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The influence of boar-component stimuli on puberty attainment in the gilt

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

G. P. Pearce  and
P. E. Hughes
G. P. Pearce
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT
P. E. Hughes
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT
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Abstract

Two experiments employing 72 and 48 pre-pubertal Large White ♂ × (Large White ♂ × Landrace ♀) gilts respectively were carried out to investigate the involvement of various boar stimuli in the induction of precocious puberty in the gilt. Experiment 1 consisted of the following treatments commencing at 165 days of age: (1) contact with an androgenized, castrated male; (2) contact with an androgenized castrated male plus a recording of boar chants; (3) as treatment (2) plus exposure to a solution of 16-androstene steroids, 3α-androstenol (5α-androst-16-en-3α-ol) and 5α-androstenone (5α-androst-16-en-3-one); and (4) contact with an entire boar. In experiment 2, additional exposure to boar urine occurred in treatments (2) and (3).

Exposure of gilts to tactile, visual and auditory cues from the boar had little effect on puberty attainment. The additional exposure to 16-androstene steroids did stimulate puberty but was not as efficacious as boar exposure. Additional exposure to boar urine improved the puberty-stimulating effect of the castrated males, and further additional exposure to 16-androstenes produced a response approaching that obtained by boar exposure.

These results confirm the involvement of olfactory cues from the boar in stimulating puberty in the gilt. The olfactory cues appear to be 16-androstene steroids present in boar saliva and some undefined compound(s) present in boar urine. These experiments suggest that olfactory stimuli from the boar require the simultaneous exposure to tactile and possibly also visual and auditory cues from the boar in order to stimulate the onset of puberty in the gilt.

cues from the mature boar are also involved in mediating the stimulation of puberty. Exposure of gilts to isolated sources of androstene pheromones was ineffective in stimulating puberty (Kirkwood et al., 1983), whereas exposure to contact with a sialectomized boar order to stimulate the onset of puberty in the gilt.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 44 , Issue 2 , April 1987 , pp. 293 - 302
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1987

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References

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