This work was conducted in the State Company of Agricultural Research of Paraíba S.A. (EMEPA-PB), in the district of Soledade, with the objective of evaluating the physiologic parameters (breathing frequency, heart frequency and rectal temperature) and thermal variation (between rectal and skin temperature and between skin and air temperature) of Santa Inês and Morada Nova sheep and their crossbreeds F1 with the Dorper sheep, under to the climatic conditions of the semi-arid Northeastern. Thirty sheep were used, of five different genotypes, distributed in a random customized design, in a factorial outline 5 x 2; five genotypes (Santa Inês, Morada Nova, 1/2Santa Inês + 1/2Dorper, 1/2Santa Inês + 1/2Morada Nova, 1/2Morada Nova + 1/2Dorper) vs two shifts (morning and afternoon), with 6 repetitions. Interaction was detected among variables genotype and shift. There was significant effect (P<0,05) among genotypes only on the variables heart frequency and thermal variation between skin and air temperature, in the shift of the morning. The shift influenced significantly (P <0,05) all the analyzed physiologic parameters. It is concluded that Santa Inês, and Morada Nova sheep and their crossbreeds with the Dorper sheep showed to have high adaptability in the semi-arid conditions of Brazil.
Adaptability; heat stress; genetic groups; physiologic responses
