DefinePK

Abstract

This experiment was designed to study the effect of Temperature Humidity Index (THI) on the thermoregulation responses and the velocity of thermoregulation responses rate of Pesisir cattle raised in lowland (0-300masl) and highland areas (>600masl) in West Sumatra, Indonesia. This study used 8 Pesisir cattle as subjects. Parameters measured were ambient temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), and THI, rectal temperature (Tr), skin temperature (Ts), body temperature (Tb), respiration rate (RR), and heart rate (HR). The correlation between THI and thermoregulation responses was analyzed by linear regression analysis. The results showed that the physiological responses of Pesisir cattle were most affected by THI in the lowlands were skin temperature (R2=87.02%), body temperature (R2=73.39%), respiration rate (R2=31.59%), and rectal temperature (R2=30.09%), while in the highlands, body temperature (R2=84.32%), skin temperature (R2=79.57%), rectal temperature (R2=74.95%) and respiration rate (R2=53.91%). The conclusion of the study showed that THI in lowland and highland areas affected body temperature, rectal temperature, skin temperature, and respiration rate but did not affect heart rate. The velocity of the skin temperature rate of Pesisir cattle is higher in the lowland area than in the highland area. The velocity of rectal temperature rate, body temperature rate and respiratory rate of Pesisir cattle raised in highland were higher than in the lowland area.