BEESTE EET MINDER AS DIT WARM IS / CATTLE EAT LESS WHEN IT IS HOT
BEESTE EET MINDER AS DIT WARM IS
Wanneer beeste te warm kry, is hulle geneig om op te hou vreet, sê Raluca Mateescu van die Universiteit van Florida se Instituut vir Voedsel- en Landbouwetenskappe.
Dit beïnvloed die beeste se gesondheid en groei en bedreig die volhoubaarheid van die voedselvoorraad wat uit daardie kudde kom.
Klimaatsverandering maak dit moeiliker om beeste groot te maak – groei en voortplanting word deur hitte beïnvloed – daarom is dit van kritieke belang om beeste te teel wat beter aangepas is vir ‘n warmer en langer somer.
Koeie skakel sowat 85% van hul liggaamshitte uit deur sweet.
Hittestres in subtropiese streke, wat die gebiede net noord en suid van die tropiese gebiede is en oor die algemeen as die warmste ter wêreld beskou word, is so ‘n belangrike beperkende faktor dat sowat $369 miljoen se beesvleisproduksie jaarliks verlore gaan as gevolg van verminderde nasionale prestasie.
’n Nuwe studie van Mateescu en haar kollegas wat in die Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology gepubliseer is, bewys dit is moontlik om die gene binne beesrasse te identifiseer wat tot die sweetigste, hitteverdraagsame nageslag sal lei.
Mateescu het gesê die studie het bevind daar is baie variasie tussen koeie van dieselfde ras, in hierdie geval, Brangus – wat ‘n kruising tussen Brahman en Angus is.
Om beeste op grond van sweetvermoë te kan selekteer om te teel, kan lei tot beeskuddes wat warmer klimate kan verdra terwyl dit steeds groei en reproduseer.
Die studie het na 2 401 Brangus-beeste van twee kommersiële plase in Florida gekyk.
Velbiopsies het die navorsers gehelp om die fenotipes te bepaal wat bygedra het tot die diere se vermoë om hittestres te bestuur, soos sweetklierarea, -diepte en -lengte. Wetenskaplikes het alle diere genotipeer en sagteware gebruik om genetiese parameters te beraam.
Die studie het bevind dat ‘n matige hoeveelheid variasie in sweetvermoë geneties is, sodat boere beeste wat meer sweet op grond van genetiese merkers kan selekteer. Dit het bevind dat genetika van beide die Brahman- en Angus-gene positief bydra tot die sweetvermoë van Brangusbeeste.
Bron : https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240613221915.htm
CATTLE EAT LESS WHEN IT IS HOT
When cattle are too hot, they tend to stop eating, said Raluca Mateescu, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor in the department of animal science.
This affects the cattle’s health and growth and threatens the longevity of the food supply coming from that herd.
Climate change is making it more difficult to raise cattle – growth and reproduction are affected by heat – so it’s critical to breed cattle better adapted to a hotter and longer summer.
Cows eliminate about 85% of their body heat via sweat, she said.
Heat stress in subtropical regions, which are the areas just north and south of the topics and generally considered the hottest in the world, is such a significant limiting factor that about $369 million of beef production is lost annually due to reduced performance nationally, she said.
A new study from Mateescu and her colleagues published in the Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology shows it’s possible to identify the genes within breeds of cattle that would lead to the sweatiest, heat-tolerant offspring.
She said the study found there is a lot of variation between cows of the same breed, in this case, Brangus – which are a cross between Brahman and Angus.
Being able to select cattle to breed based on sweating ability could lead to herds that can tolerate hotter climates and still grow and reproduce.
The study looked at 2 401 Brangus cattle from two commercial ranches in Florida.
Skin biopsies helped the researchers determine the phenotypes that contributed to the animals’ ability to manage heat stress, such as sweat-gland area, depth and length. Scientists genotyped all animals and used software to estimate genetic parameters.
The study found that a moderate amount of variation in sweating ability is genetic, so farmers could select sweatier cattle based on genetic markers. It found that genetics from both the Brahman and Angus genes positively contribute to sweating ability in Brangus cattle.
Source : https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240613221915.htm
