Using Reproductive Technologies and Developmental Programming to Help Feed the World

Carl R. Dahlen¹; Joel S. Caton¹; Lawrence P. Reynolds¹; and S. Amat²

1. North Dakota State University Department of Animal Sciences, Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Fargo, ND, USA

2. North Dakota State University Department of Microbiological Sciences, Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Fargo, ND, USA

 

Abstract Text: As the world population continues to expand, so too does the need for increased food supply for the growing populace.  Therefore, food security is one of the largest concerns facing our society in the near future. Red meat provides essential amino acids, iron, zinc, selenium, vitamin B12, folate, choline, and other nutrients, positioning beef and lamb to be important parts of a healthy diet.  The dynamics of the United States beef market are such that a record amount of beef is being produced by a declining number of reproductive-age females.  Maintaining or expanding beef production, therefore, will require greater advancement in and greater adoption of reproductive technologies.  Understanding how perinatal biology can be used to enhance offspring outcomes is another mechanism that could be used to increase production from a fixed or declining resource base. Producers utilizing modern ovulations synchronization protocols realize short-term benefits of a greater proportion of females calving early in the calving season and greater weaning weights, with potential long-term benefits of increased lifetime calf weaning weights and longevity in the herd.  All females in a herd can be bred on the first day of the breeding season, and sex-sorted semen can be used to selectively shift the sex ratio of offspring towards enhanced meat or milk production.  Preliminary understanding of the reproductive microbiome indicates major presence in the male and female reproductive tracts, an association with pregnancy attainment, and transfer from dam to offspring in utero.  Gene editing technologies can be used to change the DNA sequence to enhance economically important phenotypes. Developmental programming is the concept that parental experiences (either of maternal or paternal origin) during gametogenesis, fertilization, and/or gestation can subsequently impact postnatal offspring outcomes.  Such models in livestock have demonstrated that in utero environment has impacts on growth, metabolism, adiposity, reproduction, and brain development of the fetus. Our research group has studied models of assisted reproductive techniques, protein/energy supplementation, vitamin/mineral supplementation, targeted feeding of one-carbon metabolites, and altered forage:concentrate ratios of the diet at timepoints of early pregnancy, neonatal, weaning, reproductive age of developing offspring, and expanding to the F2 generation.  Further, paternal programming effects have been demonstrated in models of specific feed ingredients and global sire under and overnutrition, with impacts observed on offspring growth, feed efficiency, and metabolic phenotype. The next phases of research are to understand postnatal consequences of a variety of management scenarios common in production agriculture, and the synergies possible with the combined effects of programming mechanism of maternal and paternal origin.  The scientific community will need to work together to provide practical innovations that can be readily adopted by producers to harness the power of reproductive technologies and developmental programming to increase food production for the growing population.