Assessment of sperm viability, determination fertilization capacity and hatching rate by artificial insemination of banana shrimp, Penaeus merguiensis (De Man, 1888)

Abstract

The study was conducted to every hour assess the sperm viability of banana shrimp (Penaeus merguiensis) collected from Kedah water, West Malaysia (5°39'N; 100°19'E). Evaluations were done on three ways: group A: whole fresh specimens maintained at 2°C prior to extraction, group B: whole spermatophore maintained at 2°C and C: sperm suspension maintained at 2°C. Spermatophores counts were determined by sperm suspension using modified eosin-nigrosin staining method. Percentage of mean sperm viability for the fresh sample in group A at time zero was 93.96±3.74%, B was 98.8±0.7% and C was 99.02±0.7%. In group A, viability of the sperm considerably decreased after the first 60 min was 76.4±5.96% but in group B and C was gradually decreased at 91.4±0.9 and 97.6±1.2%. These were 67.9±5.13 and 62.5±5.1% in group A, 82.3±1.4% and 75.9±2.2% in group B and in group C was 93.3±1.9 and 88.2±3.1%, respectively after 1st-2nd h times elapsed. At 7th h in all groups the viability decreased significantly to <60% (p<0.05). Following, mean sperm viability were considerably decreased to group A was 50.7±4.79 and 37±6.52%, group B was 51.2±1.6 and 31.6±1.4% and group C was 56.2±1.9 and 41.5±2.3%, respectively after 7th and 9th h. However, for spermatophores in group A after 7th h fertilization and hatching rate was 44.3 and 64.4% in group B was 61.9 and 67.7% and group C was 42.9 and 61.3%, respectively at rates comparable to control 88.2 and 76.2%, respectively. There was no significant relationship was observed between biomass of the spermatophore to the body weight of the shrimp (p>0.05). The present study also revealed that specimens, spermatophore or sperm suspension maintained at 2°C could be utilized for fishery management through artificial insemination process till 7th h. © 2011 Medwell Journals.