protocols. Somatic cell count (SCC) was done microscopically. Microbial culture was done on 5% ovine blood agar. Of the 776 buffaloes (3,096 quarters) sampled, only 347 buffaloes comprising 496 quarters were found positive for SCM i.e. milk culture showed growth in blood agar with $SCC{\geq}2{\times}10^5$ cells/ml of milk. The cultural examination revealed Gram positive bacteria as the most prevalent etiological agent. It was observed that ${\alpha}_1$-anti trypsin and NOx had a highly significant (p<0.01) increase in SCM milk, whereas, the increase of ${\alpha}_1$-acid glycoprotein in infected milk was significant (p<0.05). Fibrinogen was below detection level in both healthy and SCM milk. The percent sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, predictive values and likelihood ratios were calculated taking bacterial culture examination and $SCC{\geq}2{\times}10^5$ cells/ml of milk as the benchmark. Udder profile correlation coefficient was also used. Allowing for statistical and epidemiological analysis, it was concluded that ${\alpha}_1$-anti trypsin indicates SCM irrespective of etiology, whereas ${\alpha}_1$-acid glycoprotein better diagnosed SCM caused by gram positive bacteria. NOx did not prove to be a good indicator of SCM. It is recommended measuring both ${\alpha}_1$-anti trypsin and ${\alpha}_1$-acid glycoprotein in milk to diagnose SCM in buffalo irrespective of etiology.