A 25?years experience of group-housed sows–reproduction in animal welfare-friendly systems

Since January 1 2013, group housing of sows has been compulsory within the European Union (EU) in all pig holdings with more than ten sows. Sows and gilts need to be kept in groups from 4 weeks after service to 1 week before the expected time of farrowing (Article 3(4) of Directive 2008/120/EC on the protection of pigs). The legislation regarding group housing was adopted already in 2001 and a long transitional period was allowed to give member states and producers enough time for adaptation. Even so, group housing of sows still seems to be uncommon in the EU, and is also uncommon in commercial pig farming systems in the rest of the world. In this review we share our experience of the Swedish 25 years of animal welfare legislation stipulating that sows must be loose-housed which de facto means group housed. The two most important concerns related to reproductive function among group-housed sows are the occurrence of lactational oestrus when sows are group-housed during lactation, and the stress that is associated with group housing during mating and gestation. Field and clinical observations in non-lactating, group-housed sows in Sweden suggest that by making basic facts known about the pig reproductive physiology related to mating, we might achieve application of efficient batch-wise breeding without pharmacological interventions. Group housing of lactating sows has some production disadvantages and somewhat lower productivity would likely have to be expected. Recordings of behavioural indicators in different housing systems suggest a lower welfare level in stalled animals compared with group-housed ones. However, there are no consistent effects on the reproductive performance associated with different housing systems. Experimental studies suggest that the most sensitive period, regarding disturbance of reproductive functions by external stressors, is the time around oestrus. We conclude that by keeping sows according to the pig welfare-friendly Directive 2008/120/EC, it is possible to combine group-housing of sows with good reproductive performance and productivity. However, substantially increased research and development is needed to optimize these systems.     

Controlling the charge state of individual gold adatoms

The nature and control of individual metal atoms on insulators are of great importance in emerging atomic-scale technologies. Individual gold atoms on an ultrathin insulating sodium chloride film supported by a copper surface exhibit two different charge states, which are stabilized by the large ionic polarizability of the film. The charge state and associated physical and chemical properties such as diffusion can be controlled by adding or removing a single electron to or from the adatom with a scanning tunneling microscope tip. The simple physical mechanism behind the charge bistability in this case suggests that this is a common phenomenon for adsorbates on polar insulating films.     

A metagenomic survey of microbes in honey bee colony collapse disorder

In colony collapse disorder (CCD), honey bee colonies inexplicably lose their workers. CCD has resulted in a loss of 50 to 90% of colonies in beekeeping operations across the United States. The observation that irradiated combs from affected colonies can be repopulated with naive bees suggests that infection may contribute to CCD. We used an unbiased metagenomic approach to survey microflora in CCD hives, normal hives, and imported royal jelly. Candidate pathogens were screened for significance of association with CCD by the examination of samples collected from several sites over a period of 3 years. One organism, Israeli acute paralysis virus of bees, was strongly correlated with CCD.     

Effects of biocontrol bacteria and earthworms on Aphanomyces euteiches root-rot and growth of peas (Pisum sativum) studied in a pot experiment

ABSTRACT

The role of below-ground interactions between microbial biocontrol agents and soil fauna for combatting soil-borne plant diseases have not been studied sufficiently. This study tested the hypothesis that the beneficial bacterium Bacillus velezensis UCMB5113 and the anecic earthworm Lumbricus terrestris positively influence health and growth of peas (Pisum sativum L.) infested with the pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches causing root-rot disease. A greenhouse fully factorial experiment studied the effects of A. euteches, B. velezensis and L. terrestris on the emergence, growth and health of pea plants. The factors B. velezensis and L. terrestris resulted in taller plants (p = .003 and p = .030). B. velezensis treatment resulted in a higher biomass of shoots and roots (p ≤ .001 and p = .005). The effects increased with the presence of both factors (p = .036). Earthworms reduced the disease symptoms significantly (p = .032). The decreased disease symptoms caused by the earthworms might be due to the consumption of A. euteiches (direct effect) as well as soil disturbance (indirect effect). Interactions between the microorganisms added and the earthworms were shown. B. velezensis and L. terrestris can be useful for enhancement of plant growth and for biological control of root-rot in peas.     

Interactions among Norway spruce,the bark beetle Ips typographus and its fungal symbionts in times of drought

Journal of Pest Science - Resilience and functionality of European Norway spruce forests are increasingly threatened by mass outbreaks of the bark beetle Ips typographus promoted by heat, wind...     

Comparison of factors limiting bacterial growth in different soils

Lack of carbon has been assumed to be the most common limiting factor for bacterial growth in soil, although there are reports of limitation by other nutrients, e.g. nitrogen and phosphorus. We have studied which nutrient(s) limited instantaneous growth rates of bacteria in 28 Swedish soils using the thymidine or leucine incorporation technique to measure increased growth rate after adding different combinations of organic carbon (glucose), nitrogen and phosphorus. The soils ranged in pH between 3.1 and 8.9, in organic matter content between 1% and 91% and in soil C/N ratio between 10 and 28. We also tested the effect of adding different amounts of carbon on the bacterial change in growth rate for two soils with different organic matter content. We found that bacterial growth in most of the 28 soils was limited by a lack of carbon, indicated by an increased bacterial growth rate 48 h after adding glucose. In some soils, adding carbon together with nitrogen increased the bacterial growth rates even further. In three soils no effects were seen upon adding nutrients separately, but adding carbon and nitrogen together increased bacterial growth rates. Nitrogen addition tended to decrease bacterial growth rates, while phosphorus addition had little effect in most soils. No correlations were found between the soil C/N ratio, ammonium or nitrate content in soil and bacterial growth limitation, indicating that even soils with a C/N ratio of 28 could be carbon limited. Although the interpretation of the effects of a single limiting nutrient was in most cases straightforward, an interaction between the amount of carbon added and the organic matter content of the soil confounded the interpretation of the extent of a second limiting nutrient.     

Fish spawning aggregations: where well‐placed management actions can yield big benefits for fisheries and conservation

Marine ecosystem management has traditionally been divided between fisheries management and biodiversity conservation approaches, and the merging of these disparate agendas has proven difficult. Here, we offer a pathway that can unite fishers, scientists, resource managers and conservationists towards a single vision for some areas of the ocean where small investments in management can offer disproportionately large benefits to fisheries and biodiversity conservation. Specifically, we provide a series of evidenced‐based arguments that support an urgent need to recognize fish spawning aggregations (FSAs) as a focal point for fisheries management and conservation on a global scale, with a particular emphasis placed on the protection of multispecies FSA sites. We illustrate that these sites serve as productivity hotspots – small areas of the ocean that are dictated by the interactions between physical forces and geomorphology, attract multiple species to reproduce in large numbers and support food web dynamics, ecosystem health and robust fisheries. FSAs are comparable in vulnerability, importance and magnificence to breeding aggregations of seabirds, sea turtles and whales yet they receive insufficient attention and are declining worldwide. Numerous case‐studies confirm that protected aggregations do recover to benefit fisheries through increases in fish biomass, catch rates and larval recruitment at fished sites. The small size and spatio‐temporal predictability of FSAs allow monitoring, assessment and enforcement to be scaled down while benefits of protection scale up to entire populations. Fishers intuitively understand the linkages between protecting FSAs and healthy fisheries and thus tend to support their protection.     

The Presence of Borrelia miyamotoi,A Relapsing Fever Spirochaete,in Questing Ixodes ricinus in Belgium and in The Netherlands

Borrelia miyamotoi is a tick‐borne bacterium that may cause relapsing fever in humans. As this pathogen has been discovered in Europe only recently, only little is known about its local impact on human health and its spatial distribution. In this study, we show the results of PCR screenings for B. miyamotoi in flagged Ixodes ricinus from Belgium and the Netherlands. B. miyamotoi was detected in nine of thirteen, and three of five locations from the Netherlands and Belgium, respectively. These outcomes indicate that B. miyamotoi is more spread than previously thought. The mean infection rate B. miyamotoi was 1.14% for Belgium and 3.84% for the Netherlands.     

Evaluation of environmental and management-related risk factors associated with chronic mastitis in sows

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate environmental and management-related risk factors associated with chronic mastitis in sows. ANIMALS: 1,254 sows from 76 herds. PROCEDURE: Prevalence of chronic mastitis was determined by a veterinarian who performed clinical examinations at the time of weaning and approximately 1 week later in a sample of the sow population on each farm. Information concerning environmental factors and management practices was collected. In addition, the herd veterinarian made an assessment of the farmer's skills in swine production. RESULTS: Use of partly slatted floors in the farrowing pens, use of disinfectants between batches in the farrowing and breeding areas, feeding lactating sows whey, and avoiding cutting or grinding of the piglets' teeth were significantly associated with a decreased risk of chronic mastitis. A high hygienic standard on the farm, as determined by the herd veterinarian, was associated with a significant reduction in the prevalence of mastitis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Chronic mastitis in sows is a common disease that has a negative influence on productivity. Results indicate that certain management practices and environmental factors influenced the development of mastitis, which may contribute to the development of methods useful for controlling the disease.