Sperm morphology can predict the reproductive male fertilizing potential. This study aimed to determine the morphological and morphometric spermatozoa characteristics from guinea pigs subjected to different photoperiodic stimulation. Thirty F1 guinea pigs were randomly assigned to three photoperiodic treatments: FT1 (photoperiod with 10 Light/14 Dark LED light), FT2 (photoperiod with 10L/14D sunlight), and FT0 (room without direct light source). At 107 ± 9.8 days of age, sperm concentration and motility were higher in the FT0 and FT1 groups (p < 0.05); furthermore, there were no differences in nucleus length and ellipticity between the FT0 and FT1 groups, but the sperm of the FT1 group was higher in perimeter and nuclear area, while that of the FT0 group was higher in roughness, regularity, midpiece length, and tail (p < 0.01). Expanding acrosome (Type 2) was more frequent in the FT2 group, but there was variation in head measurements between all morphological categories. Pregnancy rate, calving age, and mating age were higher in the FT0 group; meanwhile, the FT1 group initiated successful matings earlier (p < 0.01). The FT0 group had a higher fertility rate, and the age of mating and first calving were earlier in the FT1 group than the FT0 group, but no pregnancies were reported for the FT2 group. Photoperiodic stimulation can increase the morphometric dimensions of guinea pig spermatozoa, favoring the reproductive characteristics, but sunlight could reduce their size due to heat stress.

Honey production is influenced by multiple factors, including climatic conditions, hive management practices, and harvest scheduling. This study evaluated the predictive capacity of statistical modeling techniques using data mining algorithms (MARS, CHAID, CART, and Exhaustive) and artificial neural network algorithms (Multilayer Perceptron, MLP) to estimate honey yields in apiaries located in northeastern Peru. A structured survey was conducted with sixty-nine beekeepers across nineteen districts in the Chachapoyas province. Variables included beekeeper experience, instruction, hive count, visit frequency, harvest frequency, additional income-generating activities, and geographic location. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, Spearman correlations, and exploratory factor analysis were applied to identify latent structures. A linear mixed-effects model was used to assess the combined influence of predictors on honey production, with district included as a random effect. Results indicated that hive number, beekeeping experience, harvest frequency, and exclusive engagement in apiculture were statistically associated with increased honey yields. The model explained a substantial proportion of variance, supporting the integration of technical and socio-demographic variables in production forecasting. These findings demonstrate the utility of predictive modeling for informing hive management strategies and improving the operational efficiency of small-scale beekeeping systems in Andean regions.

Sperm morphology can predict the reproductive male fertilizing potential. This study aimed to determine the morphological and morphometric spermatozoa characteristics from guinea pigs subjected to different photoperiodic stimulation. Thirty F1 guinea pigs were randomly assigned to three photoperiodic treatments: FT1 (photoperiod with 10L/14D LED light), FT2 (photoperiod with 10L/14D sunlight), and FT0 (room without direct light source). At 107 ± 9.8 days of age, sperm concentration and motility were higher in FT0 and FT1 (p<0.05); furthermore, there were no differences in nucleus length and ellipticity between FT0 and FT1, but FT1 was higher in perimeter and nuclear area, while FT0 was higher in roughness, regularity, midpiece length and tail (p<0.01). Expanding acrosome (Type 2) was more frequent in FT2, but there was variation in head measurements between all morphological categories. Pregnancy rate, calving age and mating age were higher in FT0, meanwhile FT1 initiated successful matings earlier (p<0.01). FT0 had a higher fertility rate, and FT1 age of mating and first calving were earlier than FT0 but no pregnancies were reported for FT2. The photoperiodic stimulation can increase the morphometric dimensions of guinea pig spermatozoa, favoring the reproductive characteristics, but sunlight could reduce their size due to heat stress.

Studies evaluating the effects of cryopreservation on epididymal spermatozoa of Cavia porcellus remain limited. This study compared the effects of rapid and slow freezing protocols on microscopic characteristics, morphometry, and morphometric correlations. Epididymal spermatozoa from twelve guinea pigs were diluted in OptiXcell^® extender with 25% egg yolk and equilibrated at 4 °C for 6 h. One aliquot was evaluated, while the other was cryopreserved using rapid (n = 5) or slow (n = 7) protocols. After thawing, motility, viability, plasma membrane functionality, acrosomal and chromatin integrity, and morphometry were assessed; cooling profiles were characterized using linear and cubic regression models. Cryopreservation reduced microscopic parameters compared with refrigerated samples (p < 0.05). Comparison showed no significant differences in motility, viability, acrosomal integrity, or plasma membrane function (p > 0.05), whereas chromatin integrity was higher after slow freezing (p = 0.03). Rapid freezing reduced acrosomal area, acrosomal perimeter, and head length, whereas slow freezing preserved morphometric variables and correlations, although correlation patterns should be interpreted as associations among morphometric traits rather than structural preservation. Both cooling curves were well described by linear and cubic models. Slow freezing was associated with better preservation of chromatin integrity and selected morphometric characteristics.