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Reproductive Performance of Female Swine Fed Corn Naturally Molded or Inoculated with Fusarium Roseum, Ohio Isolates B and C^{1, 2,}

The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210 and and Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, 44691

Abstract

Two trials involving a total of 39 gilts were conducted to determine the effect of feeding naturally molded and Fusarium roseum inoculated corn on reproductive performance of female swine. Trial 1 involved a comparison of the reproductive performance of gilts fed control and naturally infected moldy corn. The length of estrous cycle, duration of estrus, length of gestation period, and average birth weight of pigs were similar for the two groups. Consumption of the moldy corn diet led to a reduction in litter size, live pigs born per litter and increased fetal mummification. The lactational performance of gilts was similar as indicated by the similarity of pig weaning weights.

Trial 2 was conducted to compare the breeding and farrowing performance of gilts fed control diets and diets containing autoclaved corn inoculated with Ohio Isolate B and C strains of F. roseum. All gilts were divided into three groups. Group A gilts were slaughtered 24 hrs. following the end of heat, group B gilts were slaughtered 25 days following breeding while the gilts of group C were carried to full term. The length of estrous cycle, duration of estrus, ovulation rate and rate of fertilization were not affected by mold treatment. Ingestion of moldy corn, however, appeared to lead to an increase, although not significantly different, in embryonal mortality and premature farrowing, and the litters farrowed by gilts on moldy corn diets contained more dead and weak pigs. Differences in reproductive performance of gilts which received the two strains of F. roseum were slight and insignificant.

¹ Approved as Journal Article No. 49–73 by the Associate Director of The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster.

² The authors acknowledge the cooperation and assistance of Richard Ritter and Getz Read of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and Harold Delong of the Ohio State University (deceased).

³ Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Pathology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Professor, Department of Animal Science, Columbus; and Professor and Associate Chairman, Department of Plant Pathology, Wooster.