Photoperiod as a factor for studying fluctuations of seminal traits during breeding and non-breeding seasons

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of photoperiod on the seminal traits of crossbreed wool-producing rams throughout one year period. For the effect of photoperiod (PTP), two periods were considered: Decreasing daylight length (summer and autumn) and the other, increasing daylight length. For this study, 5 Baluchi × Moghani (BL × MG) and 5 Arkharmerino × Moghani (AM × MG) rams were used. Semen collection started from first of October 2010 to end of September 2011. After a training period of 2 weeks, semen ejaculates were evaluated for volume, total sperm/ejaculate (TSE), concentration (SC), color, wave motion (WM), percentage of progressive motility (PM), percentage of live sperm (LS) and abnormal sperm (SAB), pH, methylene blue reduction time (MBRT) and semen index (SI). Analysis of the year long data showed that semen with the best quality was collected in September to November (P < 0.05). Significant seasonal variations of semen traits were observed for all seminal traits except for PM, LS and MBRT. Yet, no statistical differences were found between the crosses (P > 0.05). Although, there were significant seasonal changes in seminal traits of the crosses, the fresh semen showed adequate quality to be used for artificial or natural insemination throughout the year. PTP was found to influence semen production in two genetic groups at 38°02' N, 46°27' E and an altitude of 1567 m above sea level of Iran. However, these effects were not detrimental to the use of rams for breeding purposes throughout the year.

Seasonal influence on sperm parameters, scrotal measurements, and serum testosterone in Ouled Djellal breed rams in Algeria

“…It should be noted that Pourseif et al . [ 37 ] observed the highest rate of sperm vitality from September to December, thus meeting the observations of Dufour et al . [ 45 ] and Moghaddam et al .…”

“…[ 21 ] and Pourseif et al . [ 37 ]. In addition, an increase of volume was noted at the end of June to the end of September and a decrease toward the end of October.…”

Pimpinella anisum essential oil: A natural approach to amplifying fertility and reproductive well-being in the Saida Region

“…Similar patterns were observed in Texel, Suffolk, and Île-de-France rams (Wolfire et al 2010;Chemineau et al 1992;Mandiki et al 1998;Gastel et al 1995). The reduction in scrotal circumference during the winter months aligns with observations made by Litim (2014), Baril et al (1993), Milczewski et al (2015 in Awassi rams, El-Bouyahiaoui et al (2022) in adult Ouled Djellal rams, Atashi et al (2012) in Suffolk rams, and Pourseif et al (2013) in Algerian white breed rams.…”

Seasonal Variations in Semen Parameters of Zulu Rams Preserved at 10°C for 72 H During Breeding and Non-Breeding Season

“…Ram semen volume normally ranges from 0.5 to 2.0 mL (Karagiannidis et al, 2000a;Hafez and Hafez, 2000) but highly affected by the collection frequency, season (Karagiannidis et al, 2000b), collection technique (Bopape et al, 2015), nutrition (Guan et al, 2014) and age (Chella et al, 2017). In temperate zones, photoperiod is the main factor defining the onset of breeding season (Pourseif and Moghaddam, 2012). Consequently, the evaluation of the fertilizing potential of a semen sample has been the utmost objective of semen analysis to estimate the fertility results of a future artificial insemination (Del Olmo et al, 2013).…”