Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jul 10;55(4):264.
doi: 10.1007/s11250-023-03680-7.

Estimation of genetic parameters for semen traits in Egyptian buffalo bulls

Mohamed M I Salem  1 , Amin M S Amin  2 , Ayman F Ashour  2 , Ayman G El Nagar  3
Affiliations

Estimation of genetic parameters for semen traits in Egyptian buffalo bulls

Mohamed M I Salem et al. Trop Anim Health Prod. .

Abstract

This study was conducted to characterize semen traits (ejaculate volume (VOL), mass motility (MM), sperm livability (LS), percentage of abnormal sperms (AS), and sperm concentration (CONC)) of Egyptian buffalo bulls and evaluate the importance of some nongenetic factors (year (YC) and season (SC) of semen collection and age of bull genetically and environmentally at collection (ABC)) affecting the investigated traits. A total of 7761 normal semen ejaculates were collected from 26 bulls from 2009 to 2019. Single-trait and bivariate repeatability animal models using Bayesian methods were used to estimate variance components, heritability, repeatability, and genetic correlations among the investigated semen traits. YC and ABC exerted significant effects on most semen traits, whereas SC exerted no significant effect on all the investigated semen traits. Heritability estimates were 0.08, 0.52, 0.51, 0.04, and 0.49 for VOL, MM, LS, AS, and CONC, respectively. Repeatability estimates were 0.14, 0.82, 0.79, 0.06, and 0.78 for VOL, MM, LS, AS, and CONC, respectively. The genetic correlations between MM and each of LS and CONC were highly significant (0.99 ± 0.01 and 0.95 ± 0.14, respectively), and that between LS and CONC was also highly significant (0.92 ± 0.20). The high heritability estimates for MM, LS, and CONC combined with the favorable high significant genetic correlations between these traits indicated that direct selection for MM may be an effective method to enhance semen quality in Egyptian buffalo bulls and consequently improve fertility.

Keywords: Bayesian analysis; Egyptian buffalo; Genetic correlation; Heritability; Repeatability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. Al-Kanaan A, König S, Brügemann K. Effects of heat stress on semen characteristics of Holstein bulls estimated on a continuous phenotypic and genetic scale. Livestock Science. 2015;177:15–24. doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2015.04.003. - DOI
    1. Amann RP, Hammerstedt RH. Validation of a system for computerized measurements of spermatozoa velocity and percentage of motile sperm. Biology of Reproduction. 1980;23:647–656. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod23.3.647. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barbas JP, Mascarenhas RD. Cryopreservation of domestic animal sperm cells. Cell and Tissue Banking. 2009;10(1):49–62. doi: 10.1007/s10561-008-9081-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barth AD, Waldner CL. Factors affecting breeding soundness classification of beef bulls examined at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. Canadian Veterinary Journal. 2002;43(4):274–284. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Berry DP, Kearney JF. Imputation of genotypes from low-to high-density genotyping platforms and implications for genomic selection. Animal. 2011;5(8):1162–1169. doi: 10.1017/S1751731111000309. - DOI - PubMed

Grants and funding