Naryshkina EN, Sermyagin AA.

Animal Husbandry and Fodder Production. 2026. Vol. 109. No. 2. Р. 145-158.

doi: 10.33284/2658-3135-109-2-145

Original article

The relationship between milk production and reproductive function in Simmental cows

 

Elena N Naryshkina1, Alexander A Sermyagin2

1Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry named after Academy Member LK Ernst, Dubrovitsy, Russia

2Russian Research Institute of Farm Animal Genetics and Breeding – Branch of the LK Ernst Federal Science Center for Animal Husbandry, Pushkin, Russia

1selection.76@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3421-1653

2alex_sermyagin85@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1799-6014

Abstract.  Effective use of high-yielding cows requires an integrated approach to herd management. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature and extent of the relationship between milk production and reproductive performance in Simmental cows to identify patterns in the influence of milk production on fertility. The study was conducted at Simmental breeding farms from 1990 to 2024 using a primary data set characterizing the reproductive performance of the breeding stock. The system for receiving and processing information on recorded daily events was SELEKS-Dairy Cattle (OOO RC Plinor, Russia). Reproductive performance indicators were assessed, including the duration of the service period, the dry period, the intercalving period, and the number of inseminations per fertile insemination. Analysis of variance was used to assess the impact of various factors on the pregnancy rate of cows after a single insemination. The obtained data confirm the relationship between milk productivity and reproductive function traits (with increasing productivity, the service period increases (rf=+0.02; rg= +0.15), the duration of the intercalving period also increases with increasing milk productivity from 400...408 days in the 2nd lactation and later with a milk yield of 3000...4000 kg of milk to more than 500 days in high-yielding animals (rf=+0.13; rg=+0.18). Regardless of the period of birth, the number of pregnant heifers after a single insemination remains at a high level - 91.5 (1990-2000) ... 87.7% (2011-2024). With a productivity level of 3000...4000 kg of milk, the proportion of pregnant cows also remains at a high level, although it has slightly decreased from 88.4...89% (1990-2000) to 70.2-71.7% (2011-2024). As milk productivity increases, the proportion of pregnant cows after single insemination decreases, with this indicator being lower by an average of 10–15% in the 2011-2024 period compared to 1990–2000. The "Productivity Level" factor has a small but statistically significant effect (η=3.4-3.5%) on the conception rate of cows after single insemination. The data obtained can serve as a basis for economic modeling and the development of breeding programs aimed at developing selection indices that take into account milk productivity and cow fertility.

Keywords: cow, Simmental breed, service period, dry period, intercalving period, cow conception rate

Acknowledgments: the work was performed in accordance to the plan of research works for 2024-2026 LK Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry (No. FGGN-2024-0013).

For citation: Naryshkina EN, Sermyagin AA. The relationship between milk production and reproductive function in Simmental cows. Animal Husbandry and Fodder Production. 2026;109(2):145-158. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.33284/2658-3135-109-2-145

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Information about the authors:

            Elena N Naryshkina, Cand. Sci. (Agriculture), Senior Researcher, Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry named after Academy Member LK Ernst, 60 Dubrovitsy village, Podolsk City district, Moscow region, 142132, tel.: +7(4967)65-11-63.

            Alexander A Sermyagin, Cand. Sci. (Agriculture), Director, Russian Research Institute of Farm Animal Genetics and Breeding – Branch of the LK Ernst Federal Science Center for Animal Husbandry, St. Petersburg, Pushkin, Moskovskoe shosse, 55a, 196601, tel.: +7(812)451-76-63, (812)451-65-19 (ext. 121).

The article was submitted 24.02.2026; approved after reviewing 27.03.2026; accepted for publication 15.06.2026.

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