This survey was conducted to investigate the current status of swine artificial insemination(AI) centers registered as 'semen processing business' in Korea. The survey responses were collected by direct visitation or telephone conversation for 5 months from May through September in 2008. The survey showed that sixty-four AI centers were enrolled in local government and those of fifty-two AI centers were under operation. Forty-nine AI centers surveyed owned a total of 3,334 boars and the Duroc breed accounted for the highest rate(73.1%) of all boar breeds. In type of ownership, agricultural management corporations was the highest(42.3%) and followed by private ownership (34.6%). Large-scale AI centers in terms of own over 151 boar were surveyed as 5.9% and most AI centers own less than 100 boars(86.5%). The average number of boars per AI center was 68. The amount of liquid semen provided by 52 AI centers were 1,791,000 doses and each AI center provides average of 39,000 does, which is represented for 90% consumption by sows in Korea.

Research in the area of equine artificial insemination (AI) has led to its increased application in field trials. However, procedures for equine semen collection, cooling and freezing of semen and artificial insemination need further improvement. In experiment 1, we investigated the percentage of total motility (TM) and progressive motility (PM) of sperms at after-collection, cooled-diluted, cooled-transported or frozen-thawed semen. In experiment 2, mares were inseminated with either cooled-diluted, cooled-transported or frozen-thawed semen. In experiment 3, we examined the effect of buffer (skim-milk extender), which was infused into the uterus at the time of AI with frozen-thawed semen. In experiment 4, we compared AI pregnancy rates for mares ovulating spontaneously versus after treatment with hCG. In experiment 1, the average percentage of TM was decreased from 75.3% to 14.4% at the stage of after-collection to frozen-thawed semen (p<0.05). The average percentage of PM was 58.2% and 59.6% at after-collection and cooled-diluted, but it was significantly increased 71.7% after frozen-thawed (p<0.05). In experiment 2, the pregnancy rates after AI using cooled-diluted, cooled-transported and frozen-thawed semen were 60%, 50% and 37.5%, respectively, and similar among treatments. In experiment 3, the pregnancy rate of mares infused with buffer at AI was 40% which was higher than that with no buffer (10%). In experiment 4, the pregnancy rates of mares were similar between ovulated spontaneously (25%) and ovulated with hCG (50%). The results suggest that equine semen that has been cooled-diluted, cooled-transported or frozen can be successfully used to establish AI, pregnancy and foal production. Also, the pregnancy rates after AI can be increased by infusing buffer into the uterus at AI or by inducing ovulation with hCG, but further study is need.

This study was undertaken to determine whether the presence of fertility-associated antigen (FAA) in semen would influence semen characteristics and conception rate of artificial insemination in Hanwoo. The response to FAA of 36 heads of proven bull, 7 heads of young bull, and 27 heads of performance-tested bull was that one proven bull was FAA-negative and the others were FAA-positive, therefore FAA-negative bull was 1.4%. FAA-negative bull was lower in first and second semen concentrations than those of FAA-positive bull in 5,301 semen of 21 heads of proven bull, then FAA-negative bull was fewer as 11.5% in total sperm counts. The estrus of 22 heads was 70d-nonreturned in 36 cows first inseminated with frozen semen of FAA-negative bull, but that of 249 heads in 378 cows first inseminated with frozen semen of FAA-positive bull. Each conception rate was 61.1% and 65.9%, respectively. The difference of conception rates was 4.8%. These results indicate that the response of FAA to semen were influenced semen characteristics and conception rate of artificial insemination, but further investigations are needed to confirm the results.

The objective of this study was to determine physiological and mechanical factors effecting on the pregnancy rates following artificial insemination in dairy cattle. Estrus for artificial insemination of cows was checked whether the outflow of mucus from the elements was out flow or not. There were no significant difference of gestation rates with mucus release (31.76%) and without mucus release (24.03%). The pregnancy rates were 39.02% in 10~20mm of follicle size group and 27.08% (p<0.05) in 20~30mm diameter of the follicles. There were not different pregnancy rates between twice inseminated dairy cattle and more than 3 times inseminated cattle. The pregnancy rate was 28.57% under automatic milking system. In contrast, under artificial milking system pregnancy rate was 56.85%. Two systems significantly (p<0.05) were different. These results suggest that pregnancy rates were not effected by physiological system, but mechanical condition.

The relationships of scrotal circumference (SC) to semen characteristics and the conception rate (70 days-nonreturn rate) of artificial insemination in farm were studied with 137 heads of bull in Hanwoo. The average and range of SC were cm and 26.0~52.5 cm, respectively. Hanwoo bulls were classified with SC, divided into 34 cm below group, 34~39 cm group, and 39 cm over group. The 5,487 semen records of 43 heads of bull from July. 1. 2007 to June. 30. 2008. were used to determine the relationships between SC and semen characteristics. The semen concentration and total sperm number of each group were 11.18, 16.68, and , and 69.83, 101.64 and /ejaculate. The bulls with 34 cm or more SC were higher than the bulls with 34 cm below in semen concentration and total sperm number (p<0.01). But between SC and semen volume have no significant relationship (p>0.05). The 9,862 mating records of 44 farm with 137 heads of bull were used to determine the relationships between SC and conception rate. The conception rate of 1st artificial insemination were 73.31, 74.16, and 77.33 % in each group. Also SC was positively correlated with pregnancy rate (r=0.12, p=0.17). These results indicate that SC correlates positively with semen characteristics, and maybe with pregnancy rate in Hanwoo.

본 연구는 젖소에 있어서 인공수정 후 외인성 progesterone과 estradiol을 병용 투여하거나 progesterone을 단독 투여하는 경우에 처리기간별 젖소의 번식 성적에 미치는 영향을 조사하기 위하여 대조군, CIDR에 estradiol 캡슐을 부착시킨 progesterone과 estradiol 병용 투여군(PE군) 및 CIDR에서 estradiol 캡슐을 제거한 progesterone 단독 투여군(P군)로 구분하여, 인공수정 후 14일째에

본 연구는 젖소에 있어서 인공수정 후 외인성 progesterone과 estradiol을 병용 투여하거나 progesterone을 단독 투여하는 경우에 젖소의 번식 성적에 미치는 영향을 조사하기 위하여 대조군, CIDR에서 estradiol 캡슐을 부착시킨 progesterone과 estradiol 병용 투여군(P4+E2군) 및 CIDR에서 estradiol 캡슐을 제거한 progesterone 단독 투여군(P4군)로 구분하여, 인공수정 후 14일째에

An artificial insemination instrument of bumblebee queens was firstly developed. This instrument consists of location tube, transfer tube, holding tube, head product, and probe apparatus for reproductive tract etc. This instrument was designed to minimize stress and damage of reproductive tract of bumblebee queens. The regulator handle apparatus in artificial insemination instrument was used the principle of lever, that manipulates easy, accurate and rapid insemination of bumblebee queens. By using this instrument, the insemination rate was over 90%. This instrument will be useful for the breeding and conservation of excellent character of bumblebees.

본 연구는 인공수정 기법을 이용한 칡소의 증식효율을 검토하고자 칡소 종모우의 정액을 채취하여 종모우별 정액성상, 동결융해 후 정액의 특성, 수태율 평가를 위한 체외수정 및 인공수정 후 수태율과 송아지의 모색 분포 등에 대하여 검토하였다. 정액은 호반모를 가진 수컷 6두에서 채취하였으며, 동결 융해 후 체외수정을 실시하였다. 총 18두의 칡소 및 일반 한우 암컷에 인공수정 후 수태율을 확인하였고, 생산된 40두의 송아지를 대상으로 모색을 분석하였다. 칡소 정액의 동결 전 일반 성상은 개체 간에 차이가 없었으며, 동결 후의 생존율과 활력에서도 개체별 차이가 없었다. 체외수정에 의한 수정능 분석 결과, 수정율에는 차이가 없었으나 배반포 발육율이 일반 한우에 비하여 칡소 정액 체외수정 시 25.9%로 유의하게 높았다(p<0.05). 인공수정 후 임신율에는 일반 한우와 칡소 간에 차이가 없었다. 칡소 정액의 인공수정 후 태어난 송아지의 모색 표현형은 40두의 송아지 중 호반모(Tiger)가 17두(42.5%)로, 황흑모, 흑황모, 흑모 및 황모에 비하여 높았으나 전체적으로 낮은 발현율을 나타내었다. 또한 호반모 암컷에 인공수정한 경우에도 55%의 송아지만 호반모로 발현되었다. 이상의 결과는 인공수정에 의한 칡소의 증식이 가능하나 호반모 칡소의 발현 빈도를 높이기 위한 연구가 필요할 것으로 사료된다.