Effect of oxytocin injection and collection intervals on the semen output and quality during breeding and nonbreeding season of local meriz bucks

Abstract EN

Four adult Meriz bucks raised at Animal Project, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Duhok were used to investigate the effect of injecting different doses of oxytocin (0, 5, 10 and 20 i.u.) on semen traits during breeding and nonbreeding season.

Results revealed that injections of 5 or 10 i.u.

oxytocin increased total number of spermatozoa by 331.0% and 237.58% during nonbreeding season and breeding season, respectively.

It seems that the optimum interval from injection to collection semen was 5 minuts.

During nonbreeding season a significant (P≤0.05) improvement in ejaculate volume of the group that injected 5 i.u.

oxytocin (0.66 vs.

0.53 ml), concentration (278.5 vs.

156.25 x106), mass motility (4.12 vs.

3.12), individual motility (82.25 vs.

68.37 %) and live sperm (83.80 vs.

69.58%) compared with the control group.

While during breeding season injection of 10 i.u.

of oxytocin and semen collected after 5 min.

of injection significantly (P≤0.05) increased ejaculate volume (0.93 vs.

0.62 ml), concentration (270.50 vs.

188.75 x106), no.

of sperm/ejaculate (257.63 vs.

117.56 x106), mass motility (4.07 vs.

3.25), individual motility (82.25 vs.

71.5 %) and live sperm (82.81 vs.

71.88%) compared with the control.