The effect of different extenders on the sperm motilityand viability of frozen Turkey semen

Abstract

This study was conducted to develop long-term storage methods for turkey semen using different extenders. During the study, the massage method was used twice a week to collect the semen from five turkeys, a total of 44 times. The collected fresh semen’s average ejaculate quantity, sperm concentration, motility and vitality values were determined as 0.22±0.01 ml, 3.5±0.17 x109 sp/ml, 77.0±1.44% and 86.2±0.95 % respectively. In this study, glucose (G) including 5% Dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) cryoprotective, tris-glucose (TG), lactated Ringer’s (LR), and lactated Ringer’s glucose (LRG) extenders were used. The Turkey semen was combined and divided into four equal parts, and subsequently diluted at a ratio of 1:3 and equilibrated at +4°C for 90 minutes. Following equilibration, the samples were frozen in liquid nitrogen vapor to - 80°C for five minutes, and stored at -196°C in liquid nitrogen. After freezing and thawing, the highest motility value was obtained from the G extender (43.3% ±1.62%) followed by LRG (24.6±1.53%), LR (12.6±0.92%) and TG (12.2±0.66%). The vitality values were recorded as 55.8±1.89%, 23.8±1.58%, 21.5±1.10% and 36.5±1.59% respectively. The motility and vitality values were significantly (p less than 0.01) more for the glucose extender than those for other extenders. Therefore, it was concluded that glucose extender is better option for the long-term storage of Turkey semen.