Influence of FeEDDHA on in vitro rooting and acclimatisation of red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) in peat and vermiculite

Summary

We investigated the dependence of in vitro rooting and acclimatisation to greenhouse conditions on the source of iron used in the shoot multiplication and rooting media using five raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cultivars (‘Beskid’, ‘Canby’, ‘Malling Seedling’, ‘Norna’, and ‘Veten’). Ethylenediamine di-2-hydroxy-phenyl acetate ferric (FeEDDHA) in the rooting medium led to higher chlorophyll contents, earlier and more abundant rooting (8.7 vs. 5.3 roots per shoot), 30% higher fresh and dry weights, and thus higher quality microplants than ethylenediaminetetra-acetate ferric sodium (FeEDTA). Higher quality microshoots had a beneficial effect on acclimatisation (i.e., percentage survival and length of shoots) when the microplants were planted in a peat-based substrate; however, when planted in vermiculite, the initial differences disappeared during a 4 week-long growth period in a greenhouse.     

Successful treatment of mycoplasmosis in layer chickens with single dose therapy

The efficacy of treatment with single dose administration of 5 drugs at different dosages to layer hens naturally infected with Mycoplasma gallisepticum was studied. The drugs were tiamulin, which was administered orally, tylosin (parenterally and orally), spiramycin (orally), long-acting oxytetracycline (parenterally) and tylosindihydrostreptomycin (parenterally). Cure was assessed by the absence of nasal discharge. The cure rate was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) in treated hens than in untreated hens, as early as 1 day after treatment. Remission for 33 days was achieved in 60% of hens treated with 100 mg oxytetracycline, in 100% of hens treated with 100 mg or 200 mg spiramycin, in 92% and 85% of hens treated with 100 mg tylosin, parenterally and orally, and in 89% and 88% of birds given 100 mg tiamulin and tylosin-dihydrostreptomycin, respectively.     

Plasma Antimullerian Hormone as a Predictor of Ovarian Antral Follicular Population in Bos indicus (Nelore) and Bos taurus (Holstein) Heifers

In Bos taurus cattle, antimullerian hormone (AMH) has been demonstrated to have a high degree of correlation with ovarian antral follicle count and the number of healthy follicles and oocytes. To document the correlation between the plasma concentration of AMH and follicular number in Bos indicus and Bos taurus heifers, Nelore (Bos indicus, n = 16) and Holstein heifers (Bos taurus, n = 16) had their ovarian follicular waves synchronized. After synchronization, ovarian antral follicular population (AFP) was evaluated three times at 60‐day (d) intervals (T‐120 d, 120 days before plasma AMH determination; T‐60 d, 60 days before; and T0, at the time of plasma AMH determination). The plasma AMH concentration was positively correlated with the number of ovarian follicles on the day of the follicular wave emergence in Bos indicus (Nelore) and Bos taurus (Holstein) heifers at each evaluation time (p < 0.05). The AFP was higher in Bos indicus (Nelore) than in Bos taurus (Holstein) heifers (p < 0.05). Similarly, the AMH concentration was higher in Bos indicus (Nelore) than in Bos taurus (Holstein) heifers (p < 0.0001). When heifers were classified as to present high or low AFP according to the mean of the AFP within each genetic group, high‐AFP heifers presented a greater (p < 0.0001) AMH concentration than low‐AFP heifers, regardless of the genetic group. In conclusion, the AFP is positively correlated with plasma AMH concentration in both Bos indicus (Nelore) and Bos taurus (Holstein) heifers. Furthermore, Bos indicus (Nelore) heifers presented both greater plasma AMH concentrations and AFP than Bos taurus (Holstein) heifers.