Aim : The study was undertaken to quantify and to analyze the changes in the motion characteristics of bull spermatozoa during various stages of cryopreservation cycle. Materials and Methods: Using computer assisted semen analysis (CASA) technique, 26 ejaculates, collected from two Jersey bulls were analyzed for motility, head behaviour and swimming pattern of spermatozoa on dilution, pre-freeze and post-thaw stages of cryopreservation. French straw technique was employed for deep-freezing of semen using liquid nitrogen.O Results: Equilibration of diluted semen at 5 C has significantly (P< 0.01) reduced sperm motility, progressive motility, path velocity, and progressive velocity. Beat cross frequency was also affected significantly (P<0.05) by equilibration. Freezing and thawing processes drastically affected all the motility, velocity and head behaviour characteristics (P< 0.01). Conclusion: CASA facilitate objective evaluation sperm motion characteristics. Adoption of CASA technique has the potential for improvements in evaluation of semen thereby the quality of frozen semen for fertility can be enhanced.

Aim: This study aims to evaluate genetic and non-genetic factors influencing semen production potential of Gir bulls. Materials and Methods: Data on semen quantity (n=6911) and quality (n=466) available from January 2011 to December 2018 at BAIF's frozen semen station, Jind, Haryana, India, were utilized for the study. Factors, namely, season of collection, age at collection, and bull (random effect) were studied for their effect on quantitative and qualitative semen traits. Least square means for the traits were obtained using a general linear model. The effect of age within bull for repeatable traits was analyzed using a longitudinal model with age as the control variable. Multivariate analysis using mixed repeatability model equation was utilized to estimate bull effect correlation (genetic + permanent environmental correlation), phenotypic correlations, and repeatability. Results: The overall least square means of ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, total sperms, initial and post-thaw motility, hypo-osmotic swelling test, and acrosome integrity of frozen semen were 6.62±0.03 ml, 1.22±0.01 109/ml, 8.09±0.05 109/ml ejaculate, 75.78±0.001%, 55.92±0.0001%, 55.13±0.005%, and 71.08±0.001%, respectively. The season of the collection showed a significant effect on volume, concentration, total sperm, and initial motility. The performance of bulls was superior in summer season, followed by winter and monsoon. Increase in semen attributes during summer season was due to the effect of lower temperature on sensitive stages of spermatogenesis. Age at collection had a significant effect on all semen traits. Volume and total sperm count showed increasing trend while concentration showed a decreasing trend with an increase in age. Motility and quality traits did not show any particular pattern. Individual bulls showed differences in all the semen performance traits with age. The repeatability of the traits ranged from 0.04 (HOST) to 0.58 (acrosome integrity). Bull effect correlation ranged from –0.73 (initial motility and acrosome integrity) to 0.93 (HOST and acrosome integrity). Conclusion: Individual bulls showed variation in traits measured over age. The result of the study could be utilized in suggesting suitable management plans to achieve the desired profit by improving semen quality in Gir bulls.

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Background: The production of higher number of quality semen doses from the indigenous bulls is required to mitigate the issue of declining population of indigenous cattle breeds. To make the semen production more efficient, the knowledge of factors affecting the semen production is of utmost importance. However, studies on different indigenous breeds are scarcely available and very little information is available on effect of ejaculate number, collection interval, semen collector etc. The present investigation was hence focused to study the effect of different management and environmental factors affecting semen production traits in indigenous breeds. Methods: Semen data comprising of 15,435 ejaculates from 60 bulls of 10 indigenous cattle breeds were analysed for semen production traits. Prior to the analysis, data on initial motility was transformed using the arcsine transformation. Least square analysis was carried out using “lm” function while ANOVA (Type III sum of square) and Duncan’s multiple range test were computed using “car” and “agricolae” packages from R statistical software. Result: The overall means for the semen production traits: ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, total sperm, initial motility and total motile sperm were 5.62±0.041 ml, 1.42±0.51× 109/ml, 7.96±0.25× 109/ejaculate, 74.77±0.002% and 5.92± 0.11 × 109/ejaculate, respectively. All traits were significantly affected by order of ejaculate, collection interval, age at collection, breed, semen collector, season and year of collection except collection interval which had no effect on motility. Except initial motility, semen characters showed quadratic pattern over the age. Results of the study would help in suggesting suitable management and breeding plans for semen production traits.

Knowledge on the quality of male and female gametes which may affect fertilisation success and larval survival is necessary to enhance fish production to meet global demand. Gamete quality is affected by factors like sex ratio, stocking density, age, size, nutrition and feeding regime. In the present study, the spermatological and fertilisation parameters as influenced by the age of brooders of Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus 1758 developed under captive condition from a single population were studied with special reference to dilution ratios. Milt was collected from 6, 12 and 18 months old brooders of C. carpio and diluted at three ratios viz., 1:40, 1:80 and 1:120 using freshwater fish saline. Sperm density, spermatocrit value, seminal plasma composition, motility duration, fecundity, fertilisation and hatching rates were studied for brooders of all age groups. The results showed that milt from 12 months old brooder produced good quality milt in terms of motility duration (69.66±4.72 sec), fertilisation rate (91.3±3.05%) and hatching rate (76.5±2.64%) at 1:40 dilution ratio.