Ram Semen Cryopreservation for Portuguese Native Breeds: Season and Breed Effects on Semen Quality Variation.

ABSTRACT: The semen quality is one of the determinant factors of ram semen cryopreservation. The present retrospective study aimed to characterize the seasonal ram pattern during the year for ten Portuguese local sheep breeds, hypothesizing that the breed and season had low effects on the main spermatozoa traits. A total of 1471 ejaculates were used and evaluated (fresh semen) from 85 rams between 2004 and 2020 and re-evaluated after thawing (thawed semen). The effect of breed, season, and sperm cryopreservation on nine semen traits were evaluated. The volume per ejaculate, spermatozoa (SPZ) concentration, and total number of SPZ per ejaculate, were affected by breed (p < 0.001) but not by season (p > 0.05). As expected, the semen processing was the most significant (p < 0.001)

SUBMITTER: Barbas JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9951670 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature