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Heat Tolerance Assays Using the Drosophila Activity Monitor System: A Guide to an Executable Application for Data Analysis
Published on: December 13, 2024
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Adding behavior traits to select for heat tolerance in dairy cattle.
P Lemal1, M-N Tran2, H Atashi1,3
1Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium.
JDS Communications
|September 23, 2024
Summary
Incorporating cow behavior data, such as activity and rumination, can improve genetic evaluations for heat tolerance. This approach helps detect heat stress and its impact on dairy cattle health and milk production.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Dairy Cattle Genetics
- Environmental Stress Physiology
Background:
- Increasing heat waves cause heat stress in dairy cattle, leading to welfare, production, and health issues.
- Genetic evaluation for heat tolerance is challenged by infrequent milk recording data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the potential of using behavior traits as proxies for genetic evaluation of heat tolerance in dairy cattle.
- To explore the utility of sensor-based behavior data for heat stress detection.
Main Methods:
- Behavior traits (activity, rumination, eating time) were recorded using sensors on 453 Holstein cows.
- A multitrait reaction norm model was applied using temperature and humidity index (THI) thresholds.
- Genetic parameters and correlations between behavior, milk production, and health traits were estimated.
Main Results:
- Behavior traits demonstrated potential for genetic evaluation of heat tolerance and heat stress detection.
- Moderate heritability was found for behavior traits (ACT: 0.14, RUM: 0.19, EAT: 0.12).
- Significant genetic correlations were observed between thermotolerance for behavior traits and milk production/somatic cell scores.
Conclusions:
- Behavior traits can significantly explain variations in dairy cattle responses to heat stress, impacting milk yield and health.
- Sensor-based behavior data offer a valuable tool for assessing heat stress, especially in nonlactating cattle.
- Integrating behavior traits enhances genetic evaluations for heat tolerance, addressing limitations of traditional data sources.
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