In situ provision of drinking water to grazing dairy cows improves milk production

AIMS: To determine the effect of providing water within the area grazed by dairy cows on milk yield and quality, compared to requiring cows to walk to a distant water trough, on a dairy farm in the Pampa region of Argentina during summer.

METHODS: Holstein dairy cows were allocated to two herds with similar parity, days in milk and milk production. They were grazed in one paddock that was divided in two, with a fixed water trough at one end. Cows were moved twice daily to grazing plots within the paddock. Control cows (n=66) could only access water from the fixed trough, whereas supplemented cows (n=67) also received water from a mobile trough within the grazing plot. Milk production of each cow, and water consumption of the two herds were measured daily over 62 days. Milk composition for each herd was determined weekly from Days 18 to 60 of the study, and grazing behaviour was observed between 08:00 and 16:00 hours on Days 11–15, 19–22 and 39–43.

RESULTS: Over the 62 days of the study, supplemented cows produced 1.39 (SE 0.11) L/cow/day more milk than Control cows (p=0.027). Estimated mean daily water intake was 50.4 (SE 2.1) L/cow/day for supplemented cows and 58.2 (SE 2.7) L/cow/day for Control cows (p=0.004). Percentage total solids in milk was higher for supplemented (12.5 (SE 0.06)%) than Control (12.4 (SE 0.04)%) cows (p=0.047). During the periods of behavioural observation, a higher percentage of cows in the water supplemented than the Control herd were observed in the grazing area (p=0.012).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This preliminary study demonstrated that provision of water to dairy cows within the grazing plot was beneficial for milk production and composition, and may be associated with longer periods spent within the grazing area, during hot weather in the Pampa region of Argentina.     

Effect of water restriction on milk yield and quality in Lacaune breed ewes

The effect of water restriction on body weight, body condition score, milk yield, and milk composition and rheological characteristics in intensively reared Lacaune ewes was evaluated. After 7 days of adaptation, the trial lasted 28 days. Thirty lactating ewes (48 ± 5 months of age; mean value ± standard deviation) at the beginning of third lactation month were divided into three groups (n = 10), corresponding to the following water restriction treatment: a group control received no drinking water restriction (W100), and two groups received water to the extent of 80% and 60% of W100 daily consumption (W80 and W60 group respectively). The effects of water restriction were assessed at the beginning of experiment (D0), at D14 and D28. The W60 group resulted in a significant decrease in body weight, body condition score, milk yield and feed consumption of hay due to the experimental treatment; whereas a marked increase in both W60 and W80 groups of milk lactose, urea, sodium, sodium chloride content and titratable acidity was observed. Rheological parameters of milk, rennet coagulation time and curd‐firming time were positively affected by water restriction treatments, with a decrease in both experimental groups of the time required for the formation of a stable and firm curd. Results highlight the importance of water consumption in dairy sheep. The scarce availability of water, significantly affecting ewes milk production, is worthy of particular attention in arid area where water stress‐resistant breeds should be considered. This study underlines that milk yield, being closely linked to the availability of water of the breeding habitat due to its high water content (about 81%), could be reached in area where water is not a limiting factor without reducing the genetic expression of the animals. Less severe water restrictions, such as 20% of daily voluntary water intake, produce no detrimental effect on milk yield.     

Sex‐dependent responses of perch to changes in water clarity and temperature

Rising temperatures and decreasing water transparency of lakes have strong wide ranging effects on fish. Fish responses to various changes in the environment are usually species‐dependent, but responses may also vary within species. In general, large individuals are considered to be more sensitive to environmental variation due to higher energy demand, than smaller individuals. Similarly, large individuals require more food to maintain bodily functions and are thus more sensitive to resource and food scarcity. These size‐specific responses to environmental gradients are also sex‐dependent in species that exhibit sexual size dimorphism (SSD). We studied in enclosures with short‐term experiments how rising temperatures and decreasing water transparency regulate the feeding rates of female and male European perch (Perca fluviatilis L.). To explore experimental results, we calculated perch SSD in nine lakes with varying environmental conditions using previously collected field data. The results of the experiments revealed that the combined effect of water transparency and temperature on the feeding rate of fish is gender‐dependent: feeding rate of females decreased more than that of males. The experimental results were also supported by field data that revealed a negative relation between water transparency and the magnitude of SSD in perch. Our results suggest that rising temperatures and decreasing water transparency may potentially decrease fish size in a sex‐dependent manner. As female size is one of the main demographic traits determining the reproductive success of a fish population, changing environments may have unexpected and far‐reaching consequences on fish population dynamics.     

对农村机电提灌站存在的问题及应做好的工作分析

随着现代社会的不断进步发展,科学技术越来越成为一个行业的核心竞争力,对于农业来说,运用科学技术解决好农业的水利问题,这对于农业的发展有很大的促进作用。农村机电提灌站就是为了解决农业的水利问题而建设的,下面笔者就农村机电提灌站存在的问题及应作好的工作和大家展开讨论。     

Ecological consequences of variation in standard metabolism and dominance among salmon parr

Abstract – Standard metabolic rate (SMR, closely related to basal and resting metabolism) varies by up to threefold among juvenile Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., of similar size at common temperature. Here, consequences of this variation are predicted by combining empirically derived relationships between SMR, specific dynamic action, energy budgets, water velocity, food level in the environment and food availability to fish. The range of velocities across which growth is predicted to occur is inversely related to a fish’s SMR. Growth is positively related to SMR at high but negatively related to it at low‐food levels. The relationship between food level and the range of velocities over which lower SMR fish can grow but higher SMR fish cannot is asymmetrically bi‐phasic and peaked. It is predicted that maternal manipulation of offspring SMR would generate fitness benefits through bet‐hedging against unpredictability in food level and increases in the overall range of velocities that the family of offspring can occupy and thrive in.     

浅谈给水排水工程节能节水措施

作者针对给排水系统工程特点并依据多年设计实践,总结了几点节能节水措施;阐明了通过减少不必要的浪费,可以达到节约水资源、节约能源的目的。     

Response of confection sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) grown in a semi‐arid environment to planting date and early termination of irrigation

Adjustments on planting date and on the time to terminate irrigation may reduce agricultural water use. However, such management practices in regions with extreme weather conditions have the potential to negatively affect yield. A 3‐year (2012–2014) study was conducted on a clay‐loam soil in a cool, semi‐arid environment to (i) determine the response of confection sunflower to planting date and irrigation termination timing and (ii) identify the relative importance of yield components in irrigated confection sunflower across planting dates. Early May planting had considerable negative effects on all studied variables, except on the percentage of large seeds. The highest yield of total and large seeds was obtained from the late May plantings, averaging 3,777 and 3,379 kg/ha, respectively. None of the irrigation strategies affected the measured variables. However, the interaction between planting date and termination of irrigation significantly affected the 1,000‐seed weight. Our study revealed the last week of May as suitable planting period for confection sunflower in the semi‐arid north‐western region of Wyoming, USA, and that irrigation on heavy soils may be terminated as early as at R5.5 stage without a significant yield reduction. The path‐coefficient analysis indicated head diameter and the number of seeds per head as important traits that significantly influence the yield of confection sunflower across planting dates.     

水利建设可持续发展刍议

首先分析了水利建设与可持续发展的关系,即可持续发展对水利建设提出了新要求、丰富了新思路,水利建设实践推动了水利可持续发展研究,并基于此提出水利建设可持续发展思路,即树立可持续发展意识,推进水利建设制度创新;人水协调,加强水利现代化建设.     

芦苇和白刺空间格局对青土湖生态输水的响应

石羊河尾闾湖——青土湖位于腾格里沙漠和巴丹吉林沙漠边缘,是阻隔两大沙漠合围的生态屏障。自2010年开始连续5年向青土湖进行生态输水并形成一定规模的水面,对促进区域植被恢复和保护民勤湖区绿洲具有重要的生态意义。本研究选用2008年、2010年、2011年、2012年、2013年、2014年的高分辨率遥感影像资料同时结合研究区的实地调查资料,对形成人工水面的面积和输水前后的芦苇(Phragmites australis)、白刺(Nitraria tangutorum)群落面积进行了统计分析和对比。结果表明,5年连续输水形成叠加效应,水面面积成倍增加,芦苇相对频度逐年增加和白刺相对频度逐年减少,芦苇群落(Form.P.australis)面积增加了8.43倍,临接水域和水域中的白刺群落(Form.N.tangutorum)消失,白刺面积减少了68.00%。人工输水促进了芦苇群落依水蔓延,镶嵌于水域成片分布;距水面50 m范围的白刺群落由连续成片成点状。输水促进了湿生植物生长,导致荒漠植物种退化。     

水利施工的大体积混凝土抗裂技术

混凝土是水利施工中的主要的应用材料之一，为了保证水利施工中的安全与质量，必须保证混凝土的质量。文章全面分析了大体积混凝土产生裂缝的原因，并给出了相应的控制方法。