Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVII, Issue 2
Written by Constantin PASCAL, Ionică NECHIFOR, Marian Alexandru FLOREA
Although climate change is a certainty in the current era, very few people are aware of the medium and long-term effects it may cause. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to assess the impact of climate change on the breeding season of Karakul of Botoșani ewes. The research relied on the analysis and interpretation of data concerning the time interval when the first ewes exhibited sexual heat and when over 50% of the total number of ewes assigned for mating were mounted, spanning each season between 2000 and 2022. The biological material studied consisted of a representative population of adult ewes belonging to the Botoșani Karakul sheep breed, located at the Research Station for Sheep and Goats Breeding, in Popăuți-Botoșani. The obtained data highlight that between 2000 and 2011, the first ewes were mounted at the end of August (when the temperature was around 15°C). For the reproduction seasons between 2011 and 2022, it is observed that the period in which the first ewes exhibit sexual cycles shifted towards the middle of September (when the temperature at 8 AM remained around 15°C). Moreover, the period when over 50% of ewes exhibited sexual cycles and accepted mating also shifted towards the latter part of September and the first half of October. Under these conditions, it can be said that the third heat cycle, in which the proportion of mounted ewes exceeded 95%, shifted towards the first half of November.
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