Semen quality of Colombian Creole as compared to commercial pig breeds

Abstract

Background Colombian Creole pigs are a valuable resource for rural livelihood and research. There are three officially recognized Creole breeds in Colombia (Zungo, ZU; Casco de Mula, CM; and San Pedreño, SP). The phenotypic characterization of these breeds is still very limited, including the reproductive performance of their boars, which is a key issue for developing conservation and dissemination strategies. The aim of this research was to assess the semen quality of Colombian Creole breeds as compared to commonly used international breeds. Results Seven boars for each Colombian Creole (ZU, CM, and SP) and international (Duroc, Belgian Landrace, and Pietrain) breeds were used in the experiment. Two doses of semen per boar were assessed in duplicate for sperm kinetics and membrane and acrosome integrity using computer-assisted sperm analysis and flow cytometry, respectively. On average, the Creole pigs, as compared to international breeds, showed lower (P<0.05) volumeof fluid ejaculated(185.5 mL vs 239.9 mL) as well as sperm concentration (340.5 vs to 395.4, in million sperm/mL), motility (90.9% vs 95.3%) and progressive motility (63.1% vs 67.2%). No relevant differences between breeds for sperm velocity traits were observed, but Creole pigs had lower (P<0.05) proportion of morphologic normal sperm (86.1% vs 90.6%) and of sperm with intact mitochondria plasma membrane and acrosome (76.8% vs 87.5%). Mitochondrial membrane potential did not differ between Creole and international breeds. These results mean that Creole breeds had 60.5% less normal and motile sperm per ejaculate than international breeds. Amongst Creole breeds, SP had larger ejaculates and ZU showed greater proportion of normal and motile sperm, but they did not differ for the amount of normal and motile sperm per ejaculate. Conclusion The semen of Colombian Creole pigs is acceptable but less abundant and rich in normal and motile spermatozoa than that collected from commercial breeds. This fact should be considered in developing recommendations for semen processing in Creole pigs. Findings provided here can give new impetus to the conservation and insemination of Creole pigs.