The EAAP Series is published under the direction of Siem Korver andJea n Boyazoglu International Symposium organized byth eAnima l Husbandry Institute ofth e University of Tuscia with the patronage of: International associations: - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - FAO - International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies - ICAMAS - European Association for Animal Production - EAAP Corporations and national associations: - Ministero Agricoltura e Foreste - MAF - Scientific Association for Animal Production - ASPA - Italian Livestock Breeders' Association - AIA - National Association for Holstein Breeders - ANAFI Chairmanship of Symposium: Prof. Gian Tommaso Scarascia Mugnozza, Dean of University of Tuscia Organizing Committee: Prof. Alessandro Finzi, University of Tuscia (Chairman) Prof. Alessandro Nardone, University of Tuscia Prof. Giuseppe Bertoni, Catholic University of Piacenza Prof. Jean G. Boyazoglu, EAAP Prof. Bruno Ronchi, University of Tuscia (Secretary) Scientific and Administrative Secretariat: The Director, Animal Husbandry Institute - Faculty of Agriculture, Via S. Camillo De Lellis, 01100 VITERBO, Telefax (0761) 257434 Technical Collaboration: Viterbo Livestock Breeders' Association Animal husbandry in warm climates Proceedings of the International Symposium on Animal Husbandry in Warm Climates, Viterbo, Italy, 25-27 October 1990 (EAAP Publication No. 55, 1991) B. Ronchi, A. Nardone & J.G. Boyazoglu (Compilers) Pudoc Wageningen 1991 High environmental temperature which remains stable for any given amount of time may ill-effect animal breeding by upsettingsom e of the endocrine andmetaboli c functions involved inthermoregula ­ tion. Consequently sucha neffec t weakensth e productive performance ofth e animalgeneti c potential. Inarea swher e animal production needst o be increased, it would be necessary to develop research strategies and husbandry techniques capable of limiting the negative effects of hightemperatures . This Symposium aimed at focusing on the biological, technological and productive aspects, tracing thembac kt o acommo n matrix withth e purpose of identifying researchapproache scapabl eo fdevisin g new production patterns. CIP-data Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Den Haag ISBN90-220-1050- 3 NUGI 835 © Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation (Pudoc), Wageningen, Netherlands, 1991. All rights reserved. Nothing from this publication may be reproduced,store d in acomputerize d system or published in any form or in any manner, including electronic, mechanical, reprographic or photographic, without prior written permissionfro mth e publisher,Pudoc ,P.O . Box 4,670 0A A Wageningen,Netherlands . The individual contributions in this publication andan y liabilities arising from them remain the responsibility of the authors. Insofara s photocopies from this publicationar epermitte d byth e Copyright Act 1912, Article 16Ban dRoya l Netherlands Decreeo f 20Jun e 1974(Staatsbla d 351) asamende d in Royal Netherlands Decree of 23Augus t 1985 (Staatsblad47 1) an db y Copyright Act 1912,Articl e 17,th e legally defined copyright feefo r anycopie s should betransferre d to the Stichting Reprorecht (P.O. Box 882, 1180A W Amstelveen, Netherlands). For reproduction of parts of this publication incompilation s sucha s anthologies or readers (Copyright Act 1912, Article 16), permission must be obtained from the publisher. Printed inth e Netherlands. CONTENTS Opening session Chairman: Prof.G. T. Scarascia Mugnozza Opening lecture - G.T. Scarascia Mugnozza ix Statements: FAO - E.P. Cunningham x ICAMAS - R. Février xi EAAP - A. Nardone xiii ASPA - D. Matassino xv AIA/ANAFI - G. Lanari xvi Introduction A. Nardone xvii Session1 Chairman: Prof. J.G. Boyazoglu Endocrinological and neurological systems in body thermoregulation - M.M. Shafie 1 Metabolic responses of farm animals to high temperature - A.J.F. Webster 15 Reproductive responses under high temperature conditions - A. Berman 23 Productive responses of ruminants under high temperature conditions - P. Berbigier 31 Session 2 Chairman: Prof. A. Finzi Breeding programmes for improved dairy production in tropical climates - E.P. Cunningham 39 Problems associated with the transfer of genetic material from temperate to warm Mediterranean regions: consequences on the equilibration of the animal production systems - J.C. Flamant 48 Selection and breeding strategies for production in warm climates - K.J. Peters 55 Session3 Chairman:Prof. M.M. Shafie Feeding strategy for animal production in warm climates - J.L. Tisserand 64 Ruminant production strategies in warm climates, a case study: the Iberic Peninsula - A. Vaz Portugal 73 Alternative breeding programs for dairy cattle in North Africa - A. Eddebbarh 81 Session 4 and S Chairman: Prof.G. Trimarchi The effects of environmental factors on water balance in animals - F. Valfrè, V.M. Moretti & G.L. Maggi 89 Effect of high temperature on production and quality of milk - V. Cappa, L. Calamari,P. Vazhapilly & E. Frazzi 93 Heat stress effects on some blood parameters of sheep - G. Bertoni, U. Bernabucci& G. FilippiBalestra 98 Effects of high temperatures on reproduction in small ruminants - S. Casu, P. Cappai& S. Naitana 103 Italian beef breeds in warm climates - M. Lucifero &A. Giorgetti 112 Session 6 Chairman:Prof. E. Belliti Breeding strategies in dry-hot countries - D. Cianci 120 Strategies for the use of agricultural by-products as ruminant feed in warm climates - F. Polidori & G. Savoini 126 Suitable engineering strategies for livestock shelters in warm climates - A. Gusman &A. Candura 130 Session 7 Chairman: Prof.G. Rognoni Preservation of animal ecotypes bred in the Mediterranean area - D. Matassino& F. Grasso 137 Concluding remarks E.P. Cunningham 143 Poster session Chairman: Prof. A.M. Pilla Rectal temperature and pulse rate of Friesian and Modicana cows in Sicily - P. Giaccone,A. Bonanno & B. Portolano 145 Bioclimatic parameters and hematic profile in Massese ewes reared in Tuscany -A. Martini, P. Lupi, M.P. Ponzetta &A. Giorgetti 146 Factors affecting reproduction on the one-humped camels. Improve­ ments of reproductive performances - P. Minoia, G.M. Lacalandra & M. Moslah 147 Rabbit breeding in hot climates: the underground cell system - P. Morera & G. Kuzminsky 148 Effect of solar radiation on water and food intake and weight gain in "Sarda" and "Comisana" female lambs - A. Nardone, B. Ronchi & A. Valentini 149 Variability of chemical composition and nutritive value of some natural fodders in the valley of river Beles (Ethiopia) - 5.Pastorelli, M. Orlandi, L. Goio, E. Meregalli,G.B. Liponi, F. Taccini & R. Ranzani 151 OPENING SESSION Among the various types of productive activity, agriculture is the closest to human needs. Although in developed countries productivity is now so high that there are surpluses of provisions, and pollution and quality have become more important problems, in a large part of the World the problem remains the quantitative aspects of production. Both in animal and plant production, it is true that once agriculture becomes capable of producing in excess of human needs, there is the possibility of integrating animal and plant production. So far it has proved impossible to change from pastoral activity to localized intensive stock raising, and every attempt to do so will fail because concentrates have to be imported from another area where they areproduce d in surplus. In hot climates where conditions are governed by a hot environment for more or less long periods, animal production has been hampered either by the major difficulty of maintaining thermal homeostasis, or through lack of the amounts of concentrates necessary to sustain intensive animal production at therequire d level. ' Study of environmental effects is directed principally at aspects linked to production, particularly possible influences on endocrinology, thermoregulation, physiology of production, and thephysiolog y of digestion, milkproductio n and growth; also the genetic resources for use in conjunction with a sustainable husbandry technology. Such study is of fundamental value. However, this knowledge must not be treated in isolation and considered separately. When one is devising feasible production systems, all these aspects have to be taken into account, and all possible interactions have to be considered in order to achieve the best balance in each situation. As a result, meetings on a subject like animal production in hot climates are important, because they offer the opportunity to bring together expertise and different lines of research in the common denominator of the environmental conditions which characterize a large part of theWorld , namely the tropical and subtropical zones. However, whichever series of experimental conditions are taken into account, it is impossible to reproduce the variable phenomena which occur in practice, bearing in mind the infinite possible combinations of elements and their variability in intensity and duration. It is also necessary to consider that the consequences of a particular environmental situation may not become obvious until much later, together with other, different situations which are also involved, to form a complexity of interference, the results of which cannot be predicted accurately. The complexity of problems means that progress can be achieved only through a long series of meetings on the same subject, and incorporation of the advances in the long road of progress in animal husbandry for that large part of humanity which