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Abstract The objective of this work was to investigate whether puberty and parturition alter the antral follicle count (AFC) in female Nelore (Bos indicus) beef cattle. Two experiments were carried out to compare AFC between the prepubertal and pubertal periods and between the prepubertal and postpartum periods. AFC and follicle concentrations did not differ between the prepubertal and pubertal periods. However, the ovarian area increased after puberty. In addition, AFC and the ovarian area were greater in the postpartum than in the prepubertal period. Therefore, AFC is not affected by the puberty of Nelore heifers, but increases significantly when the prepubertal heifers become cows.

This study aimed to determine the effect of antral follicle count (AFC), and pubertal status on the fertility of beef heifers. In this study, 230 Nelore heifers, 20±2 months of age, were subjected to an estradiol progesterone-based timed artificial insemination (TAI) program. On Day 0 of the TAI protocol, the heifers were examined by transrectal ultrasound to record videos of the ovaries. Later, in the darkroom of the laboratory of images, the videos were analyzed for AFC (≥ 3 mm) of each ovary. Females who failed the first TAI were resynchronized with the same hormonal protocol. The pregnancy status was evaluated by ultrasonography 30 days after each FTAI. The general mean of the AFC was 22.0 follicles. Thus, the heifers were divided into 2 groups according to AFC: Low AFC (˂ 22 follicles, n = 114), and High AFC (≥ 22 follicles, n = 116). No differences (P > 0.05) in the pregnancy per AI (P/AI) were observed between the Low and High AFC groups, and between pubertal and prepubertal categories. The P/AI was not different between heifers that displayed or did not estrus (P = 0.2). However, considering the estrus response of each AFC group, High AFC heifers that displayed estrus had greater P/AI (P = 0.01) than High AFC heifers that did not display estrus. In summary, AFC and pubertal status did not affect the fertility of Nelore heifers. In contrast, the P/AI of heifers that did not display estrus was lower than heifers observed in estrus only in the High AFC group.

A programação fetal, também chamada de programação do desenvolvimento, é conceito de um estímulo materno através da dieta sobre o desempenho e crescimento do feto, os quais estão relacionados aos efeitos do ambiente uterino através de mecanismos epigenéticos. Os mecanismos epigenéticos modulam a adaptação do feto ao ambiente uterino através do silenciamento ou ativação gênica. As forragens tropicais cultivadas no Brasil apresentam baixo valor nutricional, principalmente na estação seca do ano, e podem ser inadequadas para garantir a nutrição ideal para o crescimento, prenhez e lactação. Dessa forma, a suplementação proteica de vacas de corte no terço final da gestação torna-se importante, por ser uma fase em que ocorre o crescimento exponencial do feto com maior demanda nutricional. Tendo como objetivos alterar o eixo hipotálamo-hipófise-adrenal do feto por causar impressão metabólica ou endócrina, como também efeitos sobre as células musculares, permitindo a promoção potencial da miogênese e adipogênese do músculo fetal. O objetivo desta revisão é abordar os conceitos relacionados à programação fetal e os efeitos da suplementação proteica de vacas de corte no terço final da gestação sobre o desempenho produtivo e reprodutivo da progênie.