title: [Reproduction of French Angora rabbits: ovulation in the female, semen production in the male].
abstract: Ovulation rate and semen quality in French Angora rabbits were investigated to determine the potential of improving breeding practices in this breed. The proportion of does ovulating and their ovulation rate were studied in 40 females, as well as sexual behaviour and semen quality in 8 males. The experiments took place in autumn 1987 and were repeated in winter. Three groups of does were injected with 25, 50 IU hCG or 0.8 microgram GnRH (groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively). Another group was mated and served as a control (group 4). Hormonal treatments improved the proportion of does which ovulated (95, 90, 74 and 28% in groups 1-4, respectively; P less than 0.05) but did not change their ovulation rate (10.9 +/- 0.7, 10.7 +/- 0.7, 11.3 +/- 0.8 and 8.9 +/- 1.3 corpora lutea per ovulating female, groups 1-4, respectively; m +/- SEM, NS). In males, two ejaculates were collected twice weekly for 3.5 weeks from 8 bucks. Ejaculates obtained in March were better than those collected in November (volume: 0.33 vs 0.23 ml, P less than 0.01; raw motility: 5.2 vs 3.9, P less than 0.01; individual motility: 2.7 vs 2.1, P less than 0.05; number of living spermatozoa per ejaculate: 71 vs 28 x 10(6), P less than 0.01, respectively). These results suggest that artificial insemination may be utilized to improve reproductive performance in French Angora rabbits.
authors.affiliation: INRA, station d'amélioration génétique des animaux, Castanet-Tolosan, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Theau-Clément
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Thébault
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bolet
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Rochambeau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D007315:Insemination, Artificial; D008297:Male; D010060:Ovulation / Q000187:drug effects; D011817:Rabbits / Q000502:physiology*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
vernacular_title: La reproduction du lapin Angora de souche française: ovulation chez la femelle, production de semence chez le mâle.