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Nutritional Effects on Age at Puberty and Plasma Amino Acid Level in Yorkshire Gilts and on Chemical Composition, Nucleic Acid, Fatty Acid and Hydroxyproline Contents of the Uterus^{1 ,2,}

Agriculture Canada, Research Branch, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C6

Abstract

Thirty-six gilts, 117 to 121 days of age, were used to determine the effects on sexual development of a control corn-soybean diet fed ad libitum (CS-A) and three limit-fed diets, namely, the corn-soybean diet (CS), a basal corn diet (B) and the basal diet supplemented (BL) with .31% L-lysine hydrochloride. Feed intakes of the limit-fed gilts were based on the daily intake of the respective litter-mates fed diet BL to appetite. Puberty was confirmed by the use of a boar, and gitls were slaughtered 10 ± 3 days after the detection of a second estrus.

Blood samples taken the day before slaughter showed higher (P<.01) plasma lysine levels in the BL gilts than the gilts fed the other diets. Compared to the limit-fed gilts, the CS-A gilts reached puberty at least 20 days earlier (P<.01), gained weight faster (P<.01) and were the heaviest at puberty (P<.01). Uterus dry weight for the B gilts was less (P<.01) than that of either the CS or CS-A gilts; there was a similar effect for ovary dry weight.

Fat percentage in the uterus of the B gilts was higher (P<.05) than that of gilts fed the corn-soybean diets. Differences in uterine fatty acid composition were not significant among diets. The mean arachidonic acid value was 12.0%. Although the concentrations of DNA in gilts fed diets B and BL were higher (P<.05) than those in the CS and CS-A gilts, differences in the total amount of DNA per uterus were not significant. The levels of uterine hydroxyproline did not differ among dietary treatments.

¹ Presented in part at the 9th Meeting, Midwestern Section of the American Society of Animal Science, Chicago, Illinois, November 29 to 30, 1974.

² Animal Research Institute, Contribution No. 586.

³ Samples of freeze-dried uterus were analyzed for hydroxyproline by Dr. R. G. Brown, assisted technically by Gail Boechner, in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario; their cooperation was much appreciated. The technical assistance of P. H. Lavictoire with uterine fatty acid and nucleic acid analyses, and the amino acid and routine analyses provided by Chemistry and Biology Research Institute (Analytical Chemistry Services), Agriculture Canada, Research Branch, is gratefully acknowledged.