The Relationship of the Change in pH Effected by Incubation to Other Semen Characteristics

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Abstract
A study was made of the relationship of the decrease in pH during incubation of 203 semen specimens composed of 473 ejaculates from 11 bulls to other semen characteristics. Highly significant coeffs. of correlation found between the change in pH and other characteristics of semen were: concn. of spermatozoa, 0.46; initial motility of spermatozoa, 0.44; viability of spermatozoa, 0.21; and % of morphologically abnormal spermatozoa,[long dash]0.32. The multiple coeff. of correlation (0.57) between these 4 semen characteristics and the drop in pH was highly significant. These data suggest a significant relationship of the pH change in incubated semen to a number of different semen characteristics and indicate its value as an indirect measure of over-all semen metabolism. The results of this study, in combination with those of other investigations involving fertility data, would seem to indicate that the change in pH effected by incubation is probably the best simple, quick test of semen quality now available. The means and their standard errors for the semen characteristics examined were: pH change, 0.336 +t 0.016 units; viability, 35.29 [plus or minus] 2.32% (viability = % initial motility persisting at 100 hrs. subsequent to ejaculation); spermatozoa conc, 0.993 [plus or minus] 0.023 millions/mm.8; initial motility, 13.1 + 0.345 units (1 unit = 5% motility); and abnormal spermatozoa, 13.7 + 0.630%.