Health and productivity of dairy cattle in high altitude cold desert environment of Leh-Ladakh: A review

Abstract

The environment is usually attributed as the major climatic factor affecting animal health and production system in all agro-climatic zones. There are various environmental components viz. temperature, radiation, snowfall, wind, precipitation, humidity etc. that impact animal health and productivity. Ladakh is a remote and difficult terrain of India for studying the impact of climate change on livestock production. This area is situated at high altitude, which varies from 10,000 to 12,000 feet from mean sea level (MSL) and temperature range is 35° to -35°C. The atmospheric oxygen pressure is 30% short of MSL. Therefore, this region exhibits hypobaric-hypoxia, extreme cold and dry-arid climate for most of the year, which restrict the growth and productivity of the different livestock populations, including dairy cattle. However, demands are very high for milk and milk products by local people, Indian troops deployed in this region and tourists. Availability of fodder and high altitude stress-induced maladies, mountain sickness (brisket edema), stunted growth, infertility, mastitis pneumonia, etc. severely limits the dairy development, which has increased the gap between supply and demand of dairy products in this region. The impact of climate change on livestock production in Ladakh is a relatively ignored research area. Since the literature on the effect of climate change on dairy cattle productivity in Leh-Ladakh is scarce, therefore, the present article reviewed the available reports and presents authors' own observations on how this climate change impacted on health, production and reproduction of dairy cattle in high altitude cold desert.