Abstract
1. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary ascorbic acid (vitamin C) supplementation on the reproductive performance, follicular development, antioxidant capacity, serum steroid hormone concentration and expression of genes involved in steroid hormone synthesis in Yangzhou geese.2. A total of 540, 221-day-old geese (450 females and 90 males) were randomly divided into five groups that received different diets. Treatments included vitamin C levels of 0, 100, 200, 300 or 400 mg/kg, respectively.3. Dietary vitamin C supplementation led to a highly significant linear increase in laying rate (p p p p StAR, HSD3B1 and CYP11A1 in granulosa layer. Similar expression patterns of CYP17A1, CYP19A1, HSD3B1 and HSD17B1 were detected in the theca layer.