Seasonal Changes of Nuclear DNA Fragmentation in Boar Spermatozoa in Spain

There are numerous cases when conventional spermiogram parameters are all within an acceptable range but boar subfertility persists. The total sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation index (tDFI) is a trait related to fertility and prolificacy problems that is not routinely evaluated in commercial AI boars. The aim of this research was to study the effect of the photoperiod, season and reproductive age of the boar on tDFI (measured by SCSA) of 1279 ejaculates from 372 different boars belonging to 6 different breeds located in 6 AI studs in Spain. tDFI data ranged from 0.018% to 20.1%. Although there was a significant single boar effect in the tDFI occurrence, a negative correlation between the tDFI and the age of the boar was found (p < 0.001). tDFI would decrease due to aging of the boar 0.66% each year old within the observed age range. After including age as a covariate in the ANCOVA, no differences were found in tDFI between photoperiods when the sperm collection date was evaluated. However, when the date of the production of semen in the testis was evaluated, the total percentage of spermatozoa with fragmented nuclear DNA was 1.46% higher in the increasing photoperiod in comparison to the decreasing photoperiod (p < 0.0001). On the other hand, for both dates, the lowest tDFI values corresponded to minimum day length for decreasing photoperiod phase (autumn), while the highest tDFI values were found in summer (maximum day length for decreasing photoperiod phase).