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Spermatocrit¹ Values in Facilitating the Estimation of Spermatozoa Concentrations

Canada Department of Agriculture Experimental Farm, Ottawa

ABSTRACT

Investigation on the use of a special centrifuge for estimating spermatozoa concentrations in bull semen has given promising results. In this investigation, the centrifuge was used as directed by the manufacturer, except that the material centrifuged was undiluted semen instead of blood.

This method involves partially filling the capillary tubes with freshly collected semen. The small bore in these tubes facilitates tilling, as the semen enters partly by capillary action. A tube can be partially filled easily, by holding it against the inside walls of the collection vials and slanting it just enough to allow the semen to enter. It is essential to leave about three-quarters of an inch of the tube unfilled, to enable heat-sealing without burning the semen.

The centrifuge used is especially designed to spin the tubes horizontally at 10,000 r.p.m. It has been determined that 10 min. of centrifuging will separate the spermatozoa from the seminal fluid and pack them firmly in the sealed end of the tube.

¹ Analogous to the usage of "hematocrit." "Hemato" is derived from the Greek and refers to blood; and "crit" originally spelled "krite," meaning to judge.