The effect of oxygen and type of container on the retention of the fertilizing capacity of fowl spermatozoa stored in vitro

Beltsville Poultry Semen Extender. 8. Factors affecting turkey semen held six hours at 15 C

Several experiments were conducted to measure the effects of extender pH, size and type of storage vessel, insemination dose volume, and frequency of insemination on the motility and fertilizing capacity of turkey semen held 6 hr at 15 C. The fertilizing capacity and motility of both unstored and stored turkey sperm were depressed more when diluted in Beltsville Poultry Semen Extender at pH 5.5 than at pH 6.5 or 6.0. The fertility of stored semen was impaired when agitated for 6 hr regardless of the type of storage vessel used. Sperm motility was higher when semen was held in flasks than when held in tubes. There were no differences in fertility of hens inseminated with .025, .05, or .10 cm3 of either unstored or stored semen during the first 10 weeks of egg production. However, fertility differences between unstored and stored semen were noted with all insemination doses late in the production period. Hens inseminated every 7 days with unstored semen maintained a constant level of fertility (+90%) for the 20-week production period, whereas the fertility of hens inseminated at 10- or 14-day intervals was lower in Weeks 11 to 20. Regardless of insemination interval, fertility of stored semen was lower than fertility of unstored semen in the latter stages of egg production.

The effect of continuous aeration on the fertility of fowl and turkey semen stored above 0 degrees C

1. Fowl and turkey spermatozoa were found to utilise oxygen when stored in tubes at 5 and 10 degrees C respectively; the storage medium becoming rapidly anaerobic. 2. This aerobic metabolism was encouraged by continuous introduction of air into the semen during storage. 3. Fertility of turkey semen stored at 10 degrees C for 24 h in diluent containing glucose was increased 2.4-fold by simple aeration and reached 99% of that achieved with fresh semen. 4. Fertilities of greater than 90% were also achieved with fowl semen stored for 48 h at 5 degrees C in a diluent with or without glucose. The increased fertility on aeration was greater (2.2-fold) with fowl semen stored in the absence of glucose.

An evaluation of gelatin as a diluent component for storage of chicken semen

This study was conducted using a gelatin-Beltsville Poultry Semen Extender (BPSE) mixture to determine whether or not gelatin aids in the preservation of chicken semen stored at temperatures of 4 to 12 C. Two experiments were conducted designed to determine 1) the optimum gelatin-extender ratio and 2) the optimum in vitro conditions (storage temperature, semen-gas ratio, stopper type, holding temperature, and semen-diluent ratio) for BPSE only and for the best gelatin-BPSE mixture as determined in Experiment 1. Varying the gelatin concentration in BPSE from 15 mg/ml to 30 mg/ml had no significant effect upon either fertility or hatchability. Varying the storage temperature, semen-air ratio, or stopper type had no significant effect upon fertility regardless of the presence or absence of gelatin. However, a significant interaction was noted between the stopper type and the diluent. Cooling semen diluted 1:1 with BPSE at a rate of 1 C/min to 10 C prior to storage and then transporting the post-stored semen at 10 C had a detrimental effect on fertility. Increasing the dilution rate above 1:2 had a significant negative effect upon fertility, with a significant interaction noted between the diluent and the semen-diluent ratio. When comparing BPSE only against the BPSE-gelatin mixture (30 mg/ml), the BPSE-gelatin mixture yielded significantly lower fertility in most instances and had no significant augmenting effect on fertility in those instances where it was not harmful. Therefore, under the in vitro conditions provided in this study, gelatin, in conjunction with BPSE, served no potentiating function in enhancement of fertility of stored chicken semen.

A new poultry semen extender 3. Effect of storage conditions on the fertilizing capacity of chicken semen stored at 5 degrees C

Semen from adult Leghorns was subjected to one of five treatments during storage at 5 degrees C. for periods of up to 24 hr. The effects of dilution rate, storage temperature, presence of seminal plasma, presence of visible light and the semen to air ratio in the storage vessel were studied on the fertilizing capacity of spermatozoa after 0, 4 and 24 hr. of storage. The results indicated that the fertilizing capacity of chicken semen stored at 5 degrees C. was equal to that of the unstored controls when semen was diluted and exposed to a light intensity of 129 lux during the entire storage period. Viability of semen stored at 5 degrees C. for 24 hr. was unaffected by storage temperature (5 vs 15 degrees C.), the presence or absence of seminal plasma, or the semen to air ratio in the storage vessel.

Sub-Zero Preservation of Atlantic Salmon Sperm

Non-frozen storage of sperm for several weeks was achieved by the use of buffered protective agents and low temperature. For example, sperm stored with 5% dimethyl sulphoxide at −4.5 C for 28 days gave 81% fertility; use of 5% ethylene glycol allowed storage at −3 C for 38 days, giving 70% fertility. It is suggested how these results may be employed for interspecific mating of salmonids. Attempts to employ glycerol as a protective agent were unsuccessful as were all attempts at freezing sperm.The necessity of providing an adequate air-space in vials used for short-term storage of undiluted sperm of Atlantic salmon is demonstrated.Although a rough correlation between motility of sperm and fertilization is reported, caution in the interpretation of motility as an indication of fertility is suggested.