Agronomic and economic performance of seed yam production using minisetts in the middle belt of Nigeria

White yam (Dioscorea rotundata) is an important tuber crop of West Africa and the Caribbean, and one of the key limiting factors in its production is the availability of good quality planting material. The Adaptive Yam Minisett Technique (AYMT) was designed to help overcome this constraint. The paper presents an analysis of agronomic and economic data collected across four years (2013 to 2016) of AYMT plots planted in two areas within the middle-belt of Nigeria. Of the 136 plots that were established, 11% were lost to flooding and damage from Fulani cattle. Mean yield was 13.16 t/ha, 17,747 tubers/ha and the mean tuber weight was 0.73 kg. Plot yield declined with an increase in planting time, while plots owned by female farmers were on average planted later than those owned by their male counterparts; this helps explain the effect of gender noted in a previous study. Differences in yield were also noted between the two areas, which could also partly be explained by differences in planting time. The plots were profitable, with a mean cost over the four years of Naira 915,196/ha, revenue of Naira 3,197,786/ha and gross margin of Naira 2,282,591/ha (equivalent to US$4,039, US$14,319 and US$10,280 respectively). The main factor influencing costs and revenue was year, with no effect of gender. There is a need for more research on planting time in AYMT and how it interacts with factors, such as yam variety.     

日粮中蛋白质和纤维水平对仔猪生产性能和健康状况的影响

为了研究日粮的蛋白质和纤维水平对仔猪生产性能和健康状况的互作,特选择96头35日龄的仔猪（体重为9.11±0.60kg）,分32个栏饲养,每栏3头,分成4个日粮处理组,饲喂期21d。在设定的2×2因子处理中,4种日粮以大米、奶制品和大豆粕为基础配制,日粮蛋白质设两个水平（15.4%与19.4%,风干基）,纤维也设两个水平[低水平纤维（LF）为含5.3%中性洗涤纤维,高水平纤维（HF）为含7.15%中性洗涤纤维,风干基]。高水平纤维日粮组在基础日粮中添加了40g/kg的小麦麸和20g/kg的甜菜浆。每周测定动物生产性能,试验第1天和最后一天收集粪样进行微生物学分析,并且按1（液态）到4（硬实）的评分体系对粪便进行评分。在试验最后1d,每栏选1头猪采集血液,分析急性期反应蛋白（acute-phase protein）和主要急性期反应蛋白（major acute-phase prot）（即Pig-MAP）的含量,随后进行屠宰,对消化道（包括内容物）进行称重,并进行结肠组织学分析。饲喂高水平纤维日粮的仔猪具有较大的平均日增重（390g与457g,P≤0.001）和大肠重量（以占体重比例衡量为4.4%与5.4%,P≤0.05）。这与较高的短链脂肪酸浓度（尤其是乙酸和丁酸）、较少的大肠杆菌数量（每克粪便含7.77与6.86logcfu,P≤0.05）和较高乳酸杆菌与肠道细菌比（0.76与1.37,P≤0.05）是相符的。虽然日粮蛋白质水平没有改变猪的生产性能,但是20%的蛋白质水平提高（P≤0.05）了小肠（6.5与7.7）和大肠（3.8与4.3）的相对重量（占体重的百分比）。在大肠内,含20%蛋白质的日粮使仔猪杯状细胞数量增加（4.6/100与5.4/100μm;P≤0.05）,并使肠上皮内淋巴细胞数量减少（1.8/100与1.3/100μm;P≤0.05）。在健康状况方面,提高日粮纤维水平所产生的效果与日粮中的蛋白质含量有关。在含16%蛋白质的日粮中增加纤维水平可降低粪便评分值、增加抗生素治疗次数,然而在?     

玉米花粉寿命及有效控制花粉飘逸的隔离距离研究

花粉是玉米基因飘逸的重要载体。研究了花粉活力的持续时间和有效控制基因飘逸的隔离距离。在花药刚开裂时采集花粉,置于薄膜层上,放在室外自然条件下保存,每隔一定时间对采集的花粉进行目测和授粉．通过对花粉的目测评判和计算结实率评估花粉活力。试验花粉源区域4000m^2,在其周围不同距离的地方种植若干玉米小区,每个小区面积为12．8m^2,以测定隔离距离的有效性。作为花粉源的玉米材料包含可用于测定花粉飘逸的叶色标记或种子标记。由于大气压不同,花粉可在花药开裂后1～2小时内保持活力。假定花粉以当地下午平均最大风速直线传播,并可在2小时内保持花粉活力,且忽略花粉沉降率因素,理论上讲,具有活力的花粉可以传播的最大距离为32km。试验结果是在离花粉源100m发生了一定数量的异花授粉,离花粉源200m处有个别异花授粉发生。离花粉源300m处没有异花授粉发生。试验结果与玉米花粉不耐干燥并具高沉降速率的结论一致。试验结果表明距离隔离是控制玉米因授粉而发生基因飘逸的有效方法。     

Carotenoid Content of Commonly Consumed Herbs and Assessment of Their Bioaccessibility Using an In Vitro Digestion Model

Herbs are a rich source of bioactive phytochemicals such as carotenoids, which are known to exert various positive biological effects. However, there is very limited information in the literature regarding the content and bioavailability of carotenoids from commonly consumed herbs. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were first, to determine the carotenoid content of eight herbs namely basil (Ocimum basilicum), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), dill (Anethum graveolens), mint (Metha L.), parsley (Petroselinum crispum), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), sage (Salvia officinalis), and tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.); and second, to assess carotenoid bioaccessibility from these herbs using a simulated human in vitro digestion model. Carotenoid bioaccessibility is defined as the amount of carotenoids transferred to micelles after digestion when compared with the original amount present in the food. The content of individual carotenoids varied significantly among the herbs tested. Carotenoid bioaccessibility varied from 0 to 42.8%. Basil and coriander, and their respective micelles, contained the highest levels of β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and lutein + zeaxanthin. Our findings show that herbs are rich sources of carotenoids and that these foods can significantly contribute to the intake of bioaccessible carotenoids.     

交替饲喂整粒小麦或含蛋白质及矿物质浓缩的饲料提高蛋鸡饲料的利用效率

对16～46周龄的蛋鸡生产性能的研究表明,交替饲喂或喂混合饲料的效果是不同的。一种方法是利用同等比例的整粒小麦或营养均衡的含蛋白质及矿物质浓缩的饲料交替饲喂ISA布朗母鸡,另一种方法是饲喂混合饲料。对照组喂传统的饲料。每组16笼,每笼中5只鸡。每天光照时间16h。控制饲料的饲喂量,121g·只-·1d-1,每天饲喂2次,分别为开灯后4h和11h。在交替饲喂时,仅第1次喂食小麦,第2次喂食营养的均衡饲料。喂混合饲料时,两种定量配给的饲料混合喂2次。在下一次喂食前拿走剩余的饲料。与喂混合饲料和对照组相比,交替饲喂减少总采食量,小麦减少9g·只-·1d-1,但喂均衡饲料增多1.7g·只-·1d·-1。在3种方式中,鸡蛋的生产,蛋的大小,蛋的重量均相似。交替饲喂与喂混合饲料相比,饲料利用率的提高分别为10%和5%。与喂混合饲料和对照组相比,交替饲喂ME低,CP摄取量减少。交替饲喂时蛋鸡体重轻,其肌胃、胰腺和肝脏较重,肝脏脂质类似。喂混合饲料肝糖最高。试验结论为,交替饲喂整粒小麦和营养均衡的饲料或喂混合饲料对蛋鸡生产无负面影响。因此,两种饲喂方法是可以替代传统的喂养方式。与喂混合饲料相比,交替饲喂饲料的利用效率高,因而是可行的。     

Faster fermentation of cooked carrot cell clusters compared to cell wall fragments in vitro by porcine feces

Plant cell walls are the major structural component of fruits and vegetables, which break down to cell wall particles during ingestion (oral mastication) or food processing. The major health-promoting effect of cell walls occurs when they reach the colon and are fermented by the gut microbiota. In this study, the fermentation kinetics of carrot cell wall particle dispersions with different particle size and microstructure were investigated in vitro using porcine feces. The cumulative gas production and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced were measured at time intervals up to 48 h. The results show that larger cell clusters with an average particle size (d(0.5)) of 298 and 137 μm were more rapidly fermented and produced more SCFAs and gas than smaller single cells (75 μm) or cell fragments (50 μm), particularly between 8 and 20 h. Confocal microscopy suggests that the junctions between cells provides an environment that promotes bacterial growth, outweighing the greater specific surface area of smaller particles as a driver for more rapid fermentation. The study demonstrates that it may be possible, by controlling the size of cell wall particles, to design plant-based foods for fiber delivery and promotion of colon fermentation to maximize the potential for human health.