SPERM MORPHOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES IN ASTHENO OLIGOSPERMIC FRIESWAL BULLS

Abstract

Eighteen mature Frieswal (Holstein Friesian X Sahiwal; having 5/8 exotic inheritance) bu/ls of
similar age (29.79±0.90 months) were divided into 2 categories i.e. poor (N=9, sperm motility< 50%
and concentration <600 million/ml) and normospermic bulls (N=9). Sperm viability and morphology
was evaluated by eosin, nigrosin staining technique. The mean (±SE) number of total viable,
morphologically normal and progressively motile sperm (in millions) per ejaculate in poor bulls
(1234.53±266.96, 636.21 ±150.18 and 272.22±68.06, respectively} was significantly (P<0.01) lower
than that of normospermic bulls (5248. 71 ±646.02, 5278.11 ±657 .15 and 24 76.75±360.93, respectively).
Total abnormal head, mid piece and tall(%) in poor bulls (27.25±3.Sf, 11.08±1.17 and 32.83±3.79,
respectively) were significantly (P<0.01) higher than normospermic bulls {7 .02±0.96, 5.20±0.75 and
8.64±1.46, respectively). Total sperm abnormality (%) in poor bulls was 3.4 times higher than
normospermic bulls and differences were highly significant (P<0.01 ). Among the major morphological
defects, sperm abnormalities such as pyriform/pear shaped head, deformed head, presence of proximal
protoplasmic droplet and 'Dag' like defect and among minor defects, abnormalities such as tapered
head/narrow head, free head, coiled mid-piece and tail, broken mid piece, bent tail and presence of
distal protoplasmic droplets were significantly (P<0.01) higher in poor bulls as compared to
normospermic bulls. In this study, it was concluded that poor Frieswal bulls not only have reduced
sperm motility and concentration, but also have wide spectrum of spermatogenetic defects with
excessive occurrence of various kinds of both major and minor sperm morphological abnormalities to
the tune of 3-4 times higher than normal attributes .