scholarly journals Genetic Selection for Thermotolerance in Ruminants

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Osei-Amponsah ◽  
Surinder S. Chauhan ◽  
Brian J. Leury ◽  
Long Cheng ◽  
Brendan Cullen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Financial Loss ◽  
Protein Food ◽  
Nutritional Interventions ◽  
Animal Genetic Resource ◽  
The Face ◽  
Growth Production ◽  
Selection For

Variations in climatic variables (temperature, humidity and solar radiation) negatively impact livestock growth, reproduction, and production. Heat stress, for instance, is a source of huge financial loss to livestock production globally. There have been significant advances in physical modifications of animal environment and nutritional interventions as tools of heat stress mitigation. Unfortunately, these are short-term solutions and may be unsustainable, costly, and not applicable to all production systems. Accordingly, there is a need for innovative, practical, and sustainable approaches to overcome the challenges posed by global warming and climate change-induced heat stress. This review highlights attempts to genetically select and breed ruminants for thermotolerance and thereby sustain production in the face of changing climates. One effective way is to incorporate sustainable heat abatement strategies in ruminant production. Improved knowledge of the physiology of ruminant acclimation to harsh environments, the opportunities and tools available for selecting and breeding thermotolerant ruminants, and the matching of animals to appropriate environments should help to minimise the effect of heat stress on sustainable animal genetic resource growth, production, and reproduction to ensure protein food security.

scholarly journals Adaptation Mechanisms of Small Ruminants to Environmental Heat Stress

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haile Berihulay ◽  
Adam Abied ◽  
Xiaohong He ◽  
Lin Jiang ◽  
Yuehui Ma
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Extreme Environment ◽  
Natural Immunity ◽  
Rural People ◽  
Growth Production ◽  
Adaptation To Heat ◽  
Environmentally Sound

Small ruminants are the critical source of livelihood for rural people to the development of sustainable and environmentally sound production systems. They provided a source of meat, milk, skin, and fiber. The several contributions of small ruminants to the economy of millions of rural people are however being challenged by extreme heat stress difficulties. Heat stress is one of the most detrimental factors contributing to reduced growth, production, reproduction performance, milk quantity and quality, as well as natural immunity, making animals more vulnerable to diseases and even death. However, small ruminants have successfully adapted to this extreme environment and possess some unique adaptive traits due to behavioral, morphological, physiological, and largely genetic bases. This review paper, therefore, aims to provide an integrative explanation of small ruminant adaptation to heat stress and address some responsible candidate genes in adapting to thermal-stressed environments.

scholarly journals 75 Historical view of stocker health and performance of Southeast origin cattle

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 24-24
Author(s):  
Jeffery A Carroll ◽  
Paul R Broadway ◽  
Nicole Burdick-Sanchez ◽  
Wade Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Beta Agonists ◽  
Genetic Potential ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Cow Calf

Abstract Anecdotal evidence suggests that weaning/stocker weights, ADG, and carcass weights have increased for Southeast cattle over the last 30 years. Simultaneously, morbidity and mortality have not improved, and according to some reports, have significantly increased. Albeit, over the last 30 years, there have been several new vaccines and antibiotics introduced into the beef cattle market. Ceteris paribus, there appears to be a discrepancy related to prevailing theories that placing heavier cattle into stocker and feedlot operations reduces the incidence of morbidity and mortality. But, has there truly been an increase in weaning weights or placement weights of stocker/feedlot calves over the last 30 years? Perhaps, even with greater genetic selection by cow/calf producers for improved weaning weights and pre-weaning ADG, the genetic potential of these animals is not being realized until the stocker/feedlot sector. Indeed, Engler et al. (2014) reported that hot carcass weight (HCW) increased 4.9 lbs per year from 2001 to 2013 while others have reported no actual increase in weaning weights during this period. Undoubtedly HCW have increased, but the contributing factors are multifaceted including genetic selection for increased lean deposition, better nutritional programs, and the expanded variety of growth promoting implants, ionophores, and beta agonists. Likewise, morbidity and mortality are multifaceted manifestations affected by a variety of inputs including genetics, nutrition, environmental stressors, immunocompetence, and the prevalence and genetic diversity of pathogens. Therefore, while genetic selection for increased pre-weaning performance may be more prevalent, cow/calf producers may not be reaping the full potential of their calves due to management practices that do not capitalize on the genetic potential of the pre-weaned calf. Placing more emphasis on genetic selection for pre-weaning growth may have inadvertently resulted in calves that are less resistant to the stresses and strains associated with post-weaning production systems.

scholarly journals PSIII-12 Genetic analysis of heat tolerance in Holsteins using test-day production records and satellite-based meteorological data

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 229-230
Author(s):  
Paige L Rockett ◽  
Flavio Schenkel ◽  
Christine F Baes ◽  
Filippo Miglior ◽  
Dan Tulpan
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Heat Tolerance ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Weather Station ◽  
Station Data ◽  
Weather Station Data ◽  
Weather Stations ◽  
Selection For

Abstract Heat stress in dairy cattle is an existing issue in temperate regions that can cause reduced milk production, impaired fertility, and mortality. Genetic selection for heat tolerance using test-day production records and weather station data is a potential mitigation strategy. However, weather stations can have temporal data gaps and a low spatial resolution, which reduces the number of herds that can be incorporated into an analysis. The objectives for this study include: (1) compare satellite-based meteorological data from the NASA POWER database to weather station records in Ontario and Quebec, (2) evaluate the effects of heat stress on Canadian Holsteins, and (3) assess breeding value estimates for heat tolerance in the same population. Daily estimates of ambient temperature, dewpoint temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed from 481 weather stations in Ontario and Quebec were compared to the parameters estimated by the NASA POWER project using an ordinary least squares regression. The coordinates of herds in Ontario and Quebec were estimated using their addresses and Google Maps Geocoding. The best weather data for each herd location will be incorporated into two random regression animal models to analyze three test-day production traits: milk, fat, and protein yield. The first model will be used to estimate general and specific additive genetic merits over the thermal gradient. The second model will estimate the traditional additive genetic merit. In conclusion, this study explores the use of satellite estimated meteorological parameters in addition to or alternatively to weather station data in heat tolerance studies, quantifies the sensitivity of Canadian dairy cattle to heat stress, and evaluates if genetic selection for increased heat tolerance in Canadian dairy herds is possible.

Genetic selection for growth performance and thermal tolerance under high ambient temperature after two generations using heat shock protein 90 expression as an index

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lamiaa M. Radwan ◽  
Mahmoud. Y. Mahrous
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Heat Shock ◽  
Heat Shock Protein ◽  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Heat Shock Protein 90 ◽  
High Ambient Temperature ◽  
Two Generations ◽  
Selection For

Genetic selection for productive performance in high ambient temperatures was performed on two chicken strains, Rhode Island Red and Sinai, for two generations, and the heritable responses to tolerance were estimated using heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) gene expression. The results are summarised as follows: (1) heat stress negatively affected some economic traits, mainly bodyweight. This effect was more pronounced in the parent stock than in the first generation (F1) and second generation (F2). (2) This effect was modulated by the chicken strain, and the decreased bodyweight was more pronounced in RI strain than in the Sinai strain, indicating that the Sinai strain is more tolerant to high ambient temperature. (3) The offspring (F1 and F2) of both strains were more tolerant to high ambient temperature; this trend was also true for the parents of these two strains. (4) HSP90 mRNA expression was the same in both strains under normal conditions in all three generations. (5) Under high ambient temperature conditions, the Sinai strain (all generations) showed significantly increased HSP90 mRNA expression compared with the Rhode Island Red strain. These findings suggest that heat tolerance is passed from parents to offspring. We recommended that selection for heat-stress tolerance be applied to producing commercial strains reared in hot climate conditions.

OrchardSim: An Apple Orchard Design Simulation Using a Multimedia Interactive Computer Program

1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 332-338
Author(s):  
Schuyler S. Korban ◽  
Cynthia A. St. Ores
Keyword(s):  
Learning Process ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Apple Orchard ◽  
Financial Loss ◽  
Immediate Feedback ◽  
Interactive Computer Program ◽  
Full Color ◽  
Specific Choice ◽  
Computer Simulation Program ◽  
Selection For

“OrchardSim: Design of an Apple Orchard” is a computer simulation program that was developed as a tool for students and new apple growers to understand the process involved in designing an efficient apple orchard. This program was developed on Toolbook software. It explores key elements involved in designing an apple orchard. Users are introduced to these elements and then asked to make selections for each of the following parameters: soil type, cultivar, rootstock, and management system. The goal of the program is to find compatible selections that will result in an appropriate design of a 1-acre orchard. This full-color program uses text, graphics animation, and still pictures to provide the following: introductory and review information about each parameter, opportunities for the user to make a selection for each parameter, and a check for choices made to determine compatibility. Users receive feedback for each specific choice made for each of the parameters throughout the program. This simulation presents an alternative instructional tool, whereby the user plays an active role in the learning process by practicing and reviewing information at one's own pace. OrchardSim provides users with immediate feedback and an excellent opportunity for making high-risk decisions, with no financial loss that otherwise would have been costly if the learning process were pursued in the real orchard.

scholarly journals Review: Impacts of shade on cattle well-being in the beef supply chain

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily N Edwards-Callaway ◽  
M Caitlin Cramer ◽  
Caitlin N Cadaret ◽  
Elizabeth J Bigler ◽  
Terry E Engle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Ambient Temperatures ◽  
Stress Susceptibility ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Shade is a mechanism to reduce heat load providing cattle with an environment supportive of their welfare needs. Although heat stress has been extensively reviewed, researched, and addressed in dairy production systems, it has not been investigated in the same manner in the beef cattle supply chain. Like all animals, beef cattle are susceptible to heat stress if they are unable to dissipate heat during times of elevated ambient temperatures. There are many factors that impact heat stress susceptibility in beef cattle throughout the different supply chain sectors, many of which relate to the production system, i.e. availability of shade, microclimate of environment, and nutrition management. The results from studies evaluating the effects of shade on production and welfare are difficult to compare due to variation in structural design, construction materials used, height, shape, and area of shade provided. Additionally, depending on operation location, shade may or may not be beneficial during all times of the year, which can influence the decision to make shade a permanent part of management systems. Shade has been shown to lessen the physiologic response of cattle to heat stress. Shaded cattle exhibit lower respiration rates, body temperatures, and panting scores compared to un-shaded cattle in weather that increases the risk of heat stress. Results from studies investigating the provision of shade indicate that cattle seek shade in hot weather. The impact of shade on behavioral patterns is inconsistent in the current body of research, some studies indicating shade provision impacts behavior and other studies reporting no difference between shaded and un-shaded groups. Analysis of performance and carcass characteristics across feedlot studies demonstrated that shaded cattle had increased ADG, improved feed efficiency, HCW, and dressing percentage when compared to cattle without shade. Despite the documented benefits of shade, current industry statistics, although severely limited in scope, indicate low shade implementation rates in feedlots and data in other supply chain sectors do not exist. Industry guidelines and third party on-farm certification programs articulate the critical need for protection from extreme weather but are not consistent in providing specific recommendations and requirements. Future efforts should include: updated economic analyses of cost versus benefit of shade implementation, exploration of producer perspectives and needs relative to shade, consideration of shade impacts in the cow-calf and slaughter plant segments of the supply chain, and integration of indicators of affective (mental) state and preference in research studies to enhance the holistic assessment of cattle welfare.

scholarly journals Nutritional Interventions to Alleviate the Negative Consequences of Heat Stress

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Rhoads ◽  
Lance H. Baumgard ◽  
Jessica K. Suagee ◽  
Sara R. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Nutritional Interventions

Genetic selection for nonstructural carbohydrates and its impact on other nutritive attributes of alfalfa ( Medicago sativa ) forage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Claessens ◽  
Marie Bipfubusa ◽  
Caroline Chouinard‐Michaud ◽  
Annick Bertrand ◽  
Gaëtan F. Tremblay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Nonstructural Carbohydrates ◽  
Selection For
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