Sperm quality is a principal determinant of its fertilizing potency. The current study was conducted in an attempt to link some morphometric measures (sperm and flagellum length) and the concentrations of some ions in seminal plasma on the one hand to sperm swimming velocity on the other hand in three Egyptian local chicken strains (Dandarawi, Sharkasi and Fayoumi). Ten adult males (28 weeks old) from each strain were housed in individual cages. Semen samples were collected twice weekly for a period of 16 weeks. Some physical and chemical characteristics of semen including ejaculate volume (mL), sperm concentration, motility (%), and the concentrations of calcium, potassium, sodium and manganese in seminal plasma were measured. Sperm curve linear velocity (VCL), average path velocity (VAP), straight line velocity (VSL) and straightness (STR) were measured using computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA) software. The lengths of entire sperm, head plus mid-piece and flagellum (µm) were measured using image J software. There were no significant differences among strains in the percentages of total motile sperms and the percentages of sperms demonstrating progressive motility. Ejaculates of Dandarawi roosters had higher sperm concentration/ml (p0.01), greater percentages of rapid swimming sperms (p0.001) and higher values of VCL, VAP and VSL (p0.0001) compared to those of Sharkasi and Fayomi strains. Significant differences were observed in sperm morphometry among the different strains where Dandarawi and Sharkasi had longer sperm and flagellum compared to those of Fayoumi (p0.001). Chemical composition of seminal plasma revealed higher potassium concentrations in Sharkasi samples compared to those of Fayomi (P0.05); while the concentrations in Dandarawi ejaculates were intermediate. In conclusion, Dandarawi sperm showed higher swimming velocity compared to both Sharkasi and Fayomi. Slower sperm velocity can be attributed to shorter flagellum and to higher potassium concentrations in seminal plasma in Fayomi and Sharkasi strains, respectively.

This study is consisted of two experiments and aimed to determine the nutrient composition and feeding value of the hydroponic barley fodder (HBF) and that HBF irrigated with bakers' yeast (HBFY) for the growing Californean (CAL) and White New Zealandean (NZW) rabbits. The first experiment included 36-weaned rabbit males, 18 rabbit males from each of CAL and NZW breeds, which were housed in 18 paired cages. The nine replicates (2 rabbits in each replicate) of each breed were then allotted randomly to three feeding treatment groups: Control. Basal diet, T1. Basal diet + HBF, and T2. Basal diet + HBFY. The rabbits were adapted to the tested fodders for one week, and the data collection continued for six weeks. The second experiment followed the same design, but using female rabbits instead of males. The fresh-8-day HBF and HBFY contained 17.30% and 16.84% dry matter, 17.75% and 16.68% crude protein, 15.90% and 15.67% crude fiber, respectively. The one kg of barley grains yielded 6.12 kg of fresh HBF, versus 6.02 kg of fresh HBFY/ kg grains. The results of Exp. 1 showed that the male rabbits provided with fresh HBF recorded the highest body weight, body weight gain and carcass weight, while the HBFY males had the worst (P0.01) feed conversion ratio. In Exp. 2, the HBFY females had the lowest BW and BWG and the worst FCR value. In both trials, the male and female rabbits which were provided with fresh HBF had a cheaper feed cost per gain than those of the control group, while the HBFY rabbits had the most expensive value. Besides, the tested treatments showed inconsistent impacts on the feed and fodder intake values, while they did not show any significant effect on the dressing percentage, carcass cuts, body muscles, or internal organ weights. Conculsively, the results therefore revealed that feeding the growing male or female rabbits with the HBF displayed considerable nutritional benefits, while the HBFY is not recommended

This study is consisted of two experiments and aimed to determine the nutrient composition and feeding value of the hydroponic barley fodder (HBF) and that HBF irrigated with bakers' yeast (HBFY) for the growing Californean (CAL) and White New Zealandean (NZW) rabbits. The first experiment included 36-weaned rabbit males, 18 rabbit males from each of CAL and NZW breeds, which were housed in 18 paired cages. The nine replicates (2 rabbits in each replicate) of each breed were then allotted randomly to three feeding treatment groups: Control. Basal diet, T1. Basal diet + HBF, and T2. Basal diet + HBFY. The rabbits were adapted to the tested fodders for one week, and the data collection continued for six weeks. The second experiment followed the same design, but using female rabbits instead of males. The fresh-8-day HBF and HBFY contained 17.30% and 16.84% dry matter, 17.75% and 16.68% crude protein, 15.90% and 15.67% crude fiber, respectively. The one kg of barley grains yielded 6.12 kg of fresh HBF, versus 6.02 kg of fresh HBFY/ kg grains. The results of Exp. 1 showed that the male rabbits provided with fresh HBF recorded the highest body weight, body weight gain and carcass weight, while the HBFY males had the worst (P0.01) feed conversion ratio. In Exp. 2, the HBFY females had the lowest BW and BWG and the worst FCR value. In both trials, the male and female rabbits which were provided with fresh HBF had a cheaper feed cost per gain than those of the control group, while the HBFY rabbits had the most expensive value. Besides, the tested treatments showed inconsistent impacts on the feed and fodder intake values, while they did not show any significant effect on the dressing percentage, carcass cuts, body muscles, or internal organ weights. Conculsively, the results therefore revealed that feeding the growing male or female rabbits with the HBF displayed considerable nutritional benefits, while the HBFY is not recommended

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional impacts of Spirulina platensis supplementation in the feed and drinking water of the Japanese quail during the growing and laying periods. One-hundred-twenty Japanese quails (14 days old) were housed in twelve battery cages, which were randomly corresponded to three treatments: a basal mash diet (BMD) (control group), a BMD plus 1% Spirulina platensis, and a BMD plus 0.25% of Spirulina platensis in the drinking water. The growth performance was evaluated between the 2nd and 6th week of age, then the egg production parameters and fertility rates were investigated during the following seven weeks. The Spirulina powder used in this study had 95.40% dry matter, 54.70% crude protein, 2.58% ether extract, and 1.58% crude fiber. During the growing period, the results showed that the birds provided with Spirulina powder at 1% in the feed (T1) and at 0.25% in the drinking water (T2) had higher (P0.05) body weight (BW) and body weight gain (BWG) values than those of the control group. The total FI of T1 was higher (P0.05) than those of the control and T2 (505.1 vs. 515.6 and 504.9 g). Besides, both of Spirulina treatments had better feed conversion ratios than that of the control group (3.3 and 3.3 versus 3.6 feed: gain). During the laying period, the Spirulina supplementation in feed or in water did not show significant (P≥0.05) effects on the egg laying rate, egg weight, daily egg mass, feed intake, or feed conversion (g feed: g egg) as compared with the control group. Finally, the birds supplemented with Spirulina treatments had lesser serum cholesterol and free fatty acid levels, and displayed higher fertility values (P0.05) than that of the control group. In conclusion, the addition of Spirulina to the feed and/ or to the drinking water of the Japanese quail had beneficial effects on growth performance and fertility, while it did not show any significant (P≥0.05) impact on the egg production, egg quality, or dressing percentage.

With avian sperm cryopreservation protocols, the most widely used cryoprotectants (CPAs) are the glycerol (GLY; in gradual freezing: in-straw freezing method), and the dimethylacetamide (DMA; in pellets by plunging into liquid nitrogen: in-pellet rapid freezing method). Use of both methods results in a small portion of thawed live sperm with lesser fertilizing ability compared with the semen samples immediately after collection. This study was conducted to assess the pre-freezing damage occurring to the sperm due to the interaction with the cryoprotectants (CPAs) GLY (8%) and DMA (5%), as well as the post-freezing damage resulting from both freezing methods Data for each treatment, in fresh and frozen-thawed samples, were compared for sperm motility, fertilizing capacity and sperm-egg penetration holes/germinal disc (SP holes/GD). Hens (n = 50) were artificially inseminated (10 hens/treatment) six times with 3 day intervals be-tween inseminations. The treatment of fresh sperm with DMA led to a reduction (P 0.05) in the count of SP holes/GD (21.4) and the fertility rate (66.7%). The addition and elimination of GLY in fresh samples resulted in a lesser (P 0.05) number of SP holes/GD (11.8) and the fertility rate (i.e., 50.0%). The number of SP-holes/GD was least in frozen-thawed samples using both DMA and GLY (14.2 and 9.2, respectively). The fertility rate when using semen frozen with DMA in- pellets was greater (P 0.05) than with use of semen that had been frozen using GLY in straws (46.4% compared with 31.3%). The reduction in fertility compared with the control when semen was cryopreserved using GLY was 64.1%; the GLY addition and elimination was responsible for two thirds of this reduction. The reduction in fertility when using semen cryo-preserved with DMA was 46.7%; half of the reduction was attributed to the treatment with DMA. In conclusion, the mechanical damage attributed to the process for reducing GLY concentrations was more harmful to sperm fertilizing capacity than the toxicity of DMA and freeze/thaw process. For both freezing methods, the amount of sperm cryo-damage was similar, when the damage attributed to the CPA addition and elimination process was excluded.

Three field experiments were conducted at El-Wady El-Assiuty Experimental Farm, Agriculture Faculty, Assiut University, Assiut Governorate during 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 seasons to study the effect of foliar spray by antioxidant (salicylic and ascorbic acids) on the productivity of two bread wheat cultivars. Each experiment was subjected to one of three levels of evapotranspiration (100% or 75% or 50% of ET i.e. 4800, 3600 and 2400 m3, respectively) including two factors i.e wheat cultivars (Masr1 and Shandaweel 1) and three treatments of antioxidant (100 ppm salicylic, 100 ppm ascorbic and 100 ppm salicylic + 100 ppm ascorbic) using randomized complete block design in split plot arrangement with three replications. The obtained results showed that all studied factors and their involved interactions had significant effects on most of studied traits in the two growing seasons. Thus, the highest mean values of grain yield (3.24 and 3.27-ton ha-1 in the first and second seasons, respectively) were obtained from Masr 1 cultivar under 75% ET with 100 ppm Salicylic acid as foliar spray, while, the highest mean values of WUE (1.24 and 1.17 kg m-3 in the first and second seasons, respectively) were obtained from Masr 1 cultivar irrigated by 50% ET and sprayed by 100 ppm ascorbic acid.

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