RT Journal Article
T1 Impacts of heat stress under oceanic climate on fertility and reproductive physiology of dairy cows subjected to hormonal synchronization
A1 Martínez Díez, Elena Niceas
A1 Castillo Rodríguez, Cristina
A1 Avendaño-Reyes, Leonel
A1 Hernández Bermúdez, Joaquín
A1 Benedito Castellote, José Luis
A1 Rico, A.
A1 García Herradón, Pedro José
A1 Muiño Otero, Rodrigo
K1 Temperature-humidity index
K1 Dairy cattle
K1 Oceanic climate
K1 Heat stress
K1 Modified double-ovsynch
AB Regions with oceanic climates are experiencing unprecedented climatic changes. This study assesses the presence of heat stress in these regions and its impact on reproductive in Holstein cows using the Temperature-Humidity Index (THI), a measure of thermal stress. Data was collected from 159 Holstein cows across experiments. Cows underwent a modified double-ovsynch synchronization protocol, while 96 cows were inseminated based on observed estrous. Cows were examined for body temperature, follicle and uterus examination, and serum progesterone concentrations to evaluate the impact of heat stress. The results of cows pregnancy rate in double-ovsynch synchronized cows were 48.5% and 43.3% in summer and winter seasons, respectively. While the pregnancy rate in non-synchronized cows were 29.5% and 32.7% in summer and winter season, respectively. Elevated THI levels (THI ≥ 72) have adversely effects on reproductive physiology, reduced estrous expression, decreased uterine blood flow, and altered progesterone concentrations. Mild heat stress during summer months in oceanic climate negatively impacted reproductive efficiency in dairy cows, for adaptive management strategies. The double-ovsynch protocol effectively stabilized fertility across seasons, demonstrating its value in improving reproductive outcomes under varying thermal conditions.
PB Springer
YR 2025
FD 2025-07-22
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42637
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42637
LA eng
NO Martínez, E.N., Castillo, C., Avendaño-Reyes, L., Hernández, J., Benedito, J.L., Rico, A., García, P., & Muiño, R. (2025). Impacts of heat stress under oceanic climate on fertility and reproductive physiology of dairy cows subjected to hormonal synchronization. "International Journal of Biometeorology". https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-025-02969-6
NO Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work was supported by the Campus Terra (USC) Collaborative Research Program (Grant: Study of climate change on health and well-being, reproductive efficiency, and milk quality in milk farms in the province of Lugo, Ref. 2022-PU017). Funding for open access charge: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela/CISUG.
DS Minerva
RD 30 abr 2026