MATSUYAMA, Shuichi

Elucidation of factors causing low fertility and development of technology to improve productivity in cattle

Low conception in cattle is an urgent problem that must be solved because it leads to longer calving intervals and lower productivity, which directly affects the profitability of livestock farmers. Low conception in cattle is caused by a combination of factors including physiological, environmental, and human factors, but from a different perspective, all of these factors ultimately converge on the issue of whether or not the embryo survives. Since factors produced and secreted in the uterus have been shown to be important for embryo survival and growth, my research focuses on embryo viability and the uterine environment to elucidate the mechanism of low fertility in cattle, and to develop technology to avoid low fertility and improve productivity.