Highlights:Nelore bulls sowed lower ocular globe and scrotum surface temperatures than Girolando bulls. Nellore bulls had greater spermatic motility, vigor and fewer spermatic defects that Girolando bulls. Nelore bulls showed greater adaptability to tropical climate than Girolando bulls. AbstractBull selection by andrological examination aims to estimate the reproductive capacity of the male. Bulls of zebu origin adapt better to high temperatures than bulls of taurine origin, which may influence scrotum temperature and seminal quality due to the imbalance of testicular thermoregulation. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between bioclimatic variables, the temperature of body and scrotal areas, assessed with infrared thermography, and the quality of fresh and post-thawed semen in zebu Nelore bulls (Bos taurus indicus) and Girolando bulls (Bos taurus taurus x Bos taurus indicus). Bulls were kept in pickets with access to water, mineral mix and a diet supplemented with concentrate. Infrared thermographs of the scrotum, orbital globe and muzzle were performed twice a week with a Flir E40 thermal imager. For scrotal thermograms, we analyzed the temperatures of the spermatic cord, proximal and distal portion of the testes and tail of the epididymis using the Flir Tools software. Samples were collected using an artificial vagina and the ejaculates were processed and frozen in liquid nitrogen until further analyses. Data were analyzed with the Tukey test or the Kruskall-Wallis test, depending on their normal distribution. Our results showed differences (p < 0.05) between the two breeds regarding the temperature in the ocular globe, spermatic cord and proximal portion of the scrotum. Nelore bulls presented lower temperature in the body and in certain regions of the scrotum compared to Girolando bulls. Seminal characteristics varied between breeds, with the Nelore breed presenting better semen. Positive correlations were observed between minor sperm defects and ventral regions of the testes and tails of the epididymis in Girolando bulls. Nelore bulls were less influenced by climatic variables and presented lower temperature in skin surface areas in the infrared thermography examination compared to Girolando bulls. Nelore bulls presented superior semen quality in both fresh and thawed samples than Girolando bulls.A seleção de touros pelo exame andrológico visa estimar a capacidade reprodutiva do macho. Touros de origem zebuína apresentam melhor adaptabilidade às altas temperaturas, em relação aos touros de origem taurina, podendo influenciar na temperatura do escroto e na qualidade seminal pelo desequilíbrio da termorregulação testicular. Objetivou-se avaliar a influência das variáveis bioclimáticas e a relação de perfis de termogramas por infravermelho de áreas do corpo e escroto com a qualidade do sêmen fresco e descongelado em touros das raças Nelore e Girolando, mantidos em Central de Inseminação Artificial. Foram utilizados quatro touros Nelore e quatro Girolando, mantidos em piquetes com a...
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