Variations in semen quality parameters of Ovchepolian pramenka rams according to the method of collection and the meteorological season

摘要

The off-breeding season for rams is a time-limiting factor for their use in scientific aims. This research was set upon two aims: (1) to acknowledge the differences of semen quality collected throughout the year, and (2) to investigate which of the two commonly used methods for semen collection (artificial vagina - A.V. and electro ejaculation - E.E.) could prove to be more favorable in the off-breeding period. Five Ovchepolian Pramenka rams were used for this investigation. They were divided in two groups: group 1 (two rams), which was subjected to A.V. method, and group 2 (three rams), which was subjected to E.E. method for semen collection. Semen evaluation included: volume, spermatozoa concentration, live spermatozoa, ejaculate density and motility. According to the season, results have a high statistical significance for the volume (P0.01) and motility (P0.001) parameters. Group 1 and 2 results versification showed a high statistical significance for the motility score (P0.001), ejaculate volume (P0.01) and percentage of live spermatozoa (P0.01) parameters. In conclusion, the A.V. method is more favorable for semen collection in late autumn, winter and spring time when rams are out of the breeding season.