Production of genetically superior goats through embryo transfer technology in Sri Lanka.

This study was conducted to establish techniques for embryo production and transfer in goats and also to examine the feasibility of application of such techniques in Sri Lanka to improve the reproductive efficiency of superior animals. Two groups of genetically superior does were inserted with progesterone releasing intravaginal pessaries (45 mg, Cronolone) on Day-1 of the program. The does in group one (n = 3) and group two (n = 4) were given injections of pure porcine Follicular Stimulating Hormone (pFSH, 20 mg/ml) and pure ovine Follicular Stimulating Hormone (oFSH, 0.88 mg/ml), respectively. On Day-8, all animals were injected with Pregnancy Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG, 500 μg/ml). Subsequent injections of pFSH or oFSH were given in the morning and evening on Day-9 and Day-10. Does were injected with Prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α, 263 μg/ml) in the morning of Day-9 and vaginal pessaries were removed in the evening of Day-10. On the evening of Day-11, Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) injections were given and the does in estrus were kept for 48 hours with a Jamnapari buck for breeding. Seven days post-estrous, embryos were collected, surgically, by flushing the uterus with warm embryo flushing medium containing Lactated Ringers Solution with 1% bovine serum albumin (BSA). The quality of the embryos was assessed and the recovered embryos were transplanted surgically to estrus synchronized goat recipients (n = 8) at 7 days post-estrus. Following embryo transplantation, four does were found to be pregnant by ultra sound scanning at 35 days in pregnancy. One healthy female offspring (Peradeniya Kumari) was born at full term (150 days) to Group-1. Another four goat kids were born to Group-2, while one kid died. In the same group, one abortion was reported. During the first six weeks of birth, weight gain of first born kids to Group-1 and 2 were 152.3 g and 149.2 g /day, respectively. The results suggest that genetically superior goats can be produced using embryo transfer technology in Sri Lanka.