Metabolic status of crossbreed F1 Holstein × Gyr dairy cows during the transition period in two different seasons in Brazil

Abstract

Crossbreed F1 Holstein x Gyr cows are proving to be a good alternative for milk production under tropical conditions. In order to contribute to that affirmative, our work focused on clarifying the metabolic patter of F1 Holstein x Gyr dairy cows during the most critical time in the lactation cycle, the transition period, and to compare their performance in two seasons. Blood sampling was performed on 15 cows during summer (January to April) and on 13 cows during winter (May to August), beginning three weeks before the estimated calving date, until 30 days relative to calving. The season had a great influence on the metabolic status. Almost all evaluated metabolites, with exception for aminotransferase (AST), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), that have shown no variation among seasons, demonstrated a different patter between summer and winter. Liver functions were enhanced during the postpartum, with increased liver enzymes activity and increased concentration of cholesterol and BHB. Animals went through negative energy balance (NEB) and an alarming number of animals had experienced subclinical ketosis and high NEFA concentrations.

Effect of Parity, Body Condition Score at Calving, and Milk Yield on the Metabolic Profile of Gyr Cows in the Transition Period

“…The observed variation in NEFA and BHB values over time in Gyr cows agrees with previous reports on Holstein cows [44,54,61] and crossbred Holstein × Gyr cows [15][16][17]62]. However, lower NEFA and higher BHB values after calving were reported in Jersey cows [63].…”

“…Even with high production, the values found in the studied cows were still below those described for high-producing Holstein cows, ranging from 40 to 50 kg/day [31][32][33], but were similar to those found in Jersey cows, ranging from 31 to 37 kg/day [34] and in Simmental cows [35]. These values are also higher than those usually reported for crossed Holstein × Gyr cows, which range from 20 to 30 kg/day [5,14,16,17,36]. Metabolic profile studies are more suitable for high-producing dairy cows due to the greater risk of metabolic imbalances in these cows [37,38].…”

“…Information on this subject in Zebu dairy cows is scarce. Some studies conducted by Brazilian researchers on crossbred Holstein × Gyr cows have shown that high-producing cows have metabolic imbalances similar to those present in Holstein cows [14][15][16][17]. Specifically, for Gyr cows, information on the metabolic aspects during the transition period is limited to two studies that included cows with low milk production (6 to 9 kg/day) and measured a smaller number of metabolites [18,19].…”

>b<Metabolismo pós-parto de vacas pluríparas e primíparas da raça Gir>/b<

“…O β-HBO é o corpo cetônico mais empregado para a avaliação do perfil metabólico e detecção de cetose (ANDERSSON, 1988). No entanto, diversos fatores podem influenciar na variação dos teores de corpos cetônicos, como por exemplo, alimentação, idade, raça (ANDERSSON, 1988), número de lactações (RADOSTITS et al, 2007) e estação do ano (MOREIRA et al, 2018).…”