Heat Stress in Farm Animals: Impacts and Mitigation Strategies
A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Farm Animal Production".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 November 2025 | Viewed by 2
Special Issue Editor
Interests: heat stress; cellular stress responses; animal bioclimatology; ethology; welfare; traceability and certification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Climate change is currently under discussion worldwide; long-term changes in temperature patterns are causing marked alterations in the climates of different regions, leading to an increase in the frequency of extreme events such as a higher number of hot days or heat waves. Exposure to high temperatures can cause heat stress and compromise wellbeing, resulting in reduced production and reproduction. To guarantee the wellbeing and productive capacity of animals under high-temperature conditions, it is important to obtain better knowledge of the species and breeds that have the best genetic potential for adaptability, ensuring their ability to survive, produce, and reproduce in adverse climate conditions, especially in tropical and intertropical environments. Since animal production in the tropics can be limited, mainly due to heat stress, knowledge of the thermotolerance of the species and breeds exploited in such environments is essential. It could be an alternative to improve the performance of species under adverse climatic conditions. In addition, investigating effective strategies to reduce heat stress and promote animal health could aid positive production and economic outcomes.
Topics of interest based on this Special Issue include the following: the impact of climate change on animal production; the effects of heat stress on animal welfare, production, and reproduction; the importance of genetic adaptability and thermotolerance in livestock; strategies to mitigate heat stress in tropical and intertropical regions; and the role of sustainable breeding and management practices in enhancing productivity under extreme climatic conditions.
Dr. Cristiane Gonçalves Titto
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- reproductive performance
- growth rate
- immune system
- mitigation strategies
- environmental conditions
- animal welfare
- cooling systems
- shade
- ventilation
- thermotolerance
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