Phenotyping pigs' response to heat stress

Production and Welfare
01 April 2018
Completed Project
Genetics, Heat stress, Welfare
Project goal

This project set out to:

  1. To develop an innovative test procedure using an in-vitro model that can quantify an individual’s response to heat stress, which will potentially provide a tool for future multi-disciplinary research into heat stress
  2. To demonstrate that the in-vitro test results were correlated with other physical measures of an animal’s response to heat stress in an experimental setting

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Project summary

This project aimed to develop a simple in-vitro test which could indicate an individual animal's response to heat stress.

Value for producers:

  • Potential to select animals with improved tolerance for heat stress in commercial breeding programs

Recommendations:

  • This study successfully developed an in-vitro test that produced phenotypes representing an individual pig's response to heat stress, but required blood sampling. Other less invasive test were unsuccessful
  • Timing of the test was sensitive and somewhat limiting; either the same test applied at two different stages were not measuring the same phenotype, and/or the phenotype was not repeatable
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Final report

Final report - 2016/082
Research enquiries