Effects of music stimulus on behavior response,cortisol level,and horizontal immunity of growing pigs

An enriched environment is widely used to improve domestic animals’ welfare and promote their natural behaviors. Music can reduce abnormal behavior in humans, nonhuman primates, and rodents. However, little is known about the effects of music on pigs. This study aims to explore the effects of repeated music stimulation on the behavior, physiology, and immunity of growing pigs. A total of 72 hybrid piglets (Large White × Duroc × Minpig) were randomly divided into three groups, including music (Mozart K.448, 60 to 70 dB), noise (recorded mechanical noise, 80 to 85 dB), and control (natural background sound, <40 dB), and 6 h sound stimulation was given per day (1000 to 1600 hours) from 40 to 100 d of age. The behavioral activities of the pigs were observed during the music stimulation, and their serum cortisol, salivary cortisol, and serum immune indices were also measured. Compared with the control group, the music group and noise group increased activity but decreased lying of pigs (P < 0.05). A significant increase in tail-wagging, playing, and exploring behaviors of pigs was found in the music group (P < 0.05), and the noise significantly increased the aggressive behavior of the pigs (P < 0.05). Tail-wagging, playing, exploring, manipulating, and aggressive behaviors decreased over time. Short-term (8 d) music stimulus had a lower cortisol level than that of the noise and control groups (P < 0.05), whereas long-term (60 d) music stimulus increased immunoglobulin G (IgG), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) levels (P < 0.05) and decreased interleukin-4 (IL-4) level (P < 0.05). Long-term noise stimulus significantly reduced the level of IgG (P < 0.05) but did not affect the level of IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-γ levels (P > 0.05). In conclusion, short-term music stimulus (8 d) reduced the stress response, whereas long-term music stimulus (60 d) enhanced the immune responses. In addition, the noise increased the aggressive behavior, and long-term noise reduced the immunity of the growing pigs.     

漾濞县核桃古树资源开发利用现状

对漾濞核桃古树资源现状、资源特点、存在的问题及开发利用现状进行研究,并提出古树核桃开发利用建议,以期提升漾濞核桃古树资源的附加值,从而通过开发核桃古树资源带动核桃产业健康持续发展.     

Growth Responses and Differences in Gene Expression depending on Cultivation Temperature between Alternative type Wheat Varieties

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Two domestic wheat varieties were grown in the growth chamber set at 17°C, 20°C, 23°C and 26°C on average after the emergence of...     

多营养层次生态养殖模式简析

系统介绍了多营养层次生态养殖模式在淡水养殖及海水养殖中的应用与发展,对比了国内外有关该养殖模式发展方向的异同,简述了该养殖模式通过提高物质和空间利用率、改善养殖环境的原理以及在我国推广应用情况,并汇总了我国沿海省份近年来开展该养殖模式选用的品种搭配及产量产值。指出了多营养层次生态养殖模式还存在的问题,对今后发展提出了建议。     

合成氨基酸对肉鸡肠道功能的改善作用

鸡球虫病、坏死性肠炎等肠道感染可能对消化道内源性氨基酸损失产生较大影响。虽然对这一课题的了解不多，但相关文献报道了这些疾病对氨基酸表观回肠消化率的影响。在确定肠内氨基酸流动时必须考虑多种因素，包括肉鸡的年龄、是否有病原体、肠内氨基酸代谢等。胃肠道和肝脏共同承担向外周血释放氨基酸的任务，这些氨基酸是支持蛋白质合成所必需的。一般来说，肠道是氨基酸代谢反应的一个非常活跃的器官系统，它首先会满足自身对氨基酸的需求，然后才会将氨基酸输送到机体其他部分。因此，本综述旨在讨论影响肠内氨基酸流动的因素及日粮氨基酸和肠道感染对氨基酸利用和代谢的影响。     

5种生物制剂对马铃薯种薯萌芽、极端天气下植株生长和产量性状的影响

旨在满足马铃薯生产中茬口衔接、机械化生产技术应用、不利气候下稳产等对马铃薯出苗早、齐、壮的需求,以‘费乌瑞它’为供试品种,用基于有益活菌或工程菌提取物的5种生物制剂进行种薯处理,对多重性状进行了对比分析。5种生物制剂较常规化学制剂,均能够不同程度地促进种薯萌芽和芽根同生,出苗期提前2~7天,播种后49天的出苗率提高3.33%~17.78%。其中,表现最好的为酵母核苷酸衍生物和VDAL,种薯萌发和生根均显著高于对照。霜冻后,生物剂拌种处理在恢复前期促进植株生长,由此促进恢复后期的块茎发育,较常规化学处理增产8.39%~24.03%,体现了不同程度的保产效果。多马道黑、酵母核苷酸衍生物、根肽和VDAL体现出较好的保产效果,可作为种薯处理剂投入马铃薯生产。     

经济林良种推广现状及政策建议

经济林良种是经济林产业的“芯片”,是经济林生产优质、高产、高效的物质基础。完善经济林良种推广政策,是实现经济林产业高质量发展的根本保障。通过数据收集和整理,系统梳理全国经济林良种推广现状,指出经济林良种推广中还存在着良种使用率不高,经济林低产低效;部分经济林良种存在超范围推广;良种审定过多,结构性过剩和种植品种过多,对接生产加工不畅等突出问题。进而提出从以种植为目标的良种推广转变为以生产加工等市场需求为导向的良种推广思路。从优化良种供给、加强良种推广的宏观指导、强化科技支撑和宣传培训、实施经济林提质增效工程和充分发挥产业协会、创新联盟的作用等方面给出优化经济林良种推广的政策建议。     

氮钾浓度对烤烟苗期生长特性的影响

探究氮钾浓度对烟苗生理生化特性的影响,为烟叶苗期氮钾营养平衡提供参考依据.采用水培法,利用基础Hoagland营养液,设置5个不同氮钾浓度处理,分析处理间烟苗的生理生化指标差异.结果表明,氮浓度对烟苗干物质、叶绿素的积累有显著影响,在相同钾浓度下,随着氮浓度的增加,烟苗干物质、叶绿素含量、根系活力显著增加.不同氮水平下,低钾处理间的根系MDA含量、叶片GS活性差异显著.K+对烟苗叶绿素的合成、根系活力、GS活性有一定的促进作用.高氮水平下,高浓度K+会使根系活力、叶片可溶性蛋白含量下降.     

Impact of grassland contract policy on soil organic carbon losses from alpine grassland on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Carbon storage in the soils on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau plays a very important role in the global carbon budget. In the 1990s, a policy of contracting collective grasslands to smaller units was implemented, resulting in a change from the traditional collective grassland management to two new management patterns: a multi‐household management pattern (MMP: grassland shared by several households without enclosures) and a single‐household management pattern (SMP: grassland enclosed and used by only one household). In 2016, 50 MMP and 54 SMP winter pastures on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau were sampled to assess the differences in soil organic carbon (SOC) between the two management patterns. Results showed that average SOC was significantly greater under MMP than under SMP, with an estimated 0.41 Mg C/ha/yr lost due to SMP following the new grassland contract. Based on the government's grassland policy, four grassland utilization scenarios were developed for both summer and winter pastures. We found that if the grassland were managed under SMP, likely C losses ranged between 0.31 × 10⁷ and 6.15 × 10⁷ Mg C/yr across the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau relative to MMP, which more closely resembles pre‐1990s grassland management. Previous estimates of C losses have only considered land use change (with cover change) and ignored the impacts driven by land management pattern changes (without cover change). The new data suggest that C losses from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau are greater than previously estimated, and therefore that the grassland contract policy should be reviewed and SMP households should be encouraged to reunite into the MMP. These findings have potential implications for land management strategies not only on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau but also other grazing regions globally where such practices may exist.