Адаптація голштинських та швіцьких корів до промислової технології виробництва молока

Brown Swiss (BS) cows have greater urea concentrations in milk and blood compared with Holstein (HO) cows. We tested the hypothesis that BS and HO cows differ in kidney function and nitrogen excretion. Blood, saliva, urine, and feces were sampled in 31 multiparous BS and 46 HO cows kept under identical feeding and management conditions. Samples were collected at different lactational stages after the monthly DHIA control test-day. To test the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and urea excretion, concentrations of creatinine and urea were measured in serum, urine, and saliva. As an additional marker to estimate GFR, we determined symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) in serum. Feces were analyzed for dry matter content and nitrogen concentration. Data on milk urea and protein concentrations, and daily milk yield were obtained from the monthly DHIA test-day records. The effects of breed, time, and parity number on blood, saliva, urine, feces, and milk parameters were evaluated with the GLM procedure with breed, time, and parity number as fixed effects. Differences between BS and HO were assessed by the Tukey-corrected t-test at P < 0.05. Concentrations of urea, creatinine, and SDMA in serum, were greater in BS than in HO cows (P < 0.01): 5.46 ± 0.19 vs 4.72 ± 0.13 mmol/L (urea), 105.96 ± 2.23 vs 93.07 ± 1.50 mmol/l (creatinine), and 16.78 ± 0.69 vs 13.39 ± 0.44 µg/dL (SDMA). We observed a greater urea concentration in BS cows (25.8 ± 0.7 vs 21.8 ± 0.7 mg/dL) and protein content in milk (3.70 ± 0.08 vs 3.45 ± 0.07%) than in HO cows (P < 0.01). Urea and creatinine concentrations in urine and saliva did not differ among breeds. No differences between BS and HO were observed for milk yield, fecal DM, and fecal nitrogen content. Dry matter intake and body weight were similar in BS and HO cows (P > 0.05). Despite greater urea, creatinine, and SDMA concentrations in blood as well as a higher milk urea content in BS compared with HO, respective concentrations in urine did not differ between breeds. In conclusion, our results demonstrate a lower renal GFR in BS compared with HO cows, thereby contributing to the greater plasma urea concentration in BS cows. However, estimation of nitrogen excretion via milk, urine, and feces does not entirely reflect nitrogen turnover within the animal.

Extensive research has been conducted globally on the impact of heat stress (HS) on animal health and milk production in dairy cows. In this article, we examine the possible reasons for the decrease in milk production in Brown Swiss (BS) cows during the autumn season, known as the autumn low milk yield syndrome (ALMYS). This condition has been extensively studied in high-yielding Holstein Friesian (HF) cattle and has also been observed in BS cows with a daily milk yield of around 30kg. Our hypothesis is that the drop in milk yield and the increased prevalence of mastitis in autumn, as found in our recent studies, may be a long-term consequence of summer HS. We re-evaluate our previous findings in light of the possible manifestation of an HS-related form of ALMYS in BS cows. As milk yield, mastitis spread, and reproductive function of cows are interrelated and have seasonal dependence, we examine the consistency of our hypothesis with existing data. The significant drop in milk yield in BS cows in autumn (by 2.0-3.2kg), as well as the threshold of milk yield decrease (temperature-humidity index of 70.7), may point in favour of the manifestation of ALMYS in BS cows, similar to HF cows. Only the percentage effect of seasonal factor (59.4%; p < 0.05) on milk yield of BS cows was significant. HS-related ALMYS provides a robust conceptual framework for diverse sets of productive and animal health data in BS cows, similar to observations in high-yielding HF cattle. However, the limitations associated with the lack of additional data (e.g. immunological indicators) suggest the need for further research to confirm ALMYS in BS breed.

The agricultural sector contributes to nitrogen (N) emissions since farm animals excrete considerable N amounts via feces and urine. To reduce N emissions by dairy cattle, methods predicting accurately individual N emissions are of great interest. Recent data showed that Brown Swiss (BS) cows have greater urea concentrations in milk and blood than Holstein (HO) cows. However, it is still unknown if greater BUN concentrations in a particular breed are congruently reflected by concomitantly increased contents of nitrogenous compounds in other media (e.g., urine and saliva). Thus, the present study simultaneously assessed biomarkers for kidney function like urea, and creatinine and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) concentrations in several body fluids (i.e., blood, urine, milk, and saliva) as well as nitrogen excretion in feces in BS and HO cows under identical feeding conditions. Blood, saliva, urine, and feces were sampled in 31 multiparous BS and 46 HO cows kept under identical feeding and management conditions. Samples were collected at different lactational stages after the monthly DHIA control test-day. Concentrations of urea and creatinine were measured in serum, urine, and saliva. Symmetric dimethylarginine was determined in serum, which is an established indicator for glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Feces were analyzed for dry matter content and nitrogen concentrations. Data on milk urea and protein concentrations, and daily milk yield were obtained from the monthly DHIA test-day records. The effects of breed, time, and parity number on blood, saliva, urine, feces, and milk parameters were evaluated with the GLM procedure with breed, time, and parity number as fixed effects. Differences between BS and HO were assessed by the Tukey-corrected t-test at P &amp;lt; 0.05. Dry matter intake and body weight were similar in BS and HO cows (P &amp;gt; 0.05). No differences between BS and HO were observed for milk yield, fecal DM and nitrogen content. BS cows showed greater urea concentration (25.8 ± 0.7 vs 21.8 ± 0.7 mg/dL), and protein content in milk (3.70 ± 0.08 vs 3.45 ± 0.07%) than HO cows (P &amp;lt; 0.01). Concentrations of urea, creatinine, and SDMA in serum, were greater in BS than in HO cows (P &amp;lt; 0.01) with 5.46 ± 0.19 vs 4.72 ± 0.13 mmol/L for urea, 105.96 ± 2.23 vs 93.07 ± 1.50 mmol/l creatinine, and 16.78 ± 0.69 vs 13.39 ± 0.44 µg/dL SDMA, respectively. Urea and creatinine concentrations in urine and saliva did not differ among breeds. Despite greater urea and creatinine concentrations in blood, and milk urea content in BS compared with HO, excretion of these parameters did not differ between breeds in urine. Our results suggest a reduced renal glomerular filtration rate in BS compared with HO. The underlying mechanisms require further investigations.

Genetic parameters of cheese yield and curd nutrient recovery or whey loss traits predicted using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of samples collected during milk recording on Holstein, Brown Swiss, and Simmental dairy cows

Over 2,000,000 records of casein contents were collected from herds of Brown Swiss (BS) and Italian Holstein Friesian (HF) dairy cows in northern Italy during routine milk recording. Variance components for casein and genetic correlations of casein with production and type traits considered in selection were estimated from a sample of 200,484 test day records for 26,279 BS cows and 376,652 for 41,543 HF cows. A multivariate multi-model REML estimation of variance components was made. Models for production included the fixed effects for herd-test day, year of evaluation, days in milk, month of calving and age at calving within parity. Models for type traits were defined accordingly to the model officially used for each breed for breeding value estimation. Breeding values for casein yield and content were calculated from estimated heritabilities (Brown 0.12; Holstein 0.09). Estimates were similar for protein and casein yield and content while genetic correlations with traits in the actual selection indexes differed between breeds. These differences, together with the greater emphasis now given to protein in the selection index of the Brown Swiss than in the Italian Holstein Friesian, suggest that a direct selection for casein could be more advantageous in Brown than in Holstein cows. The Brown breeders association could soon include casein yield and content directly in their selection criteria while that of Holstein cows would wait for a longer term casein data collection.

Records of 354 Holstein Friesian (HF) and Brown Swiss (BS) cows born from 1986 to 2006 at Las Margaritas research station, under subtropical conditions of Mexico, were analyzed to estimate milk yield per lactation (MYL, n = 1229), milk yield per day (MYD, n = 1227), milk yield per calving interval (MYCI, n = 929), lactation length (LL, n = 1229), calving weight (CW, n = 1164) and efficiency of milk production (EMP, n = 890). The cows were daughters of 144 sires and 232 dams. Models included breed of cow (2 classes: HF and BS), calving year (22 classes: 1989-2010), calving season (3 classes: cold, from November to February; dry, from March to June; and rainy, from July to October), lactation number (4 classes: 1, 2, 3 and ≥4), linear (except for CW) and quadratic (except for MYD and CW) effect of lactation length and linear effect of calving weight (except for LL). The random effect, other than the error term, was sire of the cow nested within breed of cow. Holstein Friesian cows yielded 261, 0.8 and 0.7 kg more milk per lactation, per day and per calving interval, respectively, than BS cows. In addition, HF cows were more efficient (p<0.05) to yield milk and had heavier CW (21 kg difference; p<0.05) than BS cows. Non-significant difference was found between HF and BS cows in LL (358±5.8 and 348±6.0 day, respectively). Milk yield per lactation, MYD, MYCI, EMP and CW increased significantly from first to second and from second to third lactation. However, first-, second-, third- and fourth-parity dams did not differ in LL (p>0.05). Cows that calved in the cold season had greater (p<0.05) MYD, MYCI and EMP than cows that calved in the dry and rainy seasons. Lactation length was similar among cold, dry and rainy seasons.

Simple SummaryIn order to obtain accurate infrared predictions, a large number of training animals are needed, aiming to increase the predictive ability of Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) predictions. In this study, we compared different validation scenarios that involved combining specialized and dual-purpose dairy breeds in the training population FTIR predictions for three different phenotypes in the major cattle breed, i.e., Holstein cattle. Results show that the design of the training population is an important factor in improving predictive ability in the Holstein breed with potential implications also for the minor breeds. However, this improvement is limited by the phenotypic variability of traits of concern and spectral variability between the training and validation sets and the number of animals in the training population.In general, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) predictions are developed using a single-breed population split into a training and a validation set. However, using populations formed of different breeds is an attractive way to design cross-validation scenarios aimed at increasing prediction for difficult-to-measure traits in the dairy industry. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of FTIR prediction using training set combining specialized and dual-purpose dairy breeds to predict different phenotypes divergent in terms of biological meaning, variability, and heritability, such as body condition score (BCS), serum β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), and kappa casein (k-CN) in the major cattle breed, i.e., Holstein-Friesian. Data were obtained from specialized dairy breeds: Holstein (468 cows) and Brown Swiss (657 cows), and dual-purpose breeds: Simmental (157 cows), Alpine Grey (75 cows), and Rendena (104 cows), giving a total of 1461 cows from 41 multi-breed dairy herds. The FTIR prediction model was developed using a gradient boosting machine (GBM), and predictive ability for the target phenotype in Holstein cows was assessed using different cross-validation (CV) strategies: a within-breed scenario using 10-fold cross-validation, for which the Holstein population was randomly split into 10 folds, one for validation and the remaining nine for training (10-fold_HO); an across-breed scenario (BS_HO) where the Brown Swiss cows were used as the training set and the Holstein cows as the validation set; a specialized multi-breed scenario (BS+HO_10-fold), where the entire Brown Swiss and Holstein populations were combined then split into 10 folds, and a multi-breed scenario (Multi-breed), where the training set comprised specialized (Holstein and Brown Swiss) and dual-purpose (Simmental, Alpine Grey, and Rendena) dairy cows, combined with nine folds of the Holstein cows. Lastly a Multi-breed CV2 scenario was implemented, assuming the same number of records as the reference scenario and using the same proportions as the multi-breed. Within-Holstein, FTIR predictions had a predictive ability of 0.63 for BCS, 0.81 for BHB, and 0.80 for k-CN. Using a specific breed (Brown Swiss) as the training set for prediction in the Holstein population reduced the prediction accuracy by 10% for BCS, 7% for BHB, and 11% for k-CN. Notably, the combination of Holstein and Brown Swiss cows in the training set increased the predictive ability of the model by 6%, which was 0.66 for BCS, 0.85 for BHB, and 0.87 for k-CN. Using multiple specialized and dual-purpose animals in the training set outperforms the 10-fold_HO (standard) approach, with an increase in predictive ability of 8% for BCS, 7% for BHB, and 10% for k-CN. When the Multi-breed CV2 was implemented, no improvement was observed. Our findings suggest that FTIR prediction of different phenotypes in the Holstein breed can be improved by including different specialized and dual-purpose breeds in the training population. Our study also shows that predictive ability is enhanced when the size of the training population and the phenotypic variability are increased.

The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters and to predict experimental breeding values (EBVs) for saturated (SFA), unsaturated (UFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids, the ratio of fatty acids, and the productive traits in Italian Brown Swiss (BSW) and Holstein Friesian (HOL) cattle. Test-day yields from 235,658 HOL and 21,723 BSW cows were extracted from the Italian HOL and BSW Associations databases from November 2009 to October 2012 out of 3310 herds. The milk samples collected within the routine milk recording scheme were processed with the Milkoscan™ FT 6500 Plus (Foss, Hillerød, Denmark) for the identification of SFA, UFA, MUFA and PUFA composition in milk. Genetic parameters for fatty acids and productive traits were estimated on 1,765,552 records in HOL and 255,592 records in BSW. Heritability values estimated for SFA, UFA, MUFA and PUFA ranged from 0.06 to 0.18 for the BSW breed and from 0.10 to 0.29 for HOL. The genetic trends for the fatty acids were consistent between traits and breeds. Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlations among EBVs for SFA, UFA, MUFA and PUFA and official EBVs for fat percentage were in the range 0.32 to 0.54 for BSW and 0.44 to 0.64 for HOL. The prediction of specific EBVs for milk fatty acids and for the ratio among them may be useful to identify the best bulls to be selected with the aim to improve milk quality in terms of fat content and fatty acid ratios, achieving healthier dairy productions for consumers.

Effects of Breed and Region on Longevity Traits Through Five Years of Age in Brown Swiss, Holstein, and Jersey Cows in the United States

Enteric methane (CH4), the major contributor to on-farm greenhouse gas emissions, is a key mitigation target due to its high short-term global warming potential. The objectives of this study were to investigate the combined effects of 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) and Acacia mearnsii tannin extract (TAN), and their interactions with dairy cattle breed [Brown Swiss (BS) vs Holstein Friesian (HF)] on lactational performance and CH4 emissions. Sixteen multiparous mid-lactation cows, including 8 BS and 8 HF cows, were used in a split-plot design, with breed as the main plot. Cows within each subplot were arranged in a replicated 4×4 Latin Square design with a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments across four 24-d periods, including 3-d of sampling. The experimental diets were: (1) CON (basal total mixed ration), (2) 3-NOP (60mg/kg DM), (3) TAN (3% of DM), and (4) 3-NOP+TAN. Spot samples of urine, faeces, and gas emissions (via GreenFeed) were collected at the end of each period 8 times over 3days. No 3-NOP×TAN×Breed interactions were observed for DM intake (DMI), milk production, or enteric gas emissions, except for CH4 yield (g/kg DMI) and CO2 production. Breed influenced DMI, milk production, and component yields, with HF cows consuming 3.7kg/d more DMI, producing 9.3kg/d more milk, and achieving greater feed efficiency and higher milk component yields than BS cows. Milk yield and energy-corrected milk (ECM) tended to increase in HF but tended to decrease in BS cows by 3-NOP. Cows fed TAN had 1kg/d lower DMI with the tendency for 3-NOP×TAN that showed greater reduction when TAN was fed alone, but milk yield, ECM, and feed efficiency remained unchanged. Cows fed TAN exhibited 18% lower milk urea nitrogen (N) concentration and 23.0% lower urinary N but 36.7% greater faecal N excretions as a percentage of daily N intake. A 3-NOP×Breed interaction was observed in CH4 production (g/d), with a 21.7% reduction in HF, and a 13.0% reduction in BS. Similarly, there were 3-NOP×Breed tendencies in CH4 yield and intensity (g/kg ECM), with reductions in HF cows of 21.8 and 23.4%, respectively, compared to 11.0 and 10.8% in BS cows. In conclusion, there were no synergistic or additive effects between 3-NOP and TAN on enteric CH4 mitigation. The enteric CH4 emission mitigating effect of 3-NOP was more pronounced in HF cows than in BS cows. Further research is needed to understand breed-specific responses and to optimise CH4 mitigation strategies for inclusion in national greenhouse gas inventories.

Özdemir, M. and Doğru, Ü. 2005. Relationship between kappa-casein polymorphism and production traits in Brown Swiss and Holstein. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 27: 101–104. To study the effect of kappa-casein polymorphism on milk production traits, milk samples from Brown Swiss, Holstein and East Anatolian Red cows were analyzed for kappa-casein, AA, AB and BB variants using horizontal starch-gel electrophoresis. Differences among breeds studied were not significant on gene variants. Although the effects of kappa-casein phenotypes on fat percentage and 305d fat yield in Brown Swiss and Holstein cows were found to be significant (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively), there was no effect on milk yield, 305d milk yield, lactation period and milk fat yield. This study provides evidence that production and percentage of fat ratio can be maximized by the use of kappa-casein BB genotype and milk production by the use of kappa-casein AB genotype with selective goal in herds and increase in frequency of kappa-casein B genes in herd could contribute to significantly improve yield traits.

Ozdemir, M and Dogru, U. 2007. Relationships between beta-lactoglobulin and beta-casein polymorphisms and production traits in Brown Swiss and Holstein. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 31: 165–168. To study the effects of Beta-Lactoglobulin (β-Lg) and Beta-Casein (β-Cn) polymorphism on milk production traits, milk samples from Brown Swiss, Holstein and East Anatolian Red cows were analyzed for β-Lg and β-Cn AA, AB and BB types using horizontal starch-gel electrophoresis method. Differences of both β-Lg and β-Cn among breeds studied in terms of proportion of phenotype were significant on gene variants. While effects of β-Cn phenotypes on studied yield traits were not significant, there was a main effect of β-Lg genotype on fat concentration, actual milk yield, actual fat yield, 305 d fat yield and lactation period in Brown Swiss and Holstein cows, but not on 305-days milk yield. We suggest that production and percentage of fat ratio may be maximized by the use of β-Lg AA genotype and milk production by the use of β-Lg AB genotype with selective goal in herds.

Genetic parameters of coagulation properties, milk yield, quality, and acidity estimated using coagulating and noncoagulating milk information in Brown Swiss and Holstein-Friesian cows

This study was aimed at determining the adaptation levels of pregnant Brown Swiss and Simmental cows, imported from Austria to a dairy cattle enterprise in Manisa, according to their first year performances. Reproduction and milk yield performances of Brown Swiss and Simmental cows was focused in this paper. Insemination, pregnancy and birth parameters for Brown Swiss and Simmental cows were found to be similar. The first insemination interval and gestation length of Simmental cows were shorter than Brown Swiss cows. For Brown Swiss and Simmental cows, real milk yield was 9205.61 L and 8351.05 L; milk yield for 305-days was 8115.71 L and 7693.44 L; the lactation period was 356.0 days and 337.7 days respectively. The differences between breeds according to real and 305-days milk yield were statistically significant. The cows that calved in November and December reached a higher milk yield performance. The effect of calving month on cows’ persistence in first lactation was significant, but the effect of breeds was not significant. Considering that the mean milk yields of Brown Swiss and Simmental cows in first lactation were over eight thousand liters, it can be said that the cows imported from Austria genetically have dairy potential and they can show this dairy potential from the first yield-year onwards.

The genetic diversity among Canadienne, Brown Swiss, Holstein, and Jersey cattle was estimated from relationships determined by genotyping 20 distantly related animals in each breed for 15 microsatellites located on separate chromosomes. The Canadienne, Holstein, and Jersey cattle had an average of six alleles per loci compared with five alleles for Brown Swiss. Furthermore, a number of potentially breed-specific alleles were identified. The allele size variance among breeds was similar, but varied considerably among loci. All of the loci studied were equally heterozygous, as were Brown Swiss, Canadienne, and Holstein cattle (0.68-0.69) whereas Jersey cattle showed lower heterozygosity (0.59). The within-breed estimates of genetic distance were greater than zero and significant. The genetic distance between Canadienne and Holstein (0.156), Brown Swiss (0.243), and Jersey (0.235) was negligible, suggesting close relationship. Concurrently, Brown Swiss and Holstein (0.211) cattle also demonstrated close relationship. In contrast, the Jersey breed was genetically distant from the Brown Swiss and Holstein cattle (0.427 and 0.320, respectively). The characterization of Canadienne cattle, as part of the genetic resource conservation effort currently underway in Canada, underscores the difficulty in scientifically establishing unique breeds. Therefore, the need to consider all relevant morphological characteristics and production performance in combination with available cultural, historical, pedigree, and molecular information becomes relevant when identifying breeds for conservation.