Thermoregulation, Haematological Profile and Productivity of Holstein Friesian Under Heat Stress at Different Land Elevations

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of heat stress on thermoregulation, haematology, and productivity of Holstein Friesian (HF) dairy cows raised in different elevations. A total of 63 HF in a normal lactation period were used in this study. The research was conducted for 3 months during dry season in three different areas, which were at Pondok Ranggon (97 m.a.s.l) which categorized as a lowland, Ciawi (576 m.a.s.l) which categorized as a lower-upland, and Lembang (1241 m.a.s.l) which categorized as an upland. Observation on microclimate aspects which includes environmental temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH) and Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) was done by recording each variable for every 2 hours starting from 08.00 to 16.00 WIB. The thermoregulation analysis was done based on the given physiological responses which consisted of the skin temperature (Ts), rectal temperature (Tr), body temperature (Tb), heart rate (Hr), respiratory rate (Rr), Heat Tolerance Coefficient (HTC), plasma cortisol level and haematological profile observation. The Ta, Rr, and THI measurements showed that in the lowland and lower-upland, the HF experienced moderate heat stress, while the HF raised in the upland area experienced less heat stress. The results showed that the dairy cows which raised in lowland had the highest HTC, Tr, Ts and Tb (P<0.05) and lowest Hr (P<0.05). All of the physiological and haematological parameters in the three study area showed a normal value.Furthermore, the erythrocyte, Hb and PVC concentration in a lowland raised HF were higher (P<0.05), while the plasma cortisol levels were not significantly different. The milk production of the observed dairy cows in different elevations was significantly different (P<0.05), with the highest milk yields, were found in the upland raised HF (13.1±3.52 kg), followed by the lower-upland (11.3±4.73 kg) and lowland (7.0±3.36 kg). In general, all of the HF raised in different land elevations was exposed to heat stress during dry seasons, even though the cows showed the ability to physiologically adapt and cope with the conditions.

Hematological Profile of Aceh Cattle

“…Variations in the hematological profile are often found, even in the same type of livestock. Hematological profiles can vary which are affected by feed, age, sex, breed, genetics, livestock health status, height of breeding site, season, environmental climate (temperature, humidity, and rainfall), physiological status of livestock, reproductive status, presence of infection, blood collection methods, and hematological profile measurement techniques used (Roland et al, 2014;Sonjaya, 2013;Yaqub et al, 2013;Ahmadi-Hamedani et al, 2014;Mazullo et al, 2014;Oramari et al, 2014;Kachhawa et al, 2016;Mariana et al, 2019). Beef cattle have a higher number of erythrocytes compared to dairy cows.…”

A review of dairy cattle heat stress mitigation in Indonesia

“…Mariana et al [7] [43] reported the effect of altitude on the performance of FH cattle raised in West Java Province, Indonesia. It was reported that altitude significantly affected rumination, eating, drinking, lying, and standing.…”

“…The heat produced by metabolism (maintenance, activity, growth, lactation, gestation, and feed intake) must equal the heat loss to the environment to maintain a thermal energy balance. This thermal equilibrium cannot be maintained if an animal cannot expel sufficient heat created or absorbed during metabolism [7]. Most of Indonesian dairy cattle are FH, imported from European nations with a temperate environment with low temperatures in the range of 5°C-25°C [1].…”

Assessment of heat stress in dairy cows related to physiological responses

“…Under the statements Kadzere et al (2002) and Pragna et al (2017), the condition is that cows with high production of milk are more susceptible to heat stress than low production cows. Mariana et al, 2019) reported that FH cattle reared at different altitudes were exposed to heat stress during the dry season. However, FH cattle showed physiological adaptability and could cope with the condition.…”