肉牛不同生长阶段日粮营养物质表观消化率的比较

[目的] 比较不同生长阶段肉牛日粮营养物质表观消化率和日增重,为肉牛养殖日粮配合提供参考。[方法] 按月龄和体重随机选择两组西门塔尔杂交牛,12~15月龄、体重250~300 kg为小体重组,15~18月龄、体重350~500 kg为大体重组,每组10头。日粮根据肉牛体重变化调整,正式试验期分为试验前期和试验后期。以不溶盐酸灰分（AIA）作为内源指示剂,利用点收粪法测定日粮营养物质表观消化率。[结果] 小体重组肉牛在整个试验期的总增重和平均日增重与大体重组肉牛差异显著（P<0.05）;试验前期,小体重组肉牛日粮有机物（OM）、粗蛋白质（CP）、中性洗涤纤维（NDF）、酸性洗涤纤维（ADF）、淀粉和能量的表观可消化量与大体重组肉牛差异显著（P<0.05）,而OM、CP、NDF、ADF、淀粉和能量的表观消化率与大体重组肉牛无显著（P>0.05）差异。[结论] 在试验日粮组成条件下,选取的2个饲养阶段肉牛日粮的营养物质表观消化率没有明显差异,可消化营养物质进食量的增加可提高日增重。     

牛羊养殖中前胃疾病鉴别诊断方法

牛羊都是反刍动物,它们拥有4个胃,分别是瘤胃、网胃、瓣胃和真胃。前3个胃统称为前胃,在前胃中有大量的可以分解和消化饲料中粗纤维的细菌,是牛羊以粗饲料作为主要食物的原因之一。很多牛羊非常容易出现前胃疾病,饲养人员要掌握牛羊前胃疾病的预防办法和治疗措施。     

RFID中间件在肉牛养殖溯源系统中的应用

在基于RFID技术的养殖溯源系统中,RFID读写设备的标准不一致、读取频率高、数据重复率高等问题直接影响了溯源系统的应用及扩展。为此,将RFID中间件应用于肉牛养殖溯源系统中。在研究肉牛养殖溯源流程和RFID中间件的功能基础上,提出并设计了由边缘层、数据层、应用层组成的3层结构的RFID中间件,实现了数据信息的平滑处理、重复过滤、聚集和分组,同时为后续的屠宰、运输、销售等环节提供了数据支撑与服务。     

Effects of apple pomace proportion levels on the fermentation quality of total mixed ration silage and its digestibility,preference and ruminal fermentation in beef cows

Four Japanese black beef cows were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square to evaluate the fermentation quality, digestibility, ruminal fermentation and preference of total mixed ration (TMR) silages prepared with differing proportions of apple pomace (AP). Experimental treatments were the control (no AP added, CAP), 5% (low, LAP), 10% (medium, MAP) and 20% (high, HAP) of TMR dry matter (DM) as AP. All TMR silages were well preserved. Ethanol was produced in silages containing AP and the amount increased with the proportion of AP (P < 0.05). Nutrient digestibility with LAP, MAP and HAP treatment was lower than that with CAP treatment (P < 0.05). The ruminal molar proportion of acetic acid increased (P < 0.05), but the ruminal ammonia‐N concentration decreased (P < 0.05) as the proportion of AP increased. The preference of the animals was highest for HAP, followed by MAP, CAP and LAP. This study demonstrates that decrease in nutrient digestibility might be related to the ethanol produced naturally from AP. Therefore, the proportion of AP in TMR silages should be less than 5% of dietary DM.     

Utilization of digital differential display to identify differentially expressed genes related to rumen development

This study aimed to identify the genes associated with the development of the rumen epithelium by screening for candidate genes by digital differential display (DDD) in silico. Using DDD in NCBI's UniGene database, expressed sequence tag (EST)‐based gene expression profiles were analyzed in rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum and other tissues in cattle. One hundred and ten candidate genes with high expression in the rumen were derived from a library of all tissues. The expression levels of 11 genes in all candidate genes were analyzed in the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum of nine Japanese Black male calves (5‐week‐old pre‐weaning: n = 3; 15‐week‐old weaned calves: n = 6). Among the 11 genes, only 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl‐CoA synthase 2 (HMGCS2), aldo‐keto reductase family 1, member C1‐like (AKR1C1), and fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3) showed significant changes in the levels of gene expression in the rumen between the pre‐ and post‐weaning of calves. These results indicate that DDD analysis in silico can be useful for screening candidate genes related to rumen development, and that the changes in expression levels of three genes in the rumen may have been caused by weaning, aging or both. © 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science     

Accuracy of imputation of single nucleotide polymorphism marker genotypes from low‐density panels in Japanese Black cattle

Using target and reference fattened steer populations, the performance of genotype imputation using lower‐density marker panels in Japanese Black cattle was evaluated. Population imputation was performed using BEAGLE software. Genotype information for approximately 40 000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers by Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip was available, and imputation accuracy was assessed based on the average concordance rates of the genotypes, varying equally spaced SNP densities, and the number of individuals in the reference population. Two additional statistics were also calculated as indicators of imputation performance. The concordance rates tended to be lower for SNPs with greater minor allele frequencies, or those located near the ends of the chromosomes. Longer autosomes yielded greater imputation accuracies than shorter ones. When SNPs were selected based on linkage disequilibrium information, relative imputation accuracy was slightly improved. When 3000 and 10 000 equally spaced SNPs were used, the imputation accuracies were greater than 90% and approximately 97%, respectively. These results indicate that combining genotyping using a lower‐density SNP chip with genotype imputation based on a population of individuals genotyped using a higher‐density SNP chip is a cost‐effective and valid approach for genomic prediction.     

The influence of crossbreeding on collagen solubility and tenderness of Infraspinatus and Semimembranosus muscles of semi‐intensively reared young bulls

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of crossbreeding on collagen content and solubility, shear force (WBSF) and the eating quality of Infraspinatus (INF) and Semimembranosus (SM) muscles of young bulls and the relationships between collagen content and solubility, shear force and the eating quality of beef. The experimental material comprised muscles of crossbred young bulls (about 600 days old) of Polish Holstein‐Friesian (PHF) × Limousine (LM) (n = 10), PHF × Charolaise (CH) (n = 9), PHF × Hereford (HER) (n = 9) breeds. The crossbreeding influenced WBSF, aroma and taste, total, water‐soluble, acid‐soluble, total soluble and insoluble collagen content, as well as the acid‐soluble, total soluble and insoluble collagen proportions. WBSF was significantly negatively correlated with sensorial tenderness and water‐soluble collagen content. The eating quality of beef obtained from different crossbreds was similar; however, the meat from PHF × LM and PHF × HER bulls had lower WBSF values than PHF × CH bulls. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science     

Theileria orientalis: a review

Theileria orientalis (also known historically as T. sergenti and T. buffeli) is responsible for benign or non-transforming theileriosis, and exerts its major effect through erythrocyte destruction. The life cycle of T. orientalis is essentially similar to that of other Theileria species, except that the schizonts do not induce transformation and fatal lymphoproliferation. The pathogenesis of anaemia as a result of infection is not clearly established and may be multifaceted. Clinical signs of weakness, reluctance to walk and abortion are early but non-specific indications of disease, particularly if accompanied by a history of cattle being moved. Physical examination may reveal pallor (pale eyes, vaginal mucosa), pyrexia, and elevated heart and respiratory rates. T. orientalis is an economically important parasite of cattle in New Zealand, Australia and Japan, especially where naïve animals are introduced into an endemic area or in animals under stress. Increased awareness of the risks posed by the parasite is required to enable management practices to be implemented to minimise its impact.