Embodied Resources in Fish and Shrimp Feeds

Global averages were obtained for amounts of energy, land, water, wildfish, nitrogen, and phosphorus embodied in aquaculture feed ingredients. These data allowed amounts of these embodied resources to be calculated for typical feed formulations for channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus; hybrid catfish, I. punctatus♀ × I. furcatus♂; Vietnamese catfish, Pangasius spp.; Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar; rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss; tilapia, Oreochromis spp.; whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei; and black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon. Embodied resource use per m.t. of feed varied among species: energy, 4.90–12.48 GJ/m.t.; land, 0.082–0.312 ha/m.t.; water, 502–1227 m³/m.t.; wildfish, 0–2880 kg/m.t.; nitrogen, 3.08–8.63 kg/m.t.; phosphorus, 1.16–5.62 kg/m.t. These calculations did not account for variations in site‐specific factors related to embodied resources and feed composition and use. But they suggest that reducing feed conversion ratio (FCR) by 0.1 unit for the seven species (species groups) could potentially reduce feed use by around 1.1 million tonne (Mt) while conserving 9.8 million GJ of energy, 270,000 ha of agricultural land, 1.4 billion m³ of freshwater, and 1.24 Mt of wildfish. Reduction of the FCR is a powerful means of lessening farm‐level production costs and negative impacts of feed production and use.     

夹竹桃花挥发油的GC-MS分析及β-葡萄糖苷酶对夹竹桃花的增香和豚鼠离体子宫平滑肌的作用

目的:建立夹竹桃花挥发油GC-MS的色谱分离鉴定方法,分析夹竹桃花挥发油的化学成分和对豚鼠离体子宫平滑肌的作用。方法:采用挥发油提取器提取夹竹桃花挥发油,以GC-MS法进行分析鉴定,建立了豚鼠离体子宫模型。结果:分别从无酶和有酶的夹竹桃花挥发油提取物中确证了58和57个化合物,挥发油对豚鼠离体子宫平滑肌有收缩作用。结论:对夹竹桃的挥发油化学成分进行了比较分析结果表明,β-葡萄糖苷酶对夹竹桃花有较弱增香作用,也能增加豚鼠离体子宫平滑肌收缩。     

低分子有机酸对贵州黄壤龙葵吸收镉的影响

[目的]探讨低分子有机酸对龙葵吸收镉(Cd)的影响,以期为提高贵州地区黄壤重金属污染的植物修复效率提供科学依据.[方法]采用盆栽试验种植龙葵,待龙葵生长60 d后,将不同浓度的低分子有机酸(柠檬酸、苹果酸和酒石酸)及其复合处理(柠檬酸+苹果酸、柠檬酸+酒石酸)以溶液形式加入土壤,以添加500 mL去离子水为对照(CK),1个月后收获植株样品并采集土壤样品,分析不同处理对龙葵生长及吸收转运重金属Cd的影响.[结果]柠檬酸添加量为2.5 mmol/kg时龙葵单株生物量最高,较CK显著增加6.75%(P<0.05,下同),其他处理的生物量均低于CK.3种有机酸均能强化龙葵根、茎、叶和果实对Cd的吸收,表现为苹果酸>酒石酸>柠檬酸,各部位的Cd含量表现为叶>茎>根>果实,且均在苹果酸添加量为5.0 mmol/kg时达最大值,分别为CK的1.68、1.53、1.21和1.32倍.添加2.5 mmol/kg酒石酸和5.0 mmol/kg苹果酸时龙葵对Cd的累积量较高,二者显著高于其他处理.添加柠檬酸、苹果酸和酒石酸均能提高龙葵对Cd的转移和富集能力,作用表现为苹果酸>酒石酸>柠檬酸,其中,添加5.0 mmol/kg苹果酸时龙葵对Cd的富集系数最大,为12.81.相对于单一有机酸处理,复合有机酸处理对龙葵富集Cd的能力无明显优势.[结论]添加适当浓度的柠檬酸、苹果酸和酒石酸均能提高龙葵各部位对Cd的吸收及土壤Cd从地下向地上部转移的能力,促进龙葵对Cd的转移和富集;其中苹果酸添加量为5.0 mmol/kg时,龙葵对Cd的累积量相对较高且富集系数最大,对土壤中Cd的植物修复效果最好.     

Effects of Feeding Frequency on Apparent Energy and Nutrient Digestibility/Availability of Channel Catfish,Ictalurus punctatus,Reared at Optimal and Suboptimal Temperatures

This study examined the effects of feeding frequency (daily versus every other day [EOD]) on nutrient digestibility/availability of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, reared at optimal (30 C) and suboptimal (24 C) temperatures. A 28% protein practical diet was used as the test diet, and chromic oxide was used at 0.75% of the diet as a maker. Twenty channel catfish of a mean weight of 141 g/fish were stocked into 12 flow‐through aquaria (110 L). Fish were fed daily or EOD to apparent satiation for 7 d before fecal samples were collected by the dissection method. Fish fed EOD to apparent satiation consumed more diet on days fed than those fed daily, and fish reared at 30 C consumed more diet than those reared at 24 C. Neither feeding frequency nor water temperature significantly affected apparent digestibility coefficients for energy and protein and apparent availability coefficients for total amino acids. Results show no advantage by feeding EOD over feeding daily on nutrient digestibility and diet utilization efficiency.     

The efficiency of nitrogen in cattle manures when applied to a double‐annual forage cropping system

The use of cattle manure (CM) for fertilization presents challenges for optimizing nitrogen (N) use. Our work aimed to assess N efficiencies, in a 6‐year experiment with three biennial rotations of four crops: oat–sorghum (first year) and ryegrass–maize (second year) in a rainfed humid Mediterranean area of Spain. Fertilization treatments included the following: control (no N), 250 kg mineral N ha^?1 year^?1 (250MN), three CM rates (supplying 170, 250 and 500 kg N ha^?1 year^?1) and four treatments where the two lowest CM rates were complemented with either 80 or 160 kg mineral N ha^?1 year^?1. Treatments were distributed randomly in each of three blocks. Maximum dry‐matter yield (~44–49 t ha^?1 rotation^?1) was achieved in the third rotation, and only the control and the 170CM yielded significantly less. Within the limitations of the EU Nitrate Directive, the N steady state supply of 170CM always requires a complement of mineral N (80 kg N ha^?1) to maximize N agronomic efficiency. The maximum N‐fertilizer replacement value (250CM vs. 250MN) was 0·67, without significant differences between the two treatments in other N‐related efficiency indexes, which indicates that plants took advantage of residual‐N effects. Nitrogen losses by leaching in the 250CM treatment were around 5–7% of the N applied. This reinforces the sustainability of manure recycling in long cropping seasons.     

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.     

A genetic linkage map in southern‐by‐spring oat identifies multiple quantitative trait loci for adaptation and rust resistance

We developed 178 recombinant inbred lines from a southern‐by‐spring oat population designated as “TxH.” These lines were genotyped to generate a high‐quality linkage map that resolved 6,902 markers into 21 linkage groups that matched closely with the latest hexaploid oat consensus map. Three major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting heading date were found in locations that are consistent with known QTLs and candidate genes, and two other QTLs affecting heading date were found in novel locations. Five QTLs affecting plant height were found. Both sets of QTLs are responsible for transgressive segregation observed for these two traits. Four QTLs affecting resistance to crown rust, caused by the pathogen Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae, were identified. Two of these QTLs are consistent with known clusters of rust resistance genes, while two may represent new locations of novel rust resistance genes. A complete set of SNP sequences suitable for generating markers for molecular selection is provided.     

Evaluating the Effects of Dietary Prebiotic Mixture of Mannan Oligosaccharide and Poly‐β‐Hydroxybutyrate on the Growth Performance,Immunity, and Survival of Rainbow Trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum 1792), Fingerlings

This study investigated the effects of dietary poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) on the growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, and disease resistance of rainbow trout fingerlings. A total of 420 fingerlings, distributed equally into four different groups, each with three replicates, were fed a basal diet (control), 2% PHB (PHB), 0.2% MOS (MOS), or a diet supplemented with a mixture of 2% PHB and 0.2% MOS (PHB+MOS) for 60 d. Results showed that dietary PHB and/or MOS did not cause significant improvement in the growth performance of the fingerlings. The gut pH was markedly reduced; however, the activities of the digestive enzymes (except for pepsin and amylase by dietary PHB) were not significantly improved by the dietary supplements. Results also showed that dietary PHB and/or MOS markedly increased the resistance of the fingerlings toward Yersinia ruckeri infection, while the lowest total antibody was observed in fish fed control and MOS, indicating that MOS exerts its protective effects by modulating other mechanisms. Overall, this study provided a first screening effort to determine the effects of PHB and/or MOS as dietary supplements in rainbow trout fingerlings to develop an optimal prebiotic mix for improving the growth and health status of rainbow trout.