Abstract
Background: Natural extenders present a cost-effective, biodegradable and less toxic alternative to chemical extenders in semen extension and storage. The experiment was designed to find a suitable semen extension medium for Banaba native chicken by comparing the effects of four different extenders: egg yolk-citrate (EY-C), sugarcane water (SW), coconut water (CW), and honey solution (HS) under two storage temperatures: low temperature (3–5°C) and room temperature (25–27°C). Methods: The experiment employed a 4 x 2 factorial design in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four types of diluents and two storage conditions, using the collection period as a blocking factor. The quality of pooled semen samples from 10 collection periods was assessed using Computer-Assisted Semen Analyzer (CASA). Only samples with ≥ 70% total motility were further analyzed. Results: The type of extender had significant effect on sperm total motility, progressive motility, and morphology of the Banaba native chicken. Except sperm progressive motility, temperature had no significant influence on semen parameters. Conclusions: All extenders were effective in protecting the spermatozoa of the roosters at room temperature compared to that of low temperature. The sugarcane water diluent was numerically superior to the other diluents and can be used for semen extension.
Keywords
Banaba native chicken, Coconut water, Sugarcane water, Honey, Semen extension