Influência do ambiente térmico no desempenho reprodutivo de fêmeas suínas.

Abstract

Swine reproductive data related to a period of four years (2000 to 2003) from a swine production farm with 1,650 sows, located in Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil, were analyzed with the objective of evaluating the sows’ reproductive performance variables. For that region and for each month, temperature-humidity indexes (THI) were determined, and the thermal zones were delimited as follows: thermal comfort (61<THI 65), intermediary (65<THI 69) and thermal stress (69<THI 73). Among the analyzed variables, the following ones were influenced by the calculated THI: piglets death rate, more occurrences in the thermal stress zone; disposal rate, higher value in the thermal stress zone; mummified percentage, higher values in the thermal stress zone and in the intermediary zone; birth rate, higher value in the intermediary zone; weaned piglets per sow, greater number in the intermediary zone; weight average per weaned litter, higher value in the thermal comfort zone; litter weight average at 21 days, higher values in the thermal comfort zone and in the intermediary zone. It is concluded that values of THI between 61 and 65 has influenced in a positive way the sows’ reproductive performance parameters.