Impact of supplementing commercial rabbit pellets with fresh Moringa oleifera leaves on semen characteristics in rabbit bucks under tropical climate in Trinidad

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the dietary supplement of Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) on semen quality and characteristics in rabbits. Methods Eighteen (n=18) breeding bucks of New Zealand white, of similar age group, were used for the study. Three feeding regimes, (i) 100% commercial rabbit pellets (CRP)-Group I (ii) 90% CRP + 10% fresh MOL on a dry matter (DM) basis – Group II and (iii) 80% CRP + 20% fresh MOL on a DM basis – Group III, were adopted and the trial continued for 21 days. After adaptation to the diet, semen was collected from each buck and subjected to evaluation using a computer-assisted semen analyser. Results In Group III, the sperm count, normal sperm morphology, and sperm motility increased (52.0%) in comparison with the control (Group I; 50.1%). The inclusion of 20% Moringa oliefera in the diet (Group III) caused a significant increase (P<0.05) in semen concentration (Control =136.2 M/mL; Group III=297.2 M/mL). There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in sperm motility and semen volume among the groups. Conclusion The results suggest that supplementing commercial rabbit pellets with 20% fresh Moringa oliefera leaves on a DM basis can improve the quality and characteristics of semen in breeding bucks.