Efeito da condição corporal ao parto e grupo racial sobre o desempenho produtivo e perfil metabólico de búfalas no período de transição.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of body condition score at calving (BCSC) and race on productive performance and metabolic profile of females buffalo during the transition period and early lactation. Twenty Mediterranean and fifteen Murrah animals were selected, all pregnant and multiparous and subsequently divided according the BCSC into four experimental groups: Group 1: MEC1 - Mediterranean buffaloes with body condition score at calving between 1.5 - 2.5 (N=9); Group 2: MEC2 - Mediterranean buffaloes with body condition score values at calving between 2.51 - 3.51 (N=11); Group 3: MUC1 - Murrah buffaloes with BCSC values between 1.5 - 2.5 (N=8) and; Group 4: MUC2 - Murrah buffaloes with calving body condition score values between 2.51 - 3.51 (N=7). The animals were monitored during the last 21 days of gestation until the first 21 days postpartum and kept under the same management and feeding conditions. Weight and body condition score (BCS) values were obtained at 7- day intervals, 21 before calving to 42 days postpartum. All blood and urine samples and clinical parameter data were collected at 7-day intervals, 21 before calving until 21 days postpartum. The MEC1 and MEC2 groups had a mean BCS of 2.28 and 2.93 respectively, while the MUC1 and MUC2 groups had a mean BCS of 2.37 and 2.67, respectively, in the pre-partum period. Animals with BCSC between 1.5 to 2.5, regardless of breed, showed a reduction in BCS of 0.177 points between -21 and day of partum (d0). The MEC1 group had a higher heart rate (P = 0.022) compared to the MEC2 group in the pre-partum period (56.42 and 61.78 bat / min respectively). Mediterranean animals showed higher milk yield (P<0,001), corrected milk yield (P<0,001), and fat yield (P = 0.004), protein (P = 0.024), lactose (P = 0.016) and total dry extract (P = 0.011). An interaction effect was observed between the weeks evaluated during the transition period and the BCSC groups on milk yield and composition (P> 0.05). However, there was no effect of BCSC and racial group on mozzarella yield and somatic cell count in milk during the evaluated period. Murrah animals presented higher values of hemoglobin (P = 0.013), urea (P = 0.032) and glucose (P = 0.021) in the prepartum period and leukocytes (P = 0.020) in the postpartum period. Consistently, Murrah animals presented higher values of urea in the urine (p=0.012) in the prepartum period. The results of this experiment suggest that the BCSC differences of the groups studied do not require major metabolic stress to meet the energy requirements for genetically milk production required for this profile. Buffaloes with BCSC above 3.51 or genetically superior production capacity to the animals evaluated in the present experiment may present differentiated behavior with greater mobilization of body reserves.