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Reproductive seasonality of hair rams under tropical conditions: an alternative for non-seasonal lamb production?

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Abstract

Reproductive seasonality limits the periods of breeding on the year and, therefore, productive output. However, some breeds appear as probably non-seasonal. The aim of the study was to characterize the seasonal pattern of Santa Inês rams, including an ultrasound characterization of the reproductive tract, testosterone concentrations, and semen characteristics. Fifteen Santa Inês rams remained in a grazing system with concentrate supplementation, and measurements of the reproductive tract and ultrasound evaluation (biometrics and pixel intensity) of the testicles and accessory sex glands were monthly recorded. Computerized seminal evaluations were also performed monthly, and serum testosterone concentration was measured every 15 days. Body weight and condition remained stable throughout the year. In general, reproductive traits varied along the year and reached maximum values during autumn and minimum in spring. Despite that, as fresh semen remained with enough quality to breed all along the year, seasonality does not appear as a limiting factor to breed along the year. Therefore, Santa Inês rams can be used for all-year-round breeding or for crossbreeding when rams from other breeds decrease their fertilizing ability.

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Data availability

The data that support our findings are available upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by Universidade Federal Fluminense and FAPERJ (E-26/010.002238/2019). MFAB, BRR, and FZB are fellows of the CNPq and PHNP, ABSC, and JDRS of FAPERJ.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil

    Arnaldo de Sá Geraldo, Pedro Henrique Nicolau Pinto, Ana Beatriz da Silva Carvalho, Marta Maria Campos Pereira da Costa, Juliana Dantas Rodrigues Santos, Augusto Ryonosuke Taira, Isabel Oliveira Cosentino, Bruna Ramalho Rigaud de Figueiredo, Mário Felipe Alvarez Balaro & Felipe Zandonadi Brandão

  2. Departamento de Biociencias Veterinarias, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de La República, Ruta 8 Km 18, 13000, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Rodolfo Ungerfeld

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  1. Arnaldo de Sá Geraldo
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  2. Pedro Henrique Nicolau Pinto
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  3. Ana Beatriz da Silva Carvalho
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  4. Marta Maria Campos Pereira da Costa
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  11. Felipe Zandonadi Brandão
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Contributions

A.S.G. and P.H.N.P., data interpretation and first draft production; A.B.S.C., M.M.C.P., J.D.R.S., A.R.T., I.O.C., B.R.R., and M.F.A.B., contributed with data collection and animal handling. R.U. and F.Z.B. participated in the conception of the study, developed the hypothesis, study design, data collection, and draft production. R.U. also performed statistical analysis. In addition, all authors revised and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Felipe Zandonadi Brandão.

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Ethics approval

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee for Use of Animals (CEUA no. 5526080119) of Universidade Federal Fluminense, following the guidelines of the “Brazilian Society of Science in Laboratory Animal” and the “Animal Research: Report of In vivo Experiences” (ARRIVE).

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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de Sá Geraldo, A., Pinto, P.H.N., da Silva Carvalho, A.B. et al. Reproductive seasonality of hair rams under tropical conditions: an alternative for non-seasonal lamb production?. Trop Anim Health Prod 56, 4 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03848-1

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