More than 100 calves have been bred in the Tomsk region using embryonic technologies

In the Tomsk region, they plan to increase the number of highly productive livestock, including through the technology of in vitro fertilization.

As part of the concept for the development of beef cattle breeding in 2016, the agricultural producers of the region were given the task of bringing the number of beef cattle to 30 thousand heads by 2030.

it was planned to ensure the growth of the livestock not only through the purchase of MEAT calves outside the region, but also through the cultivation of their own young animals using IVF technology.

In 2017, on the basis of the Association for Innovative Development of the Agro-industrial Complex of the Tomsk Region (AIR AIC TO), a laboratory for reproductive technologies was created, which was equipped with the most modern equipment.

At the moment, the full cycle of in vitro fertilization has already been mastered in the Tomsk region. More than 100 Galloway calves have been received. Now the task is to increase the capacity. By the end of 2021, it is planned to achieve 200 pregnancies. In the future - up to one and a half thousand pregnancies a year. At the same time, the laboratory is focused not only on the meat direction, but also on the dairy one. Thanks to embryonic technologies, it is planned to provide large and small farms in the region with highly productive livestock.

In 2021, with the involvement of an expert in the field of embryology Vladimir Babenkov, specialists from the Tomsk laboratory mastered the "in vivo" technology. The experience of using two technologies will allow to be more mobile and versatile, as well as to offer each farm the most appropriate technology in each specific case.

Today, donor cows are provided to Tomsk embryologists by several farms in the region. For aspiration, both the best cows with valuable pedigree qualities, and those culled for any reason, can be used. Some of them manage to return to the main herd. The fact is that with ultrasound, which is used to take eggs, it is possible to detect violations and pathologies of organs. Moreover, aspiration has a beneficial effect on the restoration of the reproductive organs in case of pathologies.

In December 2020, a unique case occurred in the laboratory - embryologists managed to obtain 16 embryos from one cow. The standard practice is to receive 3-5 embryos from one donor at a time.

In the future, Tomsk embryologists plan to put the technology on stream and reach the industrial level. Tomsk specialists also plan to provide services for in vitro fertilization to farms from other regions. The laboratory has a regional status, that is, any livestock farms and enterprises, regardless of their location, can use its services.

According to the HEAD of the Association for Innovative Development of the Agroindustrial Complex of the Tomsk Region, Dmitry Bille, negotiations are currently underway with the national research Tomsk State University on joint work in the development of embryonic technologies. The joint creation of a cryobank and a laboratory for genotyping farm animals is being considered.

“Unlike artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization allows you to keep high genetics by 100%,” Dmitry Bille explained, “for reproduction, you can choose not only the seed of a champion bull, but also choose the appropriate donor cow. And with artificial insemination, even if you use the semen of champion bulls, the genes of a mother cow, which may not have high breed characteristics, will be transferred to the future calf.

The paradox is that the more MILK a cow gives, the lower her reproductive functions. And vice versa. At the same time, the share of highly productive cows in the herd is only about 20%. The IVF method allows you to take an egg from a highly productive cow, plant it with a “regular” surrogate mother and get a calf with high breed characteristics.

Thus, livestock can be improved by IVF faster than by natural means or by artificial insemination.