The Type of Container and Filling Method Have Consequences on Semen Quality in Swine AI Doses

Abstract

The automatic filling of semen doses for artificial insemination in swine shows economic advantages over the old-style, manual filling. However, no data could be found regarding the impact, if any, of this packing method on semen quality. This study aimed to compare two types of containers for boar semen, namely the automatically-filled tube and the manually-filled bottle, in terms of preserving the quality of boar semen. Five ejaculates from five different boars were diluted with the same extender and then divided in two aliquots. First aliquot was loaded in tubes filled by an automatic machine while the second was loaded manually in special plastic bottles. The semen was stored in liquid state at 17°C, regardless of the type of container and examined daily, for five days of storage by means of a computer-assisted sperm analyzer. Both types of containers maintained the semen within acceptable values, but after five days of storage significant differences (p<0.05) between the container types were observed in terms of all selected kinetic parameters. The tube showed better values for sperm motility and velocity, while the bottle showed superior values for straightness and linearity of sperm movement. The automatically-filled tubes offered better sperm motility in every day of the study. Given the fact that sperm motility is still the main criterion in assessing semen quality in semen production centers, the main conclusion of this study is that the automatic loading in tubes is superior and recommended over the old-style manual loading in bottles.

Keywords

• ai dose
• boar
• container
• sperm