Evaluation of the 7 and 7 synch protocol for control of the estrous cycle among beef cows prior to fixed-time artificial insemination with sex-sorted or conventional semen

Abstract

Experiment 1 was conducted to compare 7 and 7 Synch and the 7-day CO-Synch + controlled internal drug release (CIDR[copyright]) protocols prior to fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) of beef cows with conventional or sex-sorted semen. Cows (n = 1,538) were blocked based on age and days postpartum (DPP) and randomly assigned to protocol and semen type. Cows assigned to 7-day CO-Synch + CIDR (n = 769) received administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and insertion of an intravaginal progesterone-releasing insert (CIDR) on Day -10, and administration of prostaglandin F2[alpha] (PG) coincident with CIDR removal on Day -3. Cows assigned to 7 and 7 Synch (n = 769) received PG and insertion of CIDR on Day -17, GnRH on Day -10, and PG coincident with CIDR removal on Day -3. Estrus detection aids were applied to all cows. Cows received FTAI 66 h after CIDR removal with conventional (20 x 106 cells per unit) or sex-sorted (4 x 106 cells per unit) semen. Estrus expression was affected by protocol (P = 0.01) by protocol x DPP (P = 0.0004), with 7 and 7 Synch (82 percent; 629/769) resulting in a greater proportion of cows expressing estrus (82 percent [629/769] versus 64 percent [492/769]), especially among cows with greater DPP. Pregnancy rates to FTAI were reduced (P < 0.0001) when using sex-sorted semen but greater among cows treated with 7 and 7 Synch (conventional semen: 72 percent [280/389]; sex-sorted semen: 52 percent [199/380]) compared with 7-day CO-Synch + CIDR (conventional semen: 61 percent [233/383]; sex-sorted semen: 44 percent [171/386]). Experiment 2 was designed to evaluate later timing of fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) with sex-sorted semen among postpartum beef cows following the 7 and 7 Synch protocol, with the hypothesis that later timing would result in increased pregnancy rates (P/AI) among cows that expressed estrus prior to FTAI. Beef cows (n=414) were blocked based on age and days postpartum (DPP) and randomly assigned to receive FTAI at 66 or 72 h after administration of prostaglandin F2[alpha] (PG). Estrus was synchrized using the 7 and 7 Synch protocol, which consists of administration of PG (500 [mu]g cloprostenol) and insertion of an intravaginal progesterone-releasing insert (CIDR; 1.38 g progesterone) on Day 0, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH; 100 [mu]g gonadorelin) on Day 7, and PG coincident with CIDR removal on Day 14. Estrus detection aids (EstrotectTM) were applied to all cows on Day 14, and activation status was recorded at fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) on Day 17. All cows that expressed estrus prior to FTAI received sex-sorted semen (4 x 106 cells per unit; SexedULTRA 4MTM). The proportion of cows expressing estrus prior to FTAI did not differ between treatments at this power of test (66 h: 71 percent [146/205]; 72 h: 76 percent [158/209]). Additionally, P/AI of estrous cows inseminated with sex-sorted semen did not differ between treatments (66 h: 45 percent [68/146]; 72 h: 40 percent [63/158]). In conclusion, later timing of FTAI following the 7 and 7 Synch protocol failed to improve P/AI of estrous cows inseminated h sex-sorted semen.