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Ovarian Response to Fasting Following High and Low Planes of Nutrition in Puberal Gilts¹

University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706

Abstract

AT the onset of their first estrus, 48 gilts which had been group fed 2.3 kg meal per day since they reached 170 days of age were allocated to an experiment of factorial design, the factors being plane of nutrition (high of low) and time of slaughter (day-16 of the first cycle or day-3 of the second cycle). The time of slaughter groups were further divided so that half the day-16 gilts were fasted from day-13 to day-16 and half the day-3 gilts from day-17 to day-3. Possible effects of mating on ovulation rate were also studied in the day-3 gilts. High plane gilts received meal ad libitum and low plane gilts 1.4 kg per day.

High plane day-3 gilts produced a mean of 2.5 corpora lutea more than low plane (P<.01) but the effects of fasting and mating on number of corpora lutea were negligible. Corpora lutea weights were not significantly affected by nutritional treatment in the day-16 group. The numbers of follicles were not changed significantly by plane of nutrition or fasting in either the day-16 or day-3 groups. Follicular fluid weight, anterior pituitary gland weight and (in the day-3 groups) cycle length were also unaltered.

The data indicate the substantial insensitivity to short-term fasting of the processes of folliculogenesis and ovulation in the puberal gilt.

¹ This work was done under a cooperative agreement between the Research Division of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, and the Animal Husbandry Research Division, A.R.S., U.S.D.A., and supported in part by Cooperative U.S.D.A.-C.S.R.S. Grants No. 816-15-20 and 916-15-02. It was also supported in part by the Ford Foundation, Grant No. 63-505; and by the Program Project in Genetics, Grant No. GM 15422, from the National Institutes of Health. This is Paper No. 1535 from the Laboratory of Genetics and No. 607 from the Department of Meat and Animal Science.

² Work done while the senior author was on leave from: Department of Livestock Production, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.