Diet Influence on Sperm Quality, Fertility, and Reproductive Behavior in Karakul of Botoșani Rams

Constantin Pascal, Ionică Nechifor, Marian Alexandru Florea (), Claudia Pânzaru (), Daniel Simeanu and Daniel Mierliță
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Constantin Pascal: Department of Animal Resources and Technologies, Faculty of Food and Animal Sciences, Iași University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Ionică Nechifor: Research and Development Station for Sheep and Goat Breeding, Popăuți-Botoșani, 710004 Botoșani, Romania
Marian Alexandru Florea: Research and Development Station for Sheep and Goat Breeding, Popăuți-Botoșani, 710004 Botoșani, Romania
Claudia Pânzaru: Department of Animal Resources and Technologies, Faculty of Food and Animal Sciences, Iași University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Daniel Simeanu: Department of Control, Expertise and Services, Faculty of Food and Animal Sciences, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” University of Life Sciences, 8 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700489 Iasi, Romania
Daniel Mierliță: Faculty of Environmental Protection, University of Oradea, 26 General Magheru Boulevard, 410048 Oradea, Romania

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-18

Abstract: This study aims to analyze the influence of an improved diet with vitamins and minerals (VM) on the live weight, body condition, quality of sperm, behavior, and fertility of rams. The biological material comprised two groups of rams (L1—control and L2—VM supplemented), each consisting of 15 individuals. After a complete one-year cycle, they received different dietary treatments at the beginning of the preparation for the reproduction period. Although in the onset of the mounting period (SM), no significant differences were observed for live weight ( p > 0.05), providing supplemental feeding of a VM complex allowed a better capitalization of body reserves, and, consequently, the rams’ groups differed significantly by the end of mating season (FM), for live weight (+4.1%; p < 0.001) and body condition score (+15.9%; p < 0.05). Adding vitamins and minerals to the L2 diet also improved sperm color ( p < 0.001), sperm concentration (+11.8%; p < 0.01), live spermatozoa (+2.6%; p < 0.001), and decreased abnormal spermatozoa proportion (−7.0%; p < 0.01). The increase in the scrotum circumference in L2 (+4.57%) suggests that VM supplements improved testosterone secretion, spermatogenesis, and ejaculate volume (+10.20%; ( p < 0.001), with a positive impact ( p < 0.001) on mating behavior, on the gestation installation (+11.2%) and on the number of obtained lambs (+14.0%), as well as on the key economic indicators (+13.8% incomes per ram).

Keywords: rams; fertility; Botoșani Karakul breed; semen; spermatozoa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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