Climatic factors associated with reproductive performance in English Berkshire pigs and crossbred pigs between Landrace and Large White raised in a subtropical climate region of Japan.

Abstract

Our objective was to characterize Berkshire female pigs associated with climatic factors by examining the interactions between two pig groups (pure English Berkshire females and crossbred females between Landrace and Large White) for reproductive performance in a humid subtropical zone. We analyzed 63,227 first-service records of 11,992 females in 12 herds. Climate data were obtained from four weather stations located close to the herds. Mean daily maximum temperatures (Tmax) and daily average relative humidity (ARH) for different time periods around servicing and farrowing of each female were coordinated with that female's reproductive performance data. Multilevel mixed-effects models were applied to the data. There were two-way interactions between the pig groups and either Tmax or ARH for weaning-to-first-mating interval (WMI) and number of total pigs born (TPB; P < 0.05). The WMI in Berkshire sows increased by 0.64days as Tmax increased from 20 to 30°C (P < 0.05), whereas in crossbred sows it only increased by 0.09days over the same Tmax range. In contrast, WMI in Berkshire sows only increased by 0.01days as ARH increased from 60 to 80% (P < 0.05), whereas in crossbred sows it increased by 0.32days. In Berkshire females, TPB decreased by 0.3 pigs as Tmax increased from 20 to 30°C (P < 0.05), whereas that in crossbred females decreased by 0.4 pigs (P < 0.05). Therefore, we recommend producers apply advanced cooling systems for Berkshire females.