Effect of pasture, confinement and diet fortification of vitamin E and selenium on reproducing gilts and their progen

A total of 35 gilts were used in an experiment to evaluate the effect of pasture and confinement or feeding either a nonfortified or a diet fortified with vitamin E(22 IU/kg) or Se (.3 ppm) on the alpha-tocopherol or Se status of animals during lactation and the subsequent effects on their progeny at weaning. During gestation the experiment was a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments comparing pasture and confinement as one factor with diet as the second factor. During lactation half the gilts fed the basal diet and kept in confinement or on pasture were transferred to pasture or confinement respectively whereas the remainder continued in their original management system. This resulted in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments in a completely randomized design. The two management systems and the two reproductive phases were the treatment variables. The results demonstrated an interaction response with management system by diet on serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations. Gilts on pasture had higher serum alpha tocopherol than when in confinement but those fed the fortified diet had higher serum levels. No effect on serum Se or glutathione peroxidase activity was detected for either management system or diet. During lactation, sows fed the nonfortified basal diet had higher serum and milk alpha tocopherol and Se contents at weaning when on pasture. The pigs at weaning also had higher serum alpha tocopherol and higher liver alpha-tocopherol and Se concentrations when their dams were on pasture. Sows fed the fortified diet had higher serum and milk alpha-tocopherol concentrations at weaning when on pasture. Milk Se was higher when sows were fed the fortified diet compared with those fed the basal. Pigs from sows fed the fortified diet had higher serum and liver alpha-tocopherol and Se contents when the dams were on pasture than in confinement. The results suggest that pasture and soil can contribute to the nutritional vitamin E and Se status of both sows and litters but that vitamin E was increased more than Se. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).