Sperm Quality of Tolaki Chicken with Different Semen Storage Periods

Abstract

The Tolaki chicken is a native chicken of Southeast Sulawesi, found in several regions such as Konawe, South Konawe, Kolaka, East Kolaka, and North Konawe Regencies. Semen diluents are substances used to preserve and protect spermatozoa during storage, enabling their use in artificial insemination (AI). Understanding semen storage before AI is essential to estimate the viability and fertility of spermatozoa within the female reproductive tract. This study aims to determine the effect of semen storage duration in physiological NaCl solution on the quality of Tolaki chicken spermatozoa. The materials used in this research were semen from village chickens aged 1-1.5 years. Storage durations were set at 0, 75, 90, 105, and 120 minutes, with five repetitions for each. The semen-to-diluent ratio was 1:1. Observed variables included spermatozoa motility and viability. The experimental method used was a completely randomized design (CRD). Variance analysis results indicated that the storage duration of Tolaki chicken semen in physiological NaCl solution at 0, 75, 90, 105, and 120 minutes had a highly significant effect (P<0.01) on motility and viability. The average motility for storage durations of 0, 75, 90, 105, and 120 minutes was 92.05±1.05%, 83.30±1.83%, 73.55±1.71%, 53.35±1.55%, and 44.05±1.51%, respectively, while the average viability was 95.23±1.04%, 86.14±1.26%, 74.77±3.05%, 54.94±2.10%, and 42.94±1.60%, respectively. In conclusion, the motility and viability of Tolaki chicken spermatozoa decreased gradually with increasing storage duration.