Effect of fructose addition in skim milk extender on the quality of liquid Nili-Ravi buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) semen

This study was designed to identify the effect of fructose addition in skim milk extender on quality of buffalo bull spermatozoa (motility,in vitro longevity,plasma membrane integrity,normal apical ridge and abnormalities) stored at 5°c for seven days. for this purpose,semen from five nili-ravi buffalo bulls was collected and diluted at 37°c with a final concentration of 10 x 106 motile spermatozoa per ml in skim milk extender containing 5mm or 10mm fructose or without fructose (control). the extended semen was cooled from 37°c to 5°c in 2 hours and stored at 5°c for seven days. sperm motility,in vitro longevity and plasma membrane integrity did not differ (p>0.05) in all three experimental extenders at 1st day of storage. sperm motility,in vitro longevity,plasma membrane integrity on 3rd,5th and 7th day of storage was significantly (p<0.05) higher in extender containing fructose 5mm and 10mm as compared to control. sperm morphology viz; normal acrosomes; head,mid piece and tail abnormalities remained similar (p>0.05) in all three experimental extenders upto seven days of storage at 5°c. in conclusion,addition of 5mm and 10mm fructose in skim milk extender improved the preservability of buffalo bull semen stored at 5°c. copyright 2010 zoological society of pakistan.