EFFECT OF’ CASTRATION ON THE REPRODUCTIVE ACTIVITY OF ADULT BUFFALO BULLS

Document Type : Research article

Authors

Abstract

Three adult sexually rested buffalo bulls were castrated at ii years
of age. Four to five weeks after castration the bulls exhibited dimini-
shed libido and failed to respond to a female teaser, indicating the
great dependence of the adult buffalo on gonadal hormones. On
the third week post-castration, eiaculates collected from these bulls
were completely devoid of spermatozoa. The first post-castrational
eiaculates showed twofold increase in their fructose and citric acid
concentrations which is thought to be due to a transient effect,
on the accessory glands, of androgenic steroids from the adrenals.
Four weeks after castration citric acid was about 611% while fructose
was 20% of the precastrate levels.
At slaughter, 7 weeks after castration the gross morphology of the
accessory glands was normal and there was more citric acid than
fructose in the vesicular glands and ampullae. The histological picture
of accessory organs 7 weeks after castration was described.