Analysis of climatic risk for cattle and buffalo production in northeast Thailand

A study of thermal stress risk for cattle and buffalo was made in the Northeast Region of Thailand. Three-hourly air and dew-point temperatures from 15 selected meteorological stations for the period 1990 to 1999 were used to compute values of the temperature/humidity index (THI). Maps of isolines of THI values were generated by geographical software. A THI > or = 84 was assumed to represent conditions where production losses would be likely to occur. Across the study area, the mean total number of days with THI > or = 84 was 56. However, there was a strong north to south gradient across the region. The results suggest that the highest risk of loss to production in the cattle and buffalo industries is in the southern part of this region.