Effect of urea supplementation on performance and safety in diets of Dorper crossbred sheep

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dietary urea in sheep rations having a 50:50 concentrate:roughage ratio. Sixty‐four Dorper × thin‐tailed Han crossbred ram lambs with an average body weight of 30.8 (±0.02) kg were randomly divided into four groups of 16 sheep each, and each group was fed one of the following diets: a basal diet (CON), or CON supplemented with 0.5% (0.5UTM), 1.5% (1.5UTM) or 2.5% (2.5UTM) urea. Growth performance, carcass characteristics, non‐carcass offals, meat quality and peptic tissue lesions were assayed. The average daily weight gains for CON, 0.5UTM, 1.5UTM and 2.5UTM were 216, 218, 200 and 170 g, respectively, with the CON and 0.5UTM groups higher than 2.5UTM group (p < 0.05). Sheep from the 2.5UTM treatment had a significantly lower dry matter intake (1.29 kg/day) than those from the CON and 0.5UTM treatments (1.42 and 1.43 kg/day, p < 0.05), and the feed conversion ratio in the 2.5UTM group was the highest (p < 0.05). Carcass characteristics, including shrunk body weight, empty body weight, hot carcass weight, dress percentage, and the absolute or relative weight (% body weight) of heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney, were not altered by the treatments (p > 0.05). The muscular pH of 2.5UTM was higher than that of CON (5.68 vs. 5.52, p < 0.05), and shear force in 0.5UTM was lower compared with CON and 2.5UTM (p < 0.05). The anatomical structure lesions in kidneys became more serious with the increasing dietary urea concentrations, with the 2.5UTM animals showing the most severe lesions compared with CON animals. Therefore, supplementary urea as a non‐protein nitrogen source for sheep should not exceed 1.5% of ration having a 50:50 concentrate:roughage ratio to ensure efficacy and safety.     

Evaluating Sugarcane Diets for Dairy Cows Using a Digestion Model

To eliminate unnecessary feeding trials, a mechanistic model of sugarcane digestion was used in the search for suitable supplements to improve milk production. Milk production simulated by the model was compared with data observed in four feeding trials published in the tropical literature where crossbred dairy cows were fed sugarcane/urea diets with different types of supplements. The predicted effects of the supplements on the ruminal microbial population, concentrations of ammonia and volatile fatty acids were also compared with the published results in one experiment. The model indicated the nutrient most limiting milk production for the different feeding situations. The addtion of Leucaena to the basal sugarcane/urea improved the availability of amino acids and long-chain fatty acids, with energy becoming the limiting factor. Supplementation with rice bran increased the availability of energy and long-chain fatty acids, but amino acids then became the limiting factor. Supplementation with both Leucaena and rice bran further improved the milk yield, but availability of energy now limited milk production. Supplementation with Leucaena increased milk production more than supplementation with king grass. The main reason for this increase was increased amino acid absorption due to increased microbial outflow. In all feeding situations, the average difference between the predicted milk production and that observed experimentally was 0.57 kg/d (ranging from 0.08 to 1 kg/d).     

Tolerance to the Nephrotoxic Component of Narthecium ossifragum in Sheep: The Effects of Repeated Oral Doses of Plant Extracts

Young adult sheep were dosed with extracts of Narthecium ossifragum plants by the oral or parenteral routes and the resulting nephrotoxicity was assessed from the increases in the concentrations of creatinine and urea in the serum. Following single intraruminal or intraperitoneal doses of extracts derived from 30 g N. ossifragum (wet weight) per kg live weight (kg lw), serum creatinine concentrations increased from about 100 mol/L to between 260 and 510 mol/L. The serum urea concentrations increased from about 5–8 mmol/L to between 11 and 66 mmol/L in individual sheep. Daily intraruminal administration of 5–30 g/kg lw to three sheep over a 10- or 15-day period increased creatinine concentrations from 100 mol/L to 300–760 mol/L, and urea concentrations from 5–8 mmol/L to 35 mmol/L. A single intraperitoneal challenge dose of 30 g/kg lw, delivered 7 or 12 days after the final intraruminal dose, did not lead to increased serum creatinine or urea concentrations, indicating that oral treatment had apparently resulted in an increased tolerance to the nephrotoxic principle(s) in N. ossifragum.     

包膜控释尿素对大棚番茄的增产与品质提高效应

对施用包膜控释尿素和普通尿素的大棚番茄进行了田间生产条件下产量与品质对比分析试验。结果表明:与普通尿素相比施用控释尿素有显著的增产效果。D 60控释处理(控释期60 d)产量最高,为68.85 t/hm2,比对照增产19.39 t/hm2,增产率为39.2%;比尿素增产10.10 t/hm2,增产率为17.2%;D 90(控释期90 d)比对照增产15.37 t/hm2,增产率为31.0%;比尿素增产6.08 t/hm2。增产率为10.3%;D 90与D 60两种控释尿素之间产量差异不显著。控释尿素具有增加单株果数、单果重的效果。D 90与D 60氮素当季利用率比普通尿素分别高65.5%和108.8%。硝酸盐含量,以D 90为最低,仅比对照高4.4%,比普通尿素低56%;D 60比对照高15%,比尿素处理低51.6%;尿素处理比对照高137.3%。V c和氨基酸含量,D 90为最高,分别比对照高1.00倍和2.46倍;比普通尿素处理高22%和100%;D 60与尿素两处理V c含量差异不显著,但氨基酸总量前者却比后者高48%。可溶性糖含量以D 60较高,普通尿素为最低。综合品质指标为:D 90>D 60>U。说明控释尿素具有显著地增产效应和提高蔬菜品质的突出效应,特别在提高蔬菜的安全品质方面贡献最大。综合各项,在番茄生产中以选用控释期为60 d的包膜控释尿素为最好。     

Accumulation of Sapogenin Conjugates and Histological Changes in the Liver and Kidneys of Lambs Suffering from Alveld,a Hepatogenous Photosensitization Disease of Sheep Grazing Narthecium ossifragum

Sixteen lambs exhibiting hepatogenous photosensitization (alveld) after grazing pasture containing Narthecium ossifragum and seven nonphotosensitized lambs grazing the same pastures were studied. All the alveld-affected lambs revealed liver damage dominated by single cell necrosis, portal fibroplasia and bile duct proliferation. Crystalloid clefts were demonstrated in the bile ducts of two and in the hepatocytes and Kupffer cells of nine photosensitized lambs. Plasma bilirubin concentration was severely increased in ten of the cases of alveld whereas the activity of aspartate aminotransferase was moderately to severely increased in seven cases. The activity of glutamate dehydrogenase was moderately elevated in one of the photosensitized lambs. The main histopathological findings in the kidneys from the alveld-affected lambs were dilated tubules, often with eosinophilic material in the tubular lumina. Regenerative changes were seen in a large proportion of the renal sections. Elevated plasma concentrations of urea and creatinine, and the renal histopathological changes, suggested that the photosensitized lambs had been through a phase of renal injury. Analysis of the free and conjugated sapogenin content in liver tissue and bile was performed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. There were significantly higher concentrations of conjugated episapogenins in both the liver and bile in the alveld-affected lambs than in the nonphotosensitized lambs.     

不同添加剂处理对小麦秸黄贮饲料发酵品质的影响

为研究纤维素酶和乳酸菌制剂以及尿素对小麦秸黄贮饲料品质的影响,分别设不同的处理组及对照进行小麦秸黄贮饲料的发酵试验。实验Ⅰ结果表明:尿素单独添加、尿素和纤维素酶混合添加显著提高粗蛋白的含量,尿素和乳酸菌制剂、以及尿素与乳酸菌制剂和纤维素酶混合添加都不能得到品质较好的小麦秸黄贮饲料。实验Ⅱ结果表明:各添加剂处理均显著降低黄贮饲料的pH值和中性洗涤纤维含量(P<0.05),显著提高乳酸、总酸和粗蛋白含量(P<0.05);添加剂处理能够明显改善小麦秸黄贮饲料的发酵品质,提高小麦秸的饲用价值。纤维素酶和乳酸菌制剂同时添加时,小麦秸黄贮饲料品质最好。     

EFFECT OF WATER MANAGEMENT AND POLYOLEFIN-COATED UREA ON GROWTH AND NITROGEN UPTAKE OF INDICA RICE

ABSTRACT

Poor water management and high nitrogen (N) losses are the key problems faced by rice farmers under rainfed inland valley systems. There is a need to evaluate different N fertilizers so as to identify one that could withstand these problems. The performance of polyolefin-coated urea (POCU) was therefore compared with conventional urea in a pot experiment with indica rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. IR36), using two water management systems: 1) Submerged condition referred to as good water management (GWM), and 2) excessive irrigation (over 4000 mm in 120 days) referred to as poor water management (PWM). The study was carried out during 1997 and 1998 cropping seasons under glasshouse conditions. For PWM in 1997, the pots were subjected to leaching only whereas in 1998, they were subjected to both surface runoff and leaching. For both cropping seasons, POCU-treated plants under PWM had a significantly higher grain yield (377.5 and 343.0 g m^?2) than urea-treated plants (316.5 and 260.5 g m^?2). In addition, POCU-treated plants had a significantly higher number of grains per panicle than urea-treated plants. In 1998, both the partial factor productivity of applied N and the agronomic nitrogen-use efficiency of POCU-treated plants under GWM and PWM were significantly higher than those of urea-treated plants. It can be inferred that (using sandy soils and under PWM), POCU could perform significantly better than conventional urea. This finding is important, considering the usually high nitrogen losses in rice-growing inland valley swamps.     

蓄水多坑灌施下尿素在土壤中的运移转化特性

为提高蓄水多坑灌施尿素条件下土壤氮素利用率和保护生态环境,通过室内蓄水多坑(土箱半径40 cm,高120 cm,蓄水坑半径16 cm,深度60 cm)物理模型试验,研究了蓄水多坑灌施下尿素在土壤中的运移转化特性。结果表明,土壤水分主要分布在地表以下20~80 cm,0~10 cm土层土壤含水率较小,同一土壤深度处蓄水坑壁附近土壤含水率大于0通量面处土壤含水率;同一土壤深度蓄水坑壁附近土壤尿素态氮量大于0通量面处的尿素态氮量,尿素的水解在9 d内基本完成,第7天水解最快,尿素水解与时间存在良好的对数函数关系;土壤铵态氮主要集中在40~60 cm土层土壤中,且r=20 cm处的量高于0通量面处的;而土壤硝态氮的分布趋势与铵态氮相反,随时间的延长,0通量面和r=20 cm处的土壤铵态氮质量分数均在40~60 cm和60~80 cm增幅较大,而土壤硝态氮质量分数表现出在90~100 cm湿润锋处增幅最大。     

苹果园春季土施尿素的利用及其在土壤中的累积

 以7年生嘎拉苹果/平邑甜茶为试材, 利用¹⁵N示踪技术, 研究了苹果生产体系中氮素年周期 的利用、残留、损失及在土壤中的迁移动态。结果表明, 对春季土施尿素的利用率盛花期较低, 为11.38% , 至采收后达到最高。土壤氮素残留率盛花期最高, 为57.10% , 果实采后残留率最低。年周期中各土层氮素残留量不同, 盛花期20～40 cm土层残留量最高, 采收后最低, 0～20 cm土层在新梢旺长期残留量最高, 果实成熟期最低, 而40～60 cm土层在果实膨大期残留量达到最高, 在采收后0～20 cm土层残留有所增加, 其余各土层残留量均达到最低值。氮素损失与土壤残留呈相反的变化趋势, 氮素损失率在盛花期最低为31.53% , 随物候期的推迟逐渐升高, 在果实采后高达58.40%