STORAGE OF TURKEY SPERM IN UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMBERS

FERTILIZED TURKEY EGGS CAN BE PRODUCED COMMERCIALLY ONLY BY ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION. CURRENT PRACTICAL METHODS PERMIT HOLDING OF TURKEY SPERM FOR ONLY 6 HOURS AFTER COLLECTION. THIS ALLOWS ONLY 2 HOURS FOR POSSIBLE TRANSPORT. SOLUTION TO THE CURRENT IMPASSE REQUIRES REGULATION OF OXYGEN CONCENTRATION IN MEDIUM AROUND THE SPERM WHILE MINIMIZING PEROXIDATION OF MEMBRANE LIPIDS. WHEN ADEQUATE OXYGEN IS PROVIDED BY CRUDE AND IMPRACTICAL METHODS, FERTILITY IS ALMOST NORMAL AFTER HOLDING OF SPERM AT 5 DEGREES CENTIGRADEFOR 24 HOURS. BIOPORE HAS DEVELOPED A CONTAINER (TOMCELL(STABILIZER)) AND A CONCEPT FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL UNIT AND DILUENT THAT SHOULD PROVIDE 24 HOUR RETENTION OF NORMAL FERTILITY. THIS PROJECT WILL TEST FEASIBILITY OF THE SYSTEM TO MAINTAIN AN APPROPRIATE OXYGEN TENSION AROUND SPERM, AND TO MAINTAIN SPERM QUALITY FOR UP TO 72 HOURS. ONE EXPERIMENT WILL STUDY EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE AND ANTIOXIDANTS ON SPERM SURVIVAL, A SECOND WILL PROVIDE A ROUGH APPROXIMATION OF THE OPTIMUM OXYGEN CONCENTRATION, AND THE THIRD WILL PROVIDE THE NECESSARY COMPARISON WITH CONVENTIONAL METHODS OF SPERM QUALITY AFTER HOLDING. BECAUSE OF DICTATES OF A 6 MONTHS PROJECT, FERTILITY TRAILS WILL NOT BE USED. OXYGEN CONCENTRATION IN THE MEDIUM AND SPERM MOTILITY, ATP-CONTENT, MEMBRANE INTEGRITY, AND LIPID PEROXIDATION WILL BE MEASURED. SUCCESSIN THE SUBSEQUENT PHASE II PROJECT WOULD PROVIDE SUFFICIENT TIME FOR TRANSPORT OF SPERM FROM TOMS TO HENS FOR TESTS OF SPERM FERTILITY.