Effect of corn straw or corncobs in total mixed ration during peri-puberty on testis development in Hu lambs

Corn straw and corncobs contain large amounts of crude fibers and are widely used in mutton sheep husbandry in northwest China. The aim of this study was to determine whether feeding with corn straw or corncobs affects lamb testis development. A total of 50 healthy Hu lamb at two-month-old (average body weight of 22.3 ± 0.1 kg) were randomly and equally divided into two groups, and the lambs were equally allocated to five pens in each group. The corn straw group (CS) received a diet containing 20% corn straw, whereas the corncobs group (CC) received a diet containing 20% corncobs. After a 77-day feeding trial, the lambs, except the heaviest and lightest in each pen, were humanely slaughtered and investigated. Results revealed no differences in body weight (40.38 ± 0.45 kg vs. 39.08 ± 0.52 kg) between the CS and CC groups. Feeding diet containing corn straw significantly (P < 0.05) increased testis weight (243.24 ± 18.78 g vs. 167.00 ± 15.20 g), testis index (0.60 ± 0.05 vs. 0.43 ± 0.04), testis volume (247.08 ± 19.99 mL vs. 162.31 ± 14.15 mL), diameter of seminiferous tubule (213.90 ± 4.91 μm vs. 173.11 ± 5.93 μm), and the number of sperm in the epididymis (49.91 ± 13.53 × 10⁸/g vs. 19.34 ± 6.79 × 10⁸/g) compared with those in the CC group. The RNA sequencing results showed 286 differentially expressed genes, and 116 upregulated and 170 downregulated genes were found in the CS group compared with the CC group. The genes affecting immune functions and fertility were screened out. Corn straw decreased the mtDNA relative copy number in the testis (P < 0.05). These results suggest that compared with corncobs, feeding corn straw in the early reproductive development stage of lambs increased the testis weight, diameter of seminiferous tubule and the number of cauda sperm.