China Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (1): 333-342.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2026.01.030

• Genetics and Breeding • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Population Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Pregnancy Rates for in vitro Embryo Transfer in Holstein Cattle

LI Yanyan1,2(), HUANG Yuechuan2, ZHANG Hailiang2, MEI Cheng3, YANG Minglu3, ZHANG Menghua1, XU Lei1, FENG Yan1,2, HUANG Xixia1(), WANG Yachun2()   

  1. 1.College of Animal Science,Xinjiang Agricultural University,Urumqi 830052,China
    2.College of Animal Science and Technology,China Agricultural University,Beijing 100193,China
    3.Dongying AustAsia Modern Dairy Farm Co. ,Ltd. ,Dongying 257300,China
  • Revised:2025-09-02 Online:2026-01-05 Published:2025-12-26
  • Contact: HUANG Xixia, WANG Yachun E-mail:1072087203@qq.com;au-huangxixia@163.com;wangyachun@cau.edu.cn

Abstract:

Objective In vitro embryo production and embryo transfer (IVP-ET) is one of the most important reproduction technology in modern dairy industry. This study aimed to analyze the influencing factors of pregnancy rate of in vitro embryo transfer in Holstein cattle, examine the phenotype characteristic of the pregnancy rate of in vitro embryo transfer using embryos transfer records from large-scale dairy operation, providing actionable information to optimize the technical system for somatic cell nuclear transfer. Method A total of 5 155 in vitro embryo transfer records were collected along with the corresponding pregnancy check results from 4 534 Holstein cattle in 11 large-scale dairy farms. The logistic regression model was used to analyze the effects of non-genetic factors (such as embryo-related factors) on embryo transfer successful rate. Result The overall pregnancy rate of in vitro produced embryo transfer in Holstein heifers was 51.29%. Several factors had an extremely significant effect on the pregnancy rate, including embryo-related factors (preservation status, developmental stage, in vitro culture duration) and the recipient’s transfer number. Specifically, the pregnancy rate of fresh embryos was extremely significantly higher than that of frozen embryos (P<0.01). At different developmental stages, expanded blastocysts resulted in an extremely significantly higher pregnancy rate compare with blastocysts (P<0.01). Among embryos cultured in vitro for different days, the transfer pregnancy rate of embryos cultured until the afternoon of the 6th day, morning and afternoon of the 7th day was extremely significantly higher than that of embryos cultured until the afternoon of the 8th day (P<0.01). Furthermore, first-time recipients achieved an extremely significantly higher pregnancy rate compare with undergoing subsequent transfers (P<0.01). Recipient age and the sire of the embryo had a significant effecton the pregnancy rate, heifers aged >14.5 to ≤15 months achieved the highest pregnancy rate (52.59%), which was extremely significantly higher than that of heifers aged <14 months (P<0.01). The sire of the embryo also significantly influenced the pregnancy rate (P<0.05), indicating that the intrinsic quality of the embryo, as determined by the sire, was a critical upstream factor for transfer success, which underscored the strong interrelationship between the processes of embryo production and the final outcomes of embryo transfer. Conclusion Utilizing extensive embryo transfer data, this study demonstrated that embryo preservation status, developmental stage, in vitro culture duration, and recipient transfer number were critical determinants of pregnancy rate. The results underscored that enhancing embryo quality and rigorous recipient selection were key to increasing the efficiency of IVP-ET in Holstein cattle.

Key words: Holstein cattle; in vitro embryo; embryo transfer; pregnancy rate; population characteristics

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