Livestock Studies 2020, Vol 60, Num, 1     (Pages: 009-014)

The number of false mounting affects the quality of semen in bulls

Derya Şahin ,İlktan Baştan 1 ,Beste Çil 2 ,Koray Tekin 2 ,Ergün Akçay 2 ,Ali Daşkın 2 ,Calogero Stelletta 3

1 Department of Biotechnology, International Center for Livestock Research and Training, Ankara, Turkey
2 Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
3 Department of Animal Medicine, Productions and Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
DOI : 10.46897/lahaed.701388 - Bulls in Artificial Insemination (AI) Centres are generally trained with false mounting (FM) activity in order to improve the quality of semen. 360 ejaculates were collected via artificial vagina from twelve bulls. The bulls were subjected to each group according to the number of FM activity (FM- 0, FM- 1, and FM- 2). After the initial examination, samples were diluted and were frozen using a digital freezing machine. Post-thaw quality of sperm was assessed by using a computer assisted sperm analyzer and a photometer. Significant differences were obtained among the FM groups regarding the volume and concentration (P< 0.001). The highest concentration was obtained in FM- 2 group as 1326.7 ± 365.07 × 106 sperm/ mL (P< 0.001) and the number of straws produced per ejaculate was highest in FM- 2 group (P< 0.05). Individual responses of the bulls to FM activity have revealed that, in general, double FM resulted in improved post-thaw motility and therefore the freezability (P< 0.001). In conclusion, in this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the number of FM and sperm quality, double FM is a practical method for increasing the sperm output and post-thaw motility of the insemination doses produced in AI Centres. Keywords : Cryopreservation, false mounting, freezability, libido, bull, sexual preparation