The Use of Sex-Sorted Stallion Semen in Embryo Transfer Programs

Sorting stallion semen into two separate populations of enriched X- or Y-bearing sperm can be done successfully. For this, stallion semen can be shipped to a sorting facility, but the mare must be in close to the sorting laboratory. Fertility rates when using 20-40 million sperm are an acceptable 60% per insemination. The procedure can be implemented in embryo transfer programs, with no deleterious effect on the pregnancy rate or embryonic death.     

Hyperactivated Sperm Motility: Are Equine Sperm Different?

A recent study has suggested a central role for hyperactivated sperm motility in successful equine in vitro fertilization, as the highest apparent fertilization rates reported yet were obtained using exogenous stimulation of hyperactivated motility in sperm that had been incubated for capacitation. Hyperactivated motility has been studied intensively in other species, but little data are available in this area in the horse. Hyperactivated motility is associated with an influx of calcium from the extracellular space, and in other species this occurs because of an increase in intracellular pH during capacitation. Influx of calcium seems to trigger changes in flagellar function through calcium–calmodulin–calmodulin kinase-related effects on dynein function, but the exact mechanisms resulting in hyperactivated motility are still unclear. We have been exploring the physiology of hyperactivated motility in stallion spermatozoa and have found many of the mechanisms present in other species to be in place in the stallion. Further research is needed to determine why stallion spermatozoa seem to fail to undergo hyperactivation in response to capacitating environments that support this activity in other species.     

Measurement of Concentration and Viability in Stallion Sperm

Sperm concentration and sperm membrane intactness (SMI) or viability are two measures of sperm quality that provide important but different information about a stallion's reproductive capability. Sperm concentration is a measure that, by itself, informs little about the reproductive status of either the stallion or the ejaculate. Nevertheless, it is part of the product, along with semen volume, that determines total sperm number. The correct calculation of total sperm number directly affects the number of mares a stallion can breed and therefore, fertility. If either sperm concentration or semen volume is incorrectly measured, both the number of mares that a stallion can breed and the fertility of those breedings are affected. Although considerable between-stallion variation exists, sperm concentration, semen volume and total sperm number tend to be seasonal and vary with ejaculation frequency.     

Effects of Pentoxifylline on Equine Epididymal Sperm

This study evaluated whether pentoxifylline (PTX) present in the flushing extender influenced the function of equine epididymal spermatozoa after recovery and after thawing. For this experiment, 58 testicles from 29 Brazilian Jumping Horses were used. Cauda epididymides of each stallion were separated and flushed with a skim milk extender, with or without 7.18 mM PTX and then subjected to the freezing process. Samples flushed with the extender containing PTX showed a significant increase in total motility, progressive motility, straight line velocity, curvilinear velocity, and percentage of rapid sperm immediately after the recovery of epididymal sperm and after 15 minutes of incubation at 37°C (P < .05). However, the presence of PTX in the flushing extender did not affect the post-thaw motility parameters or plasma membrane integrity (P > .05). The results of this study showed that the PTX present in the flushing extender improved motility parameters of recently recovered epididymal sperm and had no deleterious effects on plasma membrane integrity and freezability of equine epididymal sperm.     

The Effects of Centrifuged Egg Yolk Used with INRA Plus Soybean Lecithin Extender on Semen Quality to Freeze Miniature Caspian Horse Semen

The aim of this study was to determine the synergistic effects of centrifuged egg yolk (EY) and soybean lecithin on post-thaw Caspian horse sperm motility, morphological abnormalities, and assessment of membrane integrity. The centrifuged EY (CEY) was added at concentrations of 2% and 4% to a defined INRA plus 1.25% soybean lecithin extender used to freeze Caspian horse semen. In this experiment, ejaculates collected from each Caspian horse (n = 4) were divided into three equal aliquots and diluted in CEY 2% (INRA2), 4% (INRA4) supplemented, and without any CEY (INRA0) in INRA plus 1.25% soybean lecithin extender, respectively. Thereafter, samples were frozen and thawed following a standard protocol. Sperm cryosurvival was evaluated in vitro by microscopy assessments of post-thaw sperm motility (by means of computer-assisted semen motility analysis [CASA]), acrosomal and other abnormalities (head, mid-pieces, and tail) and plasma membrane integrity (evaluated by HOST). In Caspian stallion, semen extended with INRA2 had significantly higher CASA motility and CASA progressive motility than those extended with the rest of extenders after freezing and thawing (P < .001). There was no significant difference in path velocity (VAP), VCL, and ALH among three groups (P > .05). For straight line velocity (P < .01) and LIN (P < .001), the highest values were obtained from the INRA4 group. The highest percentages of acrosomal and other abnormalities were found in semen diluted in INRA4 (P < .001). In the group frozen INRA2, the percentage of membrane integrity was significantly higher than that of the other groups (P < .001). The use of CEY 2% in combination with soybean lecithin significantly improved Caspian horse semen freezability.     

多旋翼植保无人机棉花飞防作业效果

目的 研究植保无人机喷施作业雾滴的沉积分布规律和病虫害防治效果,为植保无人机田间作业提供理论依据和技术支持。方法 使用无人机和喷杆喷雾机进行喷施试验,以卡罗米特纸卡和滤纸作为取样器采集雾滴,研究雾滴在棉花冠层的沉积规律,比较两种植保机械的病虫害防治效果。结果 在有效喷幅范围内,无人机喷施作业雾滴主要集中在棉花冠层上部,棉花冠层中部和下部雾滴沉积量和覆盖率均较低;无人机施药雾滴在上风向和下风向的飘移量有显著差异,上风向雾滴平均飘移百分比为4.93%,下风向平均飘移百分比为14.96%,且波动较大;JT-30植保无人机和3W-1000Y悬挂式喷杆喷雾机在施药7 d后对棉蚜防治效果较好,在施药后15 d对棉叶螨防治效果较好。结论 雾滴在棉花冠层的穿透性较差,下风向雾滴飘移现象较突出,对蚜虫的防治效果较好。     

基于林木病虫害防治的移动喷雾参数对雾滴穿透性影响分析

林木病虫害防治过程中,常采用皮卡搭载喷雾系统进行移动喷雾,以达到快速高效的目的。为了研究移动喷施农药过程中喷雾技术参数对雾滴穿透性的影响,本研究构建了由供液模块、喷雾压力调控和速度实时显示模块、喷头高度和角度调节模块、速度控制调节模块和防冲撞限位模块5大部分组成的移动喷雾测试系统。通过研制的移动喷雾测试开展试验分析,分别设置了3种喷施压力、4种搭载平台行驶速度、国产和进口不同的多个喷头,对仿真树靶标进行了喷雾试验,在仿真树冠层内设置8个采样点铺放卡纸来测定雾滴沉积覆盖率,采用iDASPRO雾滴沉积分析数据,以此来测试喷雾技术参数对雾滴穿透规律的影响。经过统计分析,得到影响喷头穿透效果大小的因素次序:喷雾压力>搭载平台移动速度>喷头孔径,采用Design Expert试验分析软件,建立以喷头孔径、搭载平台移动速度和喷雾压力为自变量、以雾滴覆盖率为应变量的多元非线性回归模型。结果表明:雾滴沉积量随着喷雾压力的增加呈现增加的趋势,当移动速度为最小的0.25m/s时,雾滴沉积量明显高于移动速度为0.50m/s和0.75m/s时的值,研究结果对于植保作业中移动喷雾参数确定和器械选择提供了理论依据与应用参考。     

Relationships Among the Feeding Behaviors of a Mirid Bug on Cotton Leaves of Different Ages and Plant Biochemical Substances

Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür) (Hemiptera: Miridae) tends to feed on young plant tissues. To explore the relationship between stylet probing behaviors of adult A. lucorum and conditions of cotton leaves, we conducted an experiment using electropenetrography (EPG). Behaviors were recorded on four cotton varieties, in relation to thickness and biochemical traits of differently-aged leaves. Cotton leaf age had a significant effect on the probing behavior of A. lucorum but cotton variety did not. One-day-old leaves of A. lucorum received the highest mean number of stylet probes (penetrations) per insect, and longest mean durations per insect of combined stylet probing or its components, cell rupture and ingestion behaviors. All of the leaf traits (thickness and biochemical substances) were similar among these four cotton varieties. Leaf thickness had a significantly negative effect on the same four variables above. Gossypol and tannin also had a negative impact on combined probing duration. Redundancy analysis showed that the four EPG variables were closely related to nutrient substances (amino acids, sugar, and water) while they had the opposite relationship with plant defense substances (gossypol and tannin). On cotton in the seedling stages, A. lucorum fed more readily on the youngest, thinnest leaves in our no-choice EPG experiments. Nutrients and chemical resistance substances determined the probing duration of A. lucorum. Our findings can contribute to better understanding of patterns of feeding and host consumption by A. lucorum, ultimately improving cotton resistance to A. lucorum.     

The Effects of an Oxygen Scavenger and Coconut Water on Equine Sperm Cryopreservation

Alternative sources of lipoproteins in semen extenders could replace animal by-products. We hypothesized that: (1) post-thaw semen parameters and fertility would not be different in coconut water (CW)–treated samples compared with egg yolk (EY)–treated samples and (2) the use of an oxygen scavenger (Oxyrase) would improve post-thaw sperm motility and membrane integrity and decrease lipid peroxidation. Experiment 1: three ejaculates each from five stallions were split into four treatments: EY, CW, egg yolk with Oxyrase, and coconut water with Oxyrase. Computer-assisted sperm analysis measured progressive and total motility, velocity, and linearity. Membrane integrity, apoptosis, and lipid peroxidation were evaluated using propidium iodide, annexin, and BODIPY fluorescent probes, respectively. Samples were cryopreserved, stored in liquid nitrogen, and then thawed to 37°C and analyzed again. Experiment 2: one ejaculate was divided into two aliquots and cryopreserved using either CW or EY. In a crossover design, 12 mares were bred on two consecutive cycles with either EY or CW. Pregnancy evaluations were at 14-day gestation. No differences were detected in sperm parameters between CW and EY (P > .05). Oxyrase did not improve sperm motility parameters in post-thaw samples, nor did it show protective effects for viability or against membrane damage (P > .05). More mares became pregnant using CW than EY (11/12 vs. 6/12, respectively; P = .013). Use of CW is a viable alternative to animal-based products in the cryopreservation of stallion semen.