Fertility augmentation approaches in dairy animals - A review

Fertility augmentation approaches Fertility is one of the key determinants of the life time reproductive performance of the dairy cattle (Bos taurus and Bos indicus) and riverine buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) which is reflected by its genotype, physiological condition, nutrition and management. It is assessed by the ability of a dairy cow to produce one calf per year. Fertility in riverine buffalo is considerably lower than in cattle. To attain the optimum reproductive performance the animal has to have functional ovaries, display estrous behaviour, mate, conceive, sustain the embryo through gestation, parturiate and resume normal reproductive cycle, but any deviation from this physiological phenomenon which limits the reproductive performance of the animal is known as infertility. Infertility in the dairy herd leads to a loss of milk production, a loss of income from calf sales and an increase in the replacement rate of the cows with first calving heifers.