Semen characteristics of Landrace boars fed diets supplemented with selenium and soyabean oil

摘要

The reproductive ability of the male comprises of production of semen containing normal sperm cells in adequate numbers together with high libido (Oyeyemi et al., 2000). Boars that could produce high quality semen allowing greater dilution to attain larger numbers of artificial insemination doses are of importance (Alltech, 2002). Selenium is a component of glutathione peroxidase and an anti-oxidant that protects cellular components against free radicals. Fatty acids not only serve as structural components of cells but also take part in cellular metabolism. Proper nutrition in boars could help to alleviate some of the negative effects of ambient environment thus providing opportunity for them to attain their full genetic potentials. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding selenium and fatty acid (soyabean oil) to Landrace boars on their semen quality with a view to providing base-line information to small scale resource poor pig farmers in Abia State, Nigeria.