Influence of electromagnetic stimulation on secreting oxytocin and milk production in dairy cows under the heat stress

LJiljana Andjušić; Zoran Milankov; Dušan Marić; Božidar Milošević; Radojica Djoković; Valentina Milanović; Željko Savić; Mile Savović; Marko Cincovic

LJiljana Andjušić Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Lešak, University of Priština, Serbia,
Zoran Milankov Dental Clinic, ‘Tusk’; Novi Sad, Serbia,
Dušan Marić Institute for child and mother health of Vojvodina, Faculty of Medicine, Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
Božidar Milošević Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Lešak, University of Priština, Serbia
Radojica Djoković Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agronomy Cacak, University of Kragujevac, Serbia
Valentina Milanović Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Lešak, University of Priština, Serbia
Željko Savić Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Lešak, University of Priština, Serbia
Mile Savović PVA Medicus, Bukovac, Serbia
Marko Cincovic Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture Novi Sad; University of Novi Sad; Serbia

Keywords: electromagnetic stimulation, dairy cows, oxytocin, milk yield, heat stress

Abstract

The release of oxytocin (OT) and milk ejection are most important for rapid and complete milk secretion and production. Inhibition of OT release and decrease in milk production has been observed in dairy cows during heat stress. The influence of electromagnetic stimulation (EMS) of whole body on the concentration of OT in the blood and milk yield in Holstein cows during a moderate heat stress has been tested. The study includes an experimental (n=30) and a control (n=30) group of cows. Experimental animals were affected by a unique bio-informational EMS protocol of three weeks duration. Heat stress leads to decrease in milk production in control but not in experimental group of cows. The significantly higher (p<0.001) concentration of OT in the blood and higher milk production (p<0.05) was found in the experimental group. Dynamic changes in the concentration of OT and milk produced during the experiment show positive correlation (R²=0.31; p<0.01) in experimental but not in control group of cows. EM stimulation showed tendency (R²=0.08; p<0.1) to increase milk production despite the rise in the temperature humidity index (stress load) in experimental, but not in control dairy cows. This needs further research with rigor experimental protocol.