scholarly journals Heat Stress Management for Milk Production in Arid Zones

Author(s):  
Leonel Avendano-Reyes
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erwin Strahsburger ◽  
Juan Scopinich-Cisternas

Goat farming has been severely affected by Desertification, limiting their water and food resources and inducing physiological heat stress that reduces the doe milk yield. Does well adapted to heat stress would be a possible solution, but creole or indigenous goats from desert or arid areas produce between 0.5 to 1.5 L of milk per day, which is lower than the 3 L of milk per day produced by dairy goats like the Saanen breed. Nevertheless, in this chapter, we will discuss the disadvantages of introducing common dairy goats in dry places. Instead, we propose the introduction of desert goats from the Middle East or India, because they produce high-quality milk with low feed intake, making a profitable goat farming activity, and an opportunity to include crossbreeding strategies to improve the herd milk yield. Creole goats, on other hand, has been an underestimated livestock animal with a rich and unveil genetic patrimony that migth improve the herd milk yield. The effect of improved diets and extensive husbandry conditions remains unexplored in desert creole goats, and the use of advanced knowledge in goat genomics, genetic expression, and a wide variety of molecular markers can improve the studies on creole goats for crossbreeding strategies identifying the best traits involved in high-quality milk production and adaptation to dry environments. In this way, the synergy between goat type selection and molecular markers should boost goat farming in recently new desert or arid zones, counteracting the detrimental effects produced by the desertification.


2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Russo ◽  
J. Silkowski ◽  
R. Espree ◽  
J. Urban

Author(s):  
Alana Hansen ◽  
Dino Pisaniello ◽  
Blesson Varghese ◽  
Shelley Rowett ◽  
Scott Hanson-Easey ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 63-63
Author(s):  
S Khalajzade ◽  
N Emam Jomeh ◽  
A Salehi ◽  
A Moghimi Esfandabadi

Milk production is significantly decreased by thermal stress. The survival and performance of an animal during heat stress periods depend on several weather factors, especially temperature and humidity. Researchers reported dramatic decreases in milk production as temperature rose above 30 degree of centigrade. Very high environmental temperature is common during the summer months in Iran. Rectal temperature is as indicator of heat tolerance and has been the most frequently used physiological variable for estimating heat tolerance in cattle. Some dairy cows are more heat tolerant and productive when subjected to heat stress. Identification and selection of heat stress resistant cattle offers the potential to increase milk yield in tropical environment. The aim of the present study was to estimate genetic parameters of heat tolerance and its relationship to milk production in Holstein Dairy Cows in Iran.


2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 389-389
Author(s):  
Andrea Dahnae del Rio-Aviles ◽  
Abelardo Correa-Calderon ◽  
Leonel Avendaño-Reyes ◽  
Milton G Thomas ◽  
R Mark Enns ◽  
...  

Abstract Summer season in northwest Mexico is characterized by hot-humid weather conditions that lead to heat stress and affect physiological and productive performance of lactating Holstein cows. Mineral supplementation has been proposed as strategy to alleviate negative effects of heat stress in dairy cattle. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an injectable mineral supplement on physiological variables and milk production in Holstein cows managed during summer. Sixteen cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental groups: Mineral-treated (TRT; n = 8) or control (CON; n = 8). The TRT group received 3 injections of Fosfosan® (10 ml, i.m., Virbac, Uruguay), on days 0, 7 and 17, considering summer onset as day 0 (June 21st), whereas group CON was untreated. Physiological variables such as respiratory rate (RR), vaginal temperature (VT) and skin-surface temperature (SST), were registered twice a week (0500-1700 h) during 6 weeks. Ambient temperature and humidity were collected to calculate the daily temperature and humidity index (THI). Data were analyzed using a mixed model with repeated measures, which included fixed effects of treatment, time and treatment*time, and sire as random effect. According to the THI, Holstein cows were exposed to heat stress during the experiment (>72 units). Cows in the TRT group showed higher (P < 0.05) milk production than CON cows (17.93±0.47 vs 17.02±0.51 kg/day) and lower (P < 0.01) VT (39.14±0.11 vs 39.46±0.15 °C). Relative to CON cows, treated cows also had lower RR (63.16±0.65 vs 64.47±0.76 breaths/min) and lower SST (33.75±0.15 vs 34.02±0.16 °C). All physiological variables showed a significant effect of time (P < 0.01). In conclusion, mineral supplementation during summer appears to improve physiological and productive performance in heat-stressed milking dairy cows; therefore, we suggest to consider this management as strategy to reduce negative effects of summer and heat stress on the dairy industry in northwest Mexico.


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