¹Nigde University Bor Higher School For Business 51700, Bor - Nigde , TURKEY
²Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Harran, 63300, Şanlıurfa - TURKEY
³Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Harran, 63300, Sanliurfa - TURKEY DOI : 10.9775/kvfd.2009.354 The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of air pressure on fertility during cervical artificial insemination with fresh semen in Awassi ewes. A total of 60 reproductively normal-cycling Awassi ewes (2-5 years old) were used in the experiment during the breeding season. All ewes were treated with the PG-7 days protocol consisting of two intramuscular doses of a PGF2α analogue administered 7 days apart. Animals were divided into two groups. The first group (n=30) was cervically inseminated (CAI). The second group (n=30) was cervically inseminated by means of an air pump (APCAI). Artificial inseminations were performed 48 h after the second PGF2α injection. Pregnancy was determined using ultrasonography on d 30 after AI. The pregnancy rate was found significantly higher in the APCAI group than in the CAI group (80.0% versus 46.7%) (P<0.01). The lambing rate was found to be greater in the group cervically inseminated with an air pump than in the group cervically inseminated with the conventional method (70.0 versus 46.7%). The insemination method used had a significant effect on lambing rate (P<0.05). Prolificacy was not affected by insemination methods (APCAI, 1.09; CAI, 1.14). It was concluded that cervical insemination with an air pump in Awassi ewes might improve clinical pregnancy rates by mechanisms yet to be defined. Keywords : Awassi ewe, Fertility, Artificial insemination, Air pressure