建设农民的精神家园——浅议推进“农家书屋”的科学可持续发展

从＂农家书屋＂的现状分析,探究＂农家书屋＂建设中所存在的问题,并提出进一步推进＂农家书屋＂科学可持续发展,从而在农村文化建设中发挥更大作用的对策。     

The Eucalyptus shoot and leaf pathogen Teratosphaeria destructans recorded in South Africa

Species of Teratosphaeria include some of the most important fungal pathogens of plantation-grown eucalypt trees. During routine disease surveys, symptoms and signs of leaf spot and blight were observed on the foliage of one-year-old E. grandis × E. urophylla hybrids in the Zululand region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. These were distinct from those caused by the well-known and leaf-infecting fungus Teratosphaeria suttonii, which is not considered an important pathogen in the country. Culture and morphological characteristics as well as DNA sequences for three gene regions were used to compare the fungus isolated from the newly emerging symptoms with those for known Teratosphaeria species. DNA sequences were the same as those for T. destructans and this was consistent with the distinctive morphology of the asexual spores and the symptoms on leaves. Teratosphaeria destructans is an aggressive pathogen and actions will be needed to ensure that it does not impart serious losses to the local forestry industry.     

Canopy height measurements and non‐destructive biomass estimation of Lolium perenne swards using UAV imagery

In perennial ryegrass breeding programmes, dry‐matter yield (DMY) of individual plots is monitored destructively at the different cuts or derived from non‐destructive canopy height measurements using devices like rising plate meters (RPM). These approaches both have constraints. Destructive sampling implies low temporal resolution, restraining the study of dry‐matter accumulation rates, while RPM measurements are influenced by the canopy structure and limit intra‐field variability identification. We present a phenotyping methodology, based on the use of an affordable RGB camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), to monitor the spatial and temporal evolution of canopy height and to estimate DMY. Weekly flights were carried out from April to October above a field comprising a diverse set of accessions. To test the capacity of UAV imagery to estimate canopy height, 8 ground control points and 28 artificial height references were placed at different locations. Accurate flights with an RMSE as low as 0.94 cm were achieved. In addition, canopy height was recorded using an RPM and destructive biomass samples were collected. Different models (linear, multiple linear, principal components, partial least squares regression and random forest) were used to predict DMY, and their performance was evaluated. The best estimations were obtained by combining variables including canopy height, vegetation indices and environmental data in a multiple linear regression (R² = .81). All models built using UAV data obtained a lower RMSE than the one using RPM data. The approach presented is a possibility for breeders to incorporate new information in their selection process.     

Predicting intake and digestibility using mathematical models of ruminal function

Intake and digestibility of feeds by ruminants are influenced by characteristics of the feed, animal and feeding situation. Integration of these characteristics in mathematical models is critical to future progress in forage evaluation and optimal formulation of diets for ruminants. The physiological and physical theories of intake regulation can be described by simple mathematical equations. These equations indicate that intake is a linear function of animal characteristics, such as body weight and production level, and a reciprocal function of feed characteristics, such as fill effect and energy content. Theoretical equations were developed to predict intake when the neutral detergent fiber and energy content of the diet and the energy requirements of the animal are known. The theoretical model also can be used to predict the maximum intake that will maintain a given level of animal production by solving the physiological and physical intake equations at their intersection. Psychogenic intake regulation, which is related to the animal's behavioral response to factors not related to physiological or physical characteristics, can be described mathematically as a multiplier. Digestibility can be predicted by summing the contents of ideal nutritive entities in feeds, which have true digestibilities near 100%, subtracting their associated endogenous losses and adding the variable digestible fiber content. Steady-state models indicate fractional rates of digestion and passage can be used to define ideal nutritive entities and predict digestibility over a range of kinetic characteristics. The steady-state solutions are particularly useful in understanding and predicting the depression in digestibility associated with changes in rates of passage at high levels of feed intake.     

Mechanical maceration of alfalfa

Maceration is an intensive forage-conditioning process that can increase field drying rates by as much as 300%. Because maceration shreds the forage and reduces its rigidity, improvements in bulk density, silage compaction, and ensiling characteristics have been observed. Macerating forage also increases the surface area available for microbial attachment in the rumen, thereby increasing forage digestibility and animal performance. Feeding trials with sheep have shown increases in DMI of 5 to 31% and increases in DM digestibility of from 14 to 16 percentage units. Lactation studies have demonstrated increases in milk production and BW gain for lactating Holstein cows; however, there is a consistent decrease in milk fat percentage when dairy cattle are fed macerated forage. In vitro studies have shown that maceration decreases lag time associated with NDF digestion and increases rate of NDF digestion. In situ digestibility studies have shown that maceration increases the size of the instantly soluble DM pool and decreases lag time associated with NDF digestion, but it may not consistently alter the rate or extent of DM and NDF digestion.     

Malignant Mixed Sex Cord-stromal Tumour in a Stallion

A 30-year-old Standardbred stallion was examined for unilateral scrotal swelling. Physical and ultrasound examinations revealed a painless enlarged left testis with a non-homogeneous echogenicity, when compared with the controlateral testis. The stallion underwent left unilateral orchiectomy. Grossly, the excised testis was irregularly enlarged (12 x 9 x 9 cm; weight: 530 g) and firm. The sections showed that testicular parenchyma was replaced by a lobulated, greyish-white mass, which involved the epididymal head. At microscopy, a dual Leydig and Sertoli cell tumour component could be seen. Neoplastic Sertoli cells were prevalent and presented pleomorphic cells, mitotic figures and occasional vascular invasion. Tumour patterns showed tubular and solid areas, cord-like or diffuse in appearance, among which newly formed Leydig cell nests and low-density fibrillar bundles were interposed. Immunohistochemically, a weak to moderate immunostaining for vimentin, AE(1)/AE(3) cytokeratin, alpha-1-antitrypsin and CD99 antigens was found in the growing Sertoli cells, whose nuclear MIB-1 labelling index scored 13 +/- 2%. The Leydig tumour cells, on the other hand, displayed a moderate to strong positivity for alpha-inhibin, vimentin, AE(1)/AE(3) cytokeratin, neurone-specific enolase and CD99. On the basis of these findings, a diagnosis of malignant mixed sex cord-stromal tumour was made.     

Intracytoplasmic Glutathione Levels in Heifer Oocytes Cultured in different Maturation Media and its Effect on Embryo Development

The present study was carried out to study the effect of different maturation media on embryo development of heifer oocytes and on their glutathione (GSH) synthesis during in vitro maturation (IVM). Immature heifer oocytes were matured in parallel in one of four maturation media: (i) Tissue Culture Medium (TCM)-199 supplemented with 10 ng/ml of epidermal growth factor (EGF); (i) TCM-199 supplemented with 10 ng/ml of EGF plus 1 microg/ml of FSH; (iii) TCM-199 supplemented with 10% of foetal bovine serum (FBS) and (iv) TCM-199 supplemented with 10% of FBS plus 1 microg/ml of FSH. Cow oocytes were used as control and were matured in TCM-199 supplemented with 10 ng/ml of EGF. No differences were observed in blastocyst rate among the different heifer oocyte groups (8.8, 7.5. 8.4 and 6.8%, respectively) however, the percentage of blastocysts obtained from cow oocytes was significantly higher (30%; p < 0.01) than those obtained from heifer oocytes. De novo GSH synthesis during oocyte maturation of heifer and cow oocytes was detected. No significant differences in intracytoplasmic GSH levels were observed among the experimental heifer oocyte groups or between heifer and cow oocytes both before and after IVM. In conclusion, the blastocyst yield obtained from heifer oocytes was lower than that from cow oocytes and this fact could not be explained by significant differences in intracytoplasmic GSH contents of oocytes before or after IVM.