Many farms nowadays use artificial insemination, but when purchasing boar semen, they do not know how to assess the quality of boar semen. The following is a review of 20 boar semen by Dr. Donadeu Veterinary Medicine (Western PIC Veterinary Manager). problem.
1. What is in pig semen?
Boar semen is a sperm cell suspension that is secreted by boar reproductive organs including the accessory glands. The liquid part of the suspension is called seminal plasma and helps to carry and protect sperm cells. Boar semen also contains a large amount of gel.
2. How long does it take for boar sperm production?
It takes about five weeks to produce a sperm cell and two weeks in the epididymis. The epididymis is a long, convoluted tube attached to the upper surface of the testis where the sperm slowly moves, matures, and gains potential. The ability to be fertilized, the epididymis is also the main sperm storage. It must be noted that the semen collected on the day was generated 7 weeks ago.
3. What does a normal boar's sperm look like?
The normal sperm contains a head and a tail, and the entire sperm cell covers the diaphragm. The head contains genetic information (chromosomes). At the top of the head is the acrosome. The acrosome is a vesicular structure surrounded by a unit membrane, which is rich in enzymes. In the process of fertilization, sperm can be used to pierce the egg. The tail contains the neck, the middle, the base, and the tail. The middle part is rich in mitochondria, which produces the energy needed for sperm activity.
4. What are abnormal sperm?
There are several types of malformed sperm. For example: head deformity (fat head or shape deformity, etc.), tail deformity (double tail, curved tail, curled tail, etc.), acrosome defects (segmentation, incomplete, etc.) and residual cytoplasmic droplets. The cytoplasmic droplets form during spermatogenesis and fall off after the sperm matures. Sometimes the cytoplasmic droplet does not fall off, and whether it remains proximal or distal depends on its proximity to the head.
5. How do abnormal sperm occur?
Some malformations are produced during spermatogenesis - that is, during the process of formation in the testis - some during the passage of sperm through the epididymis, and some may occur during ejaculation or after ejaculation because of improper handling and storage. . Different factors at each stage can lead to abnormal sperm. For example, if the boar has a fever (increased body temperature), this may affect sperm production. Changes in temperature, pH, or osmotic pressure during sperm dilution can lead to sperm abnormalities.
6. What does sperm deformity mean?
Most malformed sperm do not have reproductive capabilities, although some sperm can reproduce if the sperm is too mature. Therefore, sperm counts in semen must take into account the percentage of abnormal sperm (up to 30%).
7. How large is the boar's sperm?
Normal sperm is about 45 μm (about 0.0045 cm). Give you a way. If you connect the sperm cells end to end, you can string 220 sperm cells into 1cm.
8. Since the sperm is so small, how does it reach the egg? Sperm is to test its own power to swim to the egg?
No! Considering that the uterus has two uterine horns as long as 1.5 meters, it is impossible for such a small sperm to swim completely. During the fertilization process, the uterus contraction mainly causes the sperm to quickly reach the fertilization site (where the sperm and egg meet). This is why it is important to stimulate the sow during fertilization. Once the sperm reaches the fertilization site, the sperm's automatic force is important. The tail movement helps the sperm to move to the egg and push the sperm head into the egg.
9. How many sperm can reach the site of fertilization?
Only a fraction of sperm can reach the site of fertilization (less than 1%). After fertilization, quickly through the uterus, only 10,000 sperm reach the sperm reservoir of the fallopian tube - most of the sperm undergo countercurrent flow through the uterus, that is out of the cervix, or swallowed by sow somatic cells, This phagocytosis occurs when the sow's body is stimulated by foreign substances. When ovulation occurs, the sperm slowly releases from the storage area and moves toward the site of fertilization. During this process, less than 100 sperms survive. (Reference: Brussow KP et al. Physiological aspects of in vivo fertilisation in pigs, 2003, Proceedings AI Vets Meeting - Hungary, 7-12)
10. Is sperm motility related to fertility?
Billy Flowers research in North Carolina confirmed that when boar sperm motility exceeds 60%, fertility and litter size are no longer affected by sperm motility. Therefore, the goal of the PIC to set sperm vitality is more than 70%.
11. How many sperm in the semen each time the boar shoots?
This is determined by several factors, such as age, the frequency of collecting semen, generally between 200-600 million.
12. What is in the infusion bottle?
Semen: sperm and seminal plasma, water
Mixtures or diluents: This provides sperm nutrition and metabolic support, protects the sperm from environmental temperature and pH changes, inhibits bacterial growth and increases semen volume to a reproductive dose. It usually contains glucose, electrolytes, buffers, and antibodies.
13. Are the sperm in the infusion bottle ready to be combined with the egg?
No. Because it has not yet undergone a process called "activation" (the ability of sperm to obtain fertilization), activation usually takes place within 6 to 8 hours after sperm enters the sow.
14. How long can the sperm survive in the sow?
In general, high-quality sperm can survive about 24 hours at sow breeding sites. The egg can only survive 12 hours, so it is best that the sperm has reached the site of fertilization before ovulation.
15. At what age do young boars start collecting semen?
The boar's adolescence begins at 5.5 months of age. Sperm can be found in the semen. Once the sow has matured enough to produce a sufficient amount of mature sperm, the boar can be trained to last for about 6-7 months.
16. How long is the sperm in the infusion bottle?
Usually 3-10 days, depending on the diluent used, and if the semen is stored properly. At PIC, with some kind of diluent, we guarantee a shelf life of at least 5 days.
17. How many sperm are in the infusion bottle? How does the PIC know?
The goal of the PIC is to have 2.3 billion sperm cells in each infusion bottle. To ensure that this value is reached, each shot of semen is measured and diluted according to sperm concentration. At the PIC, we place great emphasis on measuring the number of spermatozoa in each semen, making the results as accurate as possible, and mixing well. Therefore, there are an average of 2.3 billion sperm cells in all insemination bottles.
18. Why do I need to shake my infusion bottle twice a day?
If you do not shake the insemination bottle, the sperm will settle at the bottom of the bottle. It is therefore necessary to shake so that the sperm can obtain nutrients and metabolites and redistribute it in the diluent.
19. Why do I need to keep the diluent away from sunlight?
Ultraviolet light (UV) in the sun can damage or kill sperm. This is the reason why semen must be placed in the box during transportation.
20. Why does semen need to be stored at 17°C? What does it mean above or below this temperature?
The ideal sperm storage temperature is 17°C. If sperm are stored under high temperature conditions, such as 20°C, sperm activity is not sufficiently inhibited (accelerating nutrient and energy use). Therefore, sperm's vitality will be reduced. In addition, the temperature is high and there is a risk of bacterial breeding. If the sperm is stored at 15°C, the sperm's protective membrane, including the acrosome, may be damaged (you may not observe this phenomenon during a simple examination under a microscope, because in this case sperm movement may not be affected.)
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