EFFECT OF SEASON ON LIVE WEIGHT, TESTES SIZE, TESTOSTERONE LEVELS AND SEMEN PRODUCTION QUALITY IN MEAT RAMS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25930/2687-1254/007.4.15.2022Keywords:
meat rams, breeding and non-breeding season, quality and level of semen production, testicular morphometry, testosteroneAbstract
The article presents the results of the study of some parameters of reproductive function of stud rams of different breeds of foreign selection (Charollais, Ile de France,
Dorper, Suffolk, Romanoff) depending on the season of the year. Seasonal variability in live
weight of animals, testes size and testosterone level in peripheral blood is shown. The qualitative characteristics of semen production of meat rams of foreign selection and their relation
with the season of the year and breed of the producers are presented. The main conclusion is
the assertion that the reproductive function of producers of all breeds remains at an acceptable
level for practical use in all seasons, but undergoes significant changes, leading to negative
dynamics of semen production during non-breeding season (ejaculate volume decreases by
19% (limit from 12 to 27 %), sperm motility by 14 % (limit from 8 to 28 %), sperm concentration by 16 % (limit from 9 to 29 %). At the same time, some features of seasonal changes
in the level and quality of semen production depending on the genotype of the animals were
revealed. A statistically significant difference was detected between breeding and nonbreeding season in the level of testosterone in the peripheral blood of the rams of all the studied breeds (23,8 % decrease, P≤0,01).
