Skip to main content
PMC home page
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica logoLink to Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
. 1992 Mar 1;33(1):15–20. doi: 10.1186/BF03546931

Relationship Between Testicular Measurements, Body Weight and Semen Quality in Young Dairy Bulls

Sambandet mellan testikelmått, levanade vikt och spermakvalitet hos ungtjurar av mjölkras. Vid en åider av 11 månader undersöktes 322 Ayrshire tjurar och 85 tjurar av Frisisk ras. Av dessa tjurar producerade 286 Ay-tjurar och 80 Fr-tjurar sperma av för semin godkänd kvalitet. Skrotumsäckens omkrets, tonometervärdet, scrotumsäckens tjocklek, kroppsvikten vid 1 års ålder samt palpation av testiklarna testades som parametrar att välja ut tjurar olämpliga för semin. Icke omlöparprocenten användes som fertilitetsmått

Magnus Andersson 1,✉, Matti Alanko 1
PMCID: PMC8117864  PMID: 1598853

Abstract

Dairy bulls, 322 Ayrshires (Ay) and 85 Friesians (Fr), were studied at the age of 11 months. Of the bulls, 286 Ay-bulls and 80 Fr-bulls produced semen of acceptable quality for use in A.I. Scrotal circumference, tonometer measure, scrotal fold thickness, 1-year body weight and testicular palpation were used to predict unsuitable bulls for A.I. Non-return rate was used as a measure of fertility.

Scrotal fold thickness and 1-year weight had no significant correlation with fertility or semen quality. Scrotal circumference had a significant positive correlation with fertility. Tonometer ratio had a significant negative correlation with fertility. Testicular palpation was the best basis for predicting bulls with poor semen quality in this study. Twelve bulls were recorded as having testicles of different sizes, 1 testicle being more than 20 % bigger than the other. Only 2 of these 12 bulls produced semen of acceptable quality. One of these 2 bulls was, after slaughter, diagnosed as having a hereditary testicle disease. Friesians were shown to have significantly higher fertility than Ayrshires.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (762.0 KB).

References

  1. Aehnelt E, Hahn J, Jacovac M. Klinischer Hodenbefund und Morphologisches spermabild als fruhtbarkeitsindikatoren bei besamungsbulle. (Clinical scrotal findings and sperm morphology as fertility indicators in AI bulls). 5th. Int. Congr. Anim. Reprod. Trento. 1964;7:470–475. [Google Scholar]
  2. Andersson M, Alanko M: Ultrasonography revealing the accumulation of rete testis fluid in bull testicles. Andrologia (in press). [DOI] [PubMed]
  3. Anonymous: STATGRAPHICS Statistical Graphics System, User’s Guide. Rockville, Maryland, U.S.A. 1985.
  4. Coulter GH, Foote RH. Bovine testicular measurements as indicators of reproductive performance and their relationship to productive traits in cattle: a review. Theriogenology. 1979;11:297–311. doi: 10.1016/0093-691X(79)90072-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Downey BR, Pierce ARJ, Sanford LM: Seasonal differences in pituitary and testicular function in bulls. 10th Int. Congr. Anim. Reprod. Illinois 1984, Vol 2, Paper No 146, 3 pp.
  6. Eriksson K. Hereditary disturbances of reproduction in cattle. 14th. Int. Vet. Congr. London. 1952;3:216–219. [Google Scholar]
  7. Gipson TA, Vogt DW, Massey JW, Ellersieck MR. Associations of scrotal circumference with semen traits in young beef bulls. Theriogenology. 1985;24:217–225. doi: 10.1016/0093-691X(85)90186-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hahn J, Foote RH, Cranch ET: Tonometer for measuring testicular consistency of bulls to predict semen quality. J. Anim. Sci. 1969a, 29, 483–489. [DOI] [PubMed]
  9. Hahn J, Foote RH, Seidel GE. Jr: Testicular growth and related sperm output in dairy bulls. J. Anim. Sci. 1969b, 29, 41–47. [DOI] [PubMed]
  10. Haq I. Causes of sterility in bulls in Southern England. British vet. J. 1949;105:71–75. doi: 10.1016/S0007-1935(17)53538-1. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jacubiec J: Testicular size and consistency in bulls as a criterion for evaluation and selection with regard to fertility in cattle. 34th Ann. Meet. Europ. Ass. Anim. Product. Madrid 1983, Vol 2, 428–429.
  12. Roberts SJ: Veterinary obstetrics and genital diseases. Roberts SJ, NY, 1956.
  13. Rossouw AF. A note on prediction of semen quality and fertility. S. Afr. J. Anim. Sci. 1975;5:31–32. [Google Scholar]
  14. Ruttle JL, Bartlett DC, Hallford DM: Factors affecting semen characters of New Mexico range bulls. Proceedings, Western section, American Society of Animal Science. 1982, 33, 158–161.

Articles from Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica are provided here courtesy of BMC

RESOURCES