Vle CONG. INTERN. REPROD. ANIM. INSEM. ARTIF., PARIS, 1968, VOL. II

THE USE OF PELLET-SEMEN IN FINLAND

BRITA VON KOSKULL and JARL HEMNELL
Uudenmaan ja Kymen A.I. Association, Oitbacka, Finland

After the congress in Trento we began in Finland to experi-
ment with freezing bull semen in pellet form.

From Oct. 22nd 1965 to April 4th 1966 a split sample trial
was conducted with one day old (fresh) semen and pelleted

semen.For the fresh semen the extender used was sodiumcitrate:

Natr. citr. neutr. Sl
Glucos. anhydr. 1.0
p-Aminobenzolsulfonamid 0.3
Ag. steril. 100.0

The extender for pellets was an 18.5 % raffinose solution
alternating in two week periods with 11 % lactose solution,
both with 3.5 % glycerol and 15.0 % egg-yolk,the concentration
being always the same in the final solution. To these three
solutions 1 gr. streptomycinesulphate per liter extender was
added. The dilution was made so that every pellet contained

20 - 30 million alive spermatozoa.
Number of 1st | No.of 60 Days | % 60 Days
Inseminations Non-Return Non-Return
In this trial the pellet-semen gave 0.8 % higher 60 days

4856 3346
N.R. than one day old semen.

Table I

Pelleted semen
Fresh semen

     

  

3889

As there was no difference between raffinose and lactose
we have adopted lactose as the extender for pellet-semen.

During 1966 several A.I. associations started using frozen
pellet-semen instead of fresh semen. As these changes in the
different associations did not occur simultaneously, we have
omitted that year (1966) from the table.Comparisons were made
between the results of the years 1965 and 1967 from the three
largest A.I. associations in southern Finland, the fourth
association, situated in central Finland has no bull-stud and
buys semen from the two associations at the head of the list.

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