The present study was designed to examine the influence of oocyte quality, culture media and gonadotropins on cleavage rate and development of in vitro fertilized buffalo embryos. Three experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, oocytes were classified by number of cumulus cell layers and morphology of the ooplasm as good, fair or poor. Oocytes were cultured for IVM, IVF and IVC in CR1aa medium. In experiment 2, good quality oocytes were cultured for maturation in: (1) CR1aa; (2) CR2aa; (3) TCM-199; (4) MEM or (5) RPMI-1640, and then fertilized using frozen thawed buffalo spermatozoa in CR1aa. The oocytes were cultured in the same medium used for maturation after fertilization. In experiment 3, oocytes were classified into three groups: group (1) was without gonadotropin and serve as a control; group (2) in which IVM medium was supplemented with 10microg/ml FSH and group (3) in which IVM medium was supplemented with 10IUml(-1) eCG. In all experiments, oocytes were kept at 38.5 degrees C under 5% CO(2) for IVM, IVF, IVC and examined for cleavage and embryo development rates on days 3 and 8, respectively. Good and fair quality oocytes produced a higher cleavage rate (P<0.01) than poor quality oocytes. Morula production rate was also higher (P<0.01) for good as compared with fair quality oocytes. Embryo development with poor quality oocytes was arrested at the two to sixteen cell stage. In experiment 2, the cleavage rate was higher (P<0.05) in CR1aa than CR2aa, and higher (P<0.01) than TCM-199, MEM and RPMI-1640. The numbers of morulae and blastocysts were higher (P<0.01) for oocytes cultured in CR1aa and CR2aa media than TCM-199 or MEM. In experiment 3, the addition of FSH or eCG to the maturation medium increased (P<0.01) cleavage and developmental rates of buffalo embryo compared with control medium. In conclusion, the IVM of good quality buffalo oocytes in CR1aa or CR2aa medium and the addition of FSH or eCG in maturation medium produced higher cleavage and developmental rates of IVF buffalo embryos.