Samoulidis S., Saoulidis K., Kyriakis S. C., Giannakopoulos C. G., Tsakalof R.

ABSTRACT: In this paper the results of artificial insemination with frozen semen that was frozen by a new method of freezing and extending a new modified diluents are presented. The freezing procedure started by removing the semen plasma after centrifugation (3000 rounds/min for 5 min) and replacing it with the diluents A, based on the Kiew diluents, to which egg yolk was added (80:20). Then, at the beginning of the main phase of freezing, the diluents solution B was added. The diluents B consisted of 92 mL of diluents A +6 mL of glycerine +2 mL of orvus-es-paste. The results showed that (a) after revival of semen, frozen by the new method, a satisfactory progressive movement of spermatozoa (52%) and a normal acrosomal cap (54%) were observed and (b) after the application of artificial insemination to 21 sows, 12 farrowed (57.1%) and gave birth to a total of 117 piglets (9.75 piglets/sow), whereas of the 21 controls inseminated with semen extended and frozen by the Hulsenberger method, 10 farrowed (47.6%) a total of 98 piglets (47.6%), i.e. 9.8 piglets/sow. These results, despite the fact that no significant statistical difference with the negative control group was observed, are considered to be satisfactory because (a) freezing semen can be performed without the necessity of specialized laboratories, (b) it is a simple procedure and (c) percentages of our results are not inferior to the results of other researchers.