ADVANCED ULTRASONIC DOPPLER SYSTEM FOR EARLY PREGNANCY DETECTION IN CATTLE

CURRENT DAIRY CATTLE BREEDING METHODOLOGY SUFFERS FROM A NUMBER OF INEFFICIENCIES WHICH AFFECT THE ECONOMIC RETURN PER COW. MANY OF THESE INEFFICIENCIES STEM FROM THE LACK OF A RELIABLE METHODOLOGY FOR EARLY PREGNANCY DETECTION (PRIOR TO DAY 19 POST-INSEMINATION). THE GOAL OF THE PROPOSED PROGRAM IS THE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TESTING OF A NEW DEVICE FOR EARLY PREGNANCY DETECTION IN CATTLE. THE DEVICE WILL USE ULTRASONIC DOPPLER TECHNOLOGY IN COMBINATION WITH ADVANCED SIGNAL PROCESSING AND FEATURE EXTRACTION TECHNIQUES. THE PHASE 1 PORTION OF THE WORK INCLUDES: 1) DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF SPECIALIZED ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCERS ADAPTED TO THE BOVINE UTERUS, AND WHICH INTERFACE TO A SOPHISTICATED DOPPLER INSTRUMENT; 2) INITIAL TESTS ON PREGNANT COWS TO DETERMINE BASELINE DOPPLER SIGNAL CHARACTERISTICS; 3) PROSPECTIVE EXAMINATION OF A WELL-CONTROLLED RESEARCH HERD OF 20 COWS, WITH COMPARISON TO MILK PROGESTERONE, ULTRASONIC IMAGING, AND RECTAL PALPATION METHODS; 4) PROSPECTIVE PREGNANCY DETECTION STUDIES ON A 400 HEAD DAIRY HERD; 5) DATA ANALYSIS TO SUPPORT LATER (PHASE II) ADVANCED SIGNAL PROCESSING AND FEATURE EXTRACTION EFFORTS. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT FETAL HEARTBEATS CAN BE RELIABLY DETECTED PRIOR TO DAY 19 USING DOPPLER TECHNIQUES, SIGNIFICANTLY EARLIER THAN IS POSSIBLE USING ULTRASONIC IMAGING OR RECTAL PALPATIONMETHODS.