OPTIMIZATION OF ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION TECHNOLOGY FOR SOWS UNDER COMMERCIAL PIG PRODUCTION CONDITIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37406/2706-9052-2026-2-6Keywords:
boars, pigs, sows, artificial insemination, cervical insemination, post-cervical insemination, semen dose, reproductive performance, technological efficiency, resource-saving, commercial pig productionAbstract
The intensification of commercial pig production and the need to maximize the genetic potential of modern high-performance pig genotypes require continuous improvement of artificial insemination technologies aimed at enhancing sow reproductive efficiency while ensuring the rational use of boar genetic resources. The aim of this study was to optimize artificial insemination technology for sows under commercial pig production conditions through a comparative evaluation of cervical and post-cervical insemination methods based on technological, reproductive and resource-economic indicators. The study was conducted during 2024–2026 at the agricultural production cooperative “Mig-Service-Agro” (Mykolaiv Region, Ukraine). Two analogous groups of clinically healthy crossbred sows in parities 3–5 (30 animals per group) were formed. Sows in the control group were inseminated using the conventional cervical method with an 80 ml semen dose containing 2.5 billion spermatozoa, whereas sows in the experimental group were inseminated by the post-cervical method using a 45 ml semen dose containing 1.5 billion spermatozoa. The duration of the insemination procedure, semen backflow, catheter insertion resistance, sow behavioral response, occurrence of blood during the procedure, confirmed pregnancy rate, repeat estrus rate, relationships among technological parameters, and calculated resource-economic efficiency were evaluated. Post-cervical insemination reduced the duration of the insemination procedure by 36.6% (p < 0.001) and decreased semen backflow by 63.4% (p < 0.001) compared with the conventional cervical method. No statistically significant differences were found regarding catheter insertion resistance or the occurrence of blood, whereas the behavioral response of sows showed a tendency toward lower expression (p = 0.050). The confirmed pregnancy rate reached 86.7% in the experimental group compared with 83.3% in the control group, while the repeat estrus rate decreased from 16.7% to 13.3%; however, these differences were not statistically significant. Correlation analysis revealed a moderate positive relationship between procedure duration and semen backflow (r = 0.545; p < 0.001), whereas no significant associations were found between the evaluated technological parameters and pregnancy rate. The calculated resource-economic assessment demonstrated that post-cervical insemination reduced labor requirements by 3.15 person-hours per 100 inseminations and by 31.50 person-hours per 1,000 inseminations, decreased diluted semen consumption by 43.75%, reduced sperm demand by 40.0%, and increased semen dose yield from 40.0 to 66.7 doses per 100 billion viable spermatozoa. The obtained results indicate that post-cervical artificial insemination provides substantial technological and resourcesaving advantages without compromising sow reproductive performance. These findings support the practical implementation of postcervical insemination in commercial pig production to improve the efficiency of utilizing genetically valuable boars and to optimize reproductive management.
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