Seminal concentrations of trace elements in various animalsand their correlations

Aim: To determine the seminal concentrations of copper, zinc, iron, cadmium, lead and nickel in bulls, rams, boars, stallions and foxes and study their correlations. Methods: Semen samples were obtained, digested and analyzed by means of the atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Data were analyzed statistically with the Student’s t-test and Scheffe’s test using PC programs SAS and Excel. Results: The seminal copper concentration was significantly higher in ram [(2.49±0.18) mg/kg] and fox [(2.16±0.53) mg/kg] than that in bull [(1.64±0.21) mg/kg], boar [(1.64±0.28) mg/kg] and stallion (0.86 mg/kg). In boar a significantly higher seminal zinc concentration (171.74±65.72) mg/kg] was found in comparison with stallion [(86.20±45.88) mg/kg], bull [(83.15±61.61) mg/kg], ram [( 60.46±35.37) mg/kg] and fox (13.09±5.22) mg/kg]. The iron concentration in semen was significantly higher in ram [(40.32±10.81) mg/kg), bull [(38.04±22.07) mg/kg] and fox [(33.16±24.36) mg/kg] than that in boar [(16.14±10.35) m