Invited paper Energy efficiency of cattle in grazing production systems
Abstract
En las últimas décadas el aumento de la población mundial y la mejora del poder adquisitivo de los países en desarrollo han determinado una demanda creciente y sostenida de alimentos, en particular de proteínas animales como la carne bovina (FAO, 2023). Este aumento en la demanda estuvo acompañado de un aumento en la producción que, a la vez, ha tenido consecuencias ambientales, como el incremento en la deforestación y de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) asociados con la ganadería. En este sentido, se ha demostrado que el aumento de la productividad por unidad de área es más ventajoso en términos ambientales, que el aumento del área destinada a producción. Esta intensificación de la producción incrementa los flujos de energía y nutrientes, y expone a los sistemas a nuevos desafíos biológicos, económicos y ambientales. Este contexto ha llevado a un creciente interés por la eficiencia animal y, en particular, en el sector ganadero como una manera de satisfacer la demanda de carne, ahorrar insumos y reducir costos e impactos al medioambiente, de manera de mejorar la rentabilidad y la sostenibilidad ambiental de los sistemas de producción de carne. Los estudios aquí descriptos demuestran que el índice RHP puede ser utilizado para evaluar la eficiencia alimenticia individual, así como de manejos nutricionales en animales en pastoreo donde no es posible determinar el consumo individual de alimento en forma precisa. La RHP valora la eficiencia metabólica y está asociado a menores costos de mantenimiento de los animales o manejos más eficientes. nuevas investigaciones deberán continuar evaluando el efecto tanto de la selección por RFI o RHP en otros estados fisiológicos o funciones productivas (gestación-lactación) y niveles de alimentación (mantenimiento vs. ganancia) así como también su asociación con las emisiones de CH4.
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References
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