Year: 2026 | Month: February | Volume 16 | Issue 1
Influence of Seasonal Meteorological Factors on Infertility of Cross Bred Dairy Cattle
S. Parvathy1*
C.R. Neeraja1
U. Preethi2 and T. Jaisymol3
DOI:10.30954/2277-940X.01.2026.5
Abstract:
Seasonal changes significantly influence the reproductive performance of dairy animals. In Kerala, temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall are the major determining meteorological factors. An exploratory study was conducted at ICAR–Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kollam utilizing the season wise meteorological data from District Agro-Met Unit (DAMU) supported by India Meteorological Department (IMD) to assess infertility problems mainly anoestrus, repeat breeding, and prolonged oestrus, in dairy cattle of Kollam district, Kerala. Data were collected for a period of three years (January 2022–January 2025) from the Infertility Veterinary Hospital register maintained at Krishi Vigyan Kendra and meteorological parameters from the District Agro-Met Unit’s Automatic Weather Station. Weather patterns were classified into four quarters: South-west Monsoon, North-east Monsoon, Winter, and Summer. The weather parameters were analysed for monthly, seasonal, and yearly patterns, and the findings are discussed. A total of 1009 cycles of crossbred dairy cattle were monitored to examine the association between various seasons and infertility conditions. Repeat breeding (52.69 per cent of the cases), was the most predominant infertility condition observed in both cows and heifers in Kollam district. Significantly higher cases of prolonged oestrus (39.2 per cent) were recorded during the South-west Monsoon season. The peak occurrence of repeat breeding (51.93 per cent) and anoestrus (52.70 per cent) was reported during the summer months, along with significantly higher (p < 0.01) maximum temperature (35.80 ± 1.90 °C) and average temperature (28.55 ± 0.91 °C) values. These findings suggest that meteorological parameters, particularly temperature, is the major factor associated with infertility problems in the dairy sector.
Highlights
- Repeat breeding was the most common infertility condition in both cows and heifers.
- Highest incidence of repeat breeding and anoestrus occurred during summer.
- Increased infertility during summer is strongly associated with meteorological factors.
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