Global demand for pulses such as the mung bean has grown in the last years. For successful production of these crops it is necessary to use high quality seeds. Methodologies based on X-ray image analysis have been used as a complementary tool to evaluate the physical quality of seeds due to their speed and potential for automation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of X-ray analysis for non-destructive evaluation of the physical quality of Vigna radiata seeds and to relate the variables obtained with their physiological potential. For this, seeds from eight lots were X-rayed and subsequently subject to germination test. In total, 18 physical and physiological parameters were determined. The X-ray image analysis was efficient for evaluating the internal morphology of Vigna radiata seeds and allowed the identification of various damage types. However, it was not possible to relate the physical variables to the seed quality as the lots presented similar germination percentage. Physical variables such as solidity and circularity are related to percentage of root protrusion and length of seedling hypocotyl. Low relative densities indicate deteriorated tissues, related to severe morphological damage and non-viable seeds.

Background: Bulls are of great importance in the productive chain and for this reason they should have a good semen quality. There is no doubt that sperm morphology is very important to bull fertility, although little is known about how exactly the abnormal morphologies may affect sperm functions. Objectives: To detail the morphological description of the aplastic midpiece defect (AMD), as well as to understand its consequences for male fertility based on membrane and acrosome status, mitochondrial membrane potential and DNA integrity parameters. Materials and methods: The bulls were divided into two groups: control, consisting of satisfactory potential breeders (n = 3); and AMD, consisting of unsatisfactory potential breeders with a high percentage of AMD (n = 3). Bulls were evaluated by the breeding soundness evaluation; five ejaculates were collected from each animal and analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: Spermatozoa from AMD group exhibited lower sperm motility and vigor (p < 0.05). In addition, it also exhibited lower mitochondrial membrane potential (p < 0.05), a higher percentage of spermatozoa with DNA fragmentation (p < 0.05), lower acrosome and plasma membrane integrity (p < 0.05), and higher lipid bilayer sperm membrane disorganization (p < 0.05) in comparison with control bulls. Discussion: These findings may be due to oxidative stress and a reduction of the energy production capacity in addition to an alteration in the structural composition of the sperm cell. Moreover, semen with a high percentage of AMD may also be undergoing apoptosis. Conclusion: Bulls with a high percentage of AMD in their semen are not suitable for reproduction. Furthermore, it suggests there is a putative genetic basis for this sperm defect.

This experiment was designed to evaluate, in vitro and in vivo, the cooling resistance of the goat semen diluted in citrate-egg yolk extender with high (20%) or low (2.5%) concentration of egg yolk. The experiment was conducted at Dairy Goat Station of the Animal Science Department (Federal University of Viçosa, MG, Brazil), during the natural breeding season (March to June). Four bucks of the Alpine (n = 2) and Saanen (n = 2) breeds were used as semen donors. The bucks did not have apparent abnormalities of the reproductive tract and the fertility was proved based on andrologic examination and the records from the previous breeding season. The semen was collected by the artificial vagina method and a fresh sample was analyzed for the sperm cell motility and concentration. Therefore, the semen was diluted in citrate-egg yolk extender with high (T1 = 20%) or low (T2 = 2.5%) concentration of egg yolk, cooled and stored at 5°C for 24 h, before being used either for quality analysis or for AI. Reproductive-age female Saanen and Alpina goats (n = 68) were inseminated via cervix with cooled semen from T1 (n = 32) or from T2 (n = 36). The parametric data from cooled semen quality (sperm cell motility, vigor, hyposmotic swelling test, morphology, and supravital staining) were analyzed by ANOVA, for the main effect of the treatment, using the SAEG 9.0 program (UFV, 2005). The differences between means were accessed by the Student-Newman-Keuls test. The qualitative data from pregnancy rate were tested by chi-square (Ayres et al. BioEstat 2.0, 2000). The mean ± SEM for each quality test of the cooled semen, as well the P-value for comparisons between treatments were as follows: motility, 68.6 ± 15.5 and 78.0 ± 5.6% (P < 0.05); vigor, 2.5 ± 0.6 and 3.2 ± 0.3 (P < 0.05); supravital staining, 59.4 ± 17.3 and 71.2 ± 10.6% (P < 0.05); and hyposmotic test, 42.3 ± 15.8 and 56.3 ± 11.6% (P < 0.05), respectively, for T1 and T2. The pregnancy rate was higher (P < 0.05) in goats inseminated with cooled semen from T2 (66.7%) than in those inseminated with T1 (31.25%). The number of the offspring did not differ (P > 0.05) between treatments (1.3 ± 0.5 and 1.4 ± 0.5 kids, forT1 andT2, respectively). The interpretation was that the goat semen diluted, cooled, and stored in citrate-egg yolk extender prepared with a low (2.5%) concentration of egg yolk produced higher pregnancy rate and the tests of semen quality were sensitive to assess this difference. Financial support was provided by CnPQ (Brazil).