102. Relationship Between Maternal Antral Follicle Count and Breeding Soundness Examination Results in Male Progeny of Beef Cattle.

Clicks: 1
ID: 330670
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal

Ranked #814 of 816 articles by views in italian journal of animal science

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 816 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract The beef industry relies heavily on natural service. In an unselected population, 20% of bulls are expected to fail a breeding soundness exam (BSE). Antral follicle count (AFC) and its impact on female fertility has been reported; however, the relationship of dam’s AFC and male offspring fertility still requires investigation. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between dam’s AFC and results of BSE of her male progeny as a yearling (12- to 14-month-old). We hypothesized that females with greater numbers of follicles would produce male progeny with an increased likelihood of passing a BSE. Heifers at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) underwent a pre-breeding ultrasound examination to determine AFC before the start of breeding (∼13-month-old). Bulls underwent a BSE by a licensed veterinarian. Data was retrieved from USMARC database from 2012 to 2025. Scrotal circumference, percent motile (Motility), percent of morphologically normal sperm (Normal) and percent passing a BSE were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS, with dam AFC classification [High (>27 AFC; n = 262), Average (17-27 AFC; n = 526), and Low (≤16 AFC; n = 307)], bull age at BSE (Age), and their interaction as fixed effects, dam age as a covariate, with herd and BSE year as a random effect. There were no effects of AFC by age interaction and AFC (P ≥ 0.37) on SC; however, SC increased from 12 to 13 months of age (P = 0.01; 33.7±0.9 cm, 34.4±0.8cm, respectively), with no difference between 13 and 14 month of age (34.9±0.9 cm; P = 0.18). There was an interaction on age by AFC for sperm motility (P = 0.01), indicating that changes in motility with age differed among AFC classes. At 13 months, bulls from low AFC dams had greater motility (60.8±2.4%) than bulls from high AFC dams (54.5±2.5%); however, by 14 months motility increased (60.4±2.7%, 63.4±2.6%, 63.7±2.7%, Low, Average, High, respectively; P ≥ 0.15). Morphology was affected by AFC and Age (P ≤ 0.05), but no interaction was detected (P = 0.76). Bulls from High heifers exhibited lesser (73.1±3.2%; P < 0.02) Normal compared with Low (77.6±2.7%) and tended (P = 0.08) to have lower Normal than Average (76.2±2.8%), whereas Low and Average did not differ (P = 0.35). Normal was greater (P ≤ 0.02) in 14-month-old (78.6±2.7%) compared to 12- (73.2±3.2%) and 13-month-old (75.1±2.8%). Percentage of bulls passing a BSE was influenced by AFC (P = 0.01), but not by Age or interaction (P > 0.50). Fewer High bulls (57.3±7.5%; P ≤ 0.05) passed a BSE compared with Low (71.0±6.3%) and Average (65.9±6.6%), which did not differ (P = 0.18). Results indicate that bulls from High AFC dams had a delay in sexual development compared to Low AFC dams; thus, further studies are needed to understand the relationship between dam’s AFC and male fertility. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Reference Key
openalex_W7214791990 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Emi E Ramirez, Pedro L P Fontes, F. N. Schrick, Shelby L Rosasco, Lacey Quail, Robert A. Cushman, Saulo Menegatti Zoca
Journal italian journal of animal science
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/jas/skag272.053
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag272.053
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.