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This study determined the effect of supplemental dietary betaine (BET) at 3 concentrations (0.0, 0.3 and 0.6%) on sperm and semen characteristics, quality of fresh semen and quality after storage on boars. The trial was conducted between July 22 and October 1, 2014 in a boar stud located in Oklahoma. Two genetic lines were used, a synthetic terminal line (n = 66) and a Large White line (n = 23) with an average age of 22.3 ± 10.2 mo. Treatments were allocated within genetic line and age range. The BET diets were fed over 10 wk, to ensure supplemental BET product (96% betaine) daily intakes of 16.3 and 32.7g, for BET 0.3% and BET 0.6%, respectively. Blood samples were collected from 89 boars at d 9, 45, and 73 after betaine supplementation started. Weekly ejaculates from 89 boars were evaluated (32, 27, and 30 boars of the control, 0.3 and 0.6% BET treatments). No significant differences were found for serum homocysteine concentration after 9 d of BET feeding. However, after 45 and 73 d of BET supplementation, serum homocysteine concentrations were reduced for boars receiving 0.3% and 0.6% treatments (42.3, 30.7, 35.2 at d 45 and 42.7, 33.1 and 39.3 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the effect of supplemental dietary betaine at three concentrations (0.0%, 0.63% and 1.26%) on semen characteristics, quality and quality after storage on boars. The trial was conducted between 22 July and 1 October 2014 in a boar stud located in Oklahoma. Boars were blocked by age within genetic line and randomly allotted to receive 0% (CON, n (line T) = 22, n (line L) = 10), 0.63% (BET-0.63%, n (line T) = 21, n (line L) = 6) or 1.26% (BET-1.26%, n (line T) = 23, n (line L) = 7). The diets containing betaine were fed over 10 weeks, to ensure supplemental betaine product (96% betaine) daily intakes of 16.34 and 32.68 g, for the BET-0.63% and BET-1.26% diets, respectively. Serum homocysteine concentrations were less for animals with betaine treatments ( P = 0.016). Rectal temperatures of the boars were unaffected by betaine diets. Betaine tended to increase total sperm in the ejaculates when collectively compared with data of the control animals ( P = 0.093). Sperm morphology analysis indicated there was a greater percent of sperm with distal midpiece reflex ( P = 0.009) and tail ( P = 0.035) abnormalities in boars fed the BET-1.26% than boars fed the BET-0.63% diet. Betaine concentration in the seminal plasma was greater in boars with betaine treatments, with animals being fed the 0.63% and 1.26% diets having 59.2% and 54.5% greater betaine concentrations in seminal plasma as compared with boars of the control group ( P = 0.046). In conclusion, betaine supplementation at 0.63% and 1.26% tended to increase sperm concentration in the ejaculates by 6% and 13%, respectively, with no negative impacts on semen quality when 0.63% of betaine was included in the diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]