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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Livestock Issues Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #187040
Title: DIETARY L-ARGININE SUPPLEMENTATION IMPROVES PREGNANCY OUTCOME IN GILTS

Author
item MATEO, RONALDO - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
item WU, GUOVAO - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item Carroll, Jeffery - Jeff Carroll
item SHIZATO, IZURU - AJINOMOTO CO, INC.
item KIM, SUNG WOO - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Midwestern Section of the American Society of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/15/2005
Publication Date: 7/9/2006
Citation: Mateo, R., Wu, G., Carroll, J.A., Shizato, I., Kim, S.W. 2006. Dietary L-arginine supplementation improves pregnancy outcome in gilts [abstract]. Journal of Animal Science. 84:49(Suppl. 2). Abstract #21.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary L-arginine supplementation on the production performance of pregnant gilts. A total of 53 pregnant gilts with an initial body weight of 166.25 plus or minus 1.81 kg and backfat thickness of 13.26 plus or minus 0.21 mm were housed individually in gestation crates. At d 30 of gestation, gilts were assigned randomly to corn- and soybean-based diets supplemented with 1.0 % L-arginine (treatment group) or 1.7 % L-alanine (isonitrogenous control). Both diets contained 3.1 Mcal ME/kg and 12.2% CP. Gilts were fed 1 kg twice a day at 0700 and at 1700 h during the gestation period. Maternal body weight and backfat thickness were measured on d 30, 50, 70, 90, and 110 d of gestation. At d 110 of gestation, gilts were transferred to individual farrowing crates. The numbers of total pigs born and born alive as well as birth weights of piglets were recorded immediately after farrowing. At d 110 of gestation, maternal body weight (P=0.603) and backfat thickness (P=0.349) did not differ between the control and treatment groups. The total number of pigs born did not differ (P=0.102) between the two groups of gilts. However, compared with the control group, arginine supplementation increased the number of pigs born alive by 23% (11.23 vs. 9.12, P=0.029) and litter birth weight by 28% (15.80 vs. 12.37 kg, P=0.005). These results demonstrate, for the first time, that dietary L-arginine supplementation improves pregnancy outcome in gilts. Supported by Texas Tech Univ., Texas A&M Univ., Ajinomoto, and USDA.