Medycyna Wet. 58 (11), 895-898, 2002
| Jankowski J., Glogowski J., Suszyńska D. , Demianowicz W., Koncicki A., Ciereszko A. |
| Effects of dietary sources of zinc and its levels in the diet on semen quality of turkeys |
| Experiments were carried out using 40 toms of Big-6 parental strain. They were randomly divided at the age of 18 weeks into 5 groups (8 males each). Groups II-V were divided into 2 subgroups, 4 toms each. Each group received different levels of zinc (0, 30, 60, 120, and 240 mg/kg) as a supplement to the basic diet. Subgroups received zinc in different chemical forms: mineral (M, ZnSO4) or organic (O, chelat Zn with methionine). Blood was sampled from the wing vein before the experiment and 4 times every 3 weeks in order to determine levels of Zn, Ca, and P. Sperm collection (twice a week) started when toms were 32 weeks old. The following sperm parameters were measured: ejaculate volume, sperm concentration and motility, percentage of live spermatozoa, activities of acid phosphatase (AcP) in whole semen and acrosin in sperm, and protein concentration in seminal plasma. No effects of zinc source and its concentrations in diets on concentrations of zinc, calcium and phosphorus in blood serum were found. Ejaculate volume and sperm concentrations did not change significantly; however, these parameters were the highest in the semen of toms receiving 120 mg/kg zinc. During the course of the experiment (10 weeks) the highest average volume (7.2 ml) of semen was obtained from toms from the subgroup receiving 120 mg/kg Zn in organic form. The highest number of spermatozoa in ejaculate (3.2 [billion?] mld) was also recorded for this subgroup. Analysis of selected biochemical parameters of semen also suggests that their values are the best in the group receiving diets supplemented with 120 mg/kg Zn. |
| Keywords: turkey (tom), zinc supplementation, semen parameters |