Innovations in Dairy Cows' Stress, Health, and Nutrition

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Farm Animal Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 July 2025 | Viewed by 481

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
DaOne Chemical/Genebiotech Global Business Director, Godeung-ro, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si 13105, Gyronggi-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: stress-related hormones; amino acid supplementation to ruminants; gene expression and immunity in animals
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The dairy industry is evolving rapidly, driven by the need to enhance productivity, animal welfare, and sustainability. This Special Issue, "Innovations in Dairy Cows' Stress, Health, and Nutrition", aims to bring together cutting-edge research addressing the interconnected aspects of dairy cow health and nutrition, with a particular focus on mitigating stress using nutritional and other strategies. The focus should extend beyond the concept of stress to enhance the health of dairy cows, incorporating smart farming techniques and other aspects of nutrition and overall well-being. By exploring novel dietary strategies, stress-reducing management practices, and innovative health monitoring technologies, this issue seeks to provide comprehensive insights into improving dairy cow performance and well-being. The integration of precision farming techniques and the development of sustainable nutritional approaches will also be emphasized. We invite contributions that delve into physiological, genetic, and environmental factors influencing dairy cows, fostering a holistic understanding that benefits both researchers and practitioners in the field.

Dr. Jalil Ghassemi Nejad
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • dairy cattle
  • stress mitigation strategies
  • nutrition
  • health
  • precision farming
  • genetic and environment
  • immune system
  • performance

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 588 KiB  
Article
Milk Lactose and Inflammatory Marker Changes: Early Indicators of Metabolic and Inflammatory Stress in Early Lactation Dairy Cattle
by Karina Džermeikaitė, Justina Krištolaitytė, Lina Anskienė, Akvilė Girdauskaitė, Samanta Arlauskaitė, Greta Šertvytytė, Gabija Lembovičiūtė, Walter Baumgartner and Ramūnas Antanaitis
Agriculture 2025, 15(11), 1205; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15111205 - 31 May 2025
Viewed by 97
Abstract
Metabolic and inflammatory stress during early lactation poses significant risks to dairy cow health and productivity. This study aimed to assess the physiological, metabolic, and inflammatory differences between dairy cows producing low (LL; <4.5%) and high (HL; ≥4.5%) milk lactose, focusing on C-reactive [...] Read more.
Metabolic and inflammatory stress during early lactation poses significant risks to dairy cow health and productivity. This study aimed to assess the physiological, metabolic, and inflammatory differences between dairy cows producing low (LL; <4.5%) and high (HL; ≥4.5%) milk lactose, focusing on C-reactive protein (CRP), liver function markers, iron metabolism, and reticulorumen health. A total of 71 clinically healthy lactating multiparous cows (20–30 days postpartum) were monitored using real-time physiological sensors, milk composition analysis, blood biomarkers and continuous reticulorumen pH measurement (every 10 min). Cows in the LL group showed significantly higher aspartate transaminase (AST) activity (p = 0.042), lower serum iron (Fe) concentration (p = 0.013), and reduced reticulorumen pH (p = 0.03). Although CRP concentrations did not differ significantly between groups, correlation analysis revealed positive associations with non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) (r = 0.335, p = 0.043), reticulorumen pH (r = 0.498, p = 0.002), and body temperature (r = 0.372, p = 0.023). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis identified gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (AUC = 0.66), AST (AUC = 0.63), and NEFA (AUC = 0.58) as moderate predictors of low milk lactose levels. Conversely, Fe (AUC = 0.66) and reticulorumen pH (AUC = 0.64) showed moderate ability to predict higher lactose content. These results support the integration of milk lactose, liver enzymes, and inflammatory biomarkers into precision health monitoring protocols. The combined use of CRP and milk lactose as complementary biomarkers may enhance the early identification of metabolic stress and support more targeted dairy herd health management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Dairy Cows' Stress, Health, and Nutrition)
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