Sex sorted semen is an improved way by which farmers can get the desired gender of livestock that they wish to produce from breeding. Sex sorted semen was first commercialized in the USA in the year 2001. It was developed by the USDA or United States Department of Agriculture. The technology was developed by scientists in the US states of California and Maryland. Today, sex-sorted semen is used around the world for animal husbandry. India ad BAIF has the advanced technology needed for the production of Sex Sorted semen,
What is sex-sorted semen?
Sex sorted semen is used to produce the desired progenies of livestock from a breeding program. For semen to be considered sex-sorted it must have an accuracy of 80 t0 90 percent. Sex sorted semen allows farmers to decide in advance if they wish to produce male or female livestock.
Why is sex sorted semen so important?
Sex sorted semen is used for the breeding of livestock. Some semen produces male cattle while other semen produces female cattle. Having the right kind of semen that can produce male or female cattle can increase the efficiency of farms.
Breeding is an important part of husbandry. Every farmer wants desired livestock of the correct gender for his farm. If you take the example of dairy farming, there is a need for cows more than there is a need for bullocks. For this reason dairy farms need to be able to get more output of female cattle from their breeding program. Using sex sorted semen, farmers are able to determine the gender of the cattle from the insemination process itself.
In this article we will take an overview of sex sorted semen or sexed semen and discuss it various benefits that improve the outcome of farms and the livestock they produce.
How is sexed semen or sex sorted semen produced?
Sperm contains two types of chromosomes. This is the X chromosome and the Y chromosome. Male cattle have X and Y chromosomes while female cattle have the XX chromosome.
By determining the sperm that inseminates the cattle, farmers are able to produce either male or female cattle. For this purpose semen of cattle must be sexed so that farmers get the desired outcome. Sexed semen is widely used for cattle sorting systems.
The technology that is used for the sexing of semen is known as the flow cytometry technology. Over 2 decades the technology used for sexing semen has been refined, and today farmers are able to determine the sex of semen with the accuracy of up to 90%. Sex soreted semen for animal husbandry is widely used in India.
Is it safe to used sex sorted semen for animal husbandry?
According to the Indian Farm Associations, yes, it is very safe to used sex sorted semen for animal husbandry. Sexed semen has proved very beneficial for farmers in the dairy industry. The accuracy of sex sorted semen is 80% to 90%. Sexed semen is used for semen sorting cattle.
Studies have found that the conception rate or sexed semen is 10% to 15% less than using conventional semen and insemination procedures.
Why is sexed semen so important?
In today’s world, male calves and female calves are used for different purposes. Males are used as beasts of burden and female cows are used for the production of milk. In the case of a male calf being formed, farmers have a hard time understanding how they can put these calves to use. For this reason, male calves are often
abandoned on the streets or are killed. This is not the optimal way to breed calves and for this reason, sexed semen is so important.
Now sperm banks in India are making use of the technology and are making it more accessible to Indian farmers.
