One-step thaw process for embryos allows farmers to carry out implantation work

摘要

Two new embryo transfer techniques developed in Canada have dramatically increased pregnancy rates and have lead to a massive increase in the number of embryos collected during super ovulation, writes Graeme Kirk. Already in general use throughout Canada, using ethylene glycol as the medium for freezing embryos instead of glycerol has already produced impressive results and has put embryo transfer into the hands of owner-inseminators for the first time. "Unlike glycerol, the new medium is not toxic to the embryo and does not have to be washed off before the embryo is implanted," the general manager of Western Ontario Breeders Inc (WOBI), John McDougall, told Dairy Farmer at the Royal Show "This means that embryos can be stored in the on-farm semen tank and can be implanted by home inseminators after some extra training."