scholarly journals Deltamethrin Application on Pre-Weaned Calves Improves Feed Consumption, Stress and Fatigue Status under Heat Stress Conditions

Pathogens ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Konstantinos V. Arsenopoulos ◽  
Eleftherios Triantafillou ◽  
Athanasios I. Gelasakis ◽  
Elias Papadopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Dairy Calves ◽  
Feed Consumption ◽  
Biochemical Traits ◽  
Stress Indicator ◽  
Holstein Breed ◽  
Cattle Herds

Fly infestation remains a universal problem for dairy cattle herds, affecting the animals’ health and welfare status. Pre-weaned dairy calves are significantly challenged by the direct and indirect consequences of severe fly infestation, heat-stress and their interaction, which contribute to a stressful and fatiguing environment. Among several physiological, behavioral, clinical and biochemical traits, serum cortisol (SC) and creatine kinase (CK) levels, as well as feed consumption can be used as valid indicators of potential stressful and fatiguing conditions and, therefore, can be efficiently used for stress analysis studies. Hence, the objective of the study was to assess the fly-repellency effect of deltamethrin on pre-weaned dairy calves exposed to heat stress conditions, as well as its association with SC, CK concentrations and feed consumption. Two commercial dairy cattle herds of the Holstein breed in Central Macedonia (Greece) were involved in the study during summer months and under heat stress conditions. Deltamethrin administration resulted in (i) a decreased fly population (100% Musca domestica) landing on pre-weaned dairy calves, (ii) a reduced SC (stress indicator) and CK (fatigue indicator) concentration, and (iii) an increased consumption of feedstuff in deltamethrin treated animals compared to the untreated ones.

Generation intervals in Canadian dairy cattle herds

2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-183
Author(s):  
Bernard Ato Hagan ◽  
Roger Cue
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Artificial Insemination ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Path Selection ◽  
Housing System ◽  
Genetic Progress ◽  
Brown Swiss ◽  
Holstein Breed ◽  
Cattle Herds

Genetic evaluation records for the Canadian Holstein, Ayrshire, Jersey, and Brown Swiss bulls and cows born from 1950 and 1960, respectively, were used to study the generation intervals (L) along the four-path selection model. The objectives of the study were to determine the L in the four dairy cattle breeds and the effects of some environmental factors and variations among herds or artificial insemination (AI) studs on the L achieved. Total L of the four selection paths was reduced by 55% from 29.2 yr in 1980 to 13.2 yr in 2016 in the Holstein breed. Substantial reductions in total L were also observed in the Ayrshire, Jersey, and Brown Swiss populations between 1980 and 2016. Unlike progeny year of birth, housing system, agricultural region in Québec (region) — as well as their interaction — were not important on realised L of sires and dams used on Canadian dairy farms. There were significant variations among herds and AI studs on the age of sires and dams used for breeding. The considerable variations in realised L among herds and AI studs offer opportunities to increase the annual rate of genetic progress in the four Canadian dairy cattle populations.

scholarly journals Heat stress risk in European dairy cattle husbandry under different climate change scenarios – uncertainties and potential impacts

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Hempel ◽  
Christoph Menz ◽  
Severino Pinto ◽  
Elena Galán ◽  
David Janke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Cattle Husbandry

Abstract. In the last decades, an exceptional global warming trend was observed. Along with the temperature increase, modifications in the humidity and wind regime amplify the regional and local impacts on livestock husbandry. Direct impacts include the occurrence of climatic stress conditions. In Europe, cows are economically highly relevant and are mainly kept in naturally ventilated buildings that are most susceptible to climate change. The high-yielding cows are particularly vulnerable to heat stress. Modifications in housing management are the main measures taken to improve the ability of livestock to cope with these conditions. Measures are, however, typically taken in direct reaction to uncomfortable conditions instead of in anticipation of a long term risk for climatic stress. Moreover, measures that balance welfare, environmental and economic issues are barely investigated in the context of climate change and are thus almost not available for commercial farms. Quantitative analysis of the climate change impacts on the animal welfare and linked economic and environmental factors are rare. Therefore, we used a numerical modeling approach to estimate the future heat stress risk in such dairy cattle husbandry systems. The indoor climate was monitored inside three reference barns in Central Europe and in the Mediterranean region. An artificial neuronal network (ANN) was trained to relate the outdoor weather conditions provided by official meteorological weather stations to the measured indoor microclimate. Subsequently, this ANN model was driven by an ensemble of regional climate model projections with three different greenhouse gas concentration scenarios. For the evaluation of the heat stress risk, we considered the amount and duration of heat stress events. Based on the changes of the heat stress events various economic and environmental impacts were estimated. We found that the impacts of the projected increase of heat stress risk vary dependent on the region respectively the barn, the climate model and the assumed greenhouse gas concentration. There was an overall increasing trend in number and duration of heat stress events. At the end of the century, the number of annual stress events can be expected to increase by up to 2000 hours while the average duration of the events increases by up to 22 h compared to the end of the last century. This implies strong impacts on economics, environment and animal welfare and an urgent need for mid-term adaptation strategies. We anticipated that up to one tenth of all hours of a year respectively one third of all days will be classified as critical heat stress conditions. Due to heat stress, milk yield may decrease by about 3.5 % relative to the present European milk yield and farmers may expect financial losses in the summer season of about 6.6 % of their monthly income. In addition, an increasing demand for emission reduction measures must be expected, as an emission increase of about 16 Gg ammonia and 0.1 Gg methane per year can be expected under the anticipated heat stress conditions. The cattle respiration rate increases by up to 60 % and the standing time may be prolonged by 1 h. This promotes health issues and increases the probability of medical treatments. The various impacts imply feedback loops in the climate system which are presently underexplored. Hence, future in-depth studies on the different impacts and adaptation options at different stress levels are highly recommended.

scholarly journals Heat stress risk in European dairy cattle husbandry under different climate change scenarios – uncertainties and potential impacts

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 859-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Hempel ◽  
Christoph Menz ◽  
Severino Pinto ◽  
Elena Galán ◽  
David Janke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Climatic Stress ◽  
Cattle Husbandry

Abstract. In the last decades, a global warming trend was observed. Along with the temperature increase, modifications in the humidity and wind regime amplify the regional and local impacts on livestock husbandry. Direct impacts include the occurrence of climatic stress conditions. In Europe, cows are economically highly relevant and are mainly kept in naturally ventilated buildings that are most susceptible to climate change. The high-yielding cows are particularly vulnerable to heat stress. Modifications in housing management are the main measures taken to improve the ability of livestock to cope with these conditions. Measures are typically taken in direct reaction to uncomfortable conditions instead of in anticipation of a long-term risk for climatic stress. Measures that balance welfare, environmental and economic issues are barely investigated in the context of climate change and are thus almost not available for commercial farms. Quantitative analysis of the climate change impacts on animal welfare and linked economic and environmental factors is rare. Therefore, we used a numerical modeling approach to estimate the future heat stress risk in such dairy cattle husbandry systems. The indoor climate was monitored inside three reference barns in central Europe and the Mediterranean regions. An artificial neuronal network (ANN) was trained to relate the outdoor weather conditions provided by official meteorological weather stations to the measured indoor microclimate. Subsequently, this ANN model was driven by an ensemble of regional climate model projections with three different greenhouse gas concentration scenarios. For the evaluation of the heat stress risk, we considered the number and duration of heat stress events. Based on the changes in the heat stress events, various economic and environmental impacts were estimated. The impacts of the projected increase in heat stress risk varied among the barns due to different locations and designs as well as the anticipated climate change (considering different climate models and future greenhouse gas concentrations). There was an overall increasing trend in number and duration of heat stress events. At the end of the century, the number of annual stress events can be expected to increase by up to 2000, while the average duration of the events increases by up to 22 h compared to the end of the last century. This implies strong impacts on economics, environment and animal welfare and an urgent need for mid-term adaptation strategies. We anticipated that up to one-tenth of all hours of a year, correspondingly one-third of all days, will be classified as critical heat stress conditions. Due to heat stress, milk yield may decrease by about 2.8 % relative to the present European milk yield, and farmers may expect financial losses in the summer season of about 5.4 % of their monthly income. In addition, an increasing demand for emission reduction measures must be expected, as an emission increase of about 16 Gg of ammonia and 0.1 Gg of methane per year can be expected under the anticipated heat stress conditions. The cattle respiration rate increases by up to 60 %, and the standing time may be prolonged by 1 h. This causes health issues and increases the probability of medical treatments. The various impacts imply feedback loops in the climate system which are presently underexplored. Hence, future in-depth studies on the different impacts and adaptation options at different stress levels are highly recommended.

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium isolates from high-excreting young dairy calves in dairy cattle herds in Western France

2013 ◽  
Vol 112 (10) ◽  
pp. 3423-3431 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Rieux ◽  
C. Chartier ◽  
I. Pors ◽  
A. Delafosse ◽  
C. Paraud
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Molecular Characterization ◽  
Dairy Calves ◽  
Cattle Herds

scholarly journals Dairy Cows Activity under Heat Stress: A Case Study in Spain

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2305
Author(s):  
Adrián Ramón-Moragues ◽  
Patricia Carulla ◽  
Carlos Mínguez ◽  
Arantxa Villagrá ◽  
Fernando Estellés
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Precision Livestock Farming ◽  
Activity Sensors

Heat stress plays a role in livestock production in warm climates. Heat stress conditions impair animal welfare and compromise the productive and reproductive performance of dairy cattle. Under heat stress conditions, dairy cattle modify their behavior. Thus, the assessment of behavior alterations can be an indicator of environmental or physiological anomalies. Moreover, precision livestock farming allows for the individual and constant monitoring of animal behavior, arising as a tool to assess animal welfare. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat stress on the behavior of dairy cows using activity sensors. The study was carried out in Tinajeros (Albacete, Spain) during the summer of 2020. Activity sensors were installed in 40 cows registering 6 different behaviors. Environmental conditions (temperature and humidity) were also monitored. Hourly data was calculated for both animal behavior and environmental conditions. Temperature and Heat Index (THI) was calculated for each hour. The accumulated THI during the previous 24 h period was determined for each hour, and the hours were statistically classified in quartiles according to the accumulated THI. Two groups were defined as Q4 for no stress and Q1 for heat stress. The results showed that animal behavior was altered under heat stress conditions. Increasing THI produces an increase in general activity, changes in feeding patterns and a decrease in rumination and resting behaviors, which is detrimental to animal welfare. Daily behavioral patterns were also affected. Under heat stress conditions, a reduction in resting behavior during the warmest hours and in rumination during the night was observed. In conclusion, heat stress affected all behaviors recorded as well as the daily patterns of the cows. Precision livestock farming sensors and the modelling of daily patterns were useful tools for monitoring animal behavior and detecting changes due to heat stress.

scholarly journals INTRA-LINEAR SELECTION AND CROSS-LINE SELECTION WHEN CREATING HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE DAIRY CATTLE HERDS

2021 ◽  
Vol 246 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-98
Author(s):  
N.L. Ignatieva ◽  
◽  
I.V. Voronova ◽  
E.Yu. Nemtseva ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Selection Methods ◽  
Cattle Breeding ◽  
Holstein Breed ◽  
Linear Selection ◽  
Dairy Cattle Breeding ◽  
Line Selection ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Cattle Herds

The aim of the research was to evaluate the compatibility of lines and improve on this basis the traditional selection methods for creating breeding herds in dairy cattle breeding. The results of the analysis showed that the best milk yield among the other lines were the first-born heifers (n=39) of the Holstein line Vis Back Idial (6441 kg of milk). The analysis of the results of the intra-linear selection showed that the best milk yield was also distinguished by the first-born heifers of the Vis Back Idial line – 6721 kg of milk. Analyzing the cross-line of the Vis Back Idial with other lines of the Holstein breed (MCH, RS, and PG), it should be noted that they are superior to their first-calf peers by 253-530 kg of milk. The first-calf cows, derived from the cross of the Montwick Miftaine line and the Reflection Sovering and Pabst Governer lines, also have some superiority over their peers. Thus, when improving breeding herds of dairy cattle, it is necessary to use both intra-linear selection and cross-lines, taking into account their compatibility.

scholarly journals Exploring Morpho-Physiological Variation for Heat Stress Tolerance in Tomato

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 347
Author(s):  
Samikshya Bhattarai ◽  
Joshua Harvey ◽  
Desire Djidonou ◽  
Daniel Leskovar
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Chlorophyll Fluorescence ◽  
Open Field ◽  
Electrolyte Leakage ◽  
Leaf Gas Exchange ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Heat Injury ◽  
Injury Index ◽  
Heat Tolerant

Texas tomato production is vulnerable to extreme heat in the spring-summer cropping period, which is exacerbated by the lack of superior genetic materials that can perform well in such environments. There is a dire need for selecting superior varieties that can adapt to warm environments and exhibit high yield stability under heat stress conditions. This research aimed at identifying heat-tolerant varieties under heat-stress conditions in controlled and open-field environments and was carried out in three stages. For the first experiment, 43 varieties were screened based on yield responses in natural open-field environment. From those, 18 varieties were chosen and exposed to control (greenhouse: 26/20 °C) and constant heat-stress (growth-chamber: 34/24 °C) conditions for three months. Measurements were done for chlorophyll fluorescence, chlorophyll content (SPAD), plant height, stem diameter and heat injury index (HII). The last experiment was conducted in an open field with a pool of varieties selected from the first and second experiments. Leaf gas exchange, leaf temperature, chlorophyll fluorescence, SPAD value, electrolyte leakage, heat injury index and yield were assessed. From the combined studies, we concluded that heat-tolerant genotypes selected by using chlorophyll fluorescence and HII in controlled heat-stress conditions also exhibited heat-tolerance in open-field environments. Electrolyte leakage and HII best distinguished tomato varieties in open-field environments as plants with low electrolyte leakage and HII had higher total yield. 'Heat Master,' 'New Girl,' 'HM-1823,' 'Rally,' 'Valley Girl,' 'Celebrity,' and 'Tribeca' were identified as high heat-tolerant varieties. Through trait correlation analysis we provide a better understanding of which traits could be useful for screening and breeding other heat-tolerant tomato varieties.

scholarly journals Genotype-by-environment interaction in Holstein heifer fertility traits using single-step genomic reaction norm models

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Shi ◽  
Luiz Fernando Brito ◽  
Aoxing Liu ◽  
Hanpeng Luo ◽  
Ziwei Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Candidate Genes ◽  
Heat Tolerance ◽  
Reaction Norm ◽  
Single Step ◽  
Conception Rate ◽  
Critical Periods ◽  
Genotype By Environment ◽  
Fertility Traits

Abstract Background The effect of heat stress on livestock production is a worldwide issue. Animal performance is influenced by exposure to harsh environmental conditions potentially causing genotype-by-environment interactions (G × E), especially in highproducing animals. In this context, the main objectives of this study were to (1) detect the time periods in which heifer fertility traits are more sensitive to the exposure to high environmental temperature and/or humidity, (2) investigate G × E due to heat stress in heifer fertility traits, and, (3) identify genomic regions associated with heifer fertility and heat tolerance in Holstein cattle. Results Phenotypic records for three heifer fertility traits (i.e., age at first calving, interval from first to last service, and conception rate at the first service) were collected, from 2005 to 2018, for 56,998 Holstein heifers raised in 15 herds in the Beijing area (China). By integrating environmental data, including hourly air temperature and relative humidity, the critical periods in which the heifers are more sensitive to heat stress were located in more than 30 days before the first service for age at first calving and interval from first to last service, or 10 days before and less than 60 days after the first service for conception rate. Using reaction norm models, significant G × E was detected for all three traits regarding both environmental gradients, proportion of days exceeding heat threshold, and minimum temperature-humidity index. Through single-step genome-wide association studies, PLAG1, AMHR2, SP1, KRT8, KRT18, MLH1, and EOMES were suggested as candidate genes for heifer fertility. The genes HCRTR1, AGRP, PC, and GUCY1B1 are strong candidates for association with heat tolerance. Conclusions The critical periods in which the reproductive performance of heifers is more sensitive to heat stress are trait-dependent. Thus, detailed analysis should be conducted to determine this particular period for other fertility traits. The considerable magnitude of G × E and sire re-ranking indicates the necessity to consider G × E in dairy cattle breeding schemes. This will enable selection of more heat-tolerant animals with high reproductive efficiency under harsh climatic conditions. Lastly, the candidate genes identified to be linked with response to heat stress provide a better understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms of heat tolerance in dairy cattle.

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