The weight and histology of the testis and plasma LH levels were analysed after hemicastration of adult Ile-de-France rams in spring or in autumn. After hemicastration, the remaining testes were significantly heavier than those of entire animals measured at the same time of year. At 4 or 6 months after hemicastration performed in spring, the remaining testes were hypertrophied by nearly 40% as compared to the testes of entire sexually active animals, assessed in autumn. The variations of intertubular tissue volume, total seminiferous tubule length, stem cell stocks, daily production of round spermatids, and cellular volume of primary spermatocytes paralleled the variations in testis weight. The annual decrease of the area of the Sertoli cell nuclei and of the yield of meiosis and beginning of spermiogenesis during the non-breeding season was prevented by hemicastration performed in autumn. Plasma LH levels were consistently elevated till autumn after hemicastration performed in spring. A positive and significant correlation was observed between LH levels and yields of spermatogonial divisions.
Reproduction is committed to supporting researchers in demonstrating the impact of their articles published in the journal.
The two types of article metrics we measure are (i) more traditional full-text views and pdf downloads, and (ii) Altmetric data, which shows the wider impact of articles in a range of non-traditional sources, such as social media.
More information is on the Reasons to publish page.
Sept 2018 onwards | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
---|---|---|---|
Full Text Views | 69 | 69 | 22 |
PDF Downloads | 28 | 28 | 1 |