Avaliação do comportamento alimentar e carga parasitária de cabras Charnequeiras em vegetação Mediterrânica
Data
2019-09-27
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Tem havido um crescente interesse em combater os estrongilídeos gastrointestinais (EGI) dos ruminantes recorrendo a alternativas à quimioprofilaxia, nomeadamente a plantas bioativas consideradas nutracêuticas. Estas merecem uma especial atenção uma vez que intervêm no combate a estes parasitas e funcionam como uma fonte de nutrientes para os animais. Terrenos marginais e de baixo valor nutritivo, cobrem grandes áreas, constituindo um recurso abundante para produção pecuária. Nestas áreas, e devido ao uso incorreto e ao abandono de atividade agropecuária, os arbustos ganharam expressão constituindo uma fonte de propagação de incêndios com severos danos em área e económicos. O conhecimento do comportamento alimentar de herbívoros domésticos, é fundamental de forma a desenvolver estratégias apropriadas de gestão de pastoreio que permitam otimizar a rentabilidade dos sistemas de produção. Neste sentido, desenvolveu-se um estudo com 26 cabras charnequeiras sem utilização de antihelmínticos sintéticos numa área arbustiva sob-coberto de Pinus pinea, com objetivo de avaliar o impacto do comportamento alimentar dos caprinos sobre a carga de EGI e sobre a comunidade arbustiva mediterrânica. As cabras pastorearam continuamente de abril a julho de 2017 entre as 9:00h e as 18:00h, realizando-se três períodos de observação do seu comportamento alimentar para avaliação das suas preferências alimentares nesta vegetação. A composição das dietas selecionadas foi estimada utilizando a técnica laboratorial de marcadores externos da cera cuticular das plantas, os n-alcanos e álcoois de cadeia longa. As espécies maioritariamente selecionadas pelos animais foram: Olea europaea var. sylvestris, Quercus coccifera, Pistacia lentiscus, Rhamnus alaternus e Rhamnus lycioides. Os resultados obtidos ao longo do ensaio demonstraram que a dieta selecionada pelas cabras demonstrou um impacto sobre os estrongilídeos, uma vez que se verificou uma redução na excreção fecal de ovos de EGI (P<0,05) Os resultados obtidos indicam que o consumo deste tipo de vegetação por parte dos caprinos contribuiu positivamente para: 1) o bem-estar animal pois permitiu reduzir a incidência das estrongiloses nas cabras; 2) o controlo da biomassa nas áreas arbustivas, promovendo simultaneamente a sua biodiversidade e prevenindo a ocorrência de fogos florestais. Apesar destes resultados serem promissores, outros estudos devem ser realizados, no sentido de se averiguar com maior detalhe as espécies arbustivas que possuem maior impacte na redução dos EGI.
There has been a growing interest in preventing ruminant gastrointestinal strongyles (EGI) using alternatives to chemoprophylaxis, namely bioactive plants considered nutracêuticals. These plants deserve special attention as they intervene in the combat of EGI and function as a source of nutrients for the animals. Marginal land of low nutritional value cover large areas, constituting an abundant resource for livestock production. Due to the misuse and abandonment of agricultural activities, shrubs have gained expression as a source of propagation of fires with severe economic damages in the forest areas. The knowledge of the feeding behaviour of domestic herbivores is fundamental, in order to develop appropriate grazing management strategies that allow optimizing the profitability of production systems. A study was carried out with 26 Charnequeira goats without the use of synthetic anthelmintics in an under-story Pinus pinea shrub area, with the objective of evaluating the impact of the feeding behaviour of goats on their EGI load and on the Mediterranean shrub community. Goats grazed continuously from April to July 2017 between 9:00 and 18:00, with three periods of observation of their feeding behaviour in order to understand their food preferences in Mediterranean vegetation. The composition of the selected diets was evaluated using the laboratory technique of external markers of cuticular plant wax, n-alkanes and long chain alcohols. The species mostly selected by the animals were Olea europaea var. sylvestris, Quercus coccifera, Pistacia lentiscus, Rhamnus alaternus and Rhamnus lycioides. The results obtained demonstrated that the diet selected by the goats seemed to have an impact on the strongyles since a reduction in EGI egg elimination (OPG) was observed (P <0.05). The results indicate a positive effect of this vegetation: 1) on the animal welfare, contributing to strongyloses reduction in goats; 2) on the control of the biomass in the shrub area, promoting their biodiversity and preventing the occurrence of forest fires. Although these results are promising, more research should be carried out in order to ascertain in more detail which shrub species have the greatest impact on EGI reduction.
There has been a growing interest in preventing ruminant gastrointestinal strongyles (EGI) using alternatives to chemoprophylaxis, namely bioactive plants considered nutracêuticals. These plants deserve special attention as they intervene in the combat of EGI and function as a source of nutrients for the animals. Marginal land of low nutritional value cover large areas, constituting an abundant resource for livestock production. Due to the misuse and abandonment of agricultural activities, shrubs have gained expression as a source of propagation of fires with severe economic damages in the forest areas. The knowledge of the feeding behaviour of domestic herbivores is fundamental, in order to develop appropriate grazing management strategies that allow optimizing the profitability of production systems. A study was carried out with 26 Charnequeira goats without the use of synthetic anthelmintics in an under-story Pinus pinea shrub area, with the objective of evaluating the impact of the feeding behaviour of goats on their EGI load and on the Mediterranean shrub community. Goats grazed continuously from April to July 2017 between 9:00 and 18:00, with three periods of observation of their feeding behaviour in order to understand their food preferences in Mediterranean vegetation. The composition of the selected diets was evaluated using the laboratory technique of external markers of cuticular plant wax, n-alkanes and long chain alcohols. The species mostly selected by the animals were Olea europaea var. sylvestris, Quercus coccifera, Pistacia lentiscus, Rhamnus alaternus and Rhamnus lycioides. The results obtained demonstrated that the diet selected by the goats seemed to have an impact on the strongyles since a reduction in EGI egg elimination (OPG) was observed (P <0.05). The results indicate a positive effect of this vegetation: 1) on the animal welfare, contributing to strongyloses reduction in goats; 2) on the control of the biomass in the shrub area, promoting their biodiversity and preventing the occurrence of forest fires. Although these results are promising, more research should be carried out in order to ascertain in more detail which shrub species have the greatest impact on EGI reduction.
Descrição
Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Zootécnica
Palavras-chave
antihelmínticos , estrongilídeos gastrointestinais