Source: FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
BUILDING CAPACITY IN ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES (ARTS) AT FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY (FVSU): STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF IVEP AND AI IN SMALL RUMINANTS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1030376
Grant No.
2023-38821-39935
Cumulative Award Amt.
$599,670.00
Proposal No.
2022-09585
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Apr 15, 2023
Project End Date
Apr 14, 2026
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[EQ]- Research Project
Recipient Organization
FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
1005 STATE UNIVERSITY DRIVE
FORT VALLEY,GA 31030
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The global population is expected to rise from a current level of ~7.7 billion to ~9.7 billion by 2050. To meet future needs and to be able to sustain agricultural production, agricultural research and its applications need to use all emerging technologies one of which is assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). Growth in small ruminant (sheep and goat) production has gained tremendous interest in the USA over the last few decades, particularly in the southeastern U.S. Small ruminants have potential for meat and milk production as well as in biomedical and reproductive research. ARTs particularly AI and IVEP is still not-well-developed in sheep and goat compared to cattle and there is a room for further improvement. A strong, well-trained workforce in the agricultural and biomedical sciences is essential to provide the resources necessary to feed the growing population and helping people to alleviate their health issues. This effort requires innovative solutions that will come from a workforce with a diverse background. To this end, the proposed project seeks to establish ARTs research and teaching facility at Fort Valley State University to provide opportunities for underrepresented students to be trained and acquire skills in these technologies. This will give them the capabilities to complete their undergraduate and graduate degrees in agricultural and biomedical sciences and ultimately pursuing a career in embryology, andrology, animal reproduction, human fertility, or biotechnology. Another research goal of the project is to utilize ARTs especially AI and IVEP to improve the reproductive potential and production in small ruminants.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
30%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
30139991020100%
Knowledge Area
301 - Reproductive Performance of Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
3999 - Animal research, general;

Field Of Science
1020 - Physiology;
Goals / Objectives
The proposed project seeks to establish assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) research and teaching facility at Fort Valley State University to provide opportunities for underrepresented students to be trained and acquire skills in these technologies. This will give them the capabilities to complete their undergraduate and graduate degrees in agricultural and biomedical sciences and ultimately pursuing a career in embryology, andrology, animal reproduction, human fertility, or biotechnology. Another research goal of the project is to utilize ARTs especially artificial insemination (AI) and in vitro embryo production (IVEP) to improve the reproductive potential and production in small ruminants.
Project Methods
The proposed project is an integrated (education/research) project. The main education goal of the project is to establish ARTs research and teaching facility to provide opportunities for underrepresented groups to be trained and acquire skills in these technologies. Another goal is to build up resources, collaborations, and technical capabilities to utilize ARTs particularly AI and IVEP in enhancing the reproductive potential and production in small ruminants. Our main research objective is developing some strategies to improve the efficiency of AI and IVEP in small ruminants. The specific research objectives of the project are: 1. To evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of L-carnitine on the quality and fertility of goat and sheep semen, 2. To investigate the effects of L-carnitine supplementation to semen extender on the viability and fertilizing ability of frozen/thawed spermatozoa in small ruminants, 3. To test the impacts of L-carnitine or CoQ10 inclusion during IVM of sheep and goat oocytes on their nuclear maturation, spindle configuration and mitochondrial activities, 4. To study the influences of L-carnitine or CoQ10 supplementation during IVM on in vitro embryo development following IVF of small ruminant oocytes.?

Progress 04/15/23 to 04/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Ungreaduate and grdaute students, farmers, researchers, producers, extension personnel, breeders, and other stakeholders. Changes/Problems:It takes long time to hire a postdoctoral fellow who fitsthe project. Finding a suitable suppliers for animal. Some animals were died due unknown reasons.Seasonality of reproduction in sheep and goatstht affects the quality of semen. Finding a slughterhouse to collect sheep and goat ovaries to run the IVF experiments. Organize for travelling with the students abroad due to logestics and other unvolantry arrangements. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Organize several workshops for community and minority farmers on bovine and small ruminants artificial insemination and pregnancy diagnosis.Training many undergraduate and graduate students from FVUS on different technology of assisted reproductive technologies including artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization. Integrated graduated students in the work force in the field of animal reproduction. One of our graduate students secured a job as lab manger in one of the biggest companies in the field of animal reproduction (TransOva Genetics). Here is the website. https://ag.fvsu.edu/news/conqueror-fort-valley-state-student-will-graduate-job-animal-science. Undergraduate students from FVSU participated in Summer Undergraduate Agricultural Biotechnology Research Experience (SURE) program in Utah State University. Students from FVSU attended and presented their work in many national and international conferences and symposium such as international embryo technology society, ARD Symposium 2024, FVSU research day. My students supported by the project secured second place in oral presentation in ARD 2024 Symposium. Also my students secured the first 3 places for oral presentation in FVSU Research Day 2024. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been dissiminated through extension and scientific communications in peer reviewed journals, conferences, and presentations. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue training undergraduate and gradaute students. Collabarting with the CO-PI in Utah state University. Hiring the postdoctoral. Visiting Egypt to collabrate with the Co-PI in Cairo University. Organize workshops and other training for students and famers on the ARTs and artificial insemination and IVF. Sending students to Utah State University for training.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Organize several workshops for community and minority farmers on bovine and small ruminants artificial insemination and pregnancy diagnosis. Training many undergraduate and graduate students from FVUS on different technology of assisted reproductive technologies including artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization. Integrated graduated students in the work force in the field of animal reproduction. One of our graduate students secured a job as lab manger in one of the biggest companies in the field of animal reproduction (TransOva Genetics). Here is the website. https://ag.fvsu.edu/news/conqueror-fort-valley-state-student-will-graduate-job-animal-science. Undergraduate students from FVSU participated in Summer Undergraduate Agricultural Biotechnology Research Experience (SURE) program in Utah State University. Students from FVSU attended and presented their work in many national and international conferences and symposium such as international embryo technology society, ARD Symposium 2024, FVSU research day. My students supported by the project secured second place in oral presentation in ARD 2024 Symposium. Also my students secured the first 3 places for oral presentation in FVSU Research Day 2024. Buying the shhep and goats and initatite the experiments of feeding the animals with L-Carnitine and collecting data. Semen cryopreservation for small ruminants. Collecting oocytes and start IVF experiments.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: 203?Effects of oxygen level on bovine oocyte maturation and embryo development K. Bennett A , D. Beal B , Y. Liu A , T. Patrick A , I. Bunderson A , A. Moawad B and I. Polejaeva A - Author Affiliations A Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA B Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia, USA Reproduction, Fertility and Development 36(2) 257 https://doi.org/10.1071/RDv36n2Ab203
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Exploring the impacts of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation on the Quality and Fertility of Cryopreserved Goat Semen: R. Narlagiri*, S. C. Namani, R. Kolikapongu, M. Schauston, H. Courtney, B. Kouakou, M. Singh, A. R. Moawad. ARD Research Symposium 2024,
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Impacts of L-carnitine Dietary Supplementation �on Motility, Viability, and Fertility�of Dairy Goat Spermatozoa Collected During Breeding Season. Courtney Henry,�Ranadheer�Narlagiri, Sharath�Chandra Namani, Ramya Sri�Kolikapongu,�Miller,�Schauston, Brou Kouakou,�Mahipal�Singh, Adel R. Moawad 14th Annual Research Creative Works Symposium
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/blogs/fort-valley-state-university-project-building-reproductive-technology-capacities