Dietary supplementation with a source of omega-3 fatty acids increases sperm number and the duration of ejaculation in boars
2008
Estienne, M.J. | Harper, A.F. | Crawford, R.J.
Development of nutritional strategies to increase the production of fertile sperm would further enhance the distribution of superior genetic material by AI. The objective was to determine the effects of a dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids in boars on semen characteristics and sexual behavior. Boars were fed daily 2.2kg of a diet top-dressed with 0.3kg of corn (controls; n =12) or 0.3kg of a supplement containing 31% omega-3 fatty acids (n =12) for 16 weeks. Semen was collected weekly and for boars that received the supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids, total sperm per ejaculate averaged 84.3±2.3x10⁹ (mean±S.E.M.) during Weeks 0-7, and increased (P =0.02) to 95.6±2.3x10⁹ during Weeks 8-15. Control boars averaged 86.3±2.3x10⁹ sperm per ejaculate during Weeks 0-7 and 86.4±2.3x10⁹ during Weeks 8-15. Other semen characteristics were similar (P >0.1) between groups. Duration of ejaculation was affected by treatment (343.9s for controls and 388.8s for boars fed omega-3 fatty acids; S.E.M.=15.7; P =0.05). In summary, semen characteristics and sexual behavior were altered in boars fed a supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids. Boar semen is typically diluted to create AI doses containing 3x10⁹ sperm each; therefore, use of the supplement increased the number of potential AI doses by approximately three per ejaculate after the initial 7 week supplementation period.
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