Spatial variability of air temperature in a free-stall in the Northeastern semi-arid region of Brazil

Indira C M Gonçalves,Clóvis M C Ramos,Silvia H N Turco

doi:10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v20n1p67-71

Abstract

ABSTRACT The knowledge on the spatial variability of climatic attributes and the building of Kriging maps can assist in the design and management of confined animal facilities, by allowing a spatial visualization that is helpful for the planning and control of information from the production environment. The study aimed to characterize the spatial variability of air temperature in a free-stall barn used for dairy cattle confinement located in Petrolina-PE, Brazil, in different seasons and at different times. The variable air temperature was recorded at 136 points distributed in the areas under the shed and the shade cloth for the study of spatial variability and the construction of maps by Kriging. Air temperature data was collected in the winter and in the summer, in the months of July and August (2013) and January and February (2014), at different times (9 and 15 h). According to the results, the use of geostatistics enabled to define areas with different spatial variabilities in air temperature and specific areas in the free-stall with values higher than the recommended levels for thermal comfort. In addition, the central part of the facility is the region with the lowest values of air temperatures, due to the presence of a ridge vent.

Highlights

Livestock farming is an activity highly dependent on climatic factors, which can affect animal yield and management (Oliveira et al, 2013)
One way of minimizing the undesirable climatic conditions is the use of facilities, which must provide comfort for the animals, allowing them to express their production potential
Based on the mean values obtained from the spatial distribution data, air temperature remained within the comfort range only in Winter – Treatment 1 (WIN) at 9 h; according to Perissinotto et al (2007), these values must be between 4 and 26 oC for Holstein-Friesian cows

Summary

Introduction

Livestock farming is an activity highly dependent on climatic factors, which can affect animal yield and management (Oliveira et al, 2013). The effect of climatic conditions on the development of dairy cows is expressive, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. The knowledge on the functional relationships between animals and the environment allows adopting procedures that increase the efficiency of dairy farming (Marcheto et al, 2002). For Holstein-Friesian cows, great milk-producers, the thermal neutrality zone in lactation, in terms of air temperature, generally occurs in the interval between 4 and 26 oC, which impairs the raising of these animals under tropical climate conditions (Perissinotto & Moura, 2007). One way of minimizing the undesirable climatic conditions is the use of facilities, which must provide comfort for the animals, allowing them to express their production potential. Environmental variables are controlled with different building materials, dimensioning of the physical space, density and climatization systems (Almeida et al, 2010)

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Results

Conclusion