[Relation between testosterone levels in sperm and spermatogenesis as well as fertilization performance of young boars].

Testosterone in sperma was measured by means of radio-immuno-assay in 400 ejaculates which had been obtained from 153 young boars aged seven months. Low but significant relationships were found exist between the testosterone level in sperma, on the one hand and sperma concentration, percentage of forward-mobile sperms as well as volume, on the other. Neither relative nor absolute testosterone levels in sperma exhibited any dependence on general body development. Sperma-borne testosterone values in boars, aged seven months, cannot be used for early diagnosis of forthcoming spermatogenetic capacity. However, the fertilization performance of an artificial insemination boar can be predicted as a general trend on the basis of relative testosterone values in sperma. Such general prediction should be used as a point of departure from which to devise objective criteria for the characterisation of fertilizing capability.