Authors : Herve Tchoffo, Chongsi Margaret Mary Momo, Arthenice Jemima Noumamo Guiekep, Herman Victor Ngoumtsop, Ferdinand Ngoula and Jean Raphaël Kana
Abstract: Ginger rhizome essential oil has many properties (antimicrobial, stimulating animal digestive system, antioxidants, antifungal, antiparasitic, antiinflammatory) used in animal production to improve their growth and reproductive performances. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale, Rosc.) roots essential oil on some reproductive characteristics of male Japanese quail. The total of 96, 3 weeks old males Japanese quail (Coturnixcoturnix japonica) weighing between 120 and 130 g were randomly assigned to 4 dietary treatment groups in a completely randomized design replicated 4 times each of them. Each group was separated into 4 subgroups of 6 quails. For 64 days, animals in group 1 (control) received by orally distilled water (100 μL kg–1 body weight) while the other three test groups during the same period, received respectively by the same method 50, 100 and 150 μL kg–1 body weight (b.w.) of ginger roots essential oil. At 12 weeks old, 4 male quail per treatment with hypertrophied cloacal gland were chosen at random and individually kept in cages with four untreated females for fertility assessment. Throughout the experiment, semen quality, reproductive hormones and fertility rate were evaluated. The result revealed that the testicular and vas deferens weights increased significantly (p<0.05) in quails treated with 100 and 150 μL kg–1 b.w. of ginger roots essential oil. The sperm motility and viability significantly increased (p<0.05) in quails treated with essential oil compared to the control. The serum content in LH, FSH and testosterone significantly increased (p<0.05) in a dose-dependent manner. Fertility rate was respectively 82.14, 90.71 and 88.54% with 50, 100 and 150 μL kg–1 b.w. In conclusion, the ginger root essential oil can be used to boost the male reproductive performances by improving spermatozoa characteristics and fertility rate.
Herve Tchoffo, Chongsi Margaret Mary Momo, Arthenice Jemima Noumamo Guiekep, Herman Victor Ngoumtsop, Ferdinand Ngoula and Jean Raphaël Kana, 2020. Spermatozoa Characteristics, Reproductive Hormones and Fertility Rate in Male Japanese Quail Fed on Ginger Rhizome (Zingiber officinale, Roscoe) Essential Oil. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 19: 137-143.