Developmental programming of production and reproduction in dairy cows: I. Association of maternal parity with offspring's birth weight, milk yield, reproductive performance and AMH concentration during the first lactation period

Multiparous dams have been reported to produce offspring with greater fertility and higher AMH concentration, as a marker of ovarian reserves, as compared with nulliparous and primiparous dams. Yet it has remained to be addressed whether this phenomenon can still be true for old multiparous cows which might experience some geriatric changes in their reproductive system. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the productive and reproductive performance of offspring with different maternal parity. To this end, offspring were classified based on their maternal parities into four categories, including offspring of nulliparous (no previous parity), primiparous (one previous parity), young multiparous (two to six previous parities) and old multiparous (seven or more previous parities) dams. In study I, data of birth weight, milk yield and reproductive variables of 11,788 offspring and data of their maternal parity were retrieved. In study II, blood samples (n = 521) were collected from offspring with various maternal parity for measurement of serum AMH. Birth weight was the lowest in the offspring of nulliparous dams (P < 0.0001) and it was lower in offspring of primiparous and old multiparous dams than offspring of young multiparous dams (P < 0.05). Milk production was the lowest in offspring of old multiparous dams (P < 0.01), and it was lower in offspring of young multiparous dams than offspring of nulliparous and primiparous dams (P < 0.0001). Offspring of old multiparous dams had greater first service conception rate, less services per conception and shorter calving to conception interval than offspring of nulliparous, primiparous and young multiparous dams (P < 0.05). Furthermore, AMH concentration was higher in offspring of old multiparous dams than offspring of nulliparous and primiparous dams (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the present study revealed greater milk production in offspring resulting from dams with lower parity, probably due to the genetic selection for improvement of milk production in dairy cows which imparts the younger generations greater genetic merits for milk production. Reproductive performance, however, was greater in offspring born to dams with higher parity, particularly those born to old multiparous dams, and this phenomenon might be related to their lower milk production and higher AMH concentration.