Abstract
The objective of this study was to assess the effect of different diluent type and storage time on the quality of rooster insemination doses in terms of the spermatozoa motility and apoptosis (in vitro) and spermatozoa fertility potential (in vivo). The motility parameters were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in the spermatozoa diluted in saline solution than those diluted in avian diluent at each storage time (0.5, 1 and 2 hours). The proportion of apoptotic spermatozoa was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the semen samples diluted in the avian diluent in comparison to the semen samples diluted in the saline solution after 1 hour of storage. The proportion of dead spermatozoa was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in avian diluent in comparison to the semen samples diluted in the saline solution after 2 hours of storage. The fertility of spermatozoa diluted in the avian diluent significantly (P < 0.01) decreased 1 hour after the ejaculate collection. In conclusion, saline solution maintained better quality of rooster spermatozoa in terms of their motility values and the proportion of apoptotic and dead cells (in vitro) than the commercial avian diluent when stored at 4 °C for 2 hours. According to in vivo results, the saline solution seems to be suitable for semen dilution at low temperature, since similar fertility results were obtained over the whole storage time. Thus the commercial avian diluent could be replaced by the saline solution under certain conditions. Furthermore, the saline solution is cheaper and more accessible for practical use than the commercial avian diluent.