Culture System for Embryos of Blue-Breasted Quail from the Blastoderm Stage to Hatching

Tamao ONO; Yoshifumi NAKANE; Takahiro WADAYAMA; Masaoki TSUDZUKI; Kenjiro ARISAWA; Shoko NINOMIYA; Toshihiko SUZUKI; Makoto MIZUTANI; Hiroshi KAGAMI

doi:10.1538/expanim.54.7

Original

Culture System for Embryos of Blue-Breasted Quail from the Blastoderm Stage to Hatching

Tamao ONO, Yoshifumi NAKANE, Takahiro WADAYAMA, Masaoki TSUDZUKI, Kenjiro ARISAWA, Shoko NINOMIYA, Toshihiko SUZUKI, Makoto MIZUTANI, Hiroshi KAGAMI

Author information

Tamao ONO
Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University
Yoshifumi NAKANE
Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University
Takahiro WADAYAMA
Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University
Masaoki TSUDZUKI
Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University
Kenjiro ARISAWA
Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University
United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Gifu University
Shoko NINOMIYA
Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University
Toshihiko SUZUKI
Junior College, Toyama Prefectural University
Makoto MIZUTANI
Nippon Institute for Biological Science
Hiroshi KAGAMI
Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University

Keywords: avian biotechnology, blue-breasted quail, Coturnix chinensis, embryo culture, Japanese quail

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2005 Volume 54 Issue 1 Pages 7-11

DOI https://doi.org/10.1538/expanim.54.7

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Abstract

The blue-breasted quail (Coturnix chinensis), the smallest species in the order Galliforms, is a candidate model animal for avian developmental engineering because it is precocious and prolific. This species requires 17 days to hatch and 8 to 9 weeks to mature to an adult body weight of about 50 g, whereas the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) requires 16 days to hatch and 6 to 8 weeks to mature to an adult body weight of 100 to 150 g. The early embryo is the most challenging embryonic stage in terms of culture and manipulation for avian biotechnology. We have evaluated various conditions for the culture of blue-breasted quail embryos from the blastoderm stage to hatching. A hatchability rate of 26% (10/39) is among the best of the various culture conditions examined in the present study and the embryo culture system should facilitate advances in avian biotechnology.

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