Reproductive efficiency of heifers in the new guinea highlands

Summary Bos indicus × Bos taurus heifers were exposed to bulls at four different liveweights. The age and weight at first and second conception and first calf growth rates were studied to examine the effects of uncontrolled mating prior to or at a target mating weight of 295 kg. Initial conception rate was not affected although lighter conception weights were recorded for three groups of heifers that were served when below the target weight. However, at subsequent calving only the two heavier groups calved within the 36-month trial period. The results indicated a seasonal effect on conception, 94% of the heifers conceiving during the wet season. The effect of season also influenced post-partum body weight loss, calf growth rate to weaning and subsequent conception. It is therefore an advantage to have heifers conceiving during the latter part of the wet season so that they calve early in the following wet season, provided a minimum target weight of 285 kg is reached prior to initial conception.

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Eficiencia Reproductiva De Terneras En La Sierra De Nueva Guinea

Resumen Se cruzaron ternerasBos indicus ×Bos taurus de diferentes pesos con toros reproductores. Se estudiáron así los pesos y edades a la primera y segunda parición y las tasas de crecimiento de los recién nacidos, para medir los efectos de cruzamientos incontrolados versus controlados al alcanzar las hembras un peso de 295 kg. La tasa de concepción inicial no se afectó, aunque los recién nacidos de los grupos de hembras servidas cuando tenían pesos inferiores a 295 kg, pesaron menos. Sinembargo en pariciones sucesivas, solamente las hembras servidas con pesos de 295 kg, parieron en el lapso de 36 meses que duró el experimento. Los resultados indicaron también, que la estación del año afectó las pariciones, el 94% de las hembras concibieron durante la época lluviosa. La época del año también afectó el peso posparto de los recién nacidos, la tasa de crecimiento hasta el destete y las concepciones posteriores. Es por lo tanto ventajoso cruzar las hembras durante el final de la estación lluviosa para que paran en la siguiente estación lluviosa, procurando que éstas alcancen un peso mínimo de 285 kg, antes del apareamiento.

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Efficacite Reproductrice Des Genisses Des Hautes Terres De Nouvelle Guinee

Résumé Des génisses métissesBos indicus ×Bos taurus ont été mises en présence de taureaux à 4 poids vifs différents. L'age et le poids à la première et la seconde conception ainsi que les taux de croissance du premier veau ont été étudiés pour déterminer les effets l'accouplement incontrôlé avant ou à un poids cible d'accouplement de 295 kg. Le taux initial de conception n'a pas été affecté bien que des poids plus faibles à la conception aient été observés chez trois groupes de génisses qui étaient en dessous du poids cible au moment de la saillie. Cependant, lors du vêlàge suivant, seuls les deux groupes les plus lourds ont mis bas pendant la période d'observation de 36 mois. Les résultats montrent que la saison a une influence sur la conception. 94 p. 100 des génisses conçoivent pendant la saison des pluies. La saison a aussi influencé la perte de poids après la mise-bas, le taux de croissance des veaux jusqu'au sevrage et la conception suivante. Il est donc avantageux de faire féconder les génisses pendant la seconde moitié de la saison des pluies afin qu'elles mettent bas au début de la saison des pluies suivante pourvu qu'un poids cible minimum de 285 kg soit atteint avant la fécondation.

     

Diagnostic value of intestinal alkaline phosphatase in horse serum

Antiserum directed against equine intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) was produced in rabbits and used to develop a sensitive and quantitative assay for the detection of intestinal ALP in equine serum. This assay was then used to measure the half-life of intravenously injected intestinal ALP and to determine if the intestinal ALP was present in normal horse sera, sera from horses presented for lesions not involving the gastrointestinal tract and sera from horses presented with lesions involving the gastrointestinal tract. The results suggest that intestinal ALP is not likely to appear in equine serum even when gastrointestinal disease is present and, therefore, appears to be of no diagnostic value.     

Equine herpesvirus abortion in Australia 1977 to 1982

Until 1977 no case of abortion caused by equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV1) had been recorded in Australia although the virus, called equine rhinopneumonitis virus, had been known to have been present at least since 1962. Outbreaks of EHV1 abortion occurred in New South Wales in 1977 and in 1981. Sporadic cases of EHV1 abortion had been confirmed in some parts of Australia each year since 1975. It was concluded that an abortigenic subtype of EHV1 had been introduced to Australia in 1977 and that the previously endemic respiratory subtype occasionally caused abortion. Virus isolation in a variety of cell cultures and histopathological examination of tissue were shown to be satisfactory methods of diagnosis of EHV1 abortion. Lung proved to be the specimen of choice. Slight serological differences between "abortigenic" and "respiratory" subtypes of EHV1 were found in cross neutralisation tests. A serological survey of 219 Sydney horses of various ages revealed that most yearlings had already acquired neutralising antibody to both subtypes.     

Experimental transmission of intestinal coccidiosis to piglets: clinical, parasitological and pathological findings.

Twenty-eight piglets coming from a "specific pathogen free" herd were inoculated at three days of age with 50 000 or 100 000 sporulated oocysts of Isospora suis. Fecal samples were examined for oocyst shedding daily and several clinical parameters were recorded. Ten piglets were used as normal controls. Groups of piglets were euthanized from three days to 12 days postinoculation and routine necropsies were performed. Bacteriological, virological, parasitological and histopathological examinations were made on the intestinal tracts. The incubation period was four to five days. Clinical signs and microscopic intestinal lesions observed in the experimentally infected animals were similar to those reported in spontaneous cases of porcine neonatal coccidiosis. Lesions of villous atrophy in the small intestine seemed to result from the destruction of villous epithelial cells mainly during the peak of asexual reproduction which occurred around four to five days postinoculation. Intracellular coccidial organisms were difficult to find during the late atrophic and villous regrowth stages of the intestinal lesions. The prepatent period varied from four to seven days and the most common was five days. Eighty percent of the piglets kept alive more than four days postinoculation have shed oocysts. Piglets dosed with old sporulated oocysts (ten months old) shed many more oocysts than those infected with a fresh inoculum (less than two months old). The patent period was not determined precisely with the design of the experiment but some of the infected piglets shed oocysts for at least five days.     

Further characterization of dandelion yellow mosaic virus from lettuce and dandelion

A damaging virus isolated in the Netherlands from lettuce was studied and compared with a virus isolated from dandelion orginating from Czechoslovakia. It was found to biologically resemble dandelion yellow mosaic virus incompletely described from dandelion and lettuce in Great Britain (Kassanis, 1944, 1947) and from dandelion in Germany (Hein, 1963). Mechanical transmission was greatly improved by buffer solution and transmission byMyzus persicae seemed to be in the non-persistent manner. Longevity in vitro of the virus hardly exceeded one day. Thermal inactivation was between 60 and 65 °C and the dilution end-point was between 10 000 and 100 000. It was still infectious in leaf material dried and stored over CaCl₂ at 4 °C for 6 1/2 years. The virus was isolated and purified with difficulty and was found to consist of one type of spherical particle of ca 30 nm diameter, with a sedimentation coefficient of 159 S, a buoyant density of 1.42 g.cm^?3 and an A₂₆₀/A₂₈₀ ratio of 1.67. An antiserum was prepared with a titre of 256 in the agar double-diffusion test. The virus could be identified in crude extracts from lettuce andChenopodium amaranticolor by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), but not by agar double diffusion. It could only be visualized in crude sap in the electron microscope after trapping of virus particles on antiserum-coated grids. The virus cannot yet be assigned to any known virus group. It is of potential economic importance to lettuce because of its occurrence in widely differing regions in Europe, its aggressiveness and virulence on 22 out of 23 lettuce cultivars tested (and on endive) and its pathogenicity toLactuca genotypes which are resistant to lettuce mosaic virus and other important pathogens of lettuce. ‘Laibacher Eis’ was the only cultivar showing some tolerance.     

EFFECT OF PARAQUAT ON MICROBIAL ACTIVITIES IN SOILS*

Summary. When paraquat was added to four different soils, nitrification was not appreciably affected but ammonification of soil organic-matter nitrogen was slightly retarded. Carbon dioxide evolution as well as oxygen consumption was used as an index of metabolic activity of soil micro-organisms and paraquat had a stimulatory effect at higher concentrations. Oxidation of added sulphur was slightly depressed. Paraquat decreased both the total mould and bacterial populations in Chehalis silt loam. After 30 days incubation the percentages of Streptomyces and Penicillia were markedly increased by most treatments but were little affected in Chehalis silt clay and Woodburn soils. Except for the temporary suppression of nitrification, paraquat had no significant influence on general microbial activities of importance to soil fertility. Some bimodal effects or toxicity inversions were observed with intermediate concentrations. Effet du paraquat sur les activités microbiennes dans les sols