Vol. 10, Issue 12, Part D (2025)

The present investigation entitled “Evaluation of Phule Amrutkal mobile application for estimation of Temperature Humidity Index (THI) in cattle” was conducted at Indigenous Cattle Research cum Training Centre, Division of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Science, College of Agriculture, Pune to assess the correlation between THI values and physiological responses of animals. Thirty clinically healthy cattle, comprising animals of Indigenous and Crossbreed, maintained under uniform feeding and management conditions, were monitored across summer, monsoon, and winter seasons. Open-source data was obtained by Mobile application “Phule Amrutkal”. Physiological responses demonstrated breed-specific variation. Indigenous cattle exhibited stable morning respiration rates (RR 17-21 breaths/min) with weak or negative THI correlations (r=-0.17 to 0.15), reflecting greater thermotolerance. Crossbreeds, however, showed stronger positive correlations (morning r=0.33-0.57, afternoon r=0.82) with elevated RR (up to 43.33 breaths/min in summer), indicating higher sensitivity to thermal load. Rectal temperature (RT) and pulse rate (PR) correlated moderately with THI in crossbreds during mornings, but weaker in afternoons due to adaptive thermoregulation. Non-invasive indicators such as muzzle temperature (MT) and skin temperature (ST) displayed strong afternoon correlations with THI (r=0.67-0.71), confirming their reliability in field assessment. In afternoon Body temperature (BT) showed consistently strong associations (Indigenous r=0.40, Crossbreed r=0.50), establishing it as a robust heat stress biomarker. Pulse rate (PR) and rectal temp (RT) showed less sensitivity while Respiration rate (RR), Ear temp (ET), Muzzle temp (MT), Body temp (BT), Skin temp (ST) showed greater sensitivity and more fluctuations. Indigenous cattle showed better adaptability than crossbred cattle.
Seasonal analysis revealed that summer (March-May) imposed the highest thermal stress, with crossbreds recording peak physiological strain. Monsoon reduced heat load due to rainfall, but humidity stress persisted. Post-monsoon and late winter showed residual or diurnal heat stress effects, particularly in crossbreds. Overall, indigenous cattle demonstrated superior heat resilience, while crossbreds were more vulnerable, with THI derived from IMD and sensors proving more reliable for assessing diurnal stress dynamics.
The THI values derived from the Phule Amrutkal mobile application provide reliable estimates of actual temperature and humidity, thereby enabling accurate calculation of THI. These accurate estimations are instrumental in adopting timely adaptive measures to mitigate the impact of heat stress in livestock management.