Genetic parameters of lifetime performance traits in Holstein cows

SUMMARY: Heritabilities, genetic and phenotypic correlations among lifetime yields of milk, fat and protein, herdlife, productive life and number of lactations initiated in the herd were estimated from records of 44,933 progeny of 427 young and 119 proven Holstein sires in 1949 herds using a multivariate Reml technique to fit a sire model with relationships among young sires. Proven sires were fitted as fixed effects. Heritabilities of lifetime traits ranged from 0.005 to 0.030, suggesting little scope for direct selection for lifetime performance traits. Productive life had highest genetic correlation with lifetime fat yield (0.934), but correlations with lifetime milk and protein yields were smaller and similar (0.773 and 0.772). The number of lactations also had highest genetic correlation with lifetime fat yield. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Genetische Parameter von Lebensleistungsmerkmalen bei Holsteinkühen Heritabilit?tswerte, genetische und ph?notypische Korrelationen zwischen Lebensleistungsmerkmalen für Milch, Fett und Protein, Lebensdauer, produktive Zeit und Zahl Laktationen wurden won 44933 Nachkommen von 427 jungen und 119 nachkommenschaftsgeprüften Holsteinstieren in 1949 Herden mittels einer multivariablen REML-Technik gesch?tzt, die auf einem Vatertiermodell mit Verwandtschaft zwischen den jungen Stieren beruhte. Geprüfte Stiere wurden als fixe Effekte im Modell berücksichtigt. Heritabilit?tswerte dieser Merkmale rangieren von 0.005 bis 0.03, so da? wenig Aussichten für Erfolg direkter Selektion auf Lebensleistungsmerkmale besteht. Die L?nge des produktiven Lebens hatte die h?chste genetische Korrelation mit Lebensfettmenge (0.934), aber die Korrelationen mit Milch- und Protein-Lebensleistung waren kleiner und ?hnlich (0.773 und 0.772). Die Zahl der Laktationen hatte die h?chste genetische Korrelation mit der Lebensfettmenge.     

Relationships of first lactation yields with lifetime performance traits in Holstein cows

SUMMARY: Genetic and phenotypic correlations between the first lactation and lifetime yields of milk, fat and protein, herdlife, productive life and number of lactations initiated in the herd were estimated from records of 24,231 progeny of 234 young and 119 proven Holstein sires in 1791 herds using a multivariate REML technique to fit a sire model with relationships among young sires. Proven sires were fitted as fixed effects. Genetic correlations between first lactation and lifetime yields were highest for milk (0.666) followed by fat (0.660) and protein (0.512). Genetic as well as phenotypic correlations of herdlife, productive life and number of lactations were higher with first lactation milk yield than with first lactation fat and protein yields. Direct selection for higher lifetime yields would not be effective because of low heritabilities. However the high, positive genetic correlations of lifetime yields of milk and fat with first lactation yields suggested that first lactation yields might be used for indirect selection for higher lifetime yields. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Beziehung zwischen Erstlaktations- und Lebensleistung bei Holstein-Kühen Zwischen Erstlaktations- und Lebensleistung für Milch, Fett, Protein, Verbleibedauer, produktiver Lebensdauer und Zahl von Laktationen in der Herde wurden von 24.291 T?chtern, 234 Jung- und 119 geprüften Holsteintieren in 1.791 Herden genetische Beziehungen gesch?tzt, wobei eine multivariate REML-Technik zur Analyse eines Stiermodells mit Verwandtschaft zwischen jungen Stieren angewendet worden ist. Die geprüften Stiere wurden als fixe Effekte angesehen. Genetische Korrelationen zwischen Erstlaktation und Lebensleistung war am h?chsten für Milch (0,666), gefolgt von Fett (0,660) und Protein (0,512). Genetische und ph?notypische Korrelationen mit Verbleibedauer, produktiver Lebensdauer und Zahl der Laktationen waren ebenfalls für Erstlaktations-milchmenge h?her als bei Fett und Protein. Direkte Selektion auf h?here Lebensleistung würde wegen der niedrigen Heritabilit?t nicht wirksam sein. Allerdings k?nnten die hohen positiven genetischen Korrelationen des Merkmals mit Erstlaktationsleistungen diese als geeignetes indirektes Selektionskriterium für h?here Lebensleistung anzeigen.     

Combined cytogenetic and ultrastructural effects of substituted urea herbicides and synthetic pyrethroid insecticide on the root meristem cells of Allium cepa

Combined cytogenetic and ultrastructural effects of substituted urea herbicides-isoproturon (ISO) or diuron (DIU) and a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide-deltamethrin (DEL) were examined in the root meristem cells of Allium cepa. For cytogenetic analysis root meristem cells were exposed to the mixtures of ISO (25 or 50 ppm) or DIU (20 or 40 ppm) and DEL (0.25 or 0.5 ppm) for 6 h and analyzed at 24 or 48 h post-exposure whereas for ultrastructural studies roots were exposed for 6 or 24 h to similar concentrations of combinations and examined. Both the combinations, ISO + DEL or DIU + DEL, were found to induce chromosomal breaks and variety of mitotic aberrations at 24 and 48 h post-exposure. The combinations containing higher concentration of DEL (0.5 ppm) induced statistically significant (p < 0.001) frequencies of aberrations than that of the combinations containing low concentration of DEL (0.25 ppm). Chromosome aberrations in all the treatment groups were less frequent than that of mitotic aberrations. Electron microscopic study revealed drastic alterations in the membranous organelles like concentric arrangement of endoplasmic reticulum, crescented or circular structure of Golgi complex dictyosomes and swollen mitochondria. Further, the combination of DIU + DEL appeared to be more toxic than that of ISO + DEL. Present findings suggest that the coexistence of ISO or DIU and DEL in plants synergies the toxicity inducing drastic ultrastructural alterations which are different from its independent effects reported earlier.     

Sum rules and interlayer conductivity of high-Tc cuprates

Analysis of the interlayer infrared conductivity of cuprate high-transition temperature superconductors reveals an anomalously large energy scale extending up to midinfrared frequencies that can be attributed to formation of the superconducting condensate. This unusual effect is observed in a va- riety of materials, including Tl2Ba2CuO6+x, La2-xSrxCuO4, and YBa2Cu3O6.6, which show an incoherent interlayer response in the normal state. Midinfrared range condensation was examined in the context of sum rules that can be formulated for the complex conductivity. One possible interpretation of these experiments is in terms of a kinetic energy change associated with the superconducting transition.     

Enhanced weed‐crop competition effects on growth and seed production of herbicide‐resistant and herbicide‐susceptible annual sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus)

Enhanced crop competition could aid in the management of annual sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus L.), a dominant weed of Australian cropping systems. A two‐year pot study was conducted to evaluate the effect of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) planting densities (0, 82, and 164 wheat plants/m²) on growth and seed production of glyphosate‐resistant (GR) and glyphosate‐susceptible (GS) biotypes of annual sowthistle. Without competition, both biotypes produced a similar number of leaves and biomass, but the GS biotype produced 80% more seeds (46,050 per plant) than the GR biotype. In competition with 164 wheat plants/m², the number of leaves in the GR and GS biotypes was reduced by 62 and 61%, respectively, in comparison with the no‐competition treatment, and similarly, weed biomass was reduced by 78 and 77%, respectively. Compared to no‐competition treatment, the seed production of GR and GS biotypes was reduced by 33 and 69%, respectively, when grown with 82 wheat plants/m², but increasing wheat density from 82 to 164 plants/m² reduced the number of seeds only in the GS biotype (81%). Both biotypes produced greater than 6,000 seeds per plant when grown in competition with 164 plants/m², suggesting that increased crop density should be integrated with other weed management strategies for efficient control of annual sowthistle.     

Modeling the Exchanges of Energy, Water, and Carbon Between Continents and the Atmosphere

Atmospheric general circulation models used for climate simulation and weather forecasting require the fluxes of radiation, heat, water vapor, and momentum across the land-atmosphere interface to be specified. These fluxes are calculated by submodels called land surface parameterizations. Over the last 20 years, these parameterizations have evolved from simple, unrealistic schemes into credible representations of the global soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer system as advances in plant physiological and hydrological research, advances in satellite data interpretation, and the results of large-scale field experiments have been exploited. Some modern schemes incorporate biogeochemical and ecological knowledge and, when coupled with advanced climate and ocean models, will be capable of modeling the biological and physical responses of the Earth system to global change, for example, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide.     

Comparison of the dot-immunobinding assay with the complement fixation test for the detection of Brucella antibodies in sheep

A dot-immunobinding assay (DIA), using as antigen a sonic extract of Brucella abortus dotted on nitrocellulose bound to a plastic strip, was employed for the detection of Brucella antibodies in 666 sheep sera. The results were compared with the complement fixation test (CFT). All the 242 sera belonging to two flocks were found to be negative by DIA. CFT was negative in 239 cases, whereas three samples showed anti-complementary activity. Of the 424 sera from the remaining three flocks, 98 were positive by both tests and six were positive in DIA, but negative in CFT. In addition, 14 of the 19 anti-complementary sera were also positive by DIA.     

Chemical composition of essential oils in Mentha spicata L. accession [IIIM(J)26] from North-West Himalayan region,India

Mentha spicata L. (spearmint) was collected from different sub-tropical and temperate zones of North-West Himalayan region of India. Plants were collected during the flowering stage and essential oil was extracted using Clevenger-type apparatus for 2.5 h and analyzed. GC–MS analysis reveals that carvone was major part which varied between 49.62%–76.65%, second major component was limonene that varied between 9.57%–22.31%. 1,8-cineole varied between 1.32%–2.62%, whereas trans-carveol varied between 0.3%–1.52%. Out of 26 collections, one accession was found rich in carvone (76.65%) along with low limonene content (9.57%). Chemical composition of this accession is described in detail.     

Isolation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from camels with diarrhoea.

E. coli serogroups 02, 08, 083, 0103 and 0120 were isolated from seven camels with diarrhoea of which 02, 08, and 083 were found to be enterotoxigenic on rabbit ligated ileal loop test. Out of 125 apparently healthy camels, 75 strains of E. coli were isolated. The majority of isolates were susceptible to gentamycin, nitrofurantoin, trimethoprim plus sulphonamide, neomycin, kanamycin and chloramphenicol.