About this Research Topic

Background

Currently, the large ruminants sector plays an important role in the global socioeconomic context. Therefore, it is necessary to research, discover, innovate, and transfer knowledge to farmers, for practices and alternatives that improve ruminant reproduction and production. Increasing the efficiency of breeding and production of dairy and beef herds is one of the great challenges for ruminant producers. Artificial insemination is a key technique to increase reproductive efficiency and the genetic improvement in cattle. The first report of artificial insemination has been dated to be more than 222 years ago; after that, many studies have been published, and this biotechnology is widely used in ruminants. However, embryo technologies have a limited applicability and are more common in dairy cows from farms with high genetic production potential, emphasizing the female's genes. Where 2nd and 3rd generation reproductive biotechniques are expensive and not supported by farmers, artificial insemination (AI) remains the most widespread reproductive biotechnique in cows.

AI biotechnology is not and will not be fully known and used, especially now in the era of smart technology. There are various breeds of cows that still have limited applicability, such as some beef cows, buffalo-caw and other ancestral breeds are on the verge of extinction. In recent decades, innovative technologies have provided a strong impetus to research in this field, thus stimulating interactions between scientists who are competent in new areas of reproductive biology. Despite this fact, there are and are emerging new perspectives for knowledge and research in the field of AI through the development of new techniques, broadening the applicability. Scientific studies including capacitation, acrosome reaction, packaging semen, diluent optimization, development of freeze-thawing protocols, sperm sexing, new AI methods and techniques, are of real interest.

The aim of this current Research Topic, we would like to collect the latest reports on various topics regarding prospects for optimizing AI biotechnology in large ruminants.

The main areas to be included in this Research Topic, but not exclusively limited to, are;

1. Features of gametes used in AI Protocols for optimizing the conception rate
2. Economics of different caw AI programs
3. Ultrasonography in cattle AI Program
4. Optimizations and new perspectives in the AI technique

All types of articles specific to the journal are expected, from Original Research, Review, Case Presentation, Brief Research Report, New methods.

Keywords: ruminant, sperm, embryo, fertility, estrus synchronization, artificial insemination, embryo transfer, reproductive biotechnologies, cow, sheep, goat, buffalo, camel

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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