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Thermal comfort indices assessed in integrated production systems in the Brazilian savannah

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Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the animal thermal comfort indices from two integrated crop-livestock-forestry (ICLF) systems. For this, temperature–humidity index (THI), black globe temperature and humidity index (BGHI), and the radiant thermal load (RTL) were assessed. Two ICLF (ICLF-1 and ICLF-2) systems and one control system were established. On the ICLF systems, the arboreal component was the eucalyptus tree (Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla; H13 clone), planted in simple wide-spaced rows. The ICLF-1 system had a tree spacing of 14 × 2 m with 357 trees per hectare, and the ICLF-2 had a tree spacing of 22 × 2 m with 227 trees per hectare. The control system had five scattered native trees per hectare, pertaining to Gochnatia and Dipteryx species. The forage component in all three systems was piatã-grass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. BRS Piatã). The experimental design was a randomized block in a sub-subplot design scheme with four replications. The presence of shade provided by the trees offered better conditions of animal comfort when compared with the condition of full sun. The ICLF-1 system, with higher tree density, provided better indicators for thermal comfort, THI, BGHI, and RTL when compared with the condition of full sun, while ICLF-2 was no different than ICLF-1 for BGHI.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Brazilian funding agencies CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior), for a scholarship granted to C.C. de Oliveira and P.G.M.A Martins (Grant no. 23038.008980/2013-90), and FUNDECT (Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul), for financial support. In addition, the authors express appreciation to the staff from the Embrapa Beef Cattle Research Unit for assistance during this study.

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  1. Paulo Gustavo Macedo de Almeida Martins

    Present address: Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais, Almenara, MG, 39100-000, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, 79070-900, Brazil

    Caroline Carvalho de Oliveira & Érick Lemes Gamarra

  2. Embrapa Gado de Corte, Campo Grande, MS, 79106-550, Brazil

    Fabiana Villa Alves & Roberto Giolo de Almeida

  3. Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, 39100-000, Brazil

    Severino Delmar Junqueira Villela & Paulo Gustavo Macedo de Almeida Martins

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  1. Caroline Carvalho de Oliveira
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  2. Fabiana Villa Alves
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  3. Roberto Giolo de Almeida
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Correspondence to Caroline Carvalho de Oliveira.

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de Oliveira, C.C., Alves, F.V., de Almeida, R.G. et al. Thermal comfort indices assessed in integrated production systems in the Brazilian savannah. Agroforest Syst 92, 1659–1672 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-017-0114-5

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