Effect on fertility of storing turkey semen for 24 hours at 10 °C in fluids of different pH

Abstract

1. A study was undertaken into the storage of turkey semen in vitro for 24 h.

2. Turkey semen storage for 24 h at 10 °C was not noticeably improved by using a buffered diluent compared with an unbuffered (pH 7.3) diluent. This is different from the case of the fowl and probably reflects differences in the metabolism of spermatozoa between the species.

3. Adverse effects on the fertilising ability of turkey spermatozoa were observed with diluents buffered around pH 7.4 and 5.8 when compared with the use of diluent either buffered at pH 7.1 or unbuffered.