Responses of Dairy Buffalo to Heat Stress Conditions and Mitigation Strategies: A Review

Abstract

Increases in temperature and the greater incidence of extreme events are the consequences of the climate change that is taking place on planet Earth. High temperatures create severe discomfort to animal farms as they are unable to efficiently dissipate their body heat, and for this, they implement mechanisms to reduce the production of endogenous heat (reducing feed intake and production). In tropical and subtropical countries, where buffalo breeding is more widespread, there are strong negative consequences of heat stress (HS) on the production and quality of milk, reproduction, and health. The increase in ambient temperature is also affecting temperate countries in which buffalo farms are starting to highlight problems due to HS. To counteract HS, it is possible to improve buffalo thermotolerance by using a genetic approach, but even if it is essential, it is a long process. Two other mitigation approaches are nutritional strategies, such as the use of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and cooling strategies such as shade, fans, sprinklers, and pools. Among the cooling systems that have been evaluated, wallowing or a combination of fans and sprinklers, when wallowing is not available, are good strategies, even if wallowing was the best because it improved the production and reproduction performance and the level of general well-being of the animals.

Effect of the Season on Blood Changes of Oxidative Stress Index in the Italian Mediterranean Buffalo (Bubalis bubalis)

“…This is not surprising, since calves and heifers generate less metabolic heat than lactating cows [ 40 ]. Our results are in agreement with previous studies showing an increase in RT in animals suffering from heat stress [ 29 , 36 , 41 ].…”

“…Our results showed that there was an increase of almost 1 °C in the RT of buffaloes during the hot season in comparison to the cold season. The increase in the RT was associated with the high THI, suggesting that animals were distressed because of the high temperatures [ 36 ]. Although we did not observe a reduction in the BCS in our study, it has been shown that a rise of 1 °C or less in RT is enough to reduce intake and production in dairy cows and buffaloes [ 29 , 37 ].…”

Investigation of Climate Effects on the Physiological Parameters of Dairy Livestock (Cow vs. Buffalo)

“…It has been also seen [ 27 ] that, in terms of milk production, Mediterranean Italian buffalo exhibited a decline in milk quality under hot conditions, while the impact on milk yield was minimal. Conversely, in our study, milk quality was not affected by environmental conditions.…”

Identification of circulatory microRNA based biomarkers for early pregnancy diagnosis in buffalo

“…This species has several problems, such as delayed puberty, the absence of behavioral estrus, and prolonged postpartum ovarian quiescence ( de Carvalho et al, 2016 ). These issues alone account for an estimated 20 million tonnes of milk production loss each year ( Petrocchi Jasinski et al, 2023 ). To maximize reproductive efficiency, it is necessary to develop methods for early pregnancy detection.…”