The effect of low ambient temperatures on reproduction was determined by housing one group of 14 boars (av age 8.5 months) in a temperature controlled research piggery (17#{176}C) and another group of 14 boars (av age 8.7 months) in outside pens. Semen was collected at 72-hr intervals for an 11-week period (January through March). The mean daily temperatures for January, February, and March were -18, -20, and -15#{176}C. respectively. The low temperature did not interfere with testicular development, sperm production, or semen quality. Daily sperm production (DSP), as determined by quantitative testicular histology, was 16.5 X 10� for the control boars and 18.6 X l0�’ for the low ambient temperature boars (p <0.05). This difference was due to a significant difference in testis size (365 versus 419 g), because the DSP/g of testis was similar for the two groups. The ratio of sperm output to production was 99% for the control boars and 84% for the low ambient temperature bears.
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E. E. Swierstra (1970) studied this question.
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