Geostatistics applied to evaluation of thermal conditions and noise in compost dairy barns with different ventilation systems
¹Federal University of Lavras, Engineering Department, BR37200-000, Lavras - Minas Gerais, Brazil
²University of Florence, Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, Via San Bonaventura, 13, IT50145 Firenze, Italy
*Correspondence: flavio.damasceno@deg.ufla.br
Abstract:
The objective of this work was to evaluate the spatial distribution of thermal conditions and bed variables in compost dairy barns with different ventilation systems, through the technique of geostatistics. The experiment was conducted in April 2017, in farms located in Madre de Deus, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Three facilities were evaluated with different ventilation systems: natural (NV); mechanical of low volume and high speed (LVHS); and mechanical of high volume and low speed (HVLS). The interior of the premises was divided into 40 meshes equidistant points, in which air temperature, relative humidity and air speed were manually collected. Geostatistics technique was used to assess the spatial dependence of the variables. The results showed the occurrence of dependence and spatial variability of the variables evaluated. Based on thermal comfort indexes, it was concluded that dairy cows were under stress conditions during the hottest hours of the day in the three animal facilities evaluated. The results obtained allow us to understand that the thermal environment is more influenced by the ventilation system adopted.
Key words:
animal welfare, compost barns, dairy cattle, geostatistics