Hasan Harba^{* (1)} , Mohamad Moussa ⁽¹⁾, Abdel Moneim  AlYasin⁽²⁾, Moataz Zarkawi ⁽³⁾⁽⁴⁾ , and Lamia Briand Amirat ⁽⁵⁾

(1). Department of Surgery and Obstetrics, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hama University, Hama, Syria.

(2).The Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands / ACSAD /,Damascus, Syria.

(3).  Ministry of Agriculture, Syria.

(4).Atomic Energy Commission, Damascus, Syria.

(5). Oniris, Nantes, France.

(*Corresponding author: Hasan Harba. E-Mail: hasanharba19@gmail.com).

Received:14/05/2024          Accepted: 1/08/2024

The research aims to determine the effect of pheromones extracted from the wool of Awassi rams and Shami goat bucks’ hair on the secretion of luteinizing hormone and progesterone in Awassi sheep during the nonbreeding season. The experiment was conducted on female Awassi sheep at the Izraa Research Station – AKCAD, outside the reproductive season from 2/1/2022 to 4/1/2022. The extraction of pheromones was performed through the soaking technique, utilizing dichloromethane as the solvent. Subsequently, the resulting organic extract underwent analysis with a Chromatec-Crystal 5000 gas chromatography-mass spectrometry apparatus, which features a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The study was conducted on three equal groups n=17 each (during the nonbreeding season): Group I (rams wool extract), 15 ml of rams’ wool extract was placed on a piece of gauze and placed in a mask specially designed for the experiment to apply and attach directly to the nose. The second group (Shami goat bucks’ hair extract), 15 ml of bucks’ hair extract was placed on a piece of gauze and placed within a mask specially designed for the experiment to be placed and fixed directly on the nose, and the third group (Awassi rams). LH assay was performed immediately before the start of the treatment and 1, 10 and 20 hours later, P4 assay was performed immediately before the treatment, 5, and 30 days later. The results showed a significant direct and clear increase in LH and P4. It may conclude that pheromones extracted from the wool of rams and Shami goat bucks have an effect in stimulating the response of female Awassi sheep, which paves the way for their use as a material in reproductive management in female Awassi.

Keywords: Awassi Sheep, Shami Goat, Pheromones, Male Effect, Progesterone, LH.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF