Lysine requirements that maximize reproductive performance in pregnant sows

LYSINE REQUIREMENTS THAT MAXIMIZE REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE IN PREGNANT SOWS

Sponsoring Institution

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Project Status

ACTIVE

Funding Source

AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT

Reporting Frequency

Annual

Accession No.

1032111

Grant No.

2024-67015-42719

Cumulative Award Amt.

$650,000.00

Proposal No.

2023-07803

Multistate No.

(N/A)

Project Start Date

Jul 1, 2024

Project End Date

Jun 30, 2027

Grant Year

2024

Program Code

[A1231]- Animal Health and Production and Animal Products: Improved Nutritional Performance, Growth, and Lactation of Animals

Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MINNESOTA
(N/A)
ST PAUL,MN 55108

Performing Department
(N/A)

Non Technical Summary
The current issue addressed by this research is the alarming and increasing number of pig deaths, which has a significant impact on the environment and presents a crucial economic challenge for farmers and communities. High pig mortality leads to reduced pork production using the same resources, resulting in increased waste, higher costs, and potential impacts on food availability. From a community perspective, the swine industry provides employment opportunities and supports rural economies. Decreased productivity can affect jobs, livelihoods, and the overall well-being of communities dependent on the swine industry. Improving efficiency in pork production ensures the stability and growth of these communities.The current project aims to precisely determine the optimal level of the amino acid lysine in the diet of sows during pregnancy. Finding the right amount of lysine is crucial for maximizing fetal pig development, leading to stronger and healthier pigs throughout their lives. This will be achieved by providing varying levels of lysine during gestation and measuring performance variables such as the number of pigs born, their birth weight, and their growth until reaching market weight. Additionally, a wide range of blood parameters will be studied in pregnant sows to determine their optimal values. This information is essential for monitoring sow performance and adjusting their diets to promote optimal health for both the sow and their offspring. Optimal lysine levels in sow diets will boost pig health, reduce pig deaths, and improve pork production efficiency. This improvement will benefit the well-being of pigs, the environment, farmers, and communities.

Animal Health Component

Research Effort Categories

Basic

70%

Applied

Developmental

30%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
302	3510	1010	100%

Knowledge Area
302 - Nutrient Utilization in Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
3510 - Swine, live animal;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;

Keywords

Goals / Objectives
Goal of the Project:The goal of the project is to enhance the sustainability of swine production by improving nitrogen utilization efficiency through precision feeding of amino acids to pregnant sows. This initiative aims to address challenges related to escalating pig mortality rates, animal welfare concerns, environmental impacts, and economic implications for producers.Objectives of the Project:Determine the precise dietary lysine level that, when provided to pregnant sows, maximizes the survival and growth rates of their offspring throughout their entire productive lives.Validate our novel methodology for the estimation of amino acid requirements in pregnant sows.Study metabolites and metabolic pathways associated with improved animal survivability, providing insights into amino acid utilization during gestation and essential amino acid requirements.Gain a deeper understanding of amino acid utilization, not only for lysine but also for other essential amino acids, to achieve greater precision in feeding practices, leading to further advancements in sustainable and efficient swine production.

Project Methods
This project will establish dietary lysine levels that optimize the performance of the sow and their progeny, resulting in increased pig survival rates and more pork produced per production unit. Previous methodologies for determining dietary lysine levels in pregnant sows primarily focused on optimizing protein retention in the sow. However, it has not been validated that levels that maximize protein retention in the sow indeed maximize conceptus development and piglet performance. In fact, our preliminary data shows that levels that maximize protein retention in the sow are insufficient for optimizing fetal development and long-term pig performance. Thus, our methods depart from usual methods used to establish optimal lysine levels for pregnant sows and provide a novel methodology that aims to reduce pig mortality and increased pork production.The current study will use direct and indirect methods to establish the optimal lysine levels that maximize fetal and pig growht and development. The direct method consists of providing graded levels of lysine to pregnant sows and identifying the levels that maximize production performance variables such as the number of pigs born alive, birth weights, the number of pigs weaned, and their growth rates.The indirect method consists of studying the dynamics of protein retention, and metabolite production at optimal and suboptimal reproductive performance. This indirect approach would serve to establish amino acid requirements using protein retention measures or metabolic markers. It facilitates establishing amino acid requirements in future studies by requiring fewer resources in terms of experimental animals and reducing overall costs.Efforts: The methodology used for the development of the lysine requirements that will be evaluated in the current project were a result of mathematical modeling and data mining on existing published data. The current project will validate this approach for the establishment of amino acid requirements in pregnant sows, which will show the importance of data mining of biological data for our understanding of animal physiological responses. This effort will provide students and researchers with the framework of a novel methodology that can inspire future research that combines data analysis with a deep understanding of animal physiology. It is aimed that the methodology used to develop the models used in this project to be incorporated in future curriculum of animal science graduate student programs.Additionally, the current study will investigate the dynamics of protein retention and metabolite production, contrasting them with sow performance variables. This analysis will enable students and researchers to delve deeper into the physiological responses during gestation. The insights gained from these investigations will be valuable in animal science research and teaching.Evaluation:The most important component of the current project is the evaluation of the calculated lysine requirements. Previous methodologies established lysine requirements but no measures of their effectiveness in improving reproductive performance variables were measured. In the current project, the establishment of lysine requirements is based on the performance variables of the sow and their progeny. This methodology will guarantee that the objective of the project will be met. That is, this project will deliver lysine requirements that are proven to result in improved sow and piglet performance and not only theoretical estimates as previous methodologies.

Progress 07/01/24 to 06/30/25

Outputs
Target Audience:Two of the three experiments supported by this grant are currently in progress. During this reporting period, pilot testing, experimental design discussions, and collaborative planning and execution have involved six graduate students and four postdoctoral associates. These individuals have directly benefited from their participation in the project through hands-on experience and skill development in scientific planning, experimental design, and research execution. Changes/Problems:The project is generally progressing as expected; however, a preliminary pilot study was conducted at the beginning of the reporting period to refine aspects of the experimental design. While this introduced a short delay in the start of the main trials, the pilot was intentionally implemented to improve the precision and reliability of the study, ultimately increasing the likelihood of detecting meaningful animal responses. No other major changes or problems have been identified. There have been no significant impacts on the overall project objectives, no changes to the approved Data Management Plan, and no modifications to protocols involving animal use, human subjects, or biohazards. The project remains aligned with the approved scope and is on track to meet its goals. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During this reporting period, the project has provided meaningful opportunities for training and professional development for six graduate students and four postdoctoral associates. These individuals have been actively involved in various stages of the project, including pilot testing, experimental design, protocol refinement, and execution of animal trials. Through this hands-on involvement, trainees have gained experience in: Designing and conducting animal nutrition experiments. Applying precision feeding principles in a research context. Engaging in interdisciplinary discussions on amino acid metabolism, sustainability, and data interpretation. Collaborating across research teams to troubleshoot logistical and methodological challenges. In addition to technical skills, the project has fostered growth in scientific communication, critical thinking, and collaborative research planning, key competencies for careers in animal science and agricultural research. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?? During the next reporting period, we plan to: Complete the ongoing animal trials to assess the effects of varying dietary lysine levels in pregnant sows on offspring survival, growth, and long-term performance. Analyze data from multiple time points, including blood metabolite profiles, to identify key metabolic pathways and biomarkers associated with improved survivability and amino acid utilization. Continue validating our novel methodology for estimating amino acid requirements in gestating sows, integrating experimental data with predictive modeling approaches. Expand the focus beyond lysine to include other essential amino acids, allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of nutrient efficiency and metabolic trade-offs. Develop preliminary decision-support tools or modeling frameworks that can inform precision feeding strategies based on metabolite indicators or pathway-level responses. Engage trainees in data analysis and interpretation, providing further opportunities for skill development in experimental research and translational applications. These steps will advance our progress toward identifying optimized amino acid profiles for sustainable and efficient swine production.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? While we have not yet completed the project objectives, significant progress has been made during this reporting period. Two of the three planned experiments are currently in progress. Key achievements include: Experimental Setup and Execution: We have initiated animal trials to evaluate the effects of dietary lysine levels on sow and offspring performance. Pilot testing and experimental design refinements were completed through collaborative efforts with our team of researchers, including graduate students and postdoctoral associates. Methodological Advancements: We have begun implementing our novel approach to estimating amino acid requirements in pregnant sows. Data collection is ongoing, and the first time point (final blood collection) has already been preprocessed for analysis. Additional time points are being prepared for further evaluation. Preliminary Analysis of Metabolite Data: Early-stageanalyses have been conducted using data from the first blood collection. These initial results have identified candidate metabolites potentially associated with improved piglet survivability in gestating sows, which will inform future exploration of metabolic pathways related to amino acid utilization. Although final results are not yet available, we are on track to meet the project's objectives. Our current efforts are laying the groundwork for rigorous analyses that will support precision feeding strategies and enhance the sustainability of swine production.

Publications