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The aim of this study was to determine the effect of site of sperm deposition on fertility when sows are inseminated with aged semen. The study employed 88 mixed-parity Yorkshire sow. Litters were weaned after 24-day lactations. At weaning, sows received an intramuscular injection of 400 IU equine chorionic gonadotrophin and 200 IU human chorionic gonadotrophin. Daily estrus detection commenced 3 days after weaning. Sows in estrus on days 4 or 5 after weaning were assigned such as to minimize differences between parity compositions of the groups to conventional cervical AI on the morning of estrus detection and again 24 hours later with 1- and 2-day-old or 2- and 3-day-old semen (Control, n = 29), or cervical AI with 4- and 5-day-old or 5- and 6-day-old semen (Aged-C; n = 30), or intrauterine AI with 4- and 5-day-old or 5- and 6-day-old semen (Aged-IU; n = 29). Day of semen collection was designated as Day 0. Semen doses contained 3×109 total sperm extended in 80 mL BTS. Sperm motility and percent viability were assessed on Days 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 after collection.
Mean parities were not different among groups (3.3 ± 2.1, 2.5 ± 1.4, and 2.7 ± 1.8 for Control, Aged-C, and Aged-IU, respectively). On Days 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, values for sperm motility were 83%, 73%, 63%, 63%, and 60%, respectively; for normal morphology, 93%, 94%, 83%, 84%, and 83%, respectively; and for live sperm percent, 94%, 83%, 77%, 74%, and 72%, respectively. Compared to the Control group, the farrowing rate of Aged-C sows was lower but the farrowing rate of Aged-IU sows was not different from Control. Litter sizes of sows receiving aged sperm were lower than for sows receiving fresh sperm regardless of the site of sperm deposition.
The present results demonstrate a progressive decline of in vitro sperm quality as assessed by motility, morphology, and viability. In the present study, intrauterine deposition of sperm did allow maintenance of farrowing rate, but did not ameliorate the adverse effect of inseminating aged sperm on litter size.
Am-in N, Tantasuparuk W, Manjarin R, et al. Effect of site of sperm deposition on fertility when sows are inseminated with aged semen. J Swine Health Prod. 2011;19(5):295?297.
