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Study explores libido of boars and impact on sow fertility for pig farming

A study in the International Journal of Agriculture Innovation, Technology and Globalisation looks at a little-researched factor in pig farming: the libido of boars and the impact this has on sow fertility.

Tshepo Teele of the Center of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at the University of South Africa, has looked at indigenous pig breeds in South Africa and identified the sex drive of the boar as having a big impact on litter size. Obviously, litter size has a big effect on the efficiency and sustainability of pig-farming operations.

Teele points out that Southern African indigenous pig breeds have not generally undergone the same genetic selection processes as other more widely held porcine stock. As such, they have unique reproductive characteristics. Moreover, they are commonly adaptable and have resistance to troublesome diseases.

Given that pork is a significant source of relatively low-cost protein, these breeds could have an even more important role to play in the market for pork. However, attention needs to be paid to their reproductive capacity and breeding.

Efficient breeding systems are important for meeting demand, keeping costs down, and ensuring breeders and farmers make a sustainable living from their livestock. Teele explains that conventional breeding programs tend to focus on growth rate and carcass quality, but reproductive factors, particularly boar libido, deserve closer attention for facile ways to improve yields.

Porcine libido can be measured in terms of reaction time (the interval from mounting to ejaculation). It can have a direct impact on sow fertility, not least because boars with a higher libido can, through their behavior and pheromone release, stimulate earlier maturity in gilts (young female pigs) and trigger the development of larger litters.

The work argues for the inclusion of libido-focused estimated breeding values as a statistical tool for predicting genetic potential in breeding strategies. By doing so, farmers can build on the natural strengths of their pigs to improve yields.

Reproductive traits in pigs are inherited at quite a low rate. However, dietary supplements such as zinc and selenium are known to boost testosterone levels, which may improve boar libido. Given the correlation between boar libido and sow fertility, there are obvious practical interventions that could complement any breeding efforts to boost reproductive outcomes.