Importance of banana flour and its effect on growth performance of broiler

The main objective of this work was to study the effects of banana flour as energy sources on broiler performance. Seventy‐five broilers were randomly distributed into five groups each with 15 broilers (n = 15 broilers/group). The broilers were grouped to maize–soybean meal diet as control, T₁: (5% of banana flour), T₂: (10% of banana flour), T₃: (15% of banana flour), and T₄: (20% of banana flour). The parameters analyzed in this research were body weight, daily weight gain, and daily feed intake at days 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40. The results showed no significant effects on body weight during the time of assessment, showing healthy values (>1,400 g) in all treatments (p > .05). Daily Weight gain was affected significantly during the days of assessment (p < .05). In all treatments and at different days of assessment, T₃ showed the highest daily weight gain at day 10 (37.56 ± 4.52 g) compared to the other experimental treatments. Regarding daily feed intake, significant differences were observed at day 10 in the control and treatments T₁, T₂, T₃, and T₄ compared to days 20, 30, and 40 (p < .05), being the highest value for T₁ (35.14 ± 2.77).     

Study of the Productive Behavior of Var-21 Soya (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) under the Application of Organic Fertilizers

The use of organic fertilizers to improve the agronomic parameters of soy (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) has been considered a key production practice. During the period from December 2015 to May 2016, the productive behavior of Var-21 soya under the application of two organic biofertilizers was assessed in southern Haiti. Four random repetitions were carried out with biofertilizer A (cow dung + leguminous waste + ash + rice chaff) and biofertilizer B (cow dung + molasses + quick lime). The variables analyzed were days to flowering, plant height, number of beans per pod, weight of 1,000 beans, and yield per hectare, with statistical evaluation by analysis of variance and Tukey’s test. The best yield was obtained with biofertilizer A in treatment T2 (150 L/ha) (4,129.99 kg/ha). This study enabled us to identify the most efficient foliar fertilizer to improve the production parameters of Var-21 soya. The information obtained will serve as a basis for future research, especially into the effectiveness of organic fertilizers on other crop species, and under other agro-environmental conditions.     

Changes in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) sperm quality during the spawning season

The biology of cod reproduction is well described in the scientific literature. However, sperm biology and spermatozoa management are poorly studied in this species. Because of its recent farming expansion, a better knowledge of cod gametes is becoming especially useful. This work aimed at establishing tools to study sperm biology in cod, and also investigated the existence of changes in cod sperm quality during the spawning period. We showed that sperm concentration could be assessed using spectrophotometry at 260 nm. Sperm motility significantly decreased after a 168‐h storage at 4 °C. A 1:9 dilution of sperm in a non‐activating medium (1/3 seawater and 2/3 freshwater, osmotic pressure: 360 mOsm kg^?1) improved sperm storage. Sperm concentration, sperm velocity and storage capacity at 4 °C peaked during the medium period of the spawning season and then decreased to values close to those observed at the beginning of the reproductive period. The measured values of osmotic pressure, pH, protein, Na⁺, Cl^? and Ca²⁺ concentrations of the seminal fluid were modified along the spawning period. Cell damage was noted at the end of the spawning period: local blebs were observed on the flagellum but also loops at its distal part. On the other hand, spermatocrit did not vary with the sampling date. In conclusion, cod sperm quality is modified during the spawning period, the highest‐quality samples being collected during the medium part of this season.