Embryo Transfer in Cows, Genetic Improvement, Bull Candidate Production and Fertility Applications

PROJECT NAME:

Embryo Transfer, Genetic Improvement, Bull Candidate Production, and Fertility Applications in Cows
 

PROJECT MANAGER:

Prof. Dr. Yunus ÇETİN, Prof. Dr. Örsan GÜNGÖR

PROJECT TOPIC:

Burdur province is one of the first provinces that come to mind in our country for the supply of Holstein breed heifers. The main reason for this is that the genetic quality of dairy cows is better compared to other provinces due to the widespread use of artificial insemination in our province. However, when looking at European and North American countries, it is seen that there is still a long way to go in this regard. Burdur province has significant disadvantages in terms of cattle breeding due to its limited arable and irrigable land for forage crop production and sending the milk it produces to other provinces without converting it into a significant value-added product. However, livestock farming is still the most important economic income source of the region. In the current situation, increasing the productivity per animal by further enhancing the genetic capacity of cows in Burdur province will be a more rational approach than increasing the number of animals.
On the other hand, the high meat prices in our country have significantly increased the demand for breeds like Simmental, which have a stronger meat direction. By inseminating Holstein breed cows with bull sperm from breeds with a stronger meat direction, calves with better fattening performance can be obtained. However, this situation will eventually lead to the deterioration of the purity of the Holstein breed, which has a strong milk direction, and the genetic gain achieved over the years will be lost. It is possible to obtain offspring from the desired breed without compromising breed purity through embryo transfer. The proposed project aims to establish a center that will produce embryos of breeds like Holstein and Simmental, which are in demand by animal breeders, and transfer them to the cows and heifers in the hands of the breeders, and subsequently turn this into a sustainable organization through private sector-university cooperation.
In our country, the import of bull sperm is also one of the issues that create significant external dependency. Annually, 2.5-3.5 million doses of bull sperm are imported in our country. One of the goals of the project is to raise male offspring born from embryos with superior genetic qualities as bull candidates.
 

PROJECT PURPOSE:

In 2022, the ministry granted import permits for 3 million doses of bull sperm, and in 2023 for 2.5 million doses. The ratio of domestic production compared to imported sperm varies between 10-20%. To increase the prevalence of domestically produced sperm, the number of quality bull candidates needs to be increased, and the diversity of bulls needs to be expanded. Sperm prices generally range between 10 to 60 USD. The aim of this project is to increase the usage rate of domestic sperm, thereby providing both high-quality and cheaper sperm to the producer.
Another goal of the project is to enable transitions between breeds according to market demands without compromising breed purity. By producing embryos of Simmental or other breeds and transferring them to Holstein breed cows, it is aimed to obtain calves that can be fattened with a stronger meat direction while preserving breed purity. In this way, the producer will continue to receive high milk yield from their Holstein cow while achieving much higher economic returns by fattening Simmental calves. Increasing the number of Simmental calves in this way will also help curb rising meat prices in the country. Again, by transferring high genetic quality embryos produced at our university's farm to crossbred or low-quality carrier cattle in the hands of breeders, rapid genetic progress will be achieved. With the calves produced in this way, which have high genetic capacity, and the offspring to be obtained from them in the future, Holstein breed cows in the hands of the public will be brought to higher productivity levels. Training technical personnel in Embryo Transfer, organizing their certification and documentation processes.
In conclusion, the main goal is to reduce the share of imports in meeting the need for quality meat, dairy, or combined breed large animals for breeders, and to increase animal quality by using national resources.
 

REGIONAL CONTRIBUTION OF THE PROJECT:

1- As a result of the project, making embryo transfer, which is considered one of the fastest methods of genetic progress in the world, a routine procedure for regional livestock farming, and creating a new sector with entrepreneurs who will invest in this field,
2- Ensuring that cows with average productivity characteristics in the hands of the public give birth to much higher-yielding offspring through embryo transfer,
3- Raising superior genetic bull candidates to be used in future sperm production, thereby providing quality and cheap sperm to the producer,
4- Producing embryos of Simmental and other breeds with stronger meat direction and demanded by breeders without compromising the Holstein genetics in the Burdur region, and enabling the birth of calves of the desired breed,
5- As a result of all these, increasing the profitability obtained from each animal by the regional breeder and contributing to the region's income from this sector,
6- Aiming to increase Burdur's contribution to the national and regional economy by producing higher quality breeding heifers.
 

SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION OF THE PROJECT:

Today, migration from rural to urban areas is one of the most important social problems. One of the main reasons for migration is the low income level in rural areas and consequently, the living standards being behind those in urban areas. From this perspective, increasing the profitability of livestock activities in rural areas is of great importance. One of the ways to increase profitability is to enhance animal productivity. Improving animal care and feeding conditions will increase productivity. However, in addition to these, it is also necessary to increase the number of animals with better genetic quality. The main goals of this project are to increase the genetic capacity and productivity of our dairy cattle both through embryo transfer and by producing quality bull candidates and using their sperm in artificial insemination.