Artificial Insemination--Pig

Manager: Martin Schulze

Contents

• Examination of fertility prognostic values of modern methods of sperm evaluation in boars assigned to insemination
• Exploration of possibilities aimed at increasing balanced insemination programs for boars based on comprehensive examination in order to evaluate individual capacity
• Optimization of artificial insemination procedures with pigs evolving with stepwise procedural stages (sperm evaluation, conservation, insemination techniques, a. o.)
• Examination by molecular genetics of capacities of fertilization aiming at improving selection of boars qualifying for insemination

Current Research

• Examination of the degree of liquefaction affecting quality of conserved boar sperm in order to maximize balancing the use of ejaculate
• Development of standards for characterizing sperm quality of insemination boars, including information resulting from a broadened scale of methods
• investigation of the influence of bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on in-vitro Quality of liquid-preserved boar spermatozoa
• Development of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) to substitute for conventional antibiotics in reproduction biology
• Inspection of points of control regarding antibiotica resistance relevant to quality management in boar units of the German development association for research in biotechnology (FBF--Förderverein Biotechnologieforschung e.V. )
• Quantitative assays of spermatogenic capacity in boars using grey scale analysis (GSA) of sonographic pictures and of spermatology parameters
• Examination of the effects on physiological development and on reproduction capacity of Zearelanon toxicity close to time of birth
• Probing of conditions relevant to Seminaplasma
• Test of arrays of spermatological diagnostics in relation to fertility in a sizeable population of boars with known capacity for fertility and determination of delimited values for the quality of ejaculate (minimal expectations).
• Compilation of specific in-vitro parameters of capacity of fertilization in a population of insemination boars--Comparison with capacity-relevant genes of candidates and development of workable evaluation modes.
• Continuing development of liquid conservation techniques of boar sperm
  targeting temperatures around 5°C (fridge levels)
• Exploration of recognition of sub-fertile boars at faster and better levels by measuring preserved sperm probes with CMA systems.