Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-sxzjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T11:00:36.413Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Localization of metabolic restriction point in cows of differing genetic merit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2018

A. Sorensen
Affiliation:
Hannah Research Institute, Ayr KA6 5HL
C. H. Knight
Affiliation:
Hannah Research Institute, Ayr KA6 5HL
Get access

Abstract

Milk synthesis and secretion have a high priority in the metabolism of the lactating cow. At peak lactation the nutrient needs of the mammary gland are of such magnitude relative to total metabolism that the udder has been compared with a parasite. The question arises: has the udder taken control of the cow? The aim of this study was to investigate whether the metabolic restriction point determining maximum milk output is localized at the level of the mammary gland itself or elsewhere in the body. The results indicate that the restriction point determining the maximum metabolic capacity is not localized in the udder as indicated by the ability of the mammary tissue to increase further its rate of milk secretion and therefore the maximum capacity is determined at the level of the whole body.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bauman, D. E. and Currie, W.B. 1980. Partitioning of nutrients during pregnancy and lactation: a review of mechanisms involving homeostasis and homeorhesis. Journal of Dairy Research 63:15141529.Google ScholarPubMed
Beever, D. E., Cattimeli, S.B., Sutton, J. D., Rowe, N. and Perrott, G.E. 1998. Energy metabolism in high yielding dairy cows. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 1998, p. 13.Google Scholar
Davis, S. R., Collier, R. J., McNamara, J. P., Head, H. H. and Sussman, W. 1988. Effects of thyroxine and growth hormone treatment of dairy cows on milk yield, cardiac output and mammary blood flow. Journal of Animal Science 66: 7079.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flatt, W. P., Moe, P. W., Munson, A. W. and Cooper, T. 1969. Energy utilization by high producing dairy cows. II Summary of energy balance experiments with lactating Holstein cows. Fourth European Association for Animal Production symposium on energy metabolism of farm animals. Oriel Press.Google Scholar
Herbein, J. H., Aiello, R. J., Eckler, L. I., Pearson, R. E. and Akers, R. M. 1985. Glucagon, insulin, growth hormone and glucose in blood plasma of lactating cows. Journal of Dairy Science 68:320325.Google Scholar
Knight, C. H. 1992. Milk yield responses to sequential treatments with recombinant bovine somatotropin and frequent milking in lactating goats. Journal of Dairy Research 59:243252.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Knight, C. H. 1997. Compensatory mammary growth : biochemical radar in regulation of tissue development. In Biological signalling and the mammary gland, pp. 6576. Hannah Research Institute, Ayr.Google Scholar
Knight, C. H., Beever, D. E. and Sorensen, A. 1999. Metabolic loads to be expected from different genotypes under different systems. In Metabolic stress in dairy cows (ed. Oldham, J. D., Simm, G., Groen, A. F., Nielsen, B. L., Pryce, J. E. and Lawrence, T. L. J.), pp. 2735. British Society of Animal Science, occasional publication no. 24. Google Scholar
Knight, C. H., Hillerton, J. E., Kerr, M. A., Teverson, R. M., Turvey, A. and Wilde, C. J. 1992. Separate and additive stimulation of bovine milk yield by the local and systemic galactopoietic stimuli of frequent milking and growth hormone. Journal of Dairy Research 59:243252.Google Scholar
Knight, C. H., Peaker, M. and Wilde, C. J. 1998. Local control of mammary development and function. Reviews of Reproduction 3:104112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linzell, J. L. 1967. The effect of very frequent milking and of oxytocin on the yield and composition of milk in fed and fasted goats. Journal of Physiology 190: 333346.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sorensen, A., Alamer, M. and Knight, C. H. 1998. Physiological characteristics of high genetic merit and low genetic merit dairy cows: a comparison. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 1998, p. 4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilde, C. J., Addey, C. V. P., Bryson, J. M., Finch, L. M.B., Knight, C. H. and Peaker, M. 1997. Autocrine regulation of milk secretion. Biochemical Society Symposium 63:8190.Google Scholar