Drivers,challenges and opportunities of forage technology adoption by smallholder cattle households in Cambodia

Forage technology has been successfully introduced into smallholder cattle systems in Cambodia as an alternative feed source to the traditional rice straw and native pastures, improving animal nutrition and reducing labour requirements of feeding cattle. Previous research has highlighted the positive impacts of forage technology including improved growth rates of cattle and household time savings. However, further research is required to understand the drivers, challenges and opportunities of forage technology for smallholder cattle households in Cambodia to facilitate widespread adoption and identify areas for further improvement. A survey of forage-growing households (n = 40) in July–September 2016 examined forage technology adoption experiences, including reasons for forage establishment, use of inputs and labour requirements of forage plot maintenance and use of forages (feeding, fattening, sale of grass or seedlings and silage). Time savings was reported as the main driver of forage adoption with household members spending approximately 1 h per day maintaining forages and feeding it to cattle. Water availability was reported as the main challenge to this activity. A small number of households also reported lack of labour, lack of fencing, competition from natural grasses, cost of irrigation and lack of experience as challenges to forage growing. Cattle fattening and sale of cut forage grass and seedlings was not found to be a widespread activity by interviewed households, with 25 and 10% of households reporting use of forages for these activities, respectively. Currently, opportunities exist for these households to better utilise forages through expansion of forage plots and cattle activities, although assistance is required to support these households in addressing current constraints, particularly availability of water, if the sustainability of this feed technology for smallholder cattle household is to be established in Cambodia.     

Effects of sodium nitroprusside after load reduction and/or atropine pre-treatment prior to dexmedetomidine administration on cardiovascular variables in dogs

The purpose of this study was to determine the cardiovascular effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP)‐induced after load reduction in dogs administered dexmedetomidine (DEX). Using a randomized crossover design and allowing at least 2 weeks between treatments 12 adult hound dogs of either sex weighing 22 ± 1.7 SD kg were anesthetized by face mask administration of 2.9% ET sevoflurane to facilitate instrumentation prior to administration of treatment drugs. Dogs were intubated and instrumented to enable measurement of heart rate (HR), systolic (SAP), mean (MAP) and diastolic (DAP) arterial pressures, mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), central venous pressure (CVP), pulmonary arterial temperature (TEMP), and cardiac output (CO). Systemic (SVR) and pulmonary vascular resistances were calculated. Following completion of instrumentation dogs were allowed to recover for 40 minutes. After collection of baseline data, dogs were administered one of four treatments at T–10 minutes prior to injection of DEX (500? g M^–2 IM): 1) saline (SAL); 2) atropine (ATR, 0.02 [n = 6] or 0.04 [n = 6] mg kg^–1 IM); 3) SAL + SNP (infused at 1–10 ?g kg^–1 minute^–1, IV as needed to maintain MAP between 90–110 mm Hg; or 4) ATR + SNP. Cardiovascular data were collected at T‐20 minutes prior to administration of DEX, T‐5 and at 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 60 minutes following DEX. Data were analyzed using anova for repeated measures with post hoc differences between means identified using Bonferroni's method (p < 0.05). Differences in ATR dose were not found to be significant and thus results for ATR dose groups were pooled. Administration of SAL (dexmedetomidine alone) was associated with decreases in HR and CO and increases in SAP, MAP, DAP, CVP, and SVR. Administration of ATR was associated with an increase in HR and CO compared with SAL. Administration of SNP was associated with an increase in HR and CO and a decrease in SVR, MAP and CVP compared with SAL. Administration of SNP + ATR was associated with effects similar to that of SNP or ATR alone and resulted in an additive increase in CO. We conclude that SNP‐induced afterload reduction with or without atropine is effective in mitigating DEX‐induced impairment of cardiovascular function.     

A Japanese powdery mildew isolate with exceptionally large infection efficiency on Mlo-resistant barley

A Japanese field isolate (Race I) of Erysiphe graminis f.sp, hordei was tested on 17 barley lines carrying the mlo powdery mildew resistance gene. Race I produced many successful infections with infection type larger than or equal to 2 on six lines (M66, MC20, SRI, SR7, A tem and Totem), On the remaining 11 lines it reacted with infection type 0. Colony numbers on the Mlo-lines were between 26% and 12 9% of the numbers on a susceptible cultivar Manchuria, These numbers were larger than, or similar to those produced by isolate HL3/5, which has the highest recorded infection efficiency on Mlo-resistant cultivars. The interaction between isolates and lines was highly significant. The isolate GE3, from which HL3/5 was derived by selection, gave rise to occasional colonies corresponding to less than 03° o of the number produced on cv. Manchuria.     

Comparison of mobile and stationary spore-sampling techniques for estimating virulence frequencies in aerial barley powdery mildew populations

Gene frequencies in samples of aerial populations of barley powdery mildew ( Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei ), which were collected in adjacent barley areas and in successive periods of time, were compared using mobile and stationary sampling techniques. Stationary samples were collected from trap plants in three periods within 1 week at a distance of more than 1000 m from the nearest barley field. At four dates within the same 8-day period, other samples were collected by a mobile spore trap along four sampling routes of a total distance of 130 km around the stationary stand of exposure. The samples were characterized by virulence genotypes defined according to infection types on 12 near-isogenic barley lines, and frequencies of single virulence genes were subsequently calculated. The three samples collected at the stationary site differed significantly with respect to allele frequencies at three loci. The main wind direction was different in the three sampling periods, implying different powdery mildew sources. For the mobile exposure, the differences between routes were not significant for any locus. However, the routes differed most for the loci under direct selection by host resistances genes, indicating a different distribution of source varieties along routes. There was no difference between allele frequencies at different dates, indicating that the proportions of spores from different source varieties were similar at these dates. In conclusion, samples collected by the stationary technique will mainly reflect the source varieties present in the local area, whereas samples collected by the mobile spore trap will mainly reflect sources close to the sampling route. Therefore, sampling sites as well as sampling routes should be defined such that source varieties are representative for the overall varietal distribution in the survey region considered.     

The effect of different frequencies of harrowing in the autumn or spring on winter wheat, and on the control of Stellaria media (L.) vill., Galium aparine L. and Brassica napus L.

Cultivating with a flexible tine harrow in the autumn reduced densities of Stellaria media (L) Vill., Galium aparine L. and Brassica napus L. plants and thinned the wheat crop. Effects were more severe with two passes at right angles (plant stands were approximately halved) than with a single cultivation. Despite crop thinning, wheat yields were not reduced by autumn harrowing owing to compensatory increases in 1000-grain weights. Summer biomass of S. media and G. aparine was reduced more by spring than by autumn harrowing, while biomass of B. napus was only reduced by autumn harrowing. It was concluded that weakly rooted climbing or scrambling species are more easily controlled by cultivating in the spring, while species that develop a tap-root are more readily controlled by cultivating at an early growth stage in the autumn. L'effet de différentes fréquences d'hersage en automne on au printempssur le blé d'hiver, etsur les controles suivants Stellaria media (L.) Vill., Galium aparine L. et Brassica napus L. Les façons culturales effectuées à 1'automne avec une herse à trilles flexibles réduisaient le nombre de Stellaria media (L.) Vill., Galium aparine L. et Brassica napus L. et éclaircissaient la culture de blé. Les effets étaient plus importantes après deux passages perpendiculaires (densité des plantes divisée par environ 2) que par un seul passage. En dépit de l'éclaircissement, les rende-ments du blé n'ont pas été réduits par le hersage d'automne grâce à une compensation par le poids de 1000 grains. La biomasse d'été de S. media et G. aparineétait plus réduite par un hersage de printemps que d'automne, alors que la biomasse de B. napus n'était réduite que par un hersage d'automne. Les espéces grimpantes et faible-ment enracinées sont done plus facilement com-battues par des travaux de printemps, alors que celles qui présentent un racine pivotante sont plus facilement combattues par un hersage d'automne, à un stade précoce. Die Wirkung verschieden häufigen Eggens im Herbst oder im Frühjahr auf Wintenveizen und auf die Bekämpfung von Stellaria media (L.) Vill., Galium aparine L. und Brassica napus L. Eggen im Herbst mit einer beweglichen Zinkenegge verringerte die Dichte von Stellaria media (L.) Vill., Galium aparine L. und Brassica napus L. und reduzierte den Weizenbestand. Die Wirkungen waren durch 2 Arbeitsgänge im rechten Winkel zu einander, wobei der Pflanzenbestand ungefähr halbiert wurde, gegenüber einer einzelnen Bearbeitung ver-stärkt. Aufgrund eines ausgleichenden Anstiegs des Tausendkorngewichts wurden die Weizenerträge trotz Ausdünnung der Bestände nicht durch Eggen im Herbst reduziert. Die Sommerbiomasse von S. media und G. aparine wurde mehr durch Eggen im Frühjahr als durch Eggen im Herbst verringert, während die Biomasse von B. napus nur durch Eggen im Herbst reduziert wurde. Daraus folgt, daß schwach wurzelnde und kletternde Arten einfacher durch Eggen im Frühjahr bekämpfbar sind, Arten mit einer Pfahlwurzel besser im Herbst zu einem früheren Entwicklungsstadium.     

Embryonic Loss in Sows with Repeated Propensity for Small Litter Size

Information is lacking as to the timing and cause of sows that repeatedly have low litter size over several parities. Sows evaluated for the present study had at least two parities either small or=12 (NL) litter size. Following breeding of sows with contemporary boars, reproductive tracts were obtained on day 30 of gestation. There was no difference (p > 0.10) between SL and NL sows in the number of CL, embryo weight or placental length. The total number of embryos and embryonic survival tended to be lower (p < 0.10) in SL sows compared with NL sows, but there were 5.1 less viable embryos (p < 0.03) in SL. Results indicate that time of conceptus loss in SL sows was variable throughout gestation.     

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