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Animals
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Animal Sustainability of Buffalo: Reproduction, Health and Management
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Animal Sustainability of Buffalo: Reproduction, Health and Management

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Cattle".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 7382

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Angela Salzano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Via F. Delpino 1, 80137 Naples, Italy
Interests: buffaloes; breeding techniques; functional molecules
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Anna Balestrieri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80137 Naples, Italy
Interests: buffaloes; animal health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

A consumer disaffection toward products of animal origin has been observed in recent years as a consequence of breeding systems and intensive environmental resource exploitation. Thus, the future of animal breeding will depend on several interconnected factors, such as environmental and economic sustainability, animal welfare, traceability of production processes, and the quality of production. The latter depends on the number of molecules with beneficial effects on the health of the consumer. The achievement of such objectives can be obtained through a more precise phenotypic assessment of the individuals (genotypes, species, breeds, etc.), in order to identify those that are more resistant and resilient to the areas and rearing conditions. Moreover, it will be necessary to modify breeding techniques, to improve the selection of livestock animals. In this context, the application of precision livestock farming techniques in animal husbandry to guarantee an automated, continuous, and real-time collection of the phenotypic characteristics of interest is broadly increasing. Based on the above considerations, in this article collection, articles are invited on the development of breeding techniques aiming to improve buffalo productive and reproductive activities without affecting environmental and economic sustainability.

Dr. Angela Salzano
Dr. Anna Balestrieri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • eco-sustainability
  • buffaloes
  • breeding techniques
  • precision livestock farming

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 1066 KiB  
Article
Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Bovine Coronavirus Infection among Dairy Cattle and Water Buffalo in Campania Region, Southern Italy
by Gianmarco Ferrara, Valentina Iovane, Elvira Improda, Giuseppe Iovane, Ugo Pagnini and Serena Montagnaro
Animals 2023, 13(5), 772; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13050772 - 21 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1532
Abstract
Cattle and water buffalo are the main livestock species that are raised in the Campania region, southern Italy, and they contribute significantly to the regional rural economy. Currently there are limited data on the prevalence of relevant impact infections, such as bovine coronavirus [...] Read more.
Cattle and water buffalo are the main livestock species that are raised in the Campania region, southern Italy, and they contribute significantly to the regional rural economy. Currently there are limited data on the prevalence of relevant impact infections, such as bovine coronavirus (BCov), an RNA virus that causes acute enteric and respiratory disease. Although these diseases are described primarily in cattle, there have been reports of spillovers to other ruminants, including water buffalo. Here, we determined the seroprevalence of BCoV in cattle and water buffalo in the Campania region of southern Italy. An overall seroprevalence of 30.8% was determined after testing 720 sampled animals with a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A risk factor analysis revealed that the seropositivity rates in cattle (49.2%) were higher than in water buffalo (5.3%). In addition, higher seroprevalence rates were observed in older and purchased animals. In cattle, housing type and location were not associated with higher seroprevalence. The presence of BCoV antibodies in water buffalo was associated with the practice of co-inhabiting with cattle, demonstrating that this practice is incorrect and promotes the transmission of pathogens between different species. Our study found a considerable seroprevalence, which is consistent with previous research from other countries. Our results provide information on the widespread distribution of this pathogen as well as the risk factors that are involved in its transmission. This information could be useful in the control and surveillance of this infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Sustainability of Buffalo: Reproduction, Health and Management)
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12 pages, 923 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Seasonal Variation in Methane Emissions of Mediterranean Buffaloes Using a Laser Methane Detector
by Lydia Lanzoni, Mizeck G. G. Chagunda, Isa Fusaro, Matteo Chincarini, Melania Giammarco, Alberto Stanislao Atzori, Michele Podaliri and Giorgio Vignola
Animals 2022, 12(24), 3487; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12243487 - 9 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1606
Abstract
A direct assessment of the methane (CH4) emission level and its variability factors is needed in each animal species in order to target the best mitigation strategy for the livestock sector. Therefore, the present study aimed to (1) test a laser [...] Read more.
A direct assessment of the methane (CH4) emission level and its variability factors is needed in each animal species in order to target the best mitigation strategy for the livestock sector. Therefore, the present study aimed to (1) test a laser methane detector (LMD) for the first time in Italian Mediterranean buffaloes (IMB), a non-invasive tool to quantify CH4 emissions; (2) test the effect of season on the emissions; and (3) compare the results measured directly with the ones estimated with the existing equations. CH4 emissions of twenty non-productive IMB, under the same feeding regimen, were monitored for 12 days in summer and winter. Significantly higher THI (74.46 ± 1.88 vs. 49.62 ± 4.87; p < 0.001), lower DMI (2.24 ± 0.04 vs. 2.51 ± 0.03% DMI/kg live weight; p < 0.001) and lower emission intensities (0.61 ± 0.15 vs. 0.75 ± 0.13; p < 0.001) were found during the summer period when compared with winter. LMD was found to be a versatile tool to be used in buffaloes, and it was clear that a summer increase in THI could act as a stressor for the animals, influencing their emissions. In addition, measured emissions were significantly higher than when estimated with the existing equations (p < 0.001), suggesting the need for further research in this area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Sustainability of Buffalo: Reproduction, Health and Management)
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9 pages, 267 KiB  
Article
Use of Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines Algorithm to Predict Body Weight from Body Measurements of Anatolian buffaloes in Türkiye
by Oğuz Ağyar, Cem Tırınk, Hasan Önder, Uğur Şen, Dariusz Piwczyński and Esra Yavuz
Animals 2022, 12(21), 2923; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212923 - 25 Oct 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1685
Abstract
Anatolian buffalo is an important breed reared for meat and milk in various regions of Türkiye. The present study was performed to estimate body weight (BW) from several body measurements, such as tail length (TL), shoulder height (SH), withers height (WH), body length [...] Read more.
Anatolian buffalo is an important breed reared for meat and milk in various regions of Türkiye. The present study was performed to estimate body weight (BW) from several body measurements, such as tail length (TL), shoulder height (SH), withers height (WH), body length (BL), chest circumference (CC), shank diameter (SD) and birth weight (BiW). The data set was taken from Muş Province of Türkiye. In this respect, 171 Anatolian buffaloes were used. To estimate the BW, different proportions of the training and test sets were used with the MARS algorithm. The optimal MARS was determined at a proportion of 70–30%. The MARS model displays the heaviest BW that can be produced by Anatolian buffalo according to tail length, body length, chest circumference and shoulder height. In conclusion, it could be suggested that the MARS algorithm may allow animal breeders to obtain an elite population and to determine the body measurements affecting BW as indirect selection criteria for describing the breed description of Anatolian buffalo and aiding sustainable meat production and rural development in Türkiye. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Sustainability of Buffalo: Reproduction, Health and Management)
17 pages, 1623 KiB  
Article
Mapping Soil and Pasture Attributes for Buffalo Management through Remote Sensing and Geostatistics in Amazon Biome
by Gislayne Farias Valente, Gabriel Araújo e Silva Ferraz, Lucas Santos Santana, Patrícia Ferreira Ponciano Ferraz, Daiane de Cinque Mariano, Crissogno Mesquita dos Santos, Ricardo Shigueru Okumura, Stefano Simonini, Matteo Barbari and Giuseppe Rossi
Animals 2022, 12(18), 2374; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182374 - 12 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1737
Abstract
The mapping of pastures can serve to increase productivity and reduce deforestation, especially in Amazon Biome regions. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore precision agriculture technologies for assessing the spatial variations of soil pH and biomass indicators (i.e., Dry Matter, DM; [...] Read more.
The mapping of pastures can serve to increase productivity and reduce deforestation, especially in Amazon Biome regions. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore precision agriculture technologies for assessing the spatial variations of soil pH and biomass indicators (i.e., Dry Matter, DM; and Green Matter, GM). An experiment was conducted in an area cultivated with Panicum maximum (Jacq.) cv. Mombaça in a rotational grazing system for dairy buffaloes in the eastern Amazon. Biomass and soil samples were collected in a 10 m × 10 m grid, with a total of 196 georeferenced points. The data were analyzed by semivariogram and then mapped by Kriging interpolation. In addition, a variability analysis was performed, applying both the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) derived from satellite remote sensing data. The Kriging mapping between DM and pH at 0.30 m depth demonstrated the best correlation. The vegetative index mapping showed that the NDVI presented a better performance in pastures with DM production above 5.42 ton/ha−1. In contrast, DM and GM showed low correlations with the NDWI. The possibility of applying a variable rate within the paddocks was evidenced through geostatistical mapping of soil pH. With this study, we contribute to understanding the necessary premises for utilizing remote sensing data for pasture variable analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Sustainability of Buffalo: Reproduction, Health and Management)
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