Management factors associated with farrowing rate in commercial sow herds in Ontario

The objectives of this study were to determine associations between low farrowing rate and various management factors in sow herds. In 30 sow herds, a management survey, breeding observations, semen evaluation, and semen storage temperature monitoring were completed. Herds with an average farrowing rate of < 85% were classified as low farrowing rate herds while those with an average farrowing rate of ≥ 85% were classified as good farrowing rate herds. Low farrowing rate herds were more likely than good farrowing rate herds to move boars into gilt pens for estrus detection, breed a high proportion of sows by artificial insemination (AI) only, start heat detection 3 d post-weaning, wipe the vulva prior to breeding, and use “hands-free” AI devices.     

Tropical reptiles in pine forests: Assemblage responses to plantations and plantation management by burning

Worldwide, the land area devoted to timber plantations is expanding rapidly, especially in the tropics, where reptile diversity is high. The impacts of plantation forestry and its management on native species are poorly known, but are important, because plantation management goals often include protecting biodiversity. We examined the impact of pine (Pinus caribaea) plantations, and their management by fire, on the abundance and richness of reptiles, a significant proportion of the native biodiversity in tropical northern Australia, by (i) comparing abundance and diversity of reptiles among pine plantations (on land cleared specifically for plantation establishment), and two adjacent native forest types, eucalypt and Melaleuca woodlands, and (ii) comparing reptile abundance and richness in pine forest burnt one year prior to the study to remove understorey vegetation with pine forest burnt two years prior to the study. We also examined the influence of fire on reptile assemblages in native vegetation, by comparing eucalypt woodland burnt two years prior to the study and unburnt for eight years. To quantify mechanisms driving differences in reptile richness and abundance among forest types and management regimes, we measured forest structure, the temperatures used by reptiles (operative temperature) and solar radiation, at replicate sites in all forest types and management regimes. Compared to native forests, pine forests had taller trees, lower shrub cover in the understorey, more and deeper exotic litter (other than pine), and were cooler and shadier. Reptile assemblages in pine forests were as rich as those in native forests, but pine assemblages were composed mainly of species that typically use closed-canopy rainforest and prefer cooler, shadier habitats. Burning did not appear to influence the assemblage structure of reptiles in native forest, but burning under pine was associated with increased skink abundance and species richness. Burned pine was not warmer or sunnier than unburned pine, a common driver of reptile abundance, so the shift in lizard use after burning may have been driven by structural differences in understorey vegetation, especially amounts of non-native litter, which were reduced by burning. Thus, burning for management under pine increased the abundance and richness of lizard assemblages using pine. Pine plantations do not support the snake diversity common to sclerophyllous native forests, but pine may have the potential to complement rainforest lizard diversity if appropriately managed.     

A conservation-tillage, cover-cropping strategy and economic analysis for creamer potato production

A two-year experiment was conducted at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), MD, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Kentland Agricultural Research Farm (KARF), VA, to evaluate potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production of 32- to 57-mm-size-range tubers (referred to hereafter as creamers) in a conservation-tillage, cover-cropping strategy. The experiments used a split-plot design in which the main-plots were cover crop treatments and the sub-plots were different potato selections. Main plot treatments included rye (Secale cereale L.), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.), Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum L.), rape (Brassica napus L.), oat (Avena sativa L.), rye/crimson clover mixture, rape/crimson clover mixture, bare soil/raised beds, and bare soil/flat beds (control). Potato selections tested were B1145-2, B1491-5, and B1492-12 in 2000 and B1145-2, B1102-3, and B0811-4 in 2001. Yields in the conservation-tillage treatments were equal to or better than those in the bare soil/flat bed control with few exceptions. Large-sized tubers (<57 mm) in almost all cases remained below 6% of total marketable yield even when the tubers were harvested late. Delayed harvest did not reduce creamer-sized yields nor did it increase yield of large-sized tubers. Economic analysis shows that net returns from some conservation-tillage treatments are equal to or higher than the conventional-tillage strategy and confirms the viability of the conservation-tillage, cover-cropping strategy. Furthermore, the conservation-tillage strategy in many cases allows timely planting using machinery in the wet soils of Maryland and Virginia during the narrow window of spring potato planting time, whereas the conventional tillage strategy does not offer this advantage.     

Repair of horn and frontal bone avulsion in a forest buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus) with a polymethylmethacrylate dressing.

A 2-yr-old female forest buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus) presented with acute trauma to the right horn following a fight with a conspecific resulting in fracture and avulsion of the frontal bone, cornual process, horn, and juxtaposed skin. The animal was sedated for wound care and debridement followed by placement of an antibacterial-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) dressing. The dressing was noted to be intact on examination at day 7 post-injury, but had become dislodged and had to be replaced at day 11 postinjury. The replacement dressing ultimately fell off 68 days post-injury, revealing a healed circular scar. The use of PMMA in this case provided optimal wound care. In the 6 yr since the injury, the animal has grown a nearly normal-appearing horn, suggesting that the noncornual skin and associated skull structures may retain the ability to differentiate into a near-normal appearing horn because the entire horn apparatus in this case was avulsed.     

Disseminated panniculitis in a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) due to Mycobacterium chelonae infection

A 14-year-old female bottlenose dolphin was diagnosed with mycobacterial panniculitis based on punch biopsy specimens. The necropsy revealed numerous pyogranulomas in the blubber, as well as marked acute multifocal necrosuppurative pneumonia and lymphadenitis. In addition, the animal had marked scoliosis, which had first been noted clinically in the dolphin at about 1 mo of age. The animal had been treated with low-dose dexamethasone for approximately the last 19 mo to reduce perceived discomfort from spondyloarthritis and with the progestational agent altrogenest for approximately 8 yr to prevent pregnancy. Acid-fast positive bacilli were detected in the dermis but not in lung or lymph nodes. Mycobacterium chelonae was isolated from pooled skin, lung, and peripheral lymph-node tissue. Mycobacterial infection may be considered as a differential diagnosis in bottlenose dolphins with generalized cutaneous inflammation, particularly if chronic steroid and progesterone treatments were administered, both of which may have an immunomodulatory effect.     

Agricultural Research Practices through a Local Lens: Adapting the Ithaka S + R Study for Your Campus

How do the research practices and challenges of agriculture scholars at the University of Idaho (U of I) contrast with those of their peers at other land grant universities? To answer that question, this paper compares qualitative data from U of I researchers to findings from a nationwide study of agricultural research practices. Because the U of I did not participate in the nationwide study, this local study provides a framework for identifying issues that are unique to researchers within our local context. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates how a similar methodology can be used by library liaisons to better understand the challenges of researchers in any discipline and help determine which new and existing research support services best meet their needs.