No abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of boron supplementation in ration of rams on their productive activity and semen quality. For that purpose, twelve rams were divided into two groups (6 rams/ each). Rams of the first control group were fed the basal ration. Concerning the second group (boron group), the rams were fed the basal ration plus 400 mg boric acid (BA) / kg diet as a source of boron. The rams in both groups fed their corresponding ration for 4 months ad libitum. Blood samples were collected monthly throughout the experimental period. Semen samples were collected at the 12 th and 16 th weeks of the experiment. The results clarified that the serum levels of tetraiodotyrosine (T4) were observed to be elevated significantly (P<0.05) with growing of age in the rams fed B, but they didn't change in the control group. In addition, the semen quality was maintained normal with boronsupplementation as the individual sperm motilities and live/dead sperm cells percentages were similar to control. Also, boronsupplementation didn't induce any adverse effects on the serum levels of Mg when compared to control group. Thus, boronis considered a potential and useful supplement in ration of rams to improve the thyroid activities and didn't induce any adverse effects on either semen quality or serum magnesium level in rams.

By 2050, the human population will have risen dramatically to nine billion (Council, 2015). As a result, the demand for animal protein sources rises (Henchion et al., 2014). Therefore, improving animal product production becomes a critical issue in order to face demand. Goats are an important source of animal protein because of their ability to thrive in arid harsh environments (Aziz, 2010) and consume a variety of diets, making them an important source of animal protein to humans (Monteiro et al., 2017). Therefore, scientists must research new methods to maximize male goat activity in order to raise revenue productivity.Numerous researchers have studied the impact of certain substances known as nutraceuticals on reproductive performance (Falsig et al., 2019). Therefore, to safeguard against a variety of health challenges, these nutraceuticals are added to the diet of both humans and animals. However, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) believes that these nutraceuticals are only used to carry out specific biological actions and not to relieve diseases (Garolla et al., 2020). At present, dietary supplements are frequently prescribed to enhance male reproductive activity.In the environment, including soils and waters, boron (B) is a naturally occurring compound with a widespread distribution. The World Health Organization views B as crucial for both animal and human health because it has been linked to some physiological processes, including immunity, reproduction, and antioxidant defense (Hu et al., 2014).Little information about how dietary boron affects various physiological processes in farm animals, particularly in goats

In recent years, the physiological roles of boron (B) have attracted widespread interest, with the predominant focus on the reproductive component (Duydu et al., 2016). Obviously, concentration of B in the environment has become trendy cursed as it is introduced in diversified industrial purposes including cosmetic, food, agricultural and pharmaceutical ones and is easily discharged into the environment (Price et al., 1996).According to the report of European Union, B could be categorized as 'Group 1B' compound of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) that is associated with risk phrases R60-61 (R60: