Impact of Dietary Supplementation of Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera L) Pollen on Hemato-Biochemical Parameters, Antioxidant Status, Follicular Dynamics, and Litter Size of Rahmani Ewes during breeding season

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Animal Physiology, Animal Production Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo, Al-Azhar University

2 Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University

3 Animal Physiology, Animal Production Research Institute, Agriculture, Research Center Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of Date Palm Pollen (DPP) supplementation in the diet on reproductive performance of Rahmani ewes during the breeding season in. A total of 32 Rahmani ewes were used in the study (n=8 each). Ewes in the first group were fed a basal diet without supplementation and served as the control group (G1). Ewes in the second, third, and fourth groups received a 3 time/week of DPP at levels of 100 (G2), 150 (G3), and 200 (G4) mg/kg Lbw, starting four weeks before the breeding season (September). Reproductive data, follicular characteristics, hematological parameters, and progesterone (P4) levels were determined. The results indicated increase (P<0.05) in red blood cell count in G3 compared to the other groups. Additionally, the basophil percentage was higher (P<0.05) in G2 compared to other groups. A notable reduction (P<0.05) in AST activity was observed in all treatment groups compared to the control. Furthermore, ALP activity showed (P<0.05) linear increase across the treatment groups as the DPP supplementation level increased. Regarding antioxidant activity, G2 and G3 exhibited the highest concentrations of catalase (CAT). All experimental groups showed statistically significant improvements in comparison to the control group across all parameters. The highest follicular diameter (mm) during the first week of the breeding season was observed in G4, along with the highest progesterone concentration during the same period.. In conclusion, supplementing Rahmani ewes with 150 and 200 mg/kg DPP body weight during the pre-breeding season significantly improved both health and reproductive performance.

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