Viability and fertility of unwashed Murciano-Granadina goat spermatozoa diluted in Tris-egg yolk extender and stored at 5 degrees C

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the viability and fertility of unwashed Murciano-Granadina goat spermatozoa after dilution in Tris-egg yolk extender and storage at 5 degrees C. Semen was collected with an artificial vagina from 3 mature male goats during the breeding (July-February) and non-breeding (March-June) season. In the first experiment, the viability (forward progressive motility, live sperm and acrosome integrity) and fertility of washed and unwashed spermatozoa cooled and stored at 5 degrees C in a medium with egg yolk were evaluated. The concentration of egg yolk in diluted semen was 2 and 12% for unwashed and washed spermatozoa, respectively. The viability of spermatozoa declined with preservation time (P< 0.01) and no differences (P> 0.01) were found between unwashed and washed spermatozoa for either spermatozoa quality parameters evaluated. No difference (P> 0.05) in fertility was obtained when does were inseminated with unwashed (25/34, 73.5% does pregnant) or washed spermatozoa (26/37, 70.3% does pregnant). In the second experiment, unwashed spermatozoa collected during the breeding and non-breeding season diluted in Tris-egg yolk extender and stored at 5 degrees C were used for artificial insemination. The fertility rates were indistinguishable between semen collected and processed in the breeding (84/115, 75% does pregnant) and non-breeding season (78/104, 73% does pregnant). It is concluded that the viability and subsequent fertility of unwashed Murciano-Granadina goat spermatozoa stored at 5 degrees C after dilution in Tris-egg yolk extender are high throughout the year. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.