Wang Changfa
Research Institute of Donkey High-Efficiency Breeding and Ecological Feeding, College of Agronomy, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Sperm cryopreservation is one premier biotechnology in assisted reproduction. In recent decades, there seemed to be an increasing trend in the usage of cryopreserved semen in the equine industry. Post-thaw semen quality and values are not the same, even in different equine species. Similarly, there are species-specific alterations in sperm physiology, i.e., sperm head, kinetic properties, plasma membrane integrity (PMI), and freezability. Albeit, the viability of sperm varies in the female reproductive tract in mares, jennies, and ponies. The absence of standardized methodology in various steps of sperm cryopreservation, i.e., male health examination, semen collection, dilution, semen centrifugation, and pre-and post-thaw semen quality analysis, results in variations in opinions. As compared to other farm animals, assisted reproductive technologies (A.R.T.) are not applied to the same extent in equines. This chapter aims to provide an update on sperm cryopreservation in equine.
Part of the book: Equine Science