Semen quality of Colombian Creole as compared to commercial pig breeds

Characterization of Creole breeds is still very limited, including reproductive performance. In this research, we assessed the semen quality of three Colombian Creole breeds (Zungo, Casco de Mula and San Pedreño) relative to that of international breeds (Duroc, Belgian Landrace and Pietrain). Two doses from seven boars per breed were evaluated for sperm kinetics and membrane and acrosome integrity using computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) and flow cytometry, respectively. The Creole pigs showed lower (P < 0.05) volume of fluid ejaculated (185.5 mL vs 239.9 mL), and sperm concentration (340.5 × 10⁶ vs 395.4 × 10⁶ sperm/mL), motility (90.9% vs 95.3%) and progressive motility (63.1% vs 67.2%) than international breeds. No relevant differences between Creole and international breeds for sperm velocity traits were observed, but Creole boars had lower (P < 0.05) proportion of morphologic normal sperm (86.1% vs 90.6%) and of sperm with both intact plasma membrane and acrosome integrity (76.8% vs 87.5%). Mitochondrial membrane potential did not differ between breeds. Creole breeds in general produced less normal and motile sperm per ejaculate than international breeds (49.3 × 10⁹ vs 81.5 × 10⁹). Although San Pedreño had larger ejaculates than Zungo and Zungo had a greater proportion of normal and motile sperm than San Pedreño, Creole breeds did not differ in total amount of normal and motile sperm per ejaculate. The semen from Colombian Creole pigs is qualitatively acceptable, being less abundant but rich in normal and motile sperm, than that from commercial breeds. This should be considered when developing recommendations for semen use and conservation for AI in Creole pigs.