Influence of Non-conventional Sperm Quality Parameters on Field Fertility in Ovine.

The prediction of the fertilizing ability of a seminal dose continues to be a primary aim in the field of artificial insemination (AI). To achieve this goal, in this study we have included the evaluation of some non-conventional sperm quality markers. A total of 3,906 ewes from 52 different farms were inseminated with 357 refrigerated seminal doses obtained from 45 mature rams.

Semen Quality of Rasa Aragonesa Rams Carrying the Allele of the Gene.

The mutation is a variant of the ovine gene in the Rasa Aragonesa breed. Information on the physiological importance of carrying the polymorphism in rams is limited. The aim of this study was to compare semen quality, testicle characteristics, and fertility rate of rams that carry the allele.

Cervical artificial insemination in sheep: sperm volume and concentration using an antiretrograde flow device.

There has been development of an antiretrograde flow device (DARIO), for sheep cervical artificial insemination (CAI). There, however, needs to be optimization of sperm volume and concentration of insemination doses when the DARIO is used for CAI. Objectives were to compare fertility rates (proportion of ewes lambing as a result of CAI) when there was use of the DARIO for CAI: two sperm volumes containing equal numbers of spermatozoa: 0.

A 17 bp deletion in the Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15 (BMP15) gene is associated to increased prolificacy in the Rasa Aragonesa sheep breed.

Different mutations in the Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15 (BMP15) and the Growth Differentiation Factor 9 (GDF9) genes cause increased ovulation rate and infertility in a dosage-sensitive manner in sheep. They cause increased ovulation rate and twin and triplet births in heterozygotes, and complete primary ovarian failure in homozygotes resulting in total infertility. We are here presenting a novel mutation in the second exon of the ovine BMP15 gene, found in the Spanish breed Rasa Aragonesa.