title: Ram seminal plasma improves pregnancy rates in ewes cervically inseminated with ram semen stored at 5 °C for 24 hours.
abstract: In this study, we compared pregnancy rates obtained using ram semen stored at 5 °C for 24 h, with ram or bull seminal plasma (SP) added to TRIS-egg yolk extender. During the breeding period, 670 adult Corriedale ewes were cervically inseminated with semen (2 × 10(8) sperm in a volume of 0.2 mL) from eight adult Corriedale rams. Ejaculates, obtained using an artificial vagina, were split into three aliquots and diluted with the following: TRIS-egg yolk based extender (T), T + 30% ram SP (R), or T + 30% bull SP (B). Samples were refrigerated and stored at 5 °C for 24 h until used for AI. Pregnancy was assessed by ultrasonography 35 to 40 d after AI. Pregnancy rate was not affected by ram (P = 0.77) or breeding period (P = 0.43), and there were no interactions between extender and ram (P = 0.94), or extender and breeding period (P = 0.24). However, there was an effect of extender (P = 0.0009) on pregnancy rates; ram SP, but not bull SP, increased pregnancy rates compared with extender without SP (49.7, 38.1, and 31.1%, for R, B, and T respectively). In conclusion, ram SP added to TRIS-egg yolk extender had a beneficial effect on the pregnancy rate of ram sperm stored at 5 °C for 24 h and used for cervical insemination of ewes.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay. alopez@fagro.edu.uy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Pérez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pérez-Clariget
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003451:Cryoprotective Agents; D005260:Female; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology*; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D003451:Cryoprotective Agents