Comparative Study of Gir Cattle and Surti Buffalo Bulls Semen under Middle Gujarat Climate

Abstract

This study was undertaken during the favourable breeding season of the year 2016-17 on healthy mature Gir cattle and Surti buffalo bulls, three each, at Sperm Station of the College. The ejaculates (9/bull, total 54) collected in the morning using artificial vagina were evaluated for routine seminal attributes, including acrosomal and plasma membrane integrity. The mean values of ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, mass activity (0-5 score), individual sperm motility, live sperm, abnormal sperm, intact acrosome and HOST reactive sperms observed in fresh semen of Gir cattle and Surti buffalo bulls were 6.20±0.42 and 3.34±0.23 ml (P<0.01), 1169.44±61.71 and 846.30±54.82 million (P<0.01), 3.44±0.09 and 3.42±0.08, 76.53±0.53 and 80.76±0.39 % (P<0.05), 81.00±1.32 and 84.73±0.78 % (P<0.05), 6.00±0.37 and 5.81±0.40 %, 95.59±0.35 and 95.54±0.25 % as well as 80.30±1.90 and 84.58±0.88 % (P<0.05), respectively. The variation between cattle and buffalo semen was significant for most of these traits. The variations between bulls within breed were however not significant. Significant correlations were observed only between mass activity and initial motility (0.62), and live and abnormal sperm (-0.41) in Gir bulls, and for ejaculate volume with sperm concentration (-0.56) and abnormal sperm (0.45), and between live and HOS reactive sperms (0.48) in Surti bulls.