Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of importance in horses in southern Africa

Well-known plant poisonings such as 'dunsiekte' (seneciosis) and 'jaagsiekte' (crotalariosis) of horses in southern Africa are briefly reviewed. Relatively unfamiliar mycotoxicoses such as stachybotryotoxicosis and perennial rye grass staggers and potentially occurring exotic intoxications such as equine nigropallidal encephalomalacia and ergot alkaloid poisoning are also discussed. This article is aimed at informing the southern African equine practitioner about probable poisonings that might occur locally in horses.     

Potential uses for geographic information system-based planning and decision support technology in intensive food animal production

Although geographic information systems (GIS) have been used in many disciplines, the available technology in planning and decision support has only recently begun to be used in intensive animal production, in areas such as confined animal feeding operations. GIS-based planning and decision support systems have the potential to enhance many aspects of intensive animal production, such as disease monitoring and prevention, emergency management and nutrient waste disposal. Current uses of GIS in animal production are reviewed. Potential uses are illustrated using the example of the poultry industry on the Delmarva Peninsula, USA.     

Neutrophil extracellular traps kill bacteria

Neutrophils engulf and kill bacteria when their antimicrobial granules fuse with the phagosome. Here, we describe that, upon activation, neutrophils release granule proteins and chromatin that together form extracellular fibers that bind Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. These neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) degrade virulence factors and kill bacteria. NETs are abundant in vivo in experimental dysentery and spontaneous human appendicitis, two examples of acute inflammation. NETs appear to be a form of innate response that binds microorganisms, prevents them from spreading, and ensures a high local concentration of antimicrobial agents to degrade virulence factors and kill bacteria.     

Drivers of fine-scale avian functional diversity with changing land use: an assessment of the effects of eco-estate housing development and management

Landscape Ecology - The effects of changing land use, and especially urbanisation, on species and functional diversity are of global concern. Eco-estates are a form of urban housing development...     

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural exports

The COVID-19 outbreak has shocked the world's economies in the year of 2020. As this pandemic spreads around the globe, many experts feared that the global food supplies might start running short, especially if supply chains were disrupted. COVID-19 also added to the uncertainty of the business operation. Therefore, it is critical to understand how COVID-19 pandemic affected global food supply and market. In this study, we investigate the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural export companies in China using a unique firm-level survey data. We found that although on average agricultural businesses experienced declines in the exports, exports of some agricultural products especially grain and oil held strong and even increased, implying the essential demand for staple food during the pandemic. Not surprisingly, exports of medicinal herb also increased significantly during the pandemic. However, exports of goods such as edible fungus and horticultural products sharply decreased. Our results also showed that in general, impact of COVID-19 on smaller firms was more severe than that on larger firms. The results of this study can provide useful guidance and implications for agricultural businesses and policy makers on their COVID-19 mitigation efforts to navigate this global pandemic.     

Leaf transmittance measurements can improve predictions of the nitrogen status for winter wheat crop

Dynamic crop models can be used to predict the occurrence of nitrogen deficiency during crop growth and optimize nitrogen fertilisation. However, prediction errors can be large and may lead to wrong recommendations. The objective of our work is to study the value of correcting the dynamic model Azodyn using transmittance measurements made with the N-Tester^® (Yara) to predict the nitrogen status of a winter wheat crop. Our approach is to use a Bayesian method called the “interacting particle filter” to fit the model's state variables to measurements obtained over the course of the season. This approach was assessed on 44 experimental plots. Predictions of crop biomass, nitrogen uptake and nitrogen nutrition index were first performed for each plot by using the model without any correction. A second series of predictions was then performed for the same variables by correcting the model with N-Tester measurements at GS 7 on Feekes’ scale. The results showed that the second series of predictions were more accurate. Depending on the prediction dates, model corrections reduced the root mean squared error by 18.1–53.2% for nitrogen nutrition index, by 9.1–10.1% for biomass, and by 17.1–45.0% for nitrogen uptake. The predictions were improved up to 52 days after the measurement but the degree of improvement was higher when the prediction date was close to the measurement date. The results also showed that, when corrected, model predictions were very sensitive to values of N-Tester measurements. It is therefore necessary to use N-Tester measurements which are as precise as possible.