Abstract

Background:
Sperm morphology assessment is related to the ejaculate quality, which varies in males and breeds. Routine microscopy does not accurately assess deeper morphological or cryodamage Comparative quality assessment of indigenous and exotic breed spermatozoa yet to characterize under high resolution microscopy.

Aim:
This study aimed to identify dimensional, deeper morphological and cryodamage differences in the fresh and frozen sperm of Indian and exotic pig breeds.

Methods:
Fresh and frozen-thawed boar spermatozoa of indigenous (Ghungroo) and exotic (Large White Yorkshire) breeds were used to estimate the deep morphological abnormalities, morphometry, and cryodamage using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s post hoc test was used for data analysis.

Results:
Under phase contrast microscopy, the quality parameters of fresh semen were found to be within acceptable limits, showing no significant differences (p > 0.05) except for volume and concentration between the two breeds. Furthermore, the quality after thawing was subpar in both breeds. In the examination under SEM, the morphometric dimensions of spermatozoa from the indigenous breed were found to be non-significantly (p > 0.05) lower, with the exception of midpiece width and the perimeter of cytoplasmic droplets, compared to those from the exotic breed. Among the deep morphological abnormalities observed in fresh semen, a significant difference (p

Key words: Boar; Cryodamage; Electron microscopy; Sperm.