Silage and total mixed ration hygienic quality on commercial farms: implications for animal production

Implications of silage hygienic quality for animal production were investigated on forty‐five dairy farms in South West England. Samples of grass and maize silages and of total mixed rations (TMR) were obtained together with information on silage technology, herd size and animal production. Samples were analysed for mycotoxins, bacteria, yeasts, moulds and chemical composition. Thirteen mycotoxins were assayed, but none were detected in the samples of grass silage. However, mycotoxins were found in 0·9 of all maize and other silage samples, with deoxynivalenol and zearalenone predominating. There was no relationship between total mycotoxin concentration and mean lactation milk yield per cow. Enterobacteria counts tended to be higher in maize silage than in grass silage and higher still in TMR – a cause for concern. There were no relationships between mould counts and mycotoxin concentrations in silages, implying that mycotoxins may have been produced in the field pre‐ensiling.     

Kernel vitreousness and protein content: Relationship,interaction and synergistic effects on durum wheat quality

Four sets of durum samples were used in this study to further understand the interrelationships among hard vitreous kernels (HVK), protein content, and pigment concentration, with a focus on the interaction and synergistic effects of protein content and vitreousness on durum quality. HVK level increases with higher protein content in the range of 9.5–12.5%, but this relationship is less evident in durum samples with high protein content (12.5–14.5%). Both protein content and kernel vitreousness can significantly affect durum milling quality. White starchy kernels (WSK) in low protein durum have a very detrimental impact on milling and pasta processing quality, but high protein content can mitigate the adverse impact of WSK on durum quality. Although protein content plays a dominant role, higher HVK might contribute positively to pasta firmness. There was no significant difference in yellow pigment content between HVK and WSK. However, pigment loss from semolina to dough was higher for WSK than HVK. Despite the difference in protein content, HVK and WSK have little difference in gluten strength. The monomeric protein was preferentially accumulated in HVK. The glutenin proteins of HVK and WSK were similar in the ratios of 1Bx/1By and HMW/LMW-GS.     

Effect of l‐ascorbyl‐2‐polyphosphate supplementation on growth performance,body composition,antioxidative capacity and salinity stress tolerance of juvenile Pacific white shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of ascorbic acid (AsA), in the form of l ‐ascorbyl‐2‐polyphosphate (LAPP) on growth performance, body composition, antioxidative capacity and salinity stress tolerance of juvenile Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Five practical diets (46% crude protein and 7.6% lipid) supplemented with graded levels of AsA (14.64, 48.55, 84.98, 308.36 and 639.27 mg kg^?1 diet) were fed to five replicate groups of L. vannamei (mean initial wet weight 0.57 g). No significant differences were found on growth performance among all treatments. However, whole body lipid content significantly decreased with dietary AsA levels increasing. Activities of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase were significantly affected by dietary AsA levels. Shrimp fed LAPP‐free diet had higher malondialdehyde content than those fed the diets supplemented with LAPP. Dietary AsA levels higher than 308.36 mg kg^?1 diet increased the survival of shrimps after 1, 2 and 3 h of acute salinity change. Broken‐line regression analysis on survival after 3 h of salinity stress and second‐degree polynomial regression analysis on glutathione reductase data indicated that the optimal dietary AsA requirement of L. vannamei was estimated to be 306.39, 319.75 mg kg^?1 diet respectively.     

Efficiency of fisheries is increasing at the ecosystem level

Managing fisheries presents trade‐offs between objectives, for example yields, profits, minimizing ecosystem impact, that have to be weighed against one another. These trade‐offs are compounded by interacting species and fisheries at the ecosystem level. Weighing objectives becomes increasingly challenging when managers have to consider opposing objectives from different stakeholders. An alternative to weighing incomparable and conflicting objectives is to focus on win–wins until Pareto efficiency is achieved: a state from which it is impossible to improve with respect to any objective without regressing at least one other. We investigate the ecosystem‐level efficiency of fisheries in five large marine ecosystems (LMEs) with respect to yield and an aggregate measure of ecosystem impact using a novel calibration of size‐based ecosystem models. We estimate that fishing patterns in three LMEs (North Sea, Barents Sea and Benguela Current) are nearly efficient with respect to long‐term yield and ecosystem impact and that efficiency has improved over the last 30 years. In two LMEs (Baltic Sea and North East US Continental Shelf), fishing is inefficient and win–wins remain available. We additionally examine the efficiency of North Sea and Baltic Sea fisheries with respect to economic rent and ecosystem impact, finding both to be inefficient but steadily improving. Our results suggest the following: (i) a broad and encouraging trend towards ecosystem‐level efficiency of fisheries; (ii) that ecosystem‐scale win–wins, especially with respect to conservation and profits, may still be common; and (iii) single‐species assessment approaches may overestimate the availability of win–wins by failing to account for trade‐offs across interacting species.     

Effects of starvation,subsequent feeding and photoperiod on flesh quality in farmed cod (Gadus morhua)

The study was designed to investigate the effect of four cycles of 5 weeks starvation followed by 10‐week refeeding compared with daily feeding under either natural photoperiod or continuous light (LL) regime on body composition and flesh quality in Atlantic cod in sea cages, northern Norway. The fish were sampled for body composition and flesh quality parameters at the start of the trial, twice at the end of a 10‐week feeding period and twice at the end of a 5‐week starvation period. There was effect of both feeding and light regime on growth, the two starving groups losing weight during starvation and regaining weight during refeeding, and the group under LL being heavier. But, the mean overall growth did not vary between groups. Starvation/refeeding regime resulted in higher slaughter yield, but no overall effect was seen on hepatosomatic index, water content, water holding capacity (WHC), muscle pH, hardness or flesh colour compared with control groups. Continuous light increased gutted weight and slaughter yield, lowered WHC and depressed maturation compared with fish under natural light regime. Increased growth rate resulted in softer fillets and lower muscle pH.     

Effects of the dietary protein to energy ratio on growth,feed utilization and body composition in Macrobrachium nipponense

Oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) has been widely cultured in Asian countries. However, its nutritional studies are very limited. In the present 8‐week study, we investigated the effects of dietary protein to energy ratio (P/E ratio) on the growth, feed utilization and body composition in juvenile M. nipponense (initial weight 0.302 ±0.03 g). Two‐factor experiment was designed and nine semi‐purified diets were formulated to contain three lipid levels (20, 80 and 140 g kg^?1) and three protein levels (330, 380 and 430 g kg^?1), producing P/E ratios from 16.5 to 23.4 mg KJ^?1 protein. The results indicated that the growth, survival rate and protein efficiency were dose dependently improved by the increased dietary lipid, but not dietary protein content. Increased dietary lipid content and/or protein content increased lipid accumulation in whole body, hepatopancreas and muscle, but did not change the feed intake and hepatopancreas weight. In conclusion, our present study indicated that M. nipponense is a species with relatively high‐energy requirement. It could utilize dietary lipid content up to 140 g kg^?1, while the dietary protein with more than 330 g kg^?1 would not promote growth and protein efficiency. Taken together, 330 g kg^?1 dietary protein and 140 g kg^?1 dietary lipid level with P/E ratio 16.49 could be optimum for M. nipponense.     

饥饿不同时间后投喂对许氏平鮋生长及体成分的影响

在室内水温21.8~25℃条件下,将初始体质量为(8.87±0.16)g的许氏平鮋Sebastes schlegeli放养在50cm×50cm×100cm网箱中,饥饿0(S0)、3(S3)、6(S6)、9(S9)和12d(S12)后分别投喂30d、27d、24d、21d和18d,每组3个重复,测定其体质量、肥满度、脏体指数、肝体指数、摄食率、食物转化率及全鱼和肝脏主要生化组成的变化。结果表明:随着饥饿时间的延长,幼鱼体质量逐渐降低,各饥饿组鱼体质量显著低于同期对照组(P0.05)。恢复投喂后,S3组体质量、增重率(WGR)和特定生长率(SGR)显著高于对照组S0(P0.05),S6与S0组无显著差异(P0.05),而S9与S12组未能达到S0水平(P0.05)。S3组食物转化率(FCE)显著高于其余各组(P0.05),S9、S12组则显著低于对照组(P0.05)。饥饿状态下,各饥饿组鱼肝体指数与脏体指数显著小于S0组(P0.05));恢复投喂后各组肝体指数、脏体指数与对照组无显著差异。随着饥饿时间的延长,鱼体粗灰分含量显著升高(P0.05),水分与粗蛋白含量呈上升趋势(P0.05)。饥饿6d后,鱼体粗脂肪含量显著低于对照组,饥饿12d时粗脂肪含量比饥饿前降低了19.33%(P0.05)。恢复投喂后,各试验组间鱼体水分、粗蛋白、粗脂肪和粗灰分含量差异不显著(P0.05)。S9和S12组中肝脏粗脂肪含量显著低于S0组(P0.05)。     

Interactive effects of family and stocking density on survival and growth of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius

To investigate the effects of family, stocking density, and their interaction on mortality, growth rate, and size dispersal in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius, 1,440 juveniles from six full‐sib families were exposed to three stocking densities, that is, low stocking density (LD), middle stocking density (MD), and high stocking density (HD), and reared for 10 months in sea‐based suspended cages. The results demonstrated significant family effects on cumulative mortality rate (CMR); specific growth rate for test diameter (SGR for TD); specific growth rate for body weight (SGR for BW); coefficient of variation for body weight at the 10th month (CV for BW₁₀); and significant stocking density effects on SGR for TD, SGR for BW, and CV for BW₁₀. Statistically significant family by stocking density interaction was only found in SGR for TD. A certain degree of family‐ranking inversions occurred in SGR for TD. The present study provides evidence for the existence of family by stocking density interaction on the growth rate of test diameter in the family selection for S. intermedius. More attention should be paid to this interaction effect to select correct parents in S. intermedius.     

Improving wood volume predictions in dry tropical forest in the semi-arid Brazil

The volumetric variability of dry tropical forests in Brazil and the scarcity of studies on the subject show the need for the development of techniques that make it possible to obtain adequate and accurate wood volume estimates. In this study, we analyzed a database of thinning trees from a forest management plan in the Contendas de Sincorá National Forest, southwestern Bahia State, Brazil. The data set included a total of 300 trees with a trunk diameter ranging from 5 to 52 cm. Adjustments, validation and statistical selection of four volumetric models were performed. Due to the difference in height values for the same diameter and the low correlation between both variables, we do not suggest models which only use the diameter at breast height (DBH) variable as a predictor because they accommodate the largest estimation errors. In comparing the best single entry model (Hohenald-Krenn) with the Spurr model (best fit model), it is noted that the exclusion of height as a predictor causes the values of 136.44 and 0.93 for Akaike information criterion (AIC) and adjusted determination coefficient (R2 adj), which are poorer than the second best model (Schumacher-Hall). Regarding the minimum sample size, errors in estimation (root mean square error (RMSE) and bias) of the best model decrease as the sample size increases, especially when a larger number of trees with DBH≥15.0 cm are randomly sampled. Stratified sampling by diameter class produces smaller volume prediction errors than random sampling, especially when considering all trees. In summary, the Spurr and Schumacher-Hall models perform better. These models suggest that the total variance explained in the estimates is not less than 95%, producing reliable forecasts of the total volume with shell. Our estimates indicate that the bias around the average is not greater than 7%. Our results support the decision to use regression methods to build models and estimate their parameters, seeking stratification strategies in diameter classes for the sample trees. Volume estimates with valid confidence intervals can be obtained using the Spurr model for the studied dry forest. Stratified sampling of the data set for model adjustment and selection is necessary, since we find significant results with mean error square root values and bias of up to 70% of the total database.