Development Climate Index for Prediction of Milk Production of Dairy Cattle FH (Fries Holland).

Abstract

Global warming that causing climate change has caused negative impact on many sectors, one of them is livestock. Temperature increase, change in humidity and rainfall pattern will affect directly and indirectly on dairy production. Direct impact of climate change is impacting metabolism which finally causes eating behavior. Indirect impact is reducing feed availability due to climate change impact on forage production. For dairy cattle, ideal climate condition is measured from climate index which is a function of temperature and humidity. This is commonly called as temperature humidity index. Dairy cattle in Indonesia are mostly from Europe, i.e. Holstein (Fires Holland). If they were exposed to high temperature and high humidity, they will in stress and it will reduce feed intake and finally milk production. In Indonesia, Holstein are fond in many locations, in low to high altitude areas with different climate condition. This study aims to evaluate climate index that can be used for predicting milk production and feed management as well as defining adaptation options for addressing potential impact of climate change on dairy production. This study was conducted in five locations with different altitude, i.e. Pondok Ranggon-Jakarta Timur (80 m asl), Kebun Pedes Bogor (215 m asl), Buni Kasih Cianjur (936 m asl), Cisarua Bogor (1111 m asl) and Cikole Lembang (1225 m asl). Data being measured included temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), cattle age and weight, feed consumption and feed composition as well as daily milk production. Climate Index being developed called as Temperature Humidity Index (THI) was calculated from the following formula THI=(1.8T+32)-((0.55-0.0055RH)x(1.8T-26.8)). The result of this study indicates that THI has significant influence on milk production of FH (Fries Holland). In addition to climate condition, dairy age (U) and weight (BB), crude protein (PK) also affect significantly milk production. Thus the milk production of FH (Y) can be estimated from the following equation Y=5.754+0.1940(U)-0.000888(U)2+0.021BB+1.166PK-0.163THI; R2=75.9%. From this analysis, it was found that the ideal THI for FH is between 74.82 and 76.82. If the THI outside of this range, the feed intake will be low and this will result in low milk production. This study suggested that possible adaptation measures to minimiza the negative effect of too high or too low HTI are by (1) lowering body temperature of the cattle by pouring it with cold water (2) modifying cattle cage construction with shading and good ventilation so that the THI will be within the optimum range, and also good waste streams system and (3) increasing feed quality, particularly when the THI cannot be modify to be at the optimum range.