Thermoregulatory and Feeding Behavior under Different Management and Heat Stress Conditions in Heifer Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in the Tropics

Abstract

In the wake of climate change and global warming, the production systems of water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are receiving increasing attention in the tropics, where the silvopastoral systems can improve animal welfare and production conditions. The objective of this study was to characterize the behavior of heifer buffaloes in a silvopastoral system (SPS) with Leucaena leucocephala (600 trees/ha) and in a conventional system (CVS), under intense heat stress and moderate heat stress in Cuba. We observed nine animals, with an average weight of 167.9 kg at the beginning of the study, during the daylight period, from 6:00 to 18:00 h, at 10 min intervals, for 12 days. Activities recorded were grazing, ingestion of tree leaves, rumination, water intake, walking, lying, standing, sheltering in the shade of trees, and wallowing. Sheltering in the shade of trees and wallowing were collectively considered as thermoregulatory behavior (TB). TB was different in both systems and conditions of heat stress (p < 0.05), with 4.06 in CVS and 3.81 h in SPS in the intense heat stress period, while it was 2.91 and 1.08 h for SPS and CVS, respectively, during the moderate heat stress period. The wallowing activity showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in the intense heat stress season with 1.18 and 2.35 h for SPS and CVS, respectively. Time spent on feeding behavior was highest in the SPS system (p < 0.05). Longer times of thermoregulatory and feeding behavior indicate the importance of trees in animal welfare for this species in tropical conditions, thus supporting avoided deforestation and the replanting of trees in existing production systems and landscapes.

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

“…Recently, silvo-pastoral systems have been proposed as an alternative method to conventional breeding [ 101 , 102 ]. Athaide et al [ 101 ] comparing two herds of buffalo reared one under a silvo-pastoral system (SPS) and the other one under a conventional system (CVS, pens with no shade) and found that subjects in the CVS had higher RT, ST, and HR.…”

“…Athaide et al [ 101 ] comparing two herds of buffalo reared one under a silvo-pastoral system (SPS) and the other one under a conventional system (CVS, pens with no shade) and found that subjects in the CVS had higher RT, ST, and HR. Galloso-Hernández et al [ 102 ] carried out a study on heifers under two rearing systems: SPS and CVS. They reported that in the SPS, the ambient temperature was 2 °C lower than in the CVS (33.01 vs. 31.00 °C), and the feeding behavior (time spent eating, ruminating, and drinking water) was greater in the SPS under intense HS conditions (>75 THI).…”

Effects of extrinsic factors on some rumination patterns: A review

“…As previously stated for other ruminants, there is a growing interest in silvopastoral systems in buffalo husbandry. Water buffalo RT (visually assessed from 0600 to 1800 h) did not differ among heifers in different HS conditions under conventional or silvopastoral systems; however, this evaluation was evidenced in a very limited number of heifers (n = 9) and for a limited daytime (Galloso-Hernańdez et al, 2021). The same small sample size was reported in a previous study by the same researchers (Galloso-Hernańdez et al, 2020), but with a significant increase of RT (0600 to 1800 h) in moderate HS compared to intense HS, confirming the "adaptation strategy" already well described in cows (Calamari et al, 2014;Abeni and Galli, 2017).…”

Characteristics of Buffalo Production and Research Systems in Southern Mexico

“…However, it is important to consider that buffaloes that graze freely on flooded land are more susceptible to endoparasites (fasciolosis and schistosomiasis), leptospirosis, Brucellosis, among other diseases such as mastitis, causing an economic impact due to low production, high mortality, and a threat to public health [28,40]. Finally, it is important to point out that buffalo can be productively efficient without the need to express their thermoregulatory behavior, as long as this natural behavior is substituted with the provision of natural or artificial shade and in an environment very close to the thermoneutral zone, as has been reported previously [38,41].…”