Arthropod diversity of cocoa farms under two management systems in the Eastern and Central regions of Ghana

Diversity of insect communities can be used as bioindicators for change in the environment especially in farms under different management systems. In line with that, we conducted a research on insect species associated with cocoa under organic and conventional management systems in the Eastern and Central regions of Ghana. Insect collection was done using Hand height visual count, Canopy, and “Knock down”, pitfall, coloured bowl and fruit-baited traps. A total of 13,742 individual insects belonging to 138 species from 63 families and 12 orders were recorded in the study. Insect abundance and diversity were generally higher in organic farms compared to conventional farms with Oecophylla longinoda as the most dominant species in both management systems and especially more dominant in organic cocoa farms. Our study revealed that most of the insect species recorded were known cocoa pests although there was high abundance of beneficial insects too. Some of the pest species were Planococoides njalensis, Salhbergella singularis, Helopeltis spp and Pseudococus spp, while some of the beneficial insects recorded were Pheidole spp, Tegenaria spp, Camponotus spp, Crematogaster spp. We can conclude that cocoa farms are potential habitats for insect biodiversity conservation. We recommend that management and/or agronomic practices used in cocoa farms should be geared towards protecting beneficial organisms for instance pollinators and natural enemies by effectively suppressing insect pest populations while enhancing good seed production.

     

Litter production and nutrient deposition from native woody species in the Brazilian semi-arid region

Agroforestry Systems - The use of native trees in agroecosystems is a promising way to increase litter deposition and nutrient cycling and foster the recovery of degraded areas, especially in...     

Performance and meat quality of broiler chickens that are fed diets supplemented with Agaricus brasiliensis mushrooms

This trial was performed to study the use of the mushroom Agaricus brasiliensis as an alternative additive to antimicrobial growth promoters in broiler chicken diets and to assess the quality of the broiler chicken breast meat of birds that are fed diets containing this fungus. Thus, 595 1-day-old chicks were reared in reused poultry litter without anticoccidial and antimicrobial additives. The results showed that a concentration of 1.6 g mushrooms/kg diet was ideal for these birds because it provided better bird performance. When the birds’ immune system organs were analyzed, it was found that the addition of both mushrooms influenced the immune system organs of these broiler chickens. Adding A. brasiliensis to broiler chicken diets did not compromise breast meat quality.     

Marketing of meat sheep with intensive finishing in southern state of Mexico

The objective of the present study was to quantify the marketing margins of cold sheep carcass and barbacoa meat in the southern state of Mexico. Data were obtained from the production chain links (production, industrialization, and marketing) where the marketing margins were calculated along with the benefit/cost (B/C) ratio. In the absolute marketing margin of the final consumer price per kilogram of carcass meat, the producer obtained US$2.7/kg (47 %) of the utilities, while the intermediaries obtained US$3.1/kg (53 %). Considering the final cooked product in barbacoa (typical dish), the margin was US$6.3/kg (29 %) for the producer and US$15.2/kg (71 %) for the intermediaries. The B/C ratio was 1.0, 1.1, 2, and 1.3 for the producer, stocker, butcher, and barbacoa seller, respectively. It is concluded that the best marketing channel for the producer was the producer-stocker-processor (butcher and barbacoa seller). The highest marketing margin was for the intermediaries followed by the producer. The order of importance of the B/C kilogram ratio of meat was for the butcher first, then barbacoa seller, and lastly stocker and producer.     

Evaluation of the effectiveness of Duddingtonia flagrans and Monacrosporium thaumasium in the biological control of gastrointestinal nematodes in female bovines bred in the semiarid region

Brazil has a herd of 212 million cattle and 171 million hectares of pastures that produce approximately 96 % of Brazilian beef. The Brazilian production system enables animal infection by endoparasites, which are considered one of the main obstacles for the development of this industry and are responsible for considerable economic losses. The control of parasitic diseases is performed via the administration of antiparasitic drugs, but they leave residues of the products in the treated animal, affect non-target organisms and select resistant strains of the parasites. The species D. flagrans and M. thaumasium are promising and sustainable alternatives for controlling gastrointestinal helminths of ruminants and other herbivores. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of isolates of these species, formulated in a sodium alginate matrix and administered twice a week, to reduce the number of environmental infective larvae of gastrointestinal nematodes that affect prepubescent zebu females. The treated animals presented fewer eggs and a lower number of infective larvae per gram of faeces (p?<?0.05). The pastures occupied by treated animals showed a statistically significant reduction (p?<?0.05) of the number of L₃ and, furthermore, the genera Cooperia sp., Haemonchus sp., and Oesophagostomum sp. were the most prevalent. The average weight of the animals did not differ statistically (p?>?0.05) among the treated and control groups. The use of sodium alginate pellets as vehicle for delivery of the fungus mycelia D. flagrans (isolate AC001) and M. thaumasium (isolate NF34A) proved effective in controlling trichostrongylids in prepubescent cows bred in the semi-arid region, with an effective reduction in the number of infective larvae in the pastures.     

Prevalence and risk factors associated with goat gastrointestinal helminthiasis in the Sertão region of Paraíba State,Brazil

Gastrointestinal helminthiasis represents an obstacle to goat raising, causing severe damage to herds such as growth retardation, weight loss, and even death. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated to goat gastrointestinal helminthiasis in the Sertão region of Paraíba State, Brazil. A total of 256 goats from 54 farms were systematically sampled. Blood and fecal samples were collected from each animal for egg per gram (EPG), larval culture, and packed cell volume (PCV) analyses. We found that 79.3 % of the goats investigated were parasitized with gastrointestinal helminths. Significant correlation (p?=?0.004) was observed between the EPG and PCV of the animals studied, and it was observed that the EPG increases as the PCV decreases. In the larval culture, the most prevalent helminth was Haemonchus sp. (83.2 %). Age and sex were significant variables (p?≤?0.20) for the development of gastrointestinal helminths: 86.8 % of animals over 36 months of age and 81.7 % of females were infected. The variable type of animal exploitation was also significant, with 90.3 % (p?≤?0.20) of the animals presenting double suitability (milk and meat). The Sertão region of Paraíba State presents high prevalence of gastrointestinal helminthiasis in goats, and age and type of animal exploitation are the most relevant risk factors to the development of these parasites.     

Identification and quantification of benzimidazole resistance polymorphisms in Haemonchus contortus isolated in Northeastern Brazil

Haemonchus contortus is the most prevalent nematode in Brazil. The objective of this study was to select 6 populations of H. contortus of known or suspected benzimidazole resistance status and characterize these using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) F200Y, F167Y and E198A in the β-tubulin isotype 1 gene. qPCR was performed using DNA from a pool of 10 adult male H. contortus from a single animal per farm. Faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) and egg hatch test (EHT) were used to determine the resistance status. Samples were obtained from 6 farms located in 5 counties in the Ceará State: Tauá, Boa Viagem, Quixadá, Santa Quitéria and Solonópole. The inbred-susceptible-Edinburgh (ISE) isolate was used as reference for comparative purposes in the qPCR. Benzimidazole resistance was detected by FECRT on all farms with efficacy values ranging from 0 to 51%. EC50 values as determined by EHT were all above 1.49 μg/ml. High frequencies of the resistant SNPs F200Y and F167Y alleles were detected but no resistance was detected at SNP E198A. Our results suggest that the SNPs F167Y and F200Y are both important for benzimidazole resistance in the studied populations.     

Comparative digestibility of low‐quality grass hay by two breeds of cattle differing in mature live weight

The digestive capacity of the Portuguese native breed of Barrosão cattle and the Holstein–Friesian breed was measured when fed meadow hay (72–74 g CP and 641–671 g NDF/kg dry matter), offered either alone or supplemented with soya bean meal (150 g/kg dry matter), at maintenance level. Four mature cows of each breed were used. Average initial live weight (LW) was 457 and 635 kg for the Barrosão and the Holstein–Friesian cows respectively. The organic matter digestibility (OMD) of the meadow hay was higher in Holstein–Friesian than in Barrosão cows (p < 0.08) whether supplemented or not. The neutral detergent fibre digestibility of the hay was also higher in Holstein–Frisian when the hay was fed alone (p < 0.08). The soya bean meal supplementation increased the OMD and the NDFD digestibility of the total diet (p < 0.05), but not the OMD digestibility of the hay (p > 0.05). The results obtained in this study suggest a higher ability to digest fibre in the large dairy breed than in the small native breed. This suggestion is also supported by previous findings with sheep breeds largely differing in mature live weight.     

Isolation,in vitro propagation,genetic analysis,and immunogenic characterization of an Ehrlichia canis strain from southeastern Brazil

Amplification of the 16S rRNA gene from a blood sample obtained from a dog in southeastern Brazil was used to confirm a naturally acquired Ehrlichia (E.) canis infection. Following isolation and culturing of the new bacterial strain called Uberlândia, partial sequences of the dsb and p28 genes were obtained. The dsb partial sequence of the novel strain was 100% similar to dsb gene sequences of E. canis obtained from different geographic areas around the world. Conversely, the p28 partial sequence for the E. canis Uberlândia strain differed at several nucleotides from other sequences available in GenBank. To confirm the antigenic profile of the Uberlândia strain, an indirect immunofluorescence assay against E. canis antigens was performed using dog sera collected from two different areas in Brazil (Uberlândia and São Paulo). The results suggest that both antigens were able to identify animals seropositive for E. canis in Brazil since these Brazilian strains appear to be highly conserved.