The influence of climatic factors on the quality of livestock products obtained from different breeds of cattle

Abstract

Abstract The climatic conditions of the sharply continental climate of the Stavropol Territory influenced the skin of gobies of the Kalmyk, Kazakh white-headed and Hereford breeds. During the year, the skin of animals changed, which contributed to the adaptation of the body to the climatic conditions of the dry zone. These conditions influenced the histology and morphology of the skin of 18-month-old gobies of Kalmyk, Kazakh white-headed and Hereford cattle breeds (6 animals of each breed). The results of the study showed that the greatest thickness of the skin has the Kazakh white-headed bullocks (6544±153 microns). The smallest thickness of skin was in animals of the Hereford breed (5602±140 microns). Kalmyk and Kazakh white-headed bulls had a higher content of fine (downy) hair than Hereford bulls did. The content of sebaceous glands in Kalmyk bulls was 1.5 times higher than that in Hereford bulls and 1.1 times higher than that in the Kazakh white-headed breed. The number of sweat glands in the Hereford breed was 1.4 times higher than that in animals of the Kalmyk breed and 1.3 times higher than that in the Kazakh white-headed. The highest content of type I collagen is detected in the skin of animals of Kalmyk and Kazakh white-headed breeds. The presence of a greater thickness of the dermis in combination with an increased content of sebaceous glands in the skin indicates a higher adaptive capacity of animals of the Kazakh white-headed and Kalmyk breeds of cattle to live in extreme weather conditions and affects the quality of raw materials.