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Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

DOI

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe seasonal changes in scrotal circumference, sperm motility, sperm concentration, percentage of abnormal spermatozoa and biochemical and enzymatic properties of seminal plasma for 9 months in 10 mature fat-tailed Akkaraman and Awassi breed rams. Scrotal circumference and semen were evaluated monthly from rams and seminal plasma separated from semen to study it. Scrotal circumference, sperm motility and sperm concentration were higher during autumn months. Furthermore, autumn months showed moderate percentage of abnormal spermatozoa. The biochemical analyses of ram seminal plasma indicated that the highest values of total protein, albumin (A), globulin (G), total lipid and cholesterol were recorded in autumn while A/G ratio exhibited the lowest values. Alanine amino transferase (ALT) showed the lowest values in summer, while aspartate amino transferase (AST) and AST/ALT ratio exhibited the lowest values in autumn. The results suggest that rams show seasonality for some reproductive parameters and seminal plasma constituents; therefore Akkaraman and Awassi rams could be bred successfully in autumn months.

Keywords

Ram, season, semen, seminal plasma

First Page

95

Last Page

100

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