Effect of glycine on storage of ram semen

Abstract

Ram semen was stored at 4° C. in a standard citrate-egg-yolk diluent, which served as a control, and in various diluents in which: (a) the citrate buffer was replaced by various concentrations of glycine in water (2, 3, 4 and 6%); (b) the ratio of semen to diluent was altered from 1:20 to 1:40; (c) the glycine buffer was augmented by the addition of fructose; and (d) the concentration of egg yolk in the diluent was reduced from 50% to 33·3 and 25%.Replacing citrate buffer by 4% glycine considerably improved survival as against other concentrations of glycine and the citrate buffer control. Better survival in 4% glycine-egg-yolk buffer was obtained with a semen dilution ratio of 1:20 than with a ratio of 1: 40. The addition of fructose to the glycine buffer did not improve survival. The 50% concentration of egg yolk in 4% glycine buffer-eggyolk diluent was reduced to 33·3% without affecting either motility or survival, and to 25% with no effect on survival but with slight reduction in motility.