Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXIV, Issue 1
Written by Alexandru Marian FLOREA, Ionică NECHIFOR, Andre CRÎȘMARU, Constantin PASCAL
In order to objectively assess the influence of external factors, the observations were made both in normal breeding seasons and in the off-season, the aim being to obtain conclusive data necessary for a real understanding of specific aspects of reproductive physiology in adult rams. The biological material was represented by breeding rams belonging to the Karakul de Botoșani breed located at the Research and Development Unit for Breeding Sheep and Goats Popăuți - Botoșani. In order to evaluate the mode of influence and the differences due to the experimental factor, the applied protocol aimed to expose the rams to the same effect of photoperiodicity for two consecutive seasons placed in atypical periods. The volume of ejaculate was a basic objective in the applied research, the final results indicating that from rams exposed to a photoperiod placed in the off-season has a lower average value by only 5.04% compared to the volume harvested from rams active in normal season and with over 75% more than the level harvested from those at sexual rest. Differences were also reported in the case of the analysis performed for the determination of the quality indicators of the harvested semen, respectively acidity, density and mobility. The obtained results highlight the existence of multiple factors which, due to the intensity of their influence, can induce changes in the basic characteristics of the semen.
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