The Effects of Artificial Shade in Scrotal and Seminal Characteristics of Crossbred Santa Inês Ovines Raised on Pasture in the Southwest of Bahia State

This work evaluated the effects of artificial shade environment on the testicle and semen characteristics of crossbred Santa Ines ovines. Ten rams with 38.06 ± 5.24 kg average live weight and age around 8 months were used. The treatments were: availability, or not, of artificial shade. The artificial shade was made using a polyethylene screen which blocked 50% of the global solar radiation. Twice a week, around 14:00 and 15:00 hours, the following variables were measured: scrotum circumference (SC), scrotal length (SL), scrotal volume (SV) and scrotal temperature (ST). Every fifteen days, semen analyses of volume (SEV), concentration (SEC) and percentage of spermatozoa without defect (PNE) were made. The results found that the shade provided lower scrotal temperatures, which increased the spermatic concentration. The artificial shade did not affect the scrotum volume and the amount of normal spermatozoa. Both scrotal length and circumference were bigger in the shade environment than in the unshaded one. The absence of effects in some analyzed variables among the groups shade and unshaded may be due the rusticity of the crossbred ovines which, besides that, were coming from a semi-extensive breeding in a semi-arid climate.