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Evaluation of a mechanistic lactation model using cow, goat and sheep data

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2010

J. DIJKSTRA ,
S. LOPEZ ,
A. BANNINK ,
M. S. DHANOA ,
E. KEBREAB ,
N. E. ODONGO ,
M. H. FATHI NASRI ,
U. K. BEHERA ,
D. HERNANDEZ-FERRER  and
J. FRANCE
J. DIJKSTRA
Affiliation:
Animal Nutrition Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
S. LOPEZ*
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ganadería de Montaña, Universidad de León – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Departamento de Producción Animal, Universidad de León, E-24071León, Spain
A. BANNINK
Affiliation:
Livestock Research, Animal Sciences Group, Wageningen University Research Centre, PO Box 65, 8200 AB, Lelystad, The Netherlands
M. S. DHANOA
Affiliation:
North Wyke Research, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 2SB, UK
E. KEBREAB
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
N. E. ODONGO
Affiliation:
Animal Production and Health Section, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagramer Strasse 5, A-1400Vienna, Austria
M. H. FATHI NASRI
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran
U. K. BEHERA
Affiliation:
Division of Agronomy, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi110012, India
D. HERNANDEZ-FERRER
Affiliation:
Departamento de Mejora Genética Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias, Ctra. de la Coruña km 7, 28040Madrid, Spain
J. FRANCE
Affiliation:
Centre for Nutrition Modelling, Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: s.lopez@unileon.es
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Summary

A mechanistic lactation model, based on a theory of mammary cell proliferation and cell death, was studied and compared to the equation of Wood (1967). Lactation curves of British Holstein Friesian cows (176 curves), Spanish Churra sheep (40 curves) and Spanish Murciano–Granadina goats (30 curves) were used for model evaluation. Both models were fitted in their original form using non-linear least squares estimation. The parameters were compared among species and among parity groups within species.

In general, both models provided highly significant fits to lactation data and described the data accurately. The mechanistic model performed well against Wood's 1967 equation (hereafter referred to as Wood's equation), resulting in smaller residual mean square values in more than two-thirds of the datasets investigated, and producing parameter estimates that allowed appropriate comparisons and noticeable trends attributed to shape. Using Akaike or Bayesian information criteria, goodness-of-fit with the mechanistic model was superior to that with Wood's equation for the cow lactation curves, with no significant differences between models when fitted to goat or sheep lactation curves. The rate parameters of the mechanistic model, representing specific proliferation rate of mammary secretory cells at parturition, decay associated with reduction in cell proliferation capacity with time and specific death rate of mammary secretory cells, were smaller for primiparous than for multiparous cows. Greater lactation persistency of cows compared to goats and sheep, and decrease in persistency with parity, were shown to be represented by different values of the specific secretory cell death rate parameter in the mechanistic model. The plausible biological interpretation and fitting properties of the mechanistic model enable it to be used in complex models of whole-cow digestion and metabolism and as a tool in selection programmes and by dairy producers for management decisions.

Type
Modelling Animal Systems Paper
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 148 , Issue 3 , June 2010 , pp. 249 - 262
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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