HERD MANAGEMENT FOR REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY

Despite many years of research the reproductive efficiency of dairy ca ttle is still low. Oestrus detection and high rates of embryo mortalit y remain the major problems. Computerisation has led to the developmen t of herd health schemes and knowledge based systems for decision supp ort in dairy farming. However, it is clear that the successful applica tion of these is often limited by the availability of reliable diagnos tic procedures. New developments for example in understanding of embry o-maternal interactions offer good prospects for future improvement. S imilarly better knowledge of reproductive pathophysiology is enabling better targeting of hormonal treatments for improved fertility. The el ucidation of the interaction of specific nutritional and disease syndr omes with the reproductive system will also lead to improved reproduct ive management.