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Effects of heat-stress-reducing systems on blood constituents, milk production and milk quality of Holstein and Jersey cows and heifers on pasture

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of different heat-stress-reducing systems, i.e., sprinkler + artificial shade, shower + artificial shade, and artificial shade, on serum mineral, hormonal, hematological, and metabolite profiles, on milk production, and milk composition in lactating cows and pubertal heifers of Holstein and Jersey breeds. For this purpose, 12 animals were used: 3 Holstein cows with an average (mean ± SD) body weight of 600 ± 30 kg, 53 ± 11 months of age, and milk yield of 27 ± 3.5 kg/day; 3 Jersey cows with an average body weight of 370 ± 11 kg, 40 ± 6 months of age, and milk production of 11 ± 1.5 kg/day; 3 Holstein heifers (325 ± 25 kg and 16 ± 0.6 months of age); and 3 Jersey heifers (250 ± 25 kg and 13 ± 0.6 months of age). Animals were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with a 3 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments that included three treatments (sprinkler + artificial shade, shower + artificial shade, and artificial shade), two breeds (Holstein, Jersey), and two physiological stages (lactating cows, heifers). The experimental treatments influenced (P < 0.05) the concentrations of triiodothyronine, with the shower and shade systems showing greater and similar concentrations (99.5 and 96.3 µg/dL, respectively) when compared with sprinkler treatment (89.2 µg/dL). There was an effect (P < 0.05) of breed on the concentrations of Na + , K + , hemoglobin, hematocrit and mean corpuscular volume levels with the Holsteins having lower levels of Na + , K + , hemoglobin, hematocrit and mean corpuscular volume (101.1, 4.0 ng/mL, 11.2 g/dL, 24.7%, and 42.3 μm3, respectively) than the Jerseys (106.5 and 4.3 ng/mL, 12.4 g/dL, 27.7%, and 46.3 μm3, respectively. Total cholesterol and high-density lipoproteins were influenced by physiological stage (P < 0.05). Concentrations of cholesterol and high-density lipoproteins were higher for cows (94.1, and 56.9 mg/dL, respectively) than for heifers (56.9 and 42,9 mf/dL, respectively). Milk production and fat content were affected (P < 0.05) by breed (P < 0.05), with Holstein cows producing more milk (23.9 kg/day) than Jersey cows (12.0 kg/day), but Jersey cows had higher fat concentration (4.6%) than Holstein cows (3.0%). Therefore, the three different thermal-stress-reducing-systems tested were able to maintain the serum biomarkers within normal physiological ranges. However, the most appropriate thermal-stress-reducing-systems would be a sprinkler systema because it uses less water compared with the shower system.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Department of Animal Science and the Postgraduate Program in Animal Science of the Maringá State University for their technical support; med. vet Dr. Eduardo Lucacin, for loaning the Jersey race animals to carry out this experiment.

Funding

This study was funded in part by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel – Brazil (CAPES)—Finance code 001, for the financial support (scholarship of the first author)”, National Institute of Science and Technology of Dairy Production Chain (INCT-LEITE/UEL-PR), Londrina, Paraná, Brazil (CNPq – INCT-Leite, grant number 465725/2014–7), Brasilia, DF, Brazil, Araucaria Foundation, Curitiba, Paraná and CNPq – Research Productivity /2021/24, (Proc. 306.964/2021–0); post doctorate (Proc. 150305/2022–2),”, and CNPq/GRANTS Proc. 313284/2018–0.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Sciences, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, 87020900, Brazil

    Karoline de Lima Guimarães Yamada, Geraldo Tadeu dos Santos, Júlio César Damasceno, Kleves Vieira de Almeida & Jesús Alberto Cardozo Osorio

  2. Department of Animal Sciences, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, 80035050, Brazil

    Jean Carlos Steinmacher Lourenço

  3. Campus Professora Cinobelina Elvas, Federal University of Piauí, Bom Jesus, Piauí, 64900-000, Brazil

    Antonio Leandro Chaves Gurgel, Tairon Pannunzio Dias-Silva & Marcos Jácome de Araújo

  4. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Federal University of Mato Grosso Do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso Do Sul, 79070-900, Brazil

    Luís Carlos Vinhas Ítavo

  5. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, 2000 College Street, Sherbrooke, QC, J1M 1Z3, Canada

    Chaouki Benchaar

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Contributions

Conceptualization, Y.K.L.G., G.T.S., J.C.D., J.A.C.O., C.B. and L.C.V.I.; methodology, Y.K.L.G., G.T.S., J.A.C.D., C.B., A.L.C.G., K.V.A. and J.S.L.; software, L.C.V.I. and A.L.C.G.; validation,.K.L.G., G.T.S., J.C.D., J.A.C.D., C.B.; formal analysis, G.T.S., C.B., L.C.V.I; and A.L.C.G.; investigation, Y.K.L.G., K.V.A. and J.S.L.; resources, G.T.S. and C.B.; data curation, Y.K.L.G., G.T.S., J.C.D., J.A.C.D., C.B. and L.C.V..I; writing—original draft preparation, Y.K.L.G. and G.T.S., writing—review and editing, C.B., L.C.V.I; and A.L.C.G.; visualization, Y.K.L.G., G.T.S., J.C.D., J.A.C.D., C.B. and L.C.V.I.; supervision, G.T.S., project administration Y.K.L.G., G.T.S., J.C.D. and J.A.C.D.; and funding acquisition, G.T.S., J.A.C.D. and C.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Geraldo Tadeu dos Santos.

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Experimental procedures performed in the current study were approved by the Ethics Committee on the Use of Animals, through Protocol CEUA No. 2255190718, of the State University of Maringá (Maringá, Paraná, Brazil).

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de Lima Guimarães Yamada, K., dos Santos, G.T., Damasceno, J.C. et al. Effects of heat-stress-reducing systems on blood constituents, milk production and milk quality of Holstein and Jersey cows and heifers on pasture. Trop Anim Health Prod 55, 386 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03808-9

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