Maria Consuelo Mura

Shearing is a stressful procedure for sheep, combining isolation, restraint, and the mechanical action of shearing, which activates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and induces oxidative stress. This study investigated whether melatonin—a pleiotropic hormone with well-documented antioxidant properties—administration could modulate the stress response and oxidative stress in Sarda sheep during shearing. Forty lactating ewes (aged 3–5 years, mean body weight 41 ± 1.1 kg) were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10 each): two groups received a subcutaneous melatonin implant (18 mg); two remained untreated as controls. Within each category, one group was shorn and the other subjected only to restraint. Blood samples were collected before, during, and after shearing to measure cortisol, glucose, reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs), biological antioxidant potential (BAP), and oxidative stress index (OSI). Procedures elevated cortisol, glucose, ROMs, and OSI in all groups, but melatonin treatment significantly reduced these parameters and increased BAP relative to untreated animals at all sampling points (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between shorn and unshorn animals within the same treatment, suggesting that the handling, restraint, and isolation associated with the shearing procedure represent the major sources of stress, rather than the mechanical act of shearing itself. In conclusion, melatonin administration blunts the stress response and reduces oxidative stress in sheep during routine shearing-related handling procedures, suggesting its potential as a practical tool to improve animal welfare during routine management practices.

The dairy sheep, vital to the Mediterranean economy, struggles to balance productivity, sustainability, and animal welfare, especially in extensive, small-scale systems. Precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies offer new opportunities by enabling continuous, non-invasive, and data-driven monitoring across diverse farming conditions. Despite rapid progress in sensors, computer vision, wearable devices, and artificial intelligence (AI), a comprehensive synthesis focused on dairy sheep remains limited. This review provides an updated overview of PLF applications in dairy sheep farming, based on a literature review. The 2018–2025 timeframe was chosen to capture recent advances in Internet of Things (IoT), AI, and sensor technologies that have achieved practical relevance only in recent years. The review identifies core technological domains such as automated weight and body condition monitoring, biometric identification, wearable and IoT-based sensors, localization systems, behavioral and thermal monitoring, virtual fencing, drone-assisted herding, and advanced decision-support tools. Innovations including lightweight deep-learning models, multimodal sensing frameworks, and digital twins highlight the growing potential for scalable, real-time applications. While technological progress is substantial, practical adoption is hindered by economic, technical, interoperability, and ethical barriers. This review consolidates current evidence and identifies future priorities to guide the development of integrated, welfare-focused PLF solutions for dairy sheep farming.

This study aimed to detect genetic variations in key genes (BMPR1B, BMP15 and GDF9) that influence crucial reproductive traits, such as lambing rate and litter size in sheep. Understanding the genetic basis of these traits is essential for developing more efficient breeding strategies and selecting superior breeding stock, ultimately contributing to improved reproductive efficiency across different sheep breeds, production purposes and farming systems. We examined polymorphisms in the above genes across 500 adult ewes from three Mediterranean countries. The studied breeds included high‐yielding dairy (Sarda), dual‐purpose with a meat focus (Awassi) and medium‐to‐low dairy and meat breeds (Slovenian Bovška, Istrian Pramenka and Jezersko‐Solčavska). Genetic variations were analysed and correlated with reproductive efficiency, including the interval in days from ram introduction to lambing based on lambing dates. This was used to assess the potential influence of these genes on follicular maturation and oocyte developmental competence. The analysis identified 15 polymorphisms distributed differently among the breeds, with the Sarda exhibiting 11 SNPs and the Awassi 13. The Slovenian breeds showed distinct genetic variation patterns potentially linked to their production goals. However, no significant association was observed between the identified polymorphisms and the analysed reproductive traits. Further studies on other genes regulating bone morphogenetic protein expression, such as the Gremlin 1 (GREM1) gene, may provide additional insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying reproductive traits.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between body condition score (BCS) and reproductive recovery in Sarda dairy breed ewes, as well as its association with some hematochemical parameters, focusing on the male effect as a method to induce out-of-season ovulation. The male effect is commonly used in sheep farming as an alternative to hormonal treatments, but its success can be influenced by factors such as BCS. In this experiment, 200 healthy lactating ewes (aged 3–5 years) were divided into four groups based on BCS (2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5). BCS was measured on a 1–5 scale by touching the amounts of muscling and fat deposition in the loin region. On 15 May, 10 rams of proven fertility were introduced, and removed 50 days later. Blood samples were collected at days 15, 30, and 50 for glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, total protein, and albumin analysis, along with BCS evaluations. Lambing dates, fertility rates, litter size, and the time from ram introduction to lambing were recorded. The results showed that ewes with a higher BCS (3.0 and 3.5) had improved fertility rates, earlier lambing, and a better overall reproductive performance compared to ewes with a lower BCS (2.0 and 2.5). Higher BCS groups also exhibited higher levels of glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides. The study concluded that a BCS of 3.0 is optimal for reproductive efficiency in Sarda ewes during the male effect in spring, promoting better reproductive outcomes and animal welfare without the need for hormonal treatments.

This study aimed to evaluate the discrepancies between genetic and visual coat color assignment in the Sarcidano Horse and to elucidate potential reasons. Individual DNA from 90 Sarcidano Horses was used for genetic assignment of coat color to explore the correspondence with individual forms containing phenotypical traits. The MC1R exon 1 and ASIP exon 3 have been genotyped and sequenced to obtain a picture of the coat color distribution in this breed. Surprisingly, once we compared the genetic results with the individual forms reporting the phenotypic data for each subject, a certain degree of non-correspondence between the phenotypic and genetic data in relation to coat color emerged. From the genetic analysis, Chestnuts (n = 58) resulted the most common Sarcidano Horse (n = 58), followed by a quite large number of Blacks (n = 28) and a very small number of Bays (n = 4), whereas phenotypic distribution resulted in 38 Chestnuts, 40 Bays, only 2 Blacks, and 10 Grays (without the possibility of recognizing the true color they carried). Chestnut resulted a very representative coat color, while many horses that visually identified as Bays were genetically Blacks. This discrepancy, that could be due to a variety of individual and external factors, including age, time of year, living situation and dietary condition, suggesting the importance of accurate coat color identification to ensure adequate features registration and reliable prediction of offspring’s coat color.

This study aimed to evaluate the discrepancies between genetic and visual coat color assignment in the Sarcidano Horse and to elucidate potential reasons. Individual DNA from 90 Sarcidano Horses was used for genetic assignment of coat color to explore the correspondence with individual forms containing phenotypical traits. The MC1R exon 1 and ASIP exon 3 have been genotyped and sequenced to obtain a picture of the coat color distribution in this breed. Surprisingly, once we compared the genetic results with the individual forms reporting the phenotypic data for each subject, a certain degree of non-correspondence between the phenotypic and genetic data in relation to coat color emerged. From the genetic analysis, Chestnuts (n = 58) resulted the most common Sarcidano Horse (n = 58), followed by a quite large number of Blacks (n = 28) and a very small number of Bays (n = 4), whereas phenotypic distribution resulted in 38 Chestnuts, 40 Bays, only 2 Blacks, and 10 Grays (without the possibility of recognizing the true color they carried). Chestnut resulted a very representative coat color, while many horses that visually identified as Bays were genetically Blacks. This discrepancy, that could be due to a variety of individual and external factors, including age, time of year, living situation and dietary condition, suggesting the importance of accurate coat color identification to ensure adequate features registration and reliable prediction of offspring’s coat color.

Melatonin receptor MT1, encoded by the MTNR1A gene, is the main one involved in the seasonal regulation of reproductive activity. A correlation between this gene polymorphism and reproductive performance has been demonstrated in sheep. To date, no data about MTNR1A gene polymorphism are available regarding Italian goat breeds other than the Sarda goat. This study aimed to detect any PCR-RFLP polymorphic sites of MTNR1A using MnlI and RsaI enzymes in Northern Italian goat breeds, which are characterized by a pronounced reproductive seasonality. One-hundred-eight adult female goats belonging to four different breeds were included in the study (i.e., Frisa Valtellinese, n = 29; Orobica, n = 23; Lariana, n = 29; Camosciata delle Alpi, n = 27). Blood was sampled from each goat. Genomic DNA was extracted from each sample and the main part of exon II of MTNR1A gene was amplified by PCR and digested with MnlI and RsaI enzymes. Unexpectedly, none of the fragments were found to be polymorphic. The absence of polymorphism may be linked to the macro group of goat breeds that evolved during human migrations. Breeds of the Alpine–European strain would appear to show no polymorphism, as confirmed by our study, whereas breeds belonging to the Mediterranean–African or Asian–Middle Eastern strains do.

The aim of the present research was to evaluate the association between the SNPs rs430181568 and rs407388227 located in the MTNR1A gene with the reproductive recovery of Sarda sheep in different months of ram introduction in the flock (February, March, April and May). In order to address this research gap, we selected two farms, each of which consisted of approximately 1000 animals; a total of 800 ewes (400 for each farm) were genotyped for the two single nucleotide polymorphisms rs430181568 and rs407388227 located in the exon 2 of the MTNR1A. These SNPs are completely linked; thus, each genotype of rs430181568 corresponded to the same genotype for rs407388227. Among the genotyped animals, 240 individuals were selected and divided into four homogeneous groups (A, B, C and D) of 60 subjects, each group based on age (range 3–6 years old), body condition score (BCS) (range 2.0–4.0) and genotype (20 ewes carrying CC/CC, 20 CT/CT and 20 TT/TT genotype). The dates of the ram introduction in each group were 15 February, 15 March, 15 April and 15 May, respectively. In all groups, the lambing date and the number of lambs born from 150 to 220 days after the ram introduction were recorded. In all the groups, the genotypes CC/CC and CT/CT of the polymorphism (rs430181568 and rs407388227) showed the greatest fertility (the ratio between the number of lambed ewes and the ewes exposed to the rams) (p < 0.01) and the shortest distance between ram introduction to lambing (p < 0.01), compared with the TT/TT genotype. In conclusion, we determined that the polymorphisms rs430181568 and rs407388227 were associated with reproductive recovery, after ram introduction, even in February and March, months subsequent to the photorefractoriness period.

The goal of this study was to contribute to the general knowledge of the Sarcidano Horse, both by the identification of the genetic basis of the coat color and by updating the exact locations of the genotyping sites, based on the current EquCab3.0 genome assembly version. One-hundred Sarcidano Horses, living in semi-feral condition, have been captured to perform health and biometric checks. From that total number, 70 individual samples of whole blood were used for DNA extraction, aimed to characterize the genetic basis of the coat color. By genotyping and sequencing analyses of the MC1R Exon 1 and ASIP Exon 3, a real image of the coat color distribution in the studied population has been obtained. Chestnut and Black resulted in the most representative coat colors both from a phenotypic and genotypic point of view, that is suggestive of no human domestication or crossbreeding with domestic breed. Due to its ancient origin and genetic isolation, an active regional plan for the conservation of this breed would be desirable, focused on maintenance of resident genotypes and genetic resources. Collection and management of DNA, sperm, embryos, with the involvement of research centers and Universities, could be a valid enhancing strategy.

Stakeholders place great emphasis upon rationalizing the management and rearing techniques which are utilized within sheep farms. The present study aimed to investigate factors which may improve the reproductive performance of melatonin-treated Sardinian sheep via a series of three trials. The first trial (n = 100) investigated the effect of melatonin treatment alongside body condition score (BCS), the second trial (n = 150) investigated the effect of treatment alongside the date of treatment (treatment period) and the third trial (n = 150) investigated the effect of treatment alongside the previous lambing of the ewes. The findings indicated that melatonin is an effective tool for anticipating and improving the reproductive activity of in Sarda breed sheep during the springtime. Furthermore, to obtain optional results, melatonin implantation should be conducted in April, in ewes that have a BCS of >2.5 and that have passed their third month of lactation.