RESPONSE TO THE MALE EFECT IN NUBIAN AND ALPINE GOATS MAINTAINED UNDER TROPICAL PHOTOPERIOD

• Main Authors: Jorge Urrutia Morales, José Francisco Cervantes Becerra, Héctor Raymundo Vera Ãvila, Eugenio Villagómez-Amezcua Manjarrez, María Teresa Rivera Lozano
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán 2013-04-01
• Series: Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems
• Subjects: Cabras; Efecto macho; Nubia; Alpina; Fotoperiodo tropical
• Online Access: http://www.revista.ccba.uady.mx/ojs/index.php/TSA/article/view/1509

In order to determine the extent of response to the male effect in two breed of goats, previously observed to express a similar pattern of reproductive seasonality under tropical photoperiod (22°N), 17 Nubian and 15 Alpine female goats were exposed to sexual active males at May 15th. A higher proportion of Nubian vs. Alpine does ovulated in response to the male effect (76.5 vs 33.3%; P0.5 ng ml-1 within the first four days after male introduction, whilst Alpine does maintained basal P4 levels during the same period (≤0.04 ng ml-1). The higher proportion of Nubian does ovulating due to the male effect, indicate that female goats of this breed, maintained under tropical photoperiod, are more responsive than Alpine does to non-photoperiodic external stimuli, such as the presence of sexual active males.