DIFFERENCES IN EARLY PATTERNS OF GONADOTROPIN-SECRETION BETWEEN EARLY AND LATE MATURING BULLS, AND CHANGES IN SEMEN CHARACTERISTICS AT PUBERTY

In prepubertal bull calves there is an early transient rise in gonadotrophin secretion between 10 and 20 wk of age, and it has been suggested that this plays a role in the attainment of sexual maturation. To test this, we looked for differences in the gonadotrophin secretory pattern from birth to puberty between early and late maturing bulls. We also characterized the changes in semen morphology that occur about the time of puberty. Blood samples were collected (n=28) every wk from 2 to 20 wk of age and then every 2 wk until 50 wk of age. Semen was collected by electroejaculation at approximately 4-wk intervals from 36 to 49 wk of age. Puberty was defined as the first age at which an ejaculate contained 50 million spermatozoa with a minimum of 10% motility. Bulls were divided into early (n=14) and late (n=14) maturing groups based on the age at puberty (41.9+/-0.3 and 48.3+/-0.7 wk of age, respectively). There was a transient increase in serum concentrations of LH and FSH between 2 and 24 wk of age; LH concentrations were greater in early maturing bulls than in late maturing bulls at 12, 13, IS, 17 and 48 wk of age (P<0.05). Serum concentrations of testosterone and FSH did not differ between groups (P>0.05). As the bulls matured there was an increase in the percentage of normal and live sperm cells, cell motility and the number of cells per ejaculate (P<0.05), and a decrease in the percentage of proximal droplets and knobbed acrosomes(P<0.05). We concluded that, during the early rise in LH secretion, early maturing bulls had higher circulating LH concentrations than late maturing bulls. During the weeks preceding and following puberty there was an increase in the quality of semen collected by electroejaculation.