Influence of microclimate on dairy cows’ behavior in three pasture systems during the winter in south Brazil

Sousa, Karolini Tenffen de; Deniz, Matheus; Vale, Marcos Martinez do; Dittrich, João Ricardo; Hötzel, María José

doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2021.102873

Cited by 17 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…However, our relative humidity values were slightly higher than the reference, while the air temperature was lower than in our previous study [7]. Recent studies [23,24] also showed that the OP had higher AT and RH values when compared to the SP, which corroborates our findings. As regards WS, although our results did not show any difference, other studies found that WS in the OP was higher than in the SP [25].…”

Section: Microclimate Characterizationsupporting

confidence: 89%

Placental Development and Physiological Changes in Pregnant Ewes in Silvopastoral and Open Pasture Systems during the Summer

Dada

Santos

Dani

et al. 2023

Animals

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This study aimed to analyze the reproductive and physiological changes in ewes subjected to heat stress during pregnancy at UTFPR-Brazil. Twenty-four pregnant crossbred ewes were kept in a silvopastoral system (SP) or an open pasture system (OP) throughout the final trimester of pregnancy. Both systems were stressful, but the SP system had lower air temperature than the OP system (26.0 ± 0.38 and 26.9 ± 0.41 °C, respectively; p = 0.0288). Moreover, the radiant thermal load of the two groups presented a difference of 34 Wm−2 (p = 0.0288), and the grass temperature was also lower in the SP system compared to that in the OP system (23.4 ± 0.37 and 25.6 ± 0.44 °C, respectively; p = 0.0043). The respiratory and heart rates of animals from the OP group were higher than those from the SP group (p < 0.001), but no difference was observed in the mobilization of white blood cells (p = 0.4777), and the neutrophil count was only affected by time (p < 0.0001). As regards placental biometry, placentas in twin pregnancies had a greater membrane area (p = 0.0223), but no differences between the systems were observed in placental weight (p = 0.1522) and the number of cotyledons (p = 0.5457). We concluded that the type of rearing system used affects the thermal comfort of pregnant ewes, and that an SP system can offer more amenable microclimatic conditions, which result in greater comfort for the ewes.

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Section: Microclimate Characterizationsupporting

confidence: 89%

Placental Development and Physiological Changes in Pregnant Ewes in Silvopastoral and Open Pasture Systems during the Summer

Dada

Santos

Dani

et al. 2023

Animals

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“…The present study indicated that there were different behaviors between shifts. This is because animals tend to distribute their activities such as grazing, ruminating and resting during the day ( 57 , 58 ). Furthermore, animal behavior tends to change according to environmental characteristics ( 59 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavior and thermal comfort of light and dark coat dairy cows in the Eastern Amazon

Silva

Santos

et al. 2022

Front. Vet. Sci.

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This study aimed to evaluate the behavior and thermal comfort of 20 Girolando cows (5/8-H/G), with light and dark coats, in the wettest period of the year, in Santarém, Pará, Brazil, in pasture with access to shade, and plenty of drinking water and mineral salt. Animal behavior categories were computed for 12 h a day, on 3 days in a row, by trained observers. Three day shifts were considered: Morning (6:00 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.), Intermediate (10:00 a.m. to 01:55 p.m.) and Afternoon (2:00 p.m. to 05:55 p.m.). The Temperature Index (TI), the Black Globe Humidity Index (BGHI) and the Comfort Index (CI) were calculated to measure thermal comfort. At all times studied, BGHI pointed that the environment was outside the thermal comfort zone. Dark-coated animals spent more 34.26% of the time in activities in the shade. The light-coated animals remained more 11.88% of the time in the sun, performing their natural behaviors. Both light and dark coat animals remained more 77 and 74.44% of the time in the sun, respectively. The behavior “in the sun while grazing” was the most evident, in both coats, in the studied shifts. The behaviors “in the shade while walking” and “in the shade while standing idle” were more evident (p < 0.01) in dark-coated cattle. The grazing behavior was higher in animals with dark coat (p < 0.05). In all evaluated shifts, there was a positive correlation between the behavior “in the sun while grazing” with the CI (r = 0.44211; p < 0.0305). Behaviors performed in the shade, such as “idleness while lying down,” “ruminating while lying down and standing up,” and behaviors “in the sun,” “idleness while lying down” and “ruminating while lying down,” were negatively correlated with CI. It is concluded that, even in the wettest period of the year, in the Eastern Amazon, Girolando dairy cows are exposed to hot environments, which causes thermal discomfort and changes in their natural behavior, as they spend more time standing in shaded areas, usually in rumination. Also, light-coated cows spend more time in the sun, while dark-coated cows spend more time in the shade. Thus, light-coated cows tend to have health and zootechnical performance negatively affected.

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“…However, a lower number of L3 was observed in the shaded condition regardless of the group, with a difference in the number of L3 only for the control group between the conditions. The lower number of L3 recovered in the shaded condition in the control group may have been due to microclimate conditions, as shaded areas in an SPS have a lower soil surface temperature (de Sousa et al , 2021a) and lower air temperature (Deniz et al , 2019) which may have hindered the development of the larvae. Consequently, there was greater recovery of L3 in the sunny condition due to the exposure to sunlight, which favoured the increase in air temperature along with favourable relative humidity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, the silvopastoral system (SPS) has been adopted as an alternative to improve the thermal environment of farms (Deniz et al , 2019; Pezzopane et al , 2019). When raised in an SPS, animals have the opportunity to access different areas of the paddock, remaining in the sun on cold days (de Sousa et al , 2021a) or seeking shade on hot days (Deniz et al , 2020). This opportunity to choose the most comfortable location can change the dynamics of the deposition of faeces in the pasture, since shaded areas are variable throughout the day; this means that some faecal pads will remain exposed to solar radiation for longer than others.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predation of the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans on infective larvae of gastrointestinal nematodes from heifers in a silvopastoral system under shaded and sunny conditions

et al. 2022

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the predatory activity of the nematophagous fungus Duddingtonia flagrans on infective larvae of gastrointestinal nematodes from dairy heifers in different conditions (shaded and sunny) of a silvopastoral system (SPS) on an agroecological farm. Ten Jersey heifers were divided into two groups: treated (received pellets containing fungus); and control (received pellets without fungus). Twelve hours after fungus administration, faeces samples were collected for in vitro efficacy tests. The animals then remained for 8 h in the experimental pasture area. At the end of this period, 20 faecal pads (10 treated and 10 control) were selected. Pasture, faecal pad and soil collections occurred at intervals of seven days (d), totalling four assessments over 28 d. To evaluate the influence of the conditions shaded and sunny, we registered the condition of the location of each faecal pad per hour. After 12 h of gastrointestinal transit in dairy heifers, a reduction of 65% was obtained through the in vitro test. The treated group presented a lower number of infective larvae (L3) in the faecal pad and upper pasture. Differences in numbers of L3 were observed between the conditions (sunny and shaded) in the faecal pad of the control group; while in the treated group there were no differences between the conditions. The predatory activity of the fungus was efficient over time in the shaded and sunny conditions of an SPS, decreasing the parasite contamination during the pasture recovery time in a subtropical climate.

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Influence of microclimate on dairy cows’ behavior in three pasture systems during the winter in south Brazil

Cited by 17 publications

References 63 publications

Placental Development and Physiological Changes in Pregnant Ewes in Silvopastoral and Open Pasture Systems during the Summer

Placental Development and Physiological Changes in Pregnant Ewes in Silvopastoral and Open Pasture Systems during the Summer

Behavior and thermal comfort of light and dark coat dairy cows in the Eastern Amazon

Predation of the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans on infective larvae of gastrointestinal nematodes from heifers in a silvopastoral system under shaded and sunny conditions

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