EFFECTS OF BREED, SPERMATOZOA CONCENTRATION, AND STORAGE ON PROGRESSIVE MOTILITY OF EXTENDED BOAR SEMEN

The classic technology of artificial insemination (AI) often requires insemination doses to be kept for more than 24 hours, with a requirement that the degree of progressive motility at the moment of insemination not be below 65%. The aim of this paper was to determine the influence of breed, spermatozoa concentration, and storage time on the fertilization capacity of extended semen from native ejaculates of boars. The research included the following boar breeds: Duroc (n=34), Hampshire (n=30), Large White (n=42) and Swedish Landrace (n=32), from large pig farms in Vojvodina (Republic of Serbia). Two ejaculates were collected from each boar once monthly for 12 months (a total of 24 ejaculates per boar). There was statistically significant (p<0.01) influence of breed on the number of spermatozoa samples that maintained ≥ 65% progressive motility during 48 hours of storage in 1:4 dilution. There was also an influence of spermatozoa concentration on progressive motility. As spermatozoa concentration increased during storage, ≥ 65% progressive motility declined (P≤0.01) within 24 hours. The results show that it is necessary to determine the adequate dilution rate and storage time for each ejaculate, while taking into account spermatozoa concentration in the native semen.