Reproductive and productive characteristics of hair sheep raised in the tropical region grassland of Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i9.7287

Keywords:

Ovis aries; Blood; Body weight; hair sheep; Energetic profile; Tropical climate.

Abstract

We aimed to characterize the energetic profile of hair sheep (Ovis aries) raised on pasture in a tropical climate country and verify it is influence on productive and reproductive parameters. A total of 68 non-pregnant adult ewes were randomly distributed into four genetic groups (GGs) according to coat color (Red-coated Santa Inês GG – 17, Black-coated Santa Inês GG – 13, White-coated Morada Nova GG – 28 and Red-coated Morada Nova GG – 10). We collected blood samples at the beginning and at the end of the breeding season. The reproductive efficiency of the ewes was evaluated by fertility, prolificacy, lamb survival rate, and lamb body weight at birth and weaning. We performed statistical analyses using the package PROC GLM and the chi-square (χ2) test from SAS software. The genetic group influenced serum glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations, prolificacy, and lamb body weight. Male lambs were heavier than female lambs at birth and weaning. Twin lambs were lighter at birth and at weaning than were single lambs. The genetic group, lamb birth rank, and sex influenced the lamb body weight at birth and weaning. This study presents important information on the reproductive efficiency of these hair sheep that are relevant to tropical climate countries. The blood parameters found in this research show that there are important metabolic differences between hair sheep in the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil. Morada Nova sheep with independent white coat color, higher reproductive performance in tropical conditions.

References

Abecia, J. A. & Palacios, C. (2018). Ewes giving birth to female lambs produce more milk than ewes giving birth to male lambs. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 17(3), 736-739.

Cardoso, E. C., de Oliveira, D. R., Balaro, M. F. A., Rodrigues, L. F. S. & Brandão, F. Z. (2011). Índices produtivos e perfil metabólico de ovelhas Santa Inês no pós-parto no nordeste do Pará. Revista Brasileira de Ciência Veterinária, 18(2-3).

Carlos, M. M. L., Leite, J. H. G. M., Chaves, D. F., Vale, A. M., Facanha, D. A. E., Melo, M. M. & Soto-Blanco, B. (2015). Blood parameters in the Morada Nova sheep: influence of age, sex, and body condition score. The Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences, 25(4), 950-955.

Catunda, A. G. V., Lima, I. C. S., Bandeira, G. C., Gadelha, C. R. F., Pereira, E. S., Salmito-Vanderley, C. S. B., Araújo, A.A., Martins, G.A. & Campos, A. C. N. (2013). Blood leptin, insulin and glucose concentrations in hair sheep raised in a tropical climate. Small Ruminant Research, 114(2-3), 272-279.

Çetin, M., Petek, M., Polet, U. & Yalcin, A. (2003). Effects of dietary carnitine supplementation on plasma carnitine and some serum biochemical parameters in lambs. Revue de médecine vétérinaire, 154(3), 195-198.

David, D. B., Poli, C. H. E. C., Azevedo, E. B., Fernandes, M. A. M., Carvalho, P. C. F., Jochims, F. & Pimentel, C. M. M. (2012). Potential response to supplementation of ewe lambs grazing natural pastures over winter. Small Ruminant Research, 105(1-3), 22-28

De Castro, F. A. B., de Azambuja Ribeiro, E. L., Koritiaki, N. A., Mizubuti, I. Y., da Silva, L. D. D. F., Pereira, E. S., Pinto, A. P., Constantino, C. & Junior, F. F. (2012). Desempenho de cordeiros Santa Inês do nascimento ao desmame filhos de ovelhas alimentadas com diferentes níveis de energia. Semina: Ciências Agrárias, 33(2), 3379-3388.

Deghnouche, K., Tlidjane, M., Meziane, T. & Touabti, A. (2013). Influence of physiological stage and parity on energy, nitrogen, and mineral metabolism parameters in the Ouled Djellal sheep in the Algerian Southeast arid area. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 8(18), 1920-1924.

Facó, O., Paiva, S. R., Alves, L. R. N., Lôbo, R. N. B. & Villela, L. C. V. (2008). Raça Morada Nova: origem, características e perspectivas. Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia-Documentos (INFOTECA-E).

Fernandes, A. A. O., Buchanan, D. & Selaive-Villarroel, A. B. (2001). Avaliação dos fatores ambientais no desenvolvimento corporal de cordeiros deslanados da raça Morada Nova. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, 30(5), 1460-1465.

Ferreira, J. S. B., Paiva, S. R., Silva, E. C., McManus, C. M., Caetano, A. R., Façanha, D. A. E. & Sousa, M. A. N. (2014). Genetic diversity and population structure of different varieties of Morada Nova hair sheep from Brazil. Genetic and Molecular Research, 13(2), 2480–2490.

Ghafouri-Kesbi, F., Mianji, G. R., Pirsaraei, Z. A., Hafezian, S. H., Baneh, H. & Soleimani, B. (2015). A genetic study on sexual dimorphism of body weight in sheep. Animal Production Science, 55(1), 101-106.

Gootwine, E. (2005). Variability in the rate of decline in birth weight as litter size increases in sheep. Animal Science, 81(3), 393-398.

Gootwine, E., Spencer, T. E. & Bazer, F. W. (2007). Litter-size-dependent intrauterine growth restriction in sheep. Animal, 1(4), 547-564.

Heitmann, R. N., Dawes, D. J. & Sensenig, S. C. (1987). Hepatic ketogenesis and peripheral ketone body utilization in the ruminant. The Journal of nutrition, 117(6), 1174-1180.

Hermuche, P. M., Maranhão, R. L. A., Guimarães, R. F., De Carvalho, O. A., Gomes, R. A. T., Paiva, S. R. & McManus, C. (2013). Dynamics of sheep production in Brazil. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 2(3), 665-679.

IPECE - Ceará Economic Research and Strategy Institute. (2018). Municipal Profile, Quixadá, Ceará.

Issakowicz, J., Issakowicz, A. C. K. S., Bueno, M. S., da Costa, R. L. D., Katiki, L. M., Geraldo, A. T., Abdalla, A. L., McManus C. & Louvandini, H. (2016). Parasitic infection, reproductive and productive performance from Santa Inês and Morada Nova ewes. Small Ruminant Research, 136, 96-103.

Jucá, A. F., Faveri, J. C., Melo Filho, G. M., de Lisboa Ribeiro Filho, A., Azevedo, H. C., Muniz, E. N. & Pinto, L. F. B. (2014). Performance of the Santa Ines breed raised on pasture in semiarid tropical regions and factors that explain trait variation. Tropical animal health and production, 46(7), 1249-1256.

Kaneko, J. J., Harvey, J. W. & Bruss, M. L. (2008). Clinical biochemistry of domestic animals. 6th ed. St. Louis, Missouri.

Kenyon, P. R., Blair, H. T., Jenkinson, C. M. C., Morris, S. T., Mackenzie, D. D. S., Peterson, S. W., Firth, E. C. & Johnston, P. L. (2009). The effect of ewe size and nutritional regimen beginning in early pregnancy on ewe and lamb performance to weaning. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 52(2), 203-212.

Kozat, S. & Denizhan, V. (2010). Glucose, lipid, and lipoprotein levels in sheep naturally infected with Fasciola hepatica. Journal of Parasitology, 96(3), 657-659.

Lacerda, T. S. A., Caetano, A. R., Facó, O., de Faria, D. A., McManus, C. M., Lôbo, R. N., Silva, K. M. & Paiva, S. R. (2016). Single marker assisted selection in Brazilian Morada Nova hair sheep community-based breeding program. Small Ruminant Research, 139, 15-19.

Leite, J. H. G. M., Façanha, D. A. E., Costa, W. P., Chaves, D. F., Guilhermino, M. M., Silva, W. S. T. & Bermejo, L. A. (2018). Thermoregulatory responses related to coat traits of Brazilian native ewes: an adaptive approach. Journal of Applied Animal Research, 46(1), 353-359.

Matsuzaki, M., Takizawa, S. & Ogawa, M. (1997). Plasma insulin, metabolite concentrations, and carcass characteristics of Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, and Holstein steers. Journal of animal science, 75(12), 3287-3293.

Mcdonald, P., Edwards, R. A., Greenhalgh, J. F. D., Morgan, C. A., Sinclair, L. A. & Wilkinson R. G. (2010). Animal Nutrition. Pearson education. 7th ed. Cummings.

Mexia, A. A., Macedo, F. D. A. F. D., Alcalde, C. R., Sakaguti, E. S., Martins, E. N., Zundt, M., Yamamoto S. M. & Macedo, R. M. G. D. (2004). Desempenhos reprodutivo e produtivo de ovelhas Santa Inês suplementadas em diferentes fases da gestação. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, 33(3), 658-667.

Muniz, M. M. M., Caetano, A. R., McManus, C., Cavalcanti, L. C. G., Façanha, D. A. E., Leite, J. H. G. M., Facó, O. & Paiva, S. R. (2016). Application of genomic data to assist a community-based breeding program: A preliminary study of coat color genetics in Morada Nova sheep. Livestock Science, 190, 89-93.

NRC. (2007). National Research Council: Nutrient Requirements of Small Ruminants. 7th Edition. National Academy Press, Washington DC.

Nour El-Din, A. N. M., Ghobashy, H., El-Zarkouny, S. Z., Abdel-Gawad, E. I. & Kesler, D. J. (2009). Growth, haematological and biochemical responses of growing lambs injected with growth hormone and supplemented with calcium soaps of fatty acids. South African Journal of Animal Science, 39(1), 65-68.

Oliveira, M. C., Campos, J. M. D. S., Oliveira, A. S. D., Ferreira, M. D. A. & Melo, A. A. S. D. (2016). Benchmarks for milk production systems in the Pernambuco Agreste Region, Northeastern Brazil. Revista Caatinga, 29(3), 725-734.

Pajor, F., Kovács, A., Tőzsér, J. & Póti, P. (2013). The influence of temperament on cortisol concentration and metabolic profile in Tsigai lambs. Archives Animal Breeding, 56(1), 573-580.

Pereira, E. S., Campos, A. C. N., Castelo-Branco, K. F., Bezerra, L. R., Gadelha, C. R. F., Silva, L. P., Pereira, M. W. F. & Oliveira, R. L. (2018). Impact of feed restriction, sexual class and age on the growth, blood metabolites and endocrine responses of hair lambs in a tropical climate. Small Ruminant Research, 158, 9-14.

Pokharel, K., Peippo, J., Honkatukia, M., Seppälä, A., Rautiainen, J., Ghanem, N., Hamama, T.M., Crowe, M.A., Andersson, M., Li, M.H. & Kantanen, J. (2018). Integrated ovarian mRNA and miRNA transcriptome profiling characterizes the genetic basis of prolificacy traits in sheep (Ovis aries). BMC genomics, 19(1), 104.

Rego Neto, A. D. A., Sarmento, J. L. R., da Silva Santos, N. P., Campelo, J. E. G., Sena, L. S., Biagiotti, D. & dos Santos, G. V. (2018). Population genetic structure of Santa Inês sheep in Brazil. Tropical animal health and production, 50(3), 503-508.

Ribeiro, M. N., Ribeiro, N. L., Bozzi, R. & Costa, R. G. (2018). Physiological and biochemical blood variables of goats subjected to heat stress–a review. Journal of Applied Animal Research, 46(1), 1036-1041.

Sales, A. T., Gomes, M. G., de Sousa, W. H., Cezar, M. F. & Souto, D. V. O. (2016). Performance of goats and sheep grazing in Brazilian semi-arid scrubland supplemented with feed-blocks. Archivos Latinoamericanos de Producción Animal, 24(3).

Santello, G. A., Macedo, F., de Macedo, R. M. G., Martins, E. N., Lourenço, F. J. & Dias, F. J. (2010). Characteristics of muscle fibers of lambs born from sheep given protein suplementation in the initial third of pregnancy. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, 39(10), 2288-2296.

Selaive-Villarroel, A. B. & Fernandes, A. A. O. (2000). Desempenho reprodutivo de ovelhas deslanadas Morada Nova no Estado do Ceará. Revista Científica de Produção Animal, 2(1), 65-70.

Silva, N. V., Costa, R. G., Freitas, C. R. G., Galindo, M. C. T., & Silva, L. S. (2010). Alimentação de ovinos em regiões semiáridas do Brasil. Acta Veterinaria Brasilica, 4(4), 233-241.

Simplício, A. A. & Azevedo, H. C. (2014). Reproductive management: focus on reproduction rate. Acta Veterinaria Brasilica, 8(Suppl. 2), 320-331.

Siqueira, E. R. D., Simões, C. D. & Fernandes, S. (2001). Efeito do sexo e do peso ao abate sobre a produção de carne de cordeiro. Morfometria da carcaça, pesos dos cortes, composição tecidual e componentes não constituintes da carcaça. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, 30(4), 1299-1307.

Young, J. W. (1977). Gluconeogenesis in cattle: significance and methodology. Journal of dairy science, 60(1), 1-15.

Zarrin, M., De Matteis, L., Vernay, M. C. M. B., Wellnitz, O., van Dorland, H. A. & Bruckmaier, R. M. (2013). Long-term elevation of β-hydroxybutyrate in dairy cows through infusion: Effects on feed intake, milk production, and metabolism. Journal of dairy science, 96(5), 2960-2972.

Zarrin, M., Grossen-Rösti, L., Bruckmaier, R. M. & Gross, J. J. (2017). Elevation of blood β-hydroxybutyrate concentration affects glucose metabolism in dairy cows before and after parturition. Journal of dairy science, 100(3), 2323-2333.

Downloads

Published

20/08/2020

How to Cite

PINHEIRO, J. de S.; ELEUTÉRIO , P.; SILVA, S. P. .; HERBSTER, C. J. L. .; OLIVEIRA, V. V. de .; CIPRIANO, J. A. .; CARDOSO, S. C. .; ANDRADE, D. R. de .; BARBOSA, A. B. da S. .; GADELHA, C. R. F. .; PEREIRA, E. S. .; MARTINS, G. A. .; CAMPOS, A. C. N. . Reproductive and productive characteristics of hair sheep raised in the tropical region grassland of Brazil. Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 9, n. 9, p. e331997287, 2020. DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v9i9.7287. Disponível em: https://rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/7287. Acesso em: 19 apr. 2024.

Issue

Section

Agrarian and Biological Sciences