FILIPČÍK, R., VÁGENKNECHTOVÁ, M., HOŠEK, M., JARINKOVIČOVÁ, L.: The eff ect of the age of dogs on their ejaculate. Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun., 2011, LIX, No. 3, pp. 45-50 The eff ect of the age of dogs on quantitative and qualitative parameters of the ejaculate was explored. We evaluated 43 dogs; from each dog we collected three samples on three successive days. The dogs were divided into three age categories: 1.5-2 years; 2-3 years; and 3-5 years. The maximum ejaculate volume was collected from dogs of 2-3 years of age; the average volume of ejaculate from 3 collections was 9.1 ml. Microscopic examinations of the ejaculate of this age category of dogs showed that the highest average sperm concentration was 153.62. . In older dogs the ejaculate volume decreased considerably with increasing frequency of collections (8 ml > 5 ml > 2 ml at the 3 rd collection). The amount of motile sperm was the highest in 3 to 5-year-old dogs (76%) and was related with the highest proportion of morphologically normal sperm (66.8%). However in the 3 rd collection of this age category we saw a signifi cant (P < 0.05) increase in the amount of pathologically changed sperm (29.5 < 28.8 < 41.2%), mostly in the structure of the fl agellum. Signifi cant diff erences in the quantity and quality of the ejaculate were discovered not only among the age categories of the dogs but also among the individual collections. dog ejaculate, volume of ejaculate, sperm activity, sperm concentrationThe number of breeders involved in dog breeding is relatively high. However if the owner of the dog is to be a successful breeder his dog must produce a suffi cient amount of good-quality ejaculate capable of fertilisation. The fertility of dogs can be evaluated in two ways. The breeder may wait to see if the bitch will conceive a er mating or if she gives birth to pups. However, such an approach is unprofessional; for reproduction purposes the breeder should use only dogs whose qualitative and quantitative parameters of the ejaculate had been examined. The birth of pups should be taken as the fi nal confi rmation of the fertility of the dog. DEIBEL et al. (1976), DUNPHY (1989), RIGAU et al. (2001) evaluated the basic qualitative parameters of the canine ejaculate. According to KUTZLER (2005) the optimal room temperature for ejaculate collection is 20 °C; the colour, volume, motility, concentration and morphological structure of the ejaculate should be evaluated. GUNAY et al. (2003) evaluated the sperm fraction of the ejaculate of seven German shepherd dogs. On one day the ejaculate was collected twice within 60 minutes. Between the fi rst and the second collection the authors discovered statistically signifi cant (P < 0.05) diff erences in the volume of the ejaculate and sperm concentration, but not in the motility, live sperm count and amount of morphological changes in the sperm structure. SCHAFER et al. (1997) collected canine ejaculates twice a week over a period of 6 months and they discovered si...

In domestic fowl (Gallus gallus f. domestica), monitoring of both quantitative and qualitative parameters of ejaculates is an indispensable precondition of successful artificial insemination; on the basis of the obtained results it is then possible to select the individuals that produce sufficient amounts AbstRAct: Ejaculates and blood plasma were sampled from cocks of three laying lines: Barred Plymouth Rock (BPR), Sussex Light (SU), and Rhode Island Red (RIR). Ejaculates and blood plasma were sampled four times during the laying period of hens. The following ejaculate parameters were determined: sperm motility, concentrations of sperm cells, ejaculate volume. Sperm morphology was examined. In the blood samples, concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, creatinine, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium were analysed. The motility of spermatozoa of the cocks was 47.0% (BPR), 47.7% (RIR), and 48.3% (SU), respectively. The highest volume of ejaculate was found in BPR line (0.66 cm 3 ), the lowest one in SU line (0.46 cm 3 , P ≤ 0.01); the highest sperm concentration was in SU line (2.46 × 10 6 /mm 3 ), the lowest one in RIR line (1.96 × 10 6 /mm 3 , P ≤ 0.01). The number of morphologically abnormal sperm cells was similar in all lines − 47.0% BPR, 47.7% RIR, and 48.3% SU, respectively. In general, the occurrence of defective spermatozoa was high in all three lines; the most frequent were tail defects (from 20.3 to 29.7%), while sperm cells with developmental anomalies were less frequent (only 0.3 to 0.4%). Calculated phenotypic correlation between sperm motility on the one hand and the occurrence of defective sperm cells on the other was negative (r p = −0.28, P ≤ 0.01), as well as the correlation between sperm motility and sperm numbers, and between sperm motility and ejaculate volume (r p = −0.28, P ≤ 0.01 and r p = −0.31, P ≤ 0.01, respectively). Negative correlations were found between the level of magnesium in blood plasma and numbers of morphologically defective spermatozoa in the ejaculate, defective heads and defective connecting pieces (r p = −0.33, P ≤ 0.01; r p = −0.23, P ≤ 0.05; and r p = −0.26, P ≤ 0.05). Level of magnesium was positively correlated to sperm motility (r p = 0.26, P ≤ 0.05). However, positive correlations existed between concentration of glucose in blood plasma of cocks and numbers of morphologically defective spermatozoa in sampled ejaculates (r p = 0.27, P ≤ 0.01). Our finding is in accordance with the results found in mammals and other animals, and it shows an important role of magnesium as a key contributor to the quality of ejaculate in aviary species, in our case in laying lines of domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus).