Italian Journal of Animal Science (Apr 2010)

Effect of weather conditions on somatic cell score in Sicilian Valle del Belice ewes

  • B. Portolano,
  • J. B. C. H. M. van Kaam,
  • R. Finocchiaro

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4081/ijas.2007.1s.130
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 1s
pp. 130 – 132

Abstract

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Mastitis susceptibility of Valle del Belice ewes from the south of Sicily to temperature, humidity, precipitation, solar radiation, sun hours, air pressure, wind-speed and wind-direction measured by a public weather station was investigated using 65,848 test-day somatic cell score (SCS) records of 5,237 ewes. All weather parameters had an effect on SCS in a regression approach. Extreme values of maximum and minimum temperaturehumidity indices resulted in increased SCS. Higher precipitation, solar radiation and sun hours resulted in increased SCS, whereas higher air pressure and wind speed resulted in reduced SCS.

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