Effects of grazing adaptation on herbage intake,milk production,and body weight change in lactating dairy cows after turning out to pasture in early spring

The present study investigated the effects of adaptation to grazing in early spring on the herbage intake, milk production, and body weight changes in lactating dairy cows. The experiment included 12 Holstein lactating cows during early spring. Six cows were allowed to gradually adapt to grazing (ADP) over 10 days. They were allowed to graze on a pasture for 4 h during the first week and for 19 h during the remaining 3 days (adaptation period). During the 10-day period, the remaining six cows were housed in a barn (CON). Cows in both groups received adequate silage, hay, and concentrate during the adaptation period. Subsequently, cows in both groups were allowed to graze together for 19 h for 4 weeks (experimental period). No cow received supplements during the experimental period. In the first week of the experimental period, the ADP cows showed a higher herbage intake than the CON cows. During the subsequent weeks, there were no differences in herbage intake between the two groups. At the start of the experimental period, milk production and body weight of the ADP cows were higher than those of the CON cows, and this difference lasted until the end of the experiment.     

Noncovalent interaction of dietary polyphenols with common human plasma proteins

Common human plasma proteins (CHPP), also called blood proteins, are proteins found in blood plasma. The molecular structure/property-affinity relationships of dietary polyphenols noncovalently binding to CHPP were investigated by comparing the binding constants obtained from the fluorescence titration method. An additional methoxy group in flavonoids increased their binding affinities for CHPP by 1.05 to 72.27 times. The hydroxylation on the 4' position (ring B) of flavones and flavonols and the 5 position (ring A) of isoflavones weakened the binding affinities; however, the hydroxylation on other positions of flavonoids slightly enhanced or little affected the binding affinities for CHPP. The glycosylation of flavonoids weakened or slightly affected the affinities for CHPP by 1 order of magnitude. The hydrogenation of the C2═C3 double bond of flavone, 6-hydroxyflavone, 6-methoxyflavone and myricetin decreased the binding affinities about 10.02 to 17.82 times. The galloylation of catechins significantly improved the binding affinities with CHPP about 10 to 1000 times. The esterification of gallic acid increased its binding affinity. The binding affinities with CHPP were strongly influenced by the structural differences of dietary polyphenols. Polyphenols with higher affinities for purified HSA also showed stronger affinities with CHPP. The hydrophobic force played an important role in binding interaction between polyphenols and CHPP.     

Design and evaluation of a one-operation shallow up-cut tillage sowing method for soybean production

ABSTRACT

Sowing using a rotary tiller rotating in reverse (up-cut) is a labor-saving technology for soybean production because it can perform tillage and sowing, make ridges, and bury winter crop residues in one operation. However, the power requirement of up-cut rotation is higher than of normal rotation (down-cut), resulting in lower working speeds. Shallow tillage sowing methods may be a solution to this problem. Here, we develop a shallow tillage sowing method using an up-cut rotary and a side-disk which could perform the aforementioned works in one operation and conducted field experiments in 2015 and 2016 to study the effect of our sowing method (up-cut shallow tillage; UST) on ridge shape, soil volumetric water content (VWC) and soybean growth and yield, compared to conventional sowing methods (up-cut conventional tillage; UCT, and down-cut conventional tillage; DCT). Ridge shape did not differ among sowing methods. The VWC at 10 and 20 cm depths in DCT was always higher than in UST and UCT, indicating poorer drainage. The VWC at 10 cm depth decreased quickly after rain in UST and UCT, indicating good surface-layer drainage, but at 20 cm depth in UCT, VWC was lower than in UST, especially during dry spells, indicating higher water-holding capacity in UST than in UCT. Shoot and root growth and seed yield did not differ among sowing methods, indicating that UST did not negatively affect soybean growth and yield. These results suggest that UST can be used for soybean production.     

Effect of the litter layer on runoff and evapotranspiration using the paired watershed method

The litter layer on a forest floor can influence both short-term runoff and long-term water balance through modification of various hydrological processes. In this study, we have quantified the watershed-scale effects of the litter layer on runoff and evapotranspiration using a paired watershed method. The removal of the litter layer in a forested watershed with an area of 1.19 ha was conducted annually over the latter half of a 6-year experimental period. An adjacent forested watershed with an area of 1.42 ha was preserved as a control. Our results indicated that litter removal increased the 3-year runoff by 80.3 mm during the post-treatment period. Furthermore, when the peak flow range in the control watershed was 0.4–1.0 mm/h and >1.0 mm/h, peak runoff during flood events was about 1.5 and 1.4 times greater than that observed before litter layer removal, respectively. These data suggest that litter layer removal can decrease litter layer interception and, hence, increase peak flow, particularly during relatively large flood runoff events.     

Bean husks as a supplemental fiber for ruminants: Potential use for activation of fibrolytic rumen bacteria to improve main forage digestion

This study evaluated the suitability of easily digested fiber sources as a supplemental fiber to improve overall fiber digestion in ruminants. First, the degradation of five fibrous feedstuffs and the stimulatory effects on rumen bacteria were examined in situ. Chickpea and lablab bean husks were selected for their potential use due to their large degradable fraction (> 94%), which had a stimulatory effect on fibrolytic rumen bacteria such as Fibrobacter succinogenes. Second, a possible improvement in the digestibility of rice straw diet by husk supplementation was monitored in vivo. Four dietary treatments comprising RS (rice straw and concentrate), CHM (RS supplemented with Myanmar chickpea husk), CHE (RS with Egyptian chickpea husk) and LH (RS with lablab bean husk) were allocated to four wethers. The digestibility of acid detergent fiber was 3.1–5.5% greater in CHM and LH than RS. Total volatile fatty acid concentration was higher in LH than other treatments. Acetate proportion was higher in LH than RS. Ruminal abundance of F. succinogenes was 1.3–1.5 times greater in CHM and LH than RS. These results suggest that bean husk supplementation, especially lablab bean husk, might improve the nutritive value of rice straw diet by stimulating fibrolytic bacteria.     

The pathogenicity of canine parvovirus type-2b, FP84 strain isolated from a domestic cat, in domestic cats

Canine parvovirus type-2a (CPV-2a) and type-2b (CPV-2b) have recently been isolated from domestic cats. The pathogenicity of CPV-2b in domestic cats is still unclear. In this study, we performed infection tests to examine the pathogenicity of CPV-2b, FP84 strain, isolated from a domestic cat. The results demonstrated that the CPV strain FP84 is able to infect and replicate well in domestic cats. Two of the 3 cats used in the test died. They showed loss of appetite, diarrhea, leukopenia and dehydration. Since FP84 was found to be virulent to domestic cats, it is necessary to examine the efficacy of inactivated feline panleukopenia virus vaccines against CPV infection in domestic cats.     

Correlations of the electrophysiological activity of neonicotinoids with their binding and insecticidal activities

The electrophysiological actions of various neonicotinoids, including substituted benzyl derivatives, against recombinant Drosophila SAD/chicken beta2 hybrid nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) were measured to analyze the relationships between the in vivo (insecticidal) and in vitro (binding and agonist) activities. Most of the neonicotinoids tested were capable of inducing inward currents by activating the hybrid nAChRs expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, whereas some compounds had no agonist activity and only blocked the acetylcholine-induced currents. Variations in the agonist activity were well correlated with those in the binding potency evaluated using [3H]imidacloprid as well as insecticidal activities.     

Selection, regeneration and protein profile characteristics of NaCl-tolerant callus ofRobinia pseudoacacia L.

Changes in callus growth, differentiation potency and protein profile induced by salt stress were investigated in the calli induced from a hypocotyl ofRobinia pseudoacacia L. The NaCl treatment evidently obstructed the callus growth and the influences seemed to continue to be present in the selected calli even after they were restored in NaCl-free medium that could partially recover the callus growth, and some polypeptides were found to restore. The calli selected and restored intermittently every two weeks for one year completely lost their differentiation potency. The NaCl-tolerance test of the regenerated plantlets revealed that part of the plantlets that directly regenerated from the selected NaCl-tolerant calli were able to survive in 0.2 M NaCl, while most of the plantlets regenerated from the NaCl-nonselected calli or from restored calli were obviously damaged by this treatment. The SDS-PAGE assay indicated that a 54 kDa polypeptide increased distinctly to a very high level while a 41 kDa polypeptide decreased to a lower level in almost all the NaCl-tolerant plantlets. This observation led to the suggestion that the changes may play an adaptive role in allowing plantlets to survive under saline conditions.     

Development of phototaxis in the early life stages of Pacific bluefin tuna <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus orientalis</Emphasis>

We investigated the development of phototaxis in larval and early juvenile stages of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis to detail behavior development in relation to light. We observed the distribution of Pacific bluefin tuna in an illumination gradient tank from 1 to 26 days after hatching (DAH). Two long rectangular tanks (100 × 10 × 10 cm) were used for experiments; each tank was divided into four sections for observations and one tank was equally illuminated at 1.0 × 10³ lx as the control tank, and the other was at 4.0 × 10², 1.0 × 10³, 1.0 × 10⁴ and 7.0 × 10⁴ lx as the illumination gradient tank. Laboratory-reared larvae and juvenile were released into each tank and acclimatized for 10 min. Thereafter, the number of individuals in each section was counted for 5 times with 10-min intervals. Until 2 DAH (3.6 ± 0.1 mm BL), larvae distributed homogeneously in each section in both tanks. After 3 DAH (3.7 ± 0.1 mm BL) when the eyes of the larvae were pigmented, most fish moved into the 7.0 × 10⁴ lx section in the illumination gradient tank, while fish in the control tank maintained a uniform distribution during the experimental period (Chi-square test, P < 0.05). The results suggest that the post-larvae and juvenile stages show strong positive phototaxis.