<div>Background: Postpartum fertility in dairy bovines is one of the important criteria of sustainable dairy industry and economy of farmers. The Kankrej, a dual purpose zebu cattle, is known for its endurance, but is slow breeder with very late maturity, prolonged postpartum anestrous/subestrous and thereby calving interval. These peculiarities necessitate scientists to adopt fixed time AI (FTAI) protocols of estrus synchronization for improving their reproductive efficiency. Hence this study was aimed to assess the fertility and plasma metabolic profile of normal and synchronized anestrous/ subestrous suckled Kankrej cows of an organized farm. 
 
Methods: The study involved 36 parturient Kankrej cows of the University Farm that were maintained under identical nutritional and managerial practices. Blood samples were collected in heparinized vacutainers from all the animals on the day of calving and then at 10 days interval till 90 days for plasma metabolic profile. Animals monitored by per rectal palpation 10 days apart around day 70-80 postpartum revealed 30 cows to be anestrous or subestrous, which were randomly allocated to five different estrus synchronization protocols at day 90-92, each with six cows and a group of six cows that exhibited estrus and were bred by day 70-90 served as normal control. The treatment protocols included Ovsynch, CIDR, Ovsynch + CIDR, Cosynch and double PGF2&alpha; together with estimation of plasma metabolites on day 0, 7, 9/10 (AI) and then at 10 days interval up to day 40 post-AI.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The mean plasma total protein levels varied non-significantly, while total cholesterol and triglycerides varied significantly (p&lt;0.01) between intervals until 90 days postpartum in most of the groups with gradual increase in the mean values from the day of calving. The estrus synchronization protocols, however. did not alter the plasma profile of these constituents. The estrus induction response with Ovsynch, CIDR, Ovsynch + CIDR, Cosynch and PGF2&alpha; treatment was 66.66, 83.33, 50.00, 66.66 and 66.66% and the conception rates at induced estrus 16.66, 33.33, 16.66, 50.00 and 50.00%, respectively. In normal cyclic control group, the conception rate at first cycle was 33.33%. The plasma total cholesterol and triglycerides were higher in conceived than non-conceived cows, particularly during early postpartum period and post-AI. It was concluded that CIDR, Cosynch and PGF2&alpha; protocols were better for estrus induction and conception rate in anestrous and subestrous suckled Kankrej cows, although they did not influence the plasma metabolic profile.</div>

Monitoring Plasma Metabolic Profile, Fertility in Normal and Estrus Synchronized Suckled Kankrej Cows

The study was designed at evaluating early postpartum ovarian activity through plasma progesterone profile at 10 days interval up to 90 days, followed by induction of estrus in postpartum anestrous suckled Kankrej cows (n=18) using Ovsynch, CIDR and Ovsynch + CIDR treatment protocols with FTAI (6 cows in each protocol), keeping six normal cyclic cows as control. The plasma P4 profile (ng/ml) varied in the range of 0.15&plusmn;0.03 to 1.70&plusmn;0.80 in treatment groups and 0.62 &plusmn;0.19 to 4.09&plusmn;1.60 in control group up to 90 days postpartum. The mean P4 concentration on the day of calving was low (&lt;1 ng/ml) in all the groups, which gradually increased to reach peak levels by day 40 in cyclic control (4.09&plusmn;1.60 ng/ml), Ovsynch (1.70&plusmn;0.80 ng/ml) and CIDR (1.68&plusmn;0.47 ng/ml) and by day 20 in Ovsynch + CIDR (1.09&plusmn;0.23 ng/ml) groups. Most of the cows turned into subestrous or anestrous condition between days 40 and 90 postpartum. The estrus induction response in Ovsynch, CIDR and Ovsynch + CIDR groups initiated at day 90-92 postpartum was 66.66, 83.33 and 50.00 per cent, respectively. The conception rates at induced estrus were 16.66, 33.33 and 16.66 per cent, and overall of 3 cycles 33.33 (2/6), 50.00 (3/3) and 33.33 (2/6) per cent, respectively. In normal cyclic control group, the conception rates at first cycle and overall of 3 cycles were 33.33 and 50.00 per cent. The mean plasma P4 (ng/ml) concentrations were significantly (P&lt;0.05) higher on day 7 in Ovsynch (1.41 &plusmn;0.10), CIDR (4.92&plusmn;0.83) and Ovsynch + CIDR (3.87&plusmn;0.84) protocols as compared to their corresponding values on day 0 and day 9/10 (AI). The mean values of plasma P4 from days 20 to 40 post-AI were higher in conceived cows than in non-conceived cows of CIDR and Ovsynch + CIDR groups, compared to the animals in Ovsynch and normal cyclic groups. It is opined that the use of different protocols, mainly CIDR, may serve as an effective tool for induction and synchronization of estrus and improvement of conception rate in postpartum anestrous suckled Kankrej cows.

Monitoring Plasma Metabolic Profile, Fertility in Normal and Estrus Synchronized Suckled Kankrej Cows

Effect of estrus synchronization on plasma progesterone profile and fertility response in postpartum suckled anestrous Kankrej cows*