THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCROTAL CIRCUMFERENCE AND QUANTITATIVE TESTICULAR TRAITS IN YEARLING BEEF BULLS

A study was designed to investigate relationships between testicle siz e and histological, sperm production and endocrinological traits in ye arling beef bulls at the end of performance test. Twenty-five beef bul ls, (Hereford, n=16; Angus, n=4; and Charolais, n=5), with scrotal cir cumference (SC) measurements ranging from 28.5 to 36.0 cm, were used. Just prior to slaughter at 15 mo of age, SC measurements were taken, s emen was collected, and a GnRH response test was conducted. Testicles were processed for daily sperm production (DSP), epididymal sperm rese rves (ESR), seminiferous epithelial area (SEA), and degree of germinal epithelial loss (DGEL). There were significant positive correlations between SC and testicular weight (P<0.05), DSP/g (P<0.02), and DSP/bul l (P<0.01) and ESR (P<0.01); however, the correlation between SC and S EA was not significant (P=0.4). Scrotal circumference was negatively c orrelated with DGEL (P<0.05). Degree of germinal epithelial loss as al so negatively correlated with DSP/g, DSP/bull and ESR (P<0.01). Morpho logical characteristics of spermatozoa were diversely related to sperm production traits, and the percentage of normal spermatozoa was posit ively related to SC (P<0.02) and negatively related to DGEL (P<0.001). Gonadotropin releasing hormone stimulation did not reveal evidence of gonadotropin deficiency in any of the bulls. However, peak testostero ne levels were lower in bulls with SC below 31 cm (P<0.05) than those with SC measurements above 31 cm.