author(s)
SK Sahu, RK Das, S Sathapathy, UK Mishra and SK Dash

abstract
The present study was conducted on ovary and oviduct of 18 healthy female Kendrapada sheep from the Kendrapada district, Odisha minimum six each from three age groups viz. pre-pubertal (4-6 months), pubertal (8 to 10 months) and adult animals (11 months and above). After conducting gross studies, histological, micrometrical and histochemical observations were made from sections obtained from different parts of the ovary and oviduct. Gross studies revealed that the ovaries of Kendrapada sheep were firm and oval in shape. They were held in positions by the broad ligament known as mesovarium. The oviducts were tortuous and had three parts as infundibulum, ampulla and isthmus. Biometrical observations revealed that the weight of left ovary and oviduct were more than the right ones in pubertal and post-pubertal stages. The left oviduct was longer in the animal. Histological studies revealed that the ovary consisted of an outer cortex and an inner medulla. Further, the cortex consisted of the superficial epithelium or germinal epithelium, tunica albuginea, primary follicles, secondary follicles, matured Graafian follicles and atretic follicles. The medulla had Hilar cells, blood vessels, collagen and reticular fibers. The wall of the oviduct comprised of four layers viz., tunica mucosa, tunica submucosa, tunica muscularis and tunica serosa. The oviduct was lined by pseudo-stratified columnar epithelium. Mucosal folds were maximum in the tubual part of infundibulum, less in ampulla and least in isthmus in all stages of the animal. The propria–submucosa was comprised of loose connective tissue with blood vessels, abundant amount of collagen fibres and few reticular fibers. It housed oviductal glands that were simple tubulo-alveolar type. The micrometrical, histochemical and histoenzymatic studies of ovary and oviduct revealed variable results pertaining to their functional status and genetic potential at pre-pubertal, pubertal and post-pubertal stages of Kendrapada sheep.