| Summary: | Orientador: José Luiz Moraes Vasconcelos === Banca: Lindsay Unno Gimenes === Banca: Ocilon Gomes de Sá Filho === Banca: Ricardo Maria dos Santos === Banca: Ky Pohler === Abstract: Study 01- Our hypothesis was that fertility could be increased in a timed AI (TAI) protocol based on estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) by combining GnRH with E2-benzoate at the start of the protocol to increase circulating P4 concentration during preovulatory follicle development and by using two prostaglandin (PGF) treatments at the end to decrease circulating P4 concentration near TAI. Lactating Holstein cows (n = 1,808) were randomly assigned during the cool or hot seasons of the year to receive TAI (d0) following one of three treatments: I. Control: CIDR + 2 mg of E2-benzoate on d -11, PGF on d -4, CIDR withdrawal + 1.0 mg of E2-cypionate on d -2, and TAI on d 0; II. 2PGF: Identical to Control protocol with addition of a second PGF treatment on d -2; III. GnRH: Identical to 2PGF protocol with addition of 100 μg GnRH treatment on d -11. Pregnancy diagnoses were performed d32 and d60 after TAI. The GnRH protocol increased percentage of cows with CL (Control = 56.9%; 2PGF = 55.8%; GnRH = 70.5%) and circulating P4 concentration at PGF (Control = 3.28 ± 0.22; 2PGF = 3.35 ± 0.22; GnRH = 3.70 ± 0.21 ng/mL), compared to Control and 2PGF protocols. The positive effects of GnRH treatment on P/AI were only detected during the cool season (GnRH = 50.9%; 2PGF = 44.2%; Control = 41.0%) and not during the hot season. In addition, the effect of GnRH was only observed in cows with low circulating P4 concentration (<3ng/mL) at the start of the protocol and not in cows that began the protocol with high P4. Further, there was an interaction for presence of CL at PGF with follicle diameter such that cows with a CL at PGF had greater P/AI if they ovulated larger rather than smaller follicles near TAI.Season had major effects on many reproductive measures with cool season greater than hot season in percentage of cows with CL at PGF (62.9 vs. 56.2%), ovulatory follicle diameter (15.7 vs. 14.8 mm), expression of ... === Doutor
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