Quality and fertility of cooled-shipped stallion semen at the time of insemination.
Abstract: Stallion semen processing is far from standardized and differs substantially between AI centers. Suboptimal pregnancy rates in equine AI may primarily result from breeding with low quality semen not adequately processed for shipment. It was the aim of the study to evaluate quality and fertility of cooled-shipped equine semen provided for breeding of client mares by commercial semen collection centers in Europe. Cooled shipped semen (n = 201 doses) from 67 stallions and 36 different EU-approved semen collection centers was evaluated. At arrival, semen temperature was 9.8 ± 0.2 °C, mean sperm concentration of AI doses was 68 ± 3 x 10(6)/ml), mean total sperm count was 1.0 ± 0.1 x 10(9), total motility averaged 83 ± 1% and morphological defects 45 ± 2%. A total of 86 mares were inseminated, overall per season-pregnancy rate in these mares was 67%. Sperm concentration significantly influenced semen motility and morphology at arrival of the shipped semen. Significant effects of month of the year on volume, sperm concentration and total sperm count of the insemination dose were found. The collection center significantly influenced all semen parameters evaluated. Semen doses used to inseminate mares that became pregnant had significantly higher total and progressive motility of spermatozoa and a significantly lower percentage of morphological semen defects than insemination doses used for mares failing to get pregnant. Results demonstrate that insemination with semen of better quality provides a higher chance to achieve pregnancy. Besides the use of stallions with good semen quality, appropriate semen processing is an important factor for satisfying results in artificial insemination with cooled-shipped horse semen.
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2010-12-31 PubMed ID: 21196042DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2010.10.027Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research paper investigates how the quality of cooled and shipped stallion semen influences fertility rates in the horse breeding industry. The study analyses semen samples from various collection centres across Europe, exploring the impact of different processing methods and semen parameters on pregnancy success rates.
Study Objective
- The main purpose of the study is to analyse the quality and potential fertility of cooled, shipped stallion semen provided by various EU-approved erection centres in Europe.
- 201 semen doses, obtained from 67 different stallions and 36 different collection centres, are analysed to understand how different semen parameters impact successful horse breeding.
Key Findings
- The average semen temperature, sperm concentrations, total sperm count, sperm motility and morphological defects were recorded at the time of insemination. These parameters were found to be significantly influenced by the processing methods employed by the different collection centres.
- The specific month of the year also had a significant impact on semen volume, sperm concentration and total sperm count.
- The study found that mares inseminated with higher quality semen, as determined by total and progressive sperm motility and relatively low percentages of morphological defects, recorded higher pregnancy rates.
Significance of the Study
- This research highlights the importance of appropriate semen processing for achieving satisfying results in artificial horse insemination using cooled and shipped stallion semen.
- It indicates that suboptimal pregnancy rates in equine artificial insemination could primarily be a result of breeding with low-quality semen that has not been adequately processed prior to shipment.
- The study provides valuable insight into semen optimization techniques that could potentially improve fertility rates in the equine breeding industry.
Conclusions
- The use of stallions with good semen quality, along with effective semen processing techniques, have been identified as critical factors for improving fertility rates in horse breeding using cooled shipped stallion semen.
- Collection centres should thus focus on refining their processing techniques to ensure the production and delivery of high-quality semen for artificial insemination.
Cite This Article
APA
Heckenbichler S, Deichsel K, Peters P, Aurich C.
(2010).
Quality and fertility of cooled-shipped stallion semen at the time of insemination.
Theriogenology, 75(5), 849-856.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2010.10.027 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Centre for Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer, University for Veterinary Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cold Temperature
- Female
- Fertility
- Horses
- Insemination, Artificial / methods
- Insemination, Artificial / veterinary
- Male
- Pregnancy
- Semen / physiology
- Specimen Handling / methods
- Specimen Handling / standards
- Specimen Handling / veterinary
- Sperm Count
- Sperm Motility
- Spermatozoa / abnormalities
- Spermatozoa / physiology
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