Research Progress on Effects of Nutrition on Sexual Development and Fertility of Breeding Bulls
The widespread implementation of genomic selection in recent years has meant that sires used in arti-ficial insemination are selected at younger ages than was previously possible through traditional progeny testing.Although this has the potential to accelerate genetic gain by reducing the generation interval,it has led to in-creased demand for semen from sires at a young age.However,the reproductive potential of these young bulls is limited by the quantity and quality of semen that they can produce.Enhancing early nutrition of bulls stimu-lates a complex biochemical interplay,enhances testicular growth and development and earlier onset of sexual maturation,there is little evidence for latent effects on semen traits post-puberty,meanwhile much of the neu-ronal mechanisms regulating these developmental processes remain to be elucidated.Calving-puberty of bulls to achieve normal body condition is the goal of their feeding,and proper nutritional restriction does not reverse the advantages of improved nutrition during calving,while compensatory growth with enhanced nutrition cannot o-vercome the nutritional restrictions of the earlier period.The effect of general nutritional status on the reproduc-tive capacity of adult bulls is not known,although excessive body fatness,leanness,clinical or even subclinical metabolic disorders can undoubtedly affect normal sexual function.Minerals,vitamins,polyunsaturated fatty acids and plant-based antioxidant supplementation above a certain dose can have a negative effect on semen pro-duction.This paper provides a review of the literature on bull nutrition at home and abroad with regard to the effects of nutrients and bioactive substances on the sexual development and fertility of breeding bulls,with a view to providing references for the management of breeding bulls and the improvement of reproductive per-formance in production.[Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition,2023,35(12):7571-7583]
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