Feeding Tall Fescue Seed during Mid and Late Gestation Influences Subsequent Postnatal Growth, Puberty, and Carcass Quality of Offspring
Weaned lambs (<i>n</i> = 82), born to ewes fed endophyte-free (E−) or endophyte-infected (E+; 1.77 mg hd<sup>−1</sup> d<sup>−1</sup> ergovaline + ergovalinine) tall fescue seed from d 35 to 85 of gestation (MID) and/or d 86 of gestation to parturition (LATE), were...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-10-01
|
| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1859 |
| _version_ | 1797551197299671040 |
|---|---|
| author | Maslyn A. Greene Jessica L. Britt J. Keith Bertrand James L. Klotz William Bridges John G. Andrae Susan K. Duckett |
| author_facet | Maslyn A. Greene Jessica L. Britt J. Keith Bertrand James L. Klotz William Bridges John G. Andrae Susan K. Duckett |
| author_sort | Maslyn A. Greene |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Weaned lambs (<i>n</i> = 82), born to ewes fed endophyte-free (E−) or endophyte-infected (E+; 1.77 mg hd<sup>−1</sup> d<sup>−1</sup> ergovaline + ergovalinine) tall fescue seed from d 35 to 85 of gestation (MID) and/or d 86 of gestation to parturition (LATE), were used to examine how ergot alkaloid exposure during fetal development altered subsequent puberty attainment or carcass quality. Lambs were weaned at 75 d of age and separated by sex to assess puberty in ewe lambs (<i>n</i> = 39) and to evaluate growth, carcass and meat quality in wethers (<i>n</i> = 43). Data were analyzed with maternal fescue treatment, stage of gestation, and two-way interaction in the model. Age at puberty tended (<i>P</i> = 0.06) to be longer for ewe lambs born to dams fed E+ fescue during LATE gestation versus those fed E−. Post-weaning average daily gain tended to be higher (<i>P</i> = 0.07) for wether lambs born to dams fed E+ fescue seed during MID gestation compared to E−. Exposure to ergot alkaloids during fetal growth altered (<i>P</i> < 0.10) longissimus muscle weight and color, lipid deposition, fatty acid composition, and shear force values of semimembranosus muscle in wether lambs. These results indicate that exposure to ergot alkaloids in utero does alter subsequent post-weaning puberty attainment and body composition in offspring. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:41:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1cfcdfad8c8d47c3b298c3ff9ca1dfc4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:41:08Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-1cfcdfad8c8d47c3b298c3ff9ca1dfc42023-11-20T16:47:32ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152020-10-011010185910.3390/ani10101859Feeding Tall Fescue Seed during Mid and Late Gestation Influences Subsequent Postnatal Growth, Puberty, and Carcass Quality of OffspringMaslyn A. Greene0Jessica L. Britt1J. Keith Bertrand2James L. Klotz3William Bridges4John G. Andrae5Susan K. Duckett6Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USADepartment of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USADepartment of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USAUSDA-ARS, Forage Production Research Unit, Lexington, KY 40546, USADepartment of Mathematical Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USADepartment of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USADepartment of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USAWeaned lambs (<i>n</i> = 82), born to ewes fed endophyte-free (E−) or endophyte-infected (E+; 1.77 mg hd<sup>−1</sup> d<sup>−1</sup> ergovaline + ergovalinine) tall fescue seed from d 35 to 85 of gestation (MID) and/or d 86 of gestation to parturition (LATE), were used to examine how ergot alkaloid exposure during fetal development altered subsequent puberty attainment or carcass quality. Lambs were weaned at 75 d of age and separated by sex to assess puberty in ewe lambs (<i>n</i> = 39) and to evaluate growth, carcass and meat quality in wethers (<i>n</i> = 43). Data were analyzed with maternal fescue treatment, stage of gestation, and two-way interaction in the model. Age at puberty tended (<i>P</i> = 0.06) to be longer for ewe lambs born to dams fed E+ fescue during LATE gestation versus those fed E−. Post-weaning average daily gain tended to be higher (<i>P</i> = 0.07) for wether lambs born to dams fed E+ fescue seed during MID gestation compared to E−. Exposure to ergot alkaloids during fetal growth altered (<i>P</i> < 0.10) longissimus muscle weight and color, lipid deposition, fatty acid composition, and shear force values of semimembranosus muscle in wether lambs. These results indicate that exposure to ergot alkaloids in utero does alter subsequent post-weaning puberty attainment and body composition in offspring.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1859sheeptall fescueergot alkaloidsgrowthpubertycarcass quality |
| spellingShingle | Maslyn A. Greene Jessica L. Britt J. Keith Bertrand James L. Klotz William Bridges John G. Andrae Susan K. Duckett Feeding Tall Fescue Seed during Mid and Late Gestation Influences Subsequent Postnatal Growth, Puberty, and Carcass Quality of Offspring Animals sheep tall fescue ergot alkaloids growth puberty carcass quality |
| title | Feeding Tall Fescue Seed during Mid and Late Gestation Influences Subsequent Postnatal Growth, Puberty, and Carcass Quality of Offspring |
| title_full | Feeding Tall Fescue Seed during Mid and Late Gestation Influences Subsequent Postnatal Growth, Puberty, and Carcass Quality of Offspring |
| title_fullStr | Feeding Tall Fescue Seed during Mid and Late Gestation Influences Subsequent Postnatal Growth, Puberty, and Carcass Quality of Offspring |
| title_full_unstemmed | Feeding Tall Fescue Seed during Mid and Late Gestation Influences Subsequent Postnatal Growth, Puberty, and Carcass Quality of Offspring |
| title_short | Feeding Tall Fescue Seed during Mid and Late Gestation Influences Subsequent Postnatal Growth, Puberty, and Carcass Quality of Offspring |
| title_sort | feeding tall fescue seed during mid and late gestation influences subsequent postnatal growth puberty and carcass quality of offspring |
| topic | sheep tall fescue ergot alkaloids growth puberty carcass quality |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1859 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT maslynagreene feedingtallfescueseedduringmidandlategestationinfluencessubsequentpostnatalgrowthpubertyandcarcassqualityofoffspring AT jessicalbritt feedingtallfescueseedduringmidandlategestationinfluencessubsequentpostnatalgrowthpubertyandcarcassqualityofoffspring AT jkeithbertrand feedingtallfescueseedduringmidandlategestationinfluencessubsequentpostnatalgrowthpubertyandcarcassqualityofoffspring AT jameslklotz feedingtallfescueseedduringmidandlategestationinfluencessubsequentpostnatalgrowthpubertyandcarcassqualityofoffspring AT williambridges feedingtallfescueseedduringmidandlategestationinfluencessubsequentpostnatalgrowthpubertyandcarcassqualityofoffspring AT johngandrae feedingtallfescueseedduringmidandlategestationinfluencessubsequentpostnatalgrowthpubertyandcarcassqualityofoffspring AT susankduckett feedingtallfescueseedduringmidandlategestationinfluencessubsequentpostnatalgrowthpubertyandcarcassqualityofoffspring |