Quantitative and quality indicators of sperm production in Holstein bulls depending on geomagnetic activity

A magnetic storm is one of the most important factors affecting the biological objects. The magnetic storms have profound effects at the molecular level, affecting certain cell structures. Spermatozoa are affected by various biotic and abiotic factors inside and outside the body. During the period of geomagnetic activity, the frequency of exacerbations of chronic diseases increases, the functions of a number of systems are disrupted. However, the reports on the influence of geomagnetic activity on the reproductive function, in particular on the quantity and quality of sperm, are objectively quite limited, and for agricultural species of animals such information was not found in the available literature. The objective of the work was to study the relationships between the geomagnetic activity and the sperm production quality and quantity parameters. The subject to the survey was the sperm collected from the Holstein-Friesian bull sires ( n = 10, Joint-Stock Company “Head Center for the Reproduction of Farm Animals”, Moscow Province, 2018). Monitoring the K-index reflecting the geomagnetic conditions was carried out according to the data from the Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation RAS. The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS v.15.0 for a one-way analysis of variance. The variables between the groups for К ≥ 1.0 (no geomagnetic disturbance) and K ≥ 5.0 (geomagnetic storm) were compared with the Scheffe’s test. The assessment of the sperm quality was performed with the Argus-CASA software (ArgusSoft, Russia) with Nikon Eclipse Ni microscope (Nikon, Japan). Our data indicate that during the survey, the K-index was a factor affecting the biological adequacy of the bull sires. The results prove that the magnetic storm has a significant impact on the qualitative and quantitative parameters of the bull sire sperm production. We have established the statistically valid criteria for the ejaculate volumes (F = 6.49; p function show_eabstract() { $('#eabstract1').hide(); $('#eabstract2').show(); $('#eabstract_expand').hide(); }