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Application of laparoscopic artificial insemination in conventional Lacaune sheep farm using frozen-thawed semen
133-138Views:273The complex anatomical structure of the ewe reproductive tract accompanied with low quality of frozen ram semen for artificial insemination, resulted in a challenge with regard to using superior genotypes for reproductive ovine performance. Hence, improved genetics in ovine management has not been efficiently and widely used especially in undeveloped countries. Therefore, intrauterine semen deposition by laparoscopic insemination should be adopted in the current sheep production systems. Thus, this study aimed to assess the pregnancy rate and lambing rate of ewe inseminated by laparoscopic insemination techniques using frozen-thawed semen. The research used imported frozen semen from two rams of the Lacaune breed. Ewes were grouped according to age in years (1, 2 and 4). Before insemination, the semen was examined microscopically for its motility and viability and thereafter the laparoscopic artificial insemination technique was performed to 19 Lacaune breed ewes using frozen-thawed semen. The overall pregnancy and prolificacy rates were 31.57% and 42.10% respectively. Out of 2 ewes in the 1-year age group that were inseminated, only 1 ewe lambed representing 50%. However, from 16 ewes inseminated of four-year age group, 5 ewes lambed representing 31.25%. Significant difference based on age group was not evaluated due disproportionate of the data, (such that the data included 2 ewes in one-year-old age, 1 ewe in 2-year-old age and 16 ewes in 4-year-old age). Based on the ram semen, 33.33% and 30% of the inseminated ewes were pregnant from ram A and ram B semen respectively. However, in the case of prolificacy rate, 44.44% and 40 % of the ewes lambed from using semen of ram A and B, respectively. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in pregnancy and prolificacy rates based on semen from the two rams. In conclusion, in this research study, ram semen had no significant effect on pregnancy and prolificacy rates using laparoscopic AI on Lacaune sheep. This could be due to the fact that the rams had very good quality semen. Evaluation of ram semen, accompanied with appropriate ewe selection based on age and rightful deposition of semen could lead to better and more consistent results. Overall this could contribute to the successful application of laparoscopic artificial insemination in Lacaune sheep production systems for enhanced productivity.
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Storage of ram semen in gelatin supplemented extender
7-10Views:126The aim of our study was to examine how different gelatin concentrations affect ram semens viability in liquid storage at 5 oC for five days. Our hypothesis was if we add gelatin to the semen extender, than the viability of ram semen will be better in the extenders containing gelatin, than the control. We used two different semen extenders:1.5% UHT milk and 1.5% UHT milk + 5% egg yolk. We added 0; 0.5; 1.0; 1.5; 2.0% Dr. Oetker gelatin to the semen extenders. We stored the semen for five days at 5 oC and in every 24 hour we made sampling.
We stained the smears with Kovács-Foote staining and evaluated them with light-microscope. We categorized the cells in five groups like: live and intact cells, live cells with injured acrosome, dead cells, live head with dead tail and live tail with dead head. We used one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to assign how gelatin concentration affects the number of the categorized cells. On the fifth day, the viability was the best in the following semen extenders: 1.5% fat UHT milk + 1.0% gelatin and 1.5% fat UHT milk + 1.5% gelatin, but it was not significant (p>0.05). -
Analysis of small ruminants’ semen under the cooling, deep-freezing and sex-orientation method
53-58Views:131The aim of this study was to examine the influence of cooling, deep-freezing and sex-orientation methods on fertility of ram and buck semen. It was pointed out that deep-freezing and sexorientation methods had a more considerable destruction on both semen compared with the effect of cooling method. However, with the development of the sex-orientation method, the results of lambing had a significant increase in sheep. On the other hand, the NRR of the inseminations with deep-frozen ram semen exceeded most of previously publicated results. Being interesting, and hopefully useful benefit in practice that the analysed buck semen samples are shown more favourable results in all methods compared with the same results of rams.
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Seasonal variations in somereproductive parameters of Dorper Rams in Hungary
17-20Views:267The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that season has an affect on semen quality and scrotal circumference of Dorper rams. The experiment was carried out with six Dorper rams aged between 15 and 18 month. Semen samples were collected with artificial vagina and volume, concentration (x 109/ml), total sperm number/ejaculate (x 109), mass motility (0–5), progressive motility (%), scrotal circumference (cm) was observed. Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed in concentration, total sperm number/ejaculate, scrotal circumference in different seasons. Volume was the highest in autumn (1.4±0.5 ml) and the lowest in the spring (1.3±0.4 ml). Concentration of semen was lower in spring (2.6±1.5 x 109) and summer (3.3±1.5 x 109) as compared to fall (4.1±1.1 x 109) (P<0.05). Regarding total sperm number/ejaculate (x 109), scrotal circumference (cm) all the seasons differed significantly (P<0.05), although the season had no effect on mass motility and progressive individual motility (P<0.05). In conclusion the present study showed that semen quality parameters and scrotal circumference of Dorper rams were better in autumn than in the other sea- sons.
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Biotechnological methods for improving reproduction on sheep breeding program using laparoscopic artificial inseminations in Debrecen, Hungary
193-200Views:75The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of the LAI method in different types of breeds and seasonal variations. Analysing n=536 LAI in 7 years, there were no significant differences observed in the breed in lambing rates. Although the lambing rate of Prolific Merino (F+) was better than any other breed (45.3%). We found significant differences between breeds of Tzigaia, its pregnancy rate was 19.2%. In the case of prolificacy there were significant differences between breeds: Prolific Merino’s (FF) was the highest (2.38) and, Indigenous Tzigaia’s was the lowest (1.4) from all of them. The obtained results showed that summer inseminations were the most effective in concern of pregnancy rate (49.5%). The results are based on use of the types of semen, showed that using frozen semen was most effective than fresh semen in both parameters, however there were no significant differences. Summarising all tested conditions in our study breeds, seasons and type of semen using LAI the total results of pregnancy rate was 40.3% and the prolificacy was 1.78, respectively. Follow up the out-of-season ovarian, progesterone level of n=36 Prolific Merino were examined and insulin, IGF-1, leptin, T3, and T4 hormones as well, to evaluate the energetic status of the flock. Progesterone analysis showed 43% of examined ewes had a cyclical ovarian function in April and a cyclical ones had good reaction for estrus-induction hormonal treatment. Our results showed that valuable information can be obtained about energy supply from the determination of some metabolic hormones as IGF-1, insulin, leptin.
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Tenability of ram semen
63-66Views:131It could be stated that the diluted semen of Awassi rams taken in the breeding season preserved its fertilizing abilityat different temperatures for different periods of time. The motility of spermatozoa kept at 23 vs. 8oC was checked daily. The largest spread of data was observed 24 hours after taking the semen, then the motility rate of cells showed a linear decrease. Motility results of fresh and frozen-thawed samples were compared also after heat resistance test and significant differences were found between these groups. Significant individual differences were observedin the sperm motility after heat resistance test.
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Evaluation of deep-frozen ram semen from different sheep breeds with live/dead acrosome staining
26-28Views:83It was found that the Kovács – Foote staining is properly adopted to examine deep-frozen ram’s semen. Data are appropriate for comparison. Examination of one ram’s semen per breed is not enough for drawing any conclusions; therefore, I will continue this research.