Replacing Soybean Meal with Alternative Protein Sources in Diets for Pond‐raised Hybrid Catfish, ♀ Ictalurus punctatus × ♂ Ictalurus furcatus

The present study investigated the replacement of soybean meal with combinations of two or three alternative protein sources in diets for pond‐raised hybrid catfish, ♀ Ictalurus punctatus × ♂ Ictalurus furcatus. Alternative protein sources evaluated included cottonseed meal, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), peanut meal, and porcine meat and bone meal (PMBM). Hybrid catfish fingerlings with a mean initial weight of 35 g/fish were stocked into 25 earthen ponds (0.04 ha) at a density of 14,826 fish/ha. Fish were fed once daily to apparent satiation for 166 d. No significant differences were observed for total diet fed, net yield, weight gain, survival, carcass yield, fillet yield, or fillet proximate composition among dietary treatments. Results show soybean meal may be completely replaced by combinations of cottonseed meal and one or two other alternative protein sources including DDGS, peanut meal, and PMBM in the diet without markedly affecting production and processing characteristics and fillet proximate composition of pond‐raised hybrid catfish. These alternative diets may be used during foodfish production when prices are favorable.     

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.     

Isolation of chicken anaemia virus from broiler chickens in New Zealand

Chicken anaemia virus was isolated for the first time in New Zealand from the New Zealand domestic chicken population. The virus was recovered from diseased birds in five separate flocks of broiler chickens aged between 14 and 33 days of age. Six isolates were obtained from bone marrow and lymphoid tissues using the MDCC-MSB1 cell line derived from Marek's disease lymphoma. All isolates were resistant to chloroform and survived exposure to 70 degrees C for 5 minutes. The main clinical features consistently associated with the disease outbreaks were increased mortality, yolk sac infections, sub-cutaneous haemorrhages and atrophy of the thymus. Fungal pneumonia occurred in two flocks, and gangrenous dermatitis as a result of bacterial infection in another flock. Microscopic examination showed atrophy of the thymus, reduced medullary haematopoiesis and inflammation resulting from secondary infections.     

Evaluation of Low‐protein Alternative Diets for Pond‐raised Hybrid Catfish,Ictalurus punctatus × Ictalurus furcatus

A study was conducted to evaluate low‐protein traditional or alternative diets for pond‐raised hybrid catfish, Ictalurus punctatus × Ictalurus furcatus. Three 24% protein diets containing decreasing levels of soybean meal (30, 20, and 15%) and increasing levels of cottonseed meal and corn germ meal were compared with a 28% protein control diet. Hybrid catfish fingerlings (mean initial weight = 71 g/fish) were stocked into 20 earthen ponds (0.04 ha) at a density of 14,826 fish/ha with five ponds per dietary treatment. Fish were fed once daily to apparent satiation for a 191‐d growing season. There were no significant differences in total diet fed, net yield, weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), survival, or fillet proximate nutrient composition among dietary treatments (P ≥ 0.10). However, regression analysis showed for fish fed 24% protein diets there was a linear increase in FCR as soybean meal levels decreased (P = 0.06). Compared with fish fed the 28% protein control diet, fish fed 24% protein diets had lower carcass and fillet yield. Results demonstrate a 24% protein alternative diet containing 20% soybean meal may be substituted for 28% protein diets for hybrid catfish during food fish production.     

Novel polymorphisms at codons 146 and 151 in the prion protein gene of Cyprus goats, and their association with natural scrapie

To discern whether an association exists between specific combinations of polymorphisms of the prion protein (PrP) and natural scrapie in Cyprus goats, 250 goats were examined, including 164 histologically positive cases. Previously reported amino acid polymorphisms were detected at codons 154 (R-->H), 168(P-->Q), 220(Q-->H) and 240 (S-->P) and nucleotide alterations at codons 42 (a-->g) and 138 (c-->t). Additionally, novel amino acid polymorphisms were detected at codons 146 (N-->S or D) and 151 (R-->H) and new "silent" mutations were found at codons 179 (V,g-->t), 181 (D,c-->t) and 219 (T,c-->t). The two novel polymorphisms at codon 146 were found only in the healthy control and scrapie-negative goats. By comparison, none of the scrapie-affected goats encoded these polymorphisms.     

Role of transpiration suppression by evaporation of intercepted water in improving irrigation efficiency

Sprinkler irrigation efficiency declines when applied water intercepted by the crop foliage, or gross interception (I_gross), as well as airborne droplets and ponded water at the soil surface evaporate before use by the crop. However, evaporation of applied water can also supply some of the atmospheric demands usually met by plant transpiration. Any suppression of crop transpiration from the irrigated area as compared to a non-irrigated area can be subtracted from I_gross irrigation application losses for a reduced, or net, interception (I_net) loss. This study was conducted to determine the extent in which transpiration suppression due to microclimatic modification resulting from evaporation of plant-intercepted water and/or of applied water can reduce total sprinkler irrigation application losses of impact sprinkler and low energy precision application (LEPA) irrigation systems. Fully irrigated corn (Zea Mays L.) was grown on 0.75 m wide east-west rows in 1990 at Bushland, TX in two contiguous 5-ha fields, each containing a weighing lysimeter and micrometeorological instrumentation. Transpiration (Tr) was measured using heat balance sap flow gauges. During and following an impact sprinkler irrigation, within-canopy vapor pressure deficit and canopy temperature declined sharply due to canopyintercepted water and microclimatic modification from evaporation. For an average day time impact irrigation application of 21 mm, estimated average I_gross loss was 10.7%, but the resulting suppression of measured Tr by 50% or more during the irrigation reduced I_gross loss by 3.9%. On days of high solar radiation, continued transpiration suppression following the irrigation reduced I_gross loss an additional 1.2%. Further 4–6% reductions in I_gross losses were predicted when aerodynamic and canopy resistances were considered. Irrigation water applied only at the soil surface by LEPA irrigation had little effect on the microclimate within the canopy and consequently on Tr or ET, or irrigation application efficiency.