Revista de Producción Animal

Sustainability indicators for a fresh goat cheese mini-industry

Osvaldo Nápoles Abreu — 2024-06-26

Background: Goat dairy production presents a growth perspective in the future, as long as sustainable strategies are developed. However, the topic of sustainability in the dairy industry is incipient and research on the development of sustainability indicators is scarce. Make a proposal for sustainability indicators for the goat cheese mini-industry in the municipality of Baraguá through the application of the Delphi method. Methods: The work was carried out in the period from September to June 2021. The Delphi method was applied through three stages: preparatory, exploratory and consensus. Results: The methodology used allowed us to propose a system of indicators as a diagnostic tool for the environmental, social and economic situation of the goat cheese mini-industry in Baraguá, for the formulation of improvement strategies focused on the sustainable dairy sector. Conclusions: The relevance of the Delphi method was confirmed to lead under the pillar of science, collective protagonism, learning in action, the participatory dialogue that is required, for the development of local food systems, as a key element in the transformations. systemic conditions to which Cuban agriculture is obliged.

Keywords: agroindustry, indicators, goat cheese, sustainability, milk processing (Source: AGROVOC)

Multicharacter selection in Cuban dairy cattle

Arelis Hernández Rodríguez — 2024-12-12

Objective. To perform multi-trait selection for dairy production, reproduction and longevity traits
by creating selection indices (SI) using principal component analysis. Materials and methods:
Phenotypic and genealogical data from female Mambí de Cuba (3/4 Holstein ¼ Zebu), Siboney
de Cuba (5/8 Holstein 3/8 Zebu) and Holstein bovine animals were used for the purpose of multitrait selection for dairy production, reproduction and longevity traits by creating selection indices
(SI) using principal component analysis (PC). A multi-trait animal model was used to estimate
the genetic parameters and values (GV) of 5 445 Mambí cows from Cuba, 6 425 Siboney cows
from Cuba and 1 571 Holstein cows for cumulative milk production up to 305 days (VGL305),
lactation duration (VGDL), age at first calving (VGEP1), calving-gestation interval (VGIPG),
cumulative milk per lifetime (VGLTV) and productive life (VGVP). Results: Linear correlations
between GVs in Mambí cows with each principal component showed that VGL305, VGLTV and
VGDL are highly related to CP1 while VGIPG was more associated with CP2. VGVP and
VGEP1 were related to CP3. In Siboney de Cuba VGL305 and VGDL are highly related to CP1
while VGIPG, VGLTV and VGEP1 were more associated with CP2. VGVP was related to CP3.
In Holstein VGL305, VGDL and VGLTV were related to CP1, and VGIPG and VGVP to CP2.
Conclusion: In dairy cattle it is possible to construct selection indices based on CP1-3. These
showed genetic variation, so they could be used in a multi-trait selection program.
Keywords: principal components, selection indices, genetic improvement (Source: AGROVOC)

Overall assessment of dairy herd productivity and heat stress. I. Analysis and first results

Simón González Prieto — 2024-07-01

Background: In the current conditions of Cuba, the most appropriate strategy is not daily milk production per se, but the sum of all the cows present at a given time in a given herd, that is, the total milk production, which requires a particular analysis. Objectives. To develop a methodology to evaluate the productivity of all the animals of 30 dairy herds in the conditions of southern Pinar del Rio. Methods: Several weighted mixed linear models will be used to estimate the response curves of the dependent variables over time and the level of environment represented by THI. Results: The analysis carried out showed that in the period between 2018 and 2014 the daily milk production (PDL) decreased by -15.9%; milk production per hectare at -39.1% and the percentage of milking cows (VO) at -17.5%. Total inseminations and monthly pregnancies were depressed by -20.0% and -5.9% respectively and a negative relationship with all the classic variables used to measure global herds productivity. At the same time, the effects of thermal stress depress PDL by -13.4%. It was found that for every 1% increase in VO, the PDL of the herd increases by +2.2%. Conclusions: Antagonism was found between reproductive performance, milk production and heat stress; It is suggested to apply these statistical procedures to identify the limiting factors of the overall productivity of dairy herds.

Keywords: Climatic stress, dairy herds, milk production; reproductive behavior (Source: AGROVOC)

Overall assessment of dairy herd productivity. II- Methodology, relationship and trends

Simón González Prieto — 2024-07-15

Background: In the previous article, antagonism was found between reproductive behavior (CR), milk production (PL) and thermal stress (ST) at the level of the herd as a whole, which can be combined using multivariate statistical methodologies. Objectives. Estimate and use the global relationships between herd structure and the effect of climate on the productivity of 30 dairy herds in the conditions of southern Pinar del Rio. Methods: A principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the means least squares obtained through linear models to the total results of dairy, reproductive and heat stress traits. Results: A negative relationship was evident between PL, CR and ST, however, there is a lot of variation in the response form of each component, so that a higher level of PL can be achieved with differentiated attention to the activities of CR and SC. On the other hand, with the results of the PCA it was possible to create an index that synthesizes the negative trend in all the indicators as a function of time, with milking cows corresponding to the basic component that determines the productivity of the herd, with a decrease of almost - 3% for every 6 months starting in January 2014. Conclusions: It is suggested that these statistical procedures be applied to identify the limiting factors of the global productivity of dairy herds, which can be carried out through differentiated actions linked to CR that allow attenuating the negative trends found.

Keywords: Principal component analysis, reproductive behavior, milk production, thermal stress (Source: AGROVOC)

Some notes on the genetic evaluation of pure and crossed animals with emphasis on the Tropics

Alberto Menéndez-Buxadera — 2024-09-17

Aim. Present some reflections and practical evidence related to the estimation of the Genetic Value (GV) in pure and crossed animals with special emphasis on its possible use in the genetic evaluation program of Cuba. Development: The genetic evaluation of animals is a common practice in any improvement program for which different statistical models are applied. In Cuba, the Genetic Value (GV) is generally estimated through an additive effects model, which does not adjust to the type of animal crossed between B. taurus (TT) and B. indicus (ZZ), where genetic effects are also manifested. of dominance and epistasis, so the current results may be biased. The review of available references indicates that the VG estimated with this approach has little predictive capacity in the different crosses between TT and ZZ, or in other words there is a genotype-environment interaction. This document shows the basic characteristics of five types of statistical models applied to estimate the GV for dairy cattle, indicating their properties and risks. Conclusions: The use of longitudinal models through random regression, even though they are more cumbersome in statistical terms, because they provide additional information on the general and specific combinatorial ability of the stallions, which can have important benefits in the livestock farming conditions of Cuba.

Keywords: Additive genetic effects, dominance, statistical models, random regression, genetic value (Source: AIMS)