Influence of constant long days on ejaculate parameters of rabbits reared under natural environment conditions of Mediterranean area

Abstract

Since rabbit bucks are usually housed under constant long daylight in artificial insemination (AI) centers, the main purpose of this study was to investigate whether constant long day influenced ejaculate parameters of rabbits housed in AI centers in the Spanish Mediterranean area. The study was carried out in Murcia, Spain (37° N). Twenty commercial hybrid male rabbits, aged between 14 and 15 weeks, were randomly allotted to two groups and housed under either natural day length ( n=10, ND) or a constant 16-h daylight exposure of 16 h ( n=10, CLD). Other management conditions, such as air temperature or reproductive handling, were identical for both groups. Two successive ejaculates were collected twice weekly from every male, and the first one was used to monitor ejaculate characteristics. Measurement of semen production, in terms of ejaculate and semen volume, sperm concentration and total sperm per ejaculate, and sperm quality, in terms of motility index, viability, morphology and acrosome integrity, was assessed in 783 ejaculates collected during 15 months (from October to December). No differences ( P>0.05) in either semen production or sperm quality were shown among ejaculates collected from rabbits housed under ND and CLD conditions. A limited influence of season was observed ( P<0.01); semen volume and motility index were highest and lowest, respectively, during summer. The increase of air temperature and humidity index (THI) had a significant detrimental effect ( P<0.01) on both sperm production and quality parameters with a lag of 6 and 3 weeks, respectively. On the basis of these findings, annual variations of semen production and sperm quality in male rabbits seems more related to THI than to daylight length under conditions of AI management in the Mediterranean area of Spain.