Maca (Lepidium meyenii) supplementation increase the sexual capacity of low but not high sexual performance rams (Ovis aries)

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of maca (Lepidium meyenii) supplementation on the sexual capacity of males, 40 rams were classified as high (HP) and low performers (LP). Within each category (n = 20), ten rams were supplemented with 233 mg of dry maca/kg of body weight/day during four weeks, followed by four weeks of a control diet (residual), while the rest of the animals remained as controls during the eight-weeks period. LP rams increased (P < 0.05) all sexual behaviors during maca supplementation up to HP levels, decreasing to control planes one week after the supplementation ceased. In contrast, in HP rams, maca supplementation only increased genital sniffs and nudging, while mounts and ejaculations remained unaffected during both supplementation and residual phases. It was concluded that maca supplementation affects males differently, according to their original sexual capacity.