Biochemical and physiological responses of Nili-Ravi Buffalo (Bubalusbubalis) to heat stress

Abstract

The present study was designed with an objective to evaluate the impact of various strategies to alleviate heat stress on certain physiological attributes viz. respiratory rate (RT), body surface temperature (BST), pulse rate (PR), and respiratory rate (RR); biochemical attributes viz. glucose, total protein (TP), and cholesterol; and endocrinological parameters (tri-iodothyronine and tetraiodothyronine) of the Nili-Ravi buffaloes during early summer season. Lactating Nili-Ravi buffaloes (n = 20) with close production and parity stage were divided into four treatment groups as group A (control group under roof shades only), B (experimental group under roof shades with antistress supplementation), C (experimental group under roof shades with ceiling fans), and D (experimental group under showers and ceiling fans) at the Buffalo Research Institute, Punjab, Pakistan. All the physiological study parameters, that is, RT, BST, PR, and RR, were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher for Group A and B as compared to Group C and D, respectively. The results revealed that all the biochemical study attributes were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher in Group C and D as compared to Group A and B. Regarding endocrinological parameters (T3 and T4), both these hormones were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) different between the four study groups, being higher for Group D as compared to the other groups. Nili-Ravi buffaloes showed a resistant behavior in terms of RR, PR, and serum biochemical components, which implies that the fan strategy could be an alternative to showering.