Effects of Heat Stress across the Rural-Urban Interface on Phenotypic Trait Expressions of Dairy Cattle in a Tropical Savanna Region

Silpa Mullakkalparambil Velayudhan, Kerstin Brügemann, Ana Pinto, Tong Yin, Marion Reichenbach, Veerasamy Sejian, Raghavendra Bhatta, Eva Schlecht and Sven König
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Silpa Mullakkalparambil Velayudhan: Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Gießen, Ludwigstraße 21 b, 35390 Gießen, Germany
Kerstin Brügemann: Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Gießen, Ludwigstraße 21 b, 35390 Gießen, Germany
Ana Pinto: Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Gießen, Ludwigstraße 21 b, 35390 Gießen, Germany
Tong Yin: Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Gießen, Ludwigstraße 21 b, 35390 Gießen, Germany
Marion Reichenbach: Animal Husbandry in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Kassel and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Steinstr. 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany
Veerasamy Sejian: National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology (NIANP), Hosur Rd, Chennakeshava Nagar, Adugodi, Bengaluru 560030, Karnataka, India
Raghavendra Bhatta: National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology (NIANP), Hosur Rd, Chennakeshava Nagar, Adugodi, Bengaluru 560030, Karnataka, India
Eva Schlecht: Animal Husbandry in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Kassel and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Steinstr. 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany
Sven König: Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Gießen, Ludwigstraße 21 b, 35390 Gießen, Germany

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: Among all livestock systems in tropical regions, the dairy sector is facing huge challenges to sustain productivity under the rapidly changing climatic conditions. To date, there is a lack of knowledge on the combined effects of climate, season, and farm location on trait responses in different cattle breeds. Consequently, this study presents a novel approach to assess the impact of several climatic and geographical factors on production traits, energy efficiency indicators, and hygiene traits in dairy cattle reared across the rural–urban interface in the tropical savanna region of Bengaluru, a rising megacity in southern India. In total, 96 cattle were selected across Bengaluru’s rural–urban interface, reflecting a broad variety of social-ecological systems. The traits considered included test day milk yield (MY), body condition score (BCS), body weight (BW), hock assessment score (HAS), udder hygiene score (UHS), and upper leg hygiene score (ULHS). Apart from cow-related factors such as breed, lactation stage, lactation number, and milking frequency, the environmental classification variables of season, farm location (as expressed by survey stratification index, SSI), and temperature humidity index (THI) significantly affected most of the traits, with indication for breed-by-environment interactions. In particular, season significantly influenced production and hygiene traits. Furthermore, an evident breed variation was observed in the seasonal influence on BW, wherein exotic cows had a higher BW than crossbreds during the summer season. The distinct trend of SSI in its influence on most of the traits indicates that cows housed in urban areas had better trait expression than those in rural areas, thereby revealing a predominant role of management. The THI had a significant effect on MY, BCS, and HAS, and THI = 75 was identified as heat stress threshold. The results indicate the importance of considering ecological, social, and climatic factors simultaneously in order to improve primary and functional breed-specific traits of dairy cattle reared in challenging environments.

Keywords: dairy cattle; phenotypic trait responses; rural-urban interface; temperature-humidity index (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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