Three SNPs within exons of INHA and ACVR2B genes are significantly associated with litter size in Dazu black goats

The aim of this study was to analyse the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms within INHA and ACVR2B and litter size in Dazu black goats. In total, twenty-two SNPs were genotyped in 190 individuals by SNaPshot and resequencing. The results showed that three SNPs (SNP_1, SNP_12 and SNP_13 in this study) were detected to have significant additive genetic effect on the recorded goat litter size (p < .05). The SNP_1 (NC_030809.1), a non-synonymous substitution of G for T at chr2-g. 28314990 in the exon 2 of INHA gene (NM_001285606.1), resulted in homozygote 2 (HOM2) contributed 0.25 and heterozygote (HET) contributed 0.12 larger litter than homozygote 1 (HOM1). Meanwhile, SNP_12 (Chr22-g. 11721225 A > T) and SNP_13 (Chr22-g. 11721227 A > C) (NC_030829.1) simultaneously mutated at the first and third position of a triplet AAA (lysine, K) in the exon 4 of ACVR2B gene (XM_018066623.1) had estimated genetic effects of HOM1 (0.00) and HOM2 (0.03) larger than HET (−0.12). In conclusion, one SNPs (chr2-g. 28314990 T > G) within the exon 2 of INHA and two SNPs (Chr22-g. 11721225 A > T and Chr22-g. 11721227 A > C) i n the exon 4 of ACVR2B gene were highly recommended as candidate markers of litter size in Dazu black goats. A large-scale association study to assess the impact of these variants on litter size is still necessary.     

草坪草屑的加工与利用

我国每年修剪草坪产生大量的草坪草屑,对草坪草屑的加工利用,可以对我国能源、饲料、肥料及蛋白资源的短缺起到一定的缓解作用,因此如何对草坪草屑进行合理利用已成为一项重要的研究课题。本文综述了草坪草屑能源化、饲料化、肥料化和深加工4种利用方式,详细介绍了草坪草屑在发酵生产能源、饲喂家畜、堆肥还坪以及加工叶蛋白等方面的研究进展,指出禾本科草坪草屑和豆科草坪草屑应采用不同的处理方式,对各加工方式的投入和产出也应进行进一步的量化核算,同时总结并展望了草坪草屑利用方式的发展前景。     

油菜生长过程对核桃凋落叶化感作用的响应

为研究农作物白菜型油菜生长过程对核桃凋落叶化感作用的生理响应，采用盆栽试验，通过设置空白对照CK（不添加凋落叶）和3个凋落叶添加剂量水平:L₆₀（60 g·盆^-1）、L₁₂₀（120 g·盆^-1）和L₁₈₀（180 g·盆^-1），测定盆栽油菜生长中后期的营养生长、生殖生长及生理响应相关指标。结果表明:1）核桃凋落叶分解对油菜中期营养生长（地径、株高）有显著抑制，在后期得到明显减弱，可仍对后期油菜生殖生长（开花性状、结实性状和产量）产生抑制影响；但这种抑制效应不会影响油菜结实种子的萌发。2）油菜生长中期（100 d），随核桃凋落叶剂量增大，油菜叶片中超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性逐步增强，过氧化物酶（POD）活性无显著变化；丙二醛（MDA）含量仅在L₁₈₀处理下显著>CK（P＜0.05），可溶性糖（SS）含量逐步增加，而可溶性蛋白（SP）含量呈逐步下降；到油菜生长后期（140 d）时，各处理下油菜POD、CAT的活性和SS、SP的含量均逐步下降，MDA含量均显著P<0.05）。3）各核桃凋落叶处理对油菜叶片各类叶绿素均有明显抑制作用,随凋落叶添加量增加，油菜叶片净光合速率（P_n）、气孔导度（G_s）和胞间CO₂浓度（C_i）呈先降后增的趋势。综上所述，核桃凋落叶经土壤分解对油菜中后期生长造成强烈的化感胁迫，其主要通过对油菜的细胞膜造成过氧化伤害，使叶绿素合成受到抑制，光合作用受到影响，进而妨碍其生长及产量品质的形成。     

Seasonal Losses of Surface Litter in Northern Great Plains Mixed-Grass Prairies

Surface litter protects rangeland soils against wind and water erosion and provides food and nesting materials for wildlife and insects. However, the ability of grassland systems to provide these services depends on the little studied topic of seasonal surface litter decomposition. Seasonal and annual surface litter decomposition rates were determined between 2014 and 2015 in central and western South Dakota at three mixed-grass prairie locations. Residue bags containing surface litter were placed in the field in late fall (1 November) of 2014 and removed after the winter (1 April), spring (1 July), and summer + fall seasons (1 November) of 2015. The litter was analyzed for total C, total N, acid detergent fiber (ADF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL). Average winter temperatures ranged from −5^oC to −15^oC, while summer temperatures ranged from 10^oC to 35^oC. Litter decomposition was lowest during the winter (0.57−0.86 g [kg × day]⁻¹) and greatest during the summer + fall (2.12−2.69 g [kg × day]⁻¹). Over the entire season, 40.8−62% of the surface litter decomposed. Winter litter decomposition was positively correlated with air temperature (r = 0.62, P < 0.01) and snow depth (r = 0.61, P < 0.01), and negatively correlated with C/N ratio (r = −0.65, P < 0.01), ADF (r = −0.35, P < 0.05), and ADL (r = −0.25, P < 0.05) concentrations. These findings indicate that winter decomposition cannot be ignored and that winter surface litter decomposition increases with snow depth.     

茶树凋落叶浸提液对菘蓝生理生化的化感效应

为研究茶树凋落叶浸提液对菘蓝生长与生理生化的化感效应,以模拟自然条件下雨雾淋溶方式,采用不同浓度的茶树凋落叶浸提液(CK:0 mg·mL^-1、T1:6.25 mg·mL^-1、T2:12.5 mg·mL^-1、T3:25 mg·mL^-1 和T4:50 mg·mL^-1)处理菘蓝,测定其生长、抗氧化酶活性及其基因表达量、细胞膜损伤率以及丙二醛(MDA)、过氧化氢(H₂O₂)、渗透调节物质和次生代谢物含量的变化。结果表明,茶树凋落叶浸提液对菘蓝生长表现出“低促高抑”的浓度效应,与CK相比,T1对菘蓝生长具有一定的促进作用,而浸提液浓度超过菘蓝的耐受阈值时,会对其生长产生不利的影响。随着浸提液浓度的升高,可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白含量呈先上升后下降的趋势,而脯氨酸含量则持续增加。与CK相比,T1的MDA含量、细胞膜损伤率和H₂O含量差异不显著,而T3、T4则显著升高。茶树凋落叶浸提液对抗氧化酶活性及其基因表达有不同的影响,T1的过氧化物酶(POD)与抗坏血酸氧化物酶(APX)活性最高,T2的过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性最高,而T3、T4的4种抗氧化酶活性均显著低于CK。T1的Pod、Cat、Apx基因表达量最高,而T4则抑制了抗氧化酶基因的表达。此外,POD活性与其基因表达量呈显著正相关,而超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、CAT和APX活性与其基因表达量的相关性不显著。不同浓度的茶树凋落叶浸提液对于菘蓝次生代谢物质积累的影响存在显著差异,低浓度茶树凋落叶浸提液对菘蓝生长、靛蓝和靛玉红含量积累有促进作用,而高浓度茶树凋落叶浸提液对总黄酮含量积累有一定的促进作用。本研究结果可为幼龄茶园中茶树-菘蓝复合种植提供理论参考。     

绵羊Izumo1基因多态性及其与产羔数关联分析

为研究Izumo1基因多态性及与产羔数关系,本研究利用PCR和直接测序法对小尾寒羊和苏尼特羊的Izumo1基因DNA序列进行扩增、测序和BLAST分析,并和本课题组前期绵羊重测序数据进行比对,筛选出Izumo1基因SNP位点。同时,采用Sequenom MassARRAY~?技术进行基因分型,并对其SNP位点的基因型和等位基因频率在各群体中的分布进行研究。结果表明:小尾寒羊Izumo1基因DNA全长序列3 385 bp,苏尼特羊Izumo1基因DNA全长序列3 382 bp;筛选出8个Izumo1基因SNP位点,经过初步筛选,将在小尾寒羊、苏尼特羊、滩羊、萨福克羊、杜泊羊、草原藏羊这6个绵羊品种中位点分布没有差异的SNP位点排除,最终筛选获得的g.54412135AG和g.54412107CA 2个位点。Izumo1基因g.54412135AG位点在多羔和单羔绵羊品种中存在GG、GA和AA 3种基因型,G基因为优势等位基因;g.54412107CA在多羔品种中存在CC和CA 2种基因型,而在单羔品种中存在CC、CA和AA 3种基因型,C基因为优势等位基因,其基因型频率和基因频率在单、多羔绵羊群体间的分布差异均极显著(P0.01);群体遗传学分析得出g.54412135AG多态位点在6个品种中的多态信息含量(PIC)都属于低度多态(PIC0.25);g.54412107CA多态位点在杜泊羊中属于中度多态(0.25PIC0.5),在其他5个品种中都属于低度多态(PIC0.25),然而,关联分析发现Izumo1基因g.54412135AG和g.54412107CA位点的不同基因型与小尾寒羊不同胎次产羔数之间不存在显著关联(P0.05)。     

Systematic evaluation of in-house broiler litter windrowing effects on production benefits and environmental impact

In-house windrowing of broiler litter between flocks has been adopted by producers to reduce pathogens and improve litter quality before chick placement. In this study, 5 consecutive windrow trials were conducted in commercial broiler houses for their effect on litter bacterial populations, organic matter stabilization, cumulative ammonia emissions, and nutrient transformation and compared with litter conditioning (tilling) in adjacent houses. No significant reduction ofClostridium spp. andEscherichia coli populations was found in windrowed litter from d 0 to 7. No significant difference of 7-d mortality was found between windrow and nonwindrow houses. The windrowed house resulted in better foot quality than the nonwindrowed house from 1 of 3 scored flocks. Water-soluble phosphorus increased in both windrowed and nonwindrowed litter; therefore, appreciable biotic and abiotic activity occurred in litter with both treatments after flocks were removed. Overall, no negative effect of windrow treatments on litter quality for agronomic applications was observed. Both the control and windrow treatments resulted in a decrease in litter moisture content (2 to 5%) likely beneficial to bird health conditions. High ammonia emissions persisted after windrow spreading; therefore, a need may exist for an extended period of ventilation or a litter amendment as crucial before chick placement. Litter amendment at a low dose was effective in lowering ammonia concentrations after windrowing and was more economical comparing to operating fans in winter conditions.     

Effective population size and inbreeding depression on litter size in rabbits. A case study

The purpose of this study is to use demographic and litter size data on four Spanish maternal lines of rabbits (A, V, H and LP), as a case study, in order to: (i) estimate the effective population size of the lines, as a measure of the rate of increase of inbreeding, and (ii) study whether the inbreeding effect on litter size traits depends on the pattern of its accumulation over time. The lines are being selected for litter size at weaning and are kept closed at the same selection nucleus under the same selection and management programme. The study considered 47 794 l and a pedigree of 14 622 animals. Some practices in mating and selection management allow an increase of the inbreeding coefficient lower than 0.01 per generation in these lines of around 25 males and 125 females. Their effective population size (Ne) was around 57.3, showing that the effect of selection, increasing the inbreeding, was counterbalanced by the management practices, intended to reduce the rate of inbreeding increase. The inbreeding of each individual was broken down into three components: old, intermediate and new inbreeding. The coefficients of regression of the old, intermediate and new inbreeding on total born (TB), number born alive (NBA) and number weaned (NW) per litter showed a decreasing trend from positive to negative values. Regression coefficients significantly different from zero were those for the old inbreeding on TB (6.79 ± 2.37) and NBA (5.92 ± 2.37). The contrast between the coefficients of regression between the old and new inbreeding were significant for the three litter size traits: 7.57 ± 1.72 for TB; 6.66 ± 1.73 for NBA and 5.13 ± 1.67 for NW. These results have been interpreted as the combined action of purging unfavourable genes and artificial selection favoured by the inbreeding throughout the generations of selection.