Effects of dietary supplementation of ginger, garlic and onion on semen profile, haematological and serum antioxidant status of rabbit bucks raised in the dry season of the humid tropic

Purpose: The study evaluated the semen, haematological and antioxidant status of rabbit bucks fed ginger, garlic and onion supplemented diets under a severely heat stressed condition. This is to evaluate the effect of heat stress and spice supplementation on seminal parameters, haematology and antioxidant capacity of rabbit buck raised in the tropics.

Research method: Fifty - five bucks were allotted to 11 treatments comprising of control diet, three each of ginger, garlic and onion at 5g, 10g and 15g/kg feed plus positive control diet. Seminal, haematological and antioxidant traits of the bucks and their pen's Temperature – Humidity index (THI) were observed for 8 weeks.

Findings: THI (29.30 - 31.10°C) recorded during the study indicated the prevalence of severe to very severe heat stress. Heat stress impacted negatively more on sperm morphology than on other seminal parameters. Sperm cell motility, viability and abnormality were similar within supplemented groups and the controls. Semen volume and concentration were highest in animals fed garlic at 10 and 15g/kg feed respectively. Spice supplementation had no significant effect (p>0.05) on the haematology and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the experimental animals.

Originality/value: The study concluded that spice supplementation mitigated heat stress effect on sperm cell morphology and was not deleterious on haematology and TAC of the bucks.