Semen Analysis in Swine Reproductive Biotechnology: Current Challenges, Emerging Technologies, and Future Prospects for Swine Production in Western Visayas, Philippines

The swine industry plays a major role in livestock production and contributes to food security in the Philippines, but its recovery is constrained by animal diseases, production barriers, reproductive inefficiencies, and difficulties in applying reproductive technologies. This review examines the relevance of semen analysis to swine reproduction and industry recovery. This review focuses on Western Visayas, an important hog-producing region comprising Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, and Guimaras. Statistics from the Philippine Statistics Authority indicate that Western Visayas produced 57,112.81 metric tonnes of hogs in 2025. Preliminary data for the second quarter of 2026 indicate a 40.1% increase in production compared with the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Nevertheless, sustained production requires attention to herd health and biosecurity, alongside improvements in reproductive efficiency and genetic quality. Artificial insemination is an important component of modern pig breeding, and boar semen quality influences the effective dissemination of selected genetics. Conventional semen-evaluation methods, including the assessment of volume, colour, concentration, motility, and morphology, remain important but do not fully characterise sperm function. Computer-assisted semen analysis, flow cytometry, assessments of membrane and acrosome integrity, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and sperm DNA integrity provide additional information that may guide semen-quality management. Emerging methods, including proteomics, metabolomics, seminal plasma biomarkers, extracellular-vesicle analysis, artificial intelligence, microfluidics, and portable semen analysers, may improve the accuracy and accessibility of semen assessment. The review also considers factors influencing boar semen quality, including genetics, age, nutrition, management, heat stress, and bacterial contamination. Particular attention is given to tropical climatic conditions and their relevance to regional semen production. A regional reproductive-biotechnology programme is proposed, incorporating boar selection, semen-quality evaluation units, and artificial insemination. Proposed research priorities include establishing a local semen-quality database, investigating infertility, assessing heat stress, and improving semen preservation under local climatic conditions. The review concludes that strengthening semen-analysis capacity may support effective swine reproductive management and regional production initiatives involving artificial insemination.