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Hormonal profiles, physiological parameters, and productive and reproductive performances of Girolando cows in the state of Ceará-Brazil

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Abstract

This study compared two breed groups of Girolando (½ Holstein ½ Gyr vs. ¾ Holstein ¼ Gyr) through analysis of physiological, productive, and reproductive parameters to determine the group best suited to rearing in a semiarid tropical climate. The experiment was conducted at the Companhia de Alimentos do Nordeste (CIALNE) farm, in the municipality of Umirim, State of Ceará, Brazil. Eighty cows were used in a 2 × 2 factorial study; 40 of each breed group were kept under an extensive system during the wet season and an intensive system during the dry season. The collection of physiological data and blood samples were obtained in the afternoon after milking. Rectal temperature (RT), surface temperature (ST), and respiratory rate (RR) were obtained for each cow after milking. Blood samples were obtained by tail vein puncture and were determined triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) and cortisol. The environmental parameters obtained were relative humidity (RH) and air temperature (AT), and from these, a temperature and humidity index (THI) was calculated. Pregnancy diagnosis (PD) was determined by ultrasonography 30 days after artificial insemination (AI). The milk production of each cow was recorded with automated milkings in the farm. The variables were expressed as mean and standard error, evaluated by ANOVA at 5 % probability using the Proc GLM of SAS. Chi-square test at 5 % probability was applied to data of pregnancy rate (PR) and the number of AI’s to obtain pregnancy. It can be concluded that the breed group ½ Holstein ½ Gyr is most suited for farming under conditions of thermal stress.

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Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge the cooperation with the owners, the herdsman, and the staff of the Companhia de Alimentos do Nordeste. We also acknowledge the Universidade Federal do Ceará for supporting this work as part of the PhD dissertation from the first author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Curso de Agronomia, Universidade Federal do Cariri (UFCA), Rua Vereador Sebastião Maciel Lopes, s/n, CEP 63133-610, Crato, CE, Brazil

    Antônio Nélson Lima da Costa & José Valmir Feitosa

  2. Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE), Avenida Paranjana, 1700. Campus do Itaperi, CEP 60714-903, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil

    Priscila Teixeira de Souza & Airton Alencar de Araújo

  3. Companhia de Alimentos do Nordeste (CIALNE), Av. Presidente Costa e Silva, 2067–Mondubim, CEP: 60761-190, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil

    Péricles Afonso Montezuma Júnior

Authors
  1. Antônio Nélson Lima da Costa
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  2. José Valmir Feitosa
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  3. Péricles Afonso Montezuma Júnior
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  4. Priscila Teixeira de Souza
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  5. Airton Alencar de Araújo
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Correspondence to Antônio Nélson Lima da Costa.

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da Costa, A.N.L., Feitosa, J.V., Júnior, P.A.M. et al. Hormonal profiles, physiological parameters, and productive and reproductive performances of Girolando cows in the state of Ceará-Brazil. Int J Biometeorol 59, 231–236 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-014-0838-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-014-0838-0

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