Effect of Adding Different Levels of Euterpe oleracea (Açaí) Fruit to the Diet of Laying Hens on the Volume of Ejaculate, Sperm Motility and Some Histological Characteristics

Abstract

Abstract This study was conducted in the poultry field, College of Agriculture at Al-Qasim Green University for the period from December 1, 2022, to February 22, 2023, with aim to investigate the impact of adding different levels of Açaí fruit (Euterpe oleracea) to the diet of laying hens on the reproductive performance of roosters, specifically focusing on volume of ejaculate, Sperm motility, and Histological characteristics. The experiment used 25 roosters from brown Lohman laying hens at the age of 65 weeks. The birds were randomly divided into five treatments, each consisting of 5 roosters with five replicates per treatment, with each replicate representing one rooster. The experimental treatments were as follows (Control without addition, addition of 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, and 20 mg of Açaí fruit) for treatments T0, T1, T2, T3, and T4, respectively. The experiment continued for four periods, with each period lasting one week. The following results were obtained during the study period: A significant increase (P < 0.05) was observed in most treatments compared to the control treatment in the ejaculate volume. Additionally, a significant improvement was found in sperm motility. As for some histological characteristics, significant differences (P < 0.05) were evident in the relative weight of interstitial tissue components in Leydig cells and muscular cells. The fourth treatment showed significant superiority compared to the control treatment, while the first, second, and third treatments did not differ significantly from each other. On the other hand, we note that the addition of açaí fruits to the diet led to a significant decrease in the relative weight of the interstitial spaces and intertubular distances in the third and fourth treatments compared to the control treatment. No significant differences were recorded in the relative weight of the seminiferous tubule lumen, basement membrane, and blood vessels.