The Handling and Short-haul Road Transportation of Spent Buffaloes in Relation to Bruising and Animal Welfare

The handling of 100 spent buffaloes during transportation by truck from an animal market to a slaughterhouse was observed so as to assess the influence of sex, body condition (weak, normal or heavy), body size based on the height at the hump (small, medium or large) and handling method (dragging, dragging + hitting or lifting + hitting) on the manpower requirement and the time spent in both loading and unloading. A buffalo could be loaded onto a truck with the help of 2.8 labourers in 66 s, whereas the average manpower and time needed for unloading a buffalo were 1.9 labourers and 26 s, respectively. Sex and size had no significant effect on the manpower requirement or the time spent in loading and unloading. Animals in normal body condition needed more (p<0.05) manpower (3.2 labourers) for loading compared to weak animals (2.5 labourers) or heavy animals (2.6 labourers). The manpower and time required for loading and unloading were least (p<0.05) when a stick was used while dragging. Excessive steepness of the loading ramp caused some of the animals to fall down during loading, whereas a slippery truck floor, due to increased eliminative activities by nervous animals, might result in buffaloes going down during unloading. The mean number of bruises was 2.44 per head. As muscle tissues were involved in about 90% of the bruises, considerable economic losses occurred through bruising, which necessitated removal of damaged tissues post mortem. Most of the bruises were found on the hind limbs (43.4%), followed by the abdomen and udder region (21.3%), shoulder, neck and back (16.0%) and perianal region (11.1%).     

Grain Protein Accumulation During Grain Development in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Grain protein accumulation during grain development was studied as a function of defoliation at anthesis in barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) genotypes grown under pot culture and non limiting nitrogen conditions. The data indicates that per cent grain protein did not decrease proportionally despite 50 % or more decrease in grain yield per plant. These data support the contention that shrivelling need not result in proportional increase in grain protein %. The data also suggests that accumulation of grain protein and carbohydrate during the grain development may not be negatively associated. The data also brings about the importance of grain protein yield per plant as a useful parameter for breeding high grain protein genotypes.     

Regulation of Leaf Senescence and Yield in Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek)

Foliar application of benzyladenine at preanthesis stage retarded leaf senescence in mungbean. Chemical spray increased leaf chlorophyll, soluble protein, specific leaf weight, net photosynthetic rate and nitrate reductase activity. Number of pods, grain yield, harvest index and 100-seed weight were significantly improved by benzyladenine treatment. The possibility of higher pod-filling and thus, yield by chemical regulation of leaf senescence is evident in mungbean.     

Detection of circulating 54 kDa antigen in sera of bovine calves experimentally infected with F. gigantica

The antibody response and circulating antigen levels in bovine calves, infected experimentally with Fasciola gigantica, were monitored using enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) and sandwich ELISA, respectively. By EITB, the infected calves' sera recognized the polypeptides in the range of 54-58 kDa as early as 2 weeks post-infection. By 12th week post-infection, the lower two polypeptides of 12 and 8 kDa had disappeared. In sandwich ELISA, the circulating 54 kDa and whole worm antigen of F. gigantica were detected in the sera samples of infected calves as early as 2 weeks post-infection and persisted until the end of experiment (26th week PI). The 54 kDa antigen of F. gigantica appears to be specific and possesses promising immunodiagnostic potential for early prepatent diagnosis of bovine fasciolosis.     

Estimation of maintenance energy requirements in German shepherd and Labrador retriever dogs in Bangalore,India

Maintenance energy requirements (MERs) were calculated for 17 German shepherd and 20 Labrador retriever adult dogs using an in‐home prospective dietary trial. The dogs were fed the same dry pet food and body weight, food intake, body condition score and physical activity were monitored for 10 weeks. Labrador retrievers were significantly heavier and had higher body condition scores than German shepherd dogs, but there was no difference between males and females within each group. Body weights remained stable over the study period, with an average daily gain of 9.1 g. Mean (SD) MER was 103.4 (16.3) kcal/kg BW^0.75, which was some 20% lower than that currently suggested for moderately active young adult dogs. Individual MER ranged from 66.8 to 141 kcal/kg BW^0.75. There were no significant differences in MER between the two breeds, or between males and females within and between the two breeds. There was a significant inverse relationship between MER and body condition score, reflecting the lower energy expenditure of adipose tissue. The lower MER of dogs in this study, relative to previous observations, may reflect climatic and environmental differences and highlight the necessity for accurate estimates of MER in relation to the production and feeding of pet foods.     

Antifungal activity of flavonoids and their mixtures against different fungi occurring on grain

The antifungal activity of three flavones and one flavanone and of different mixtures of these flavonoids was investigated on malt extract agar against four fungi usually occurring on grain. As pure substances the unsubstituted flavone and flavanone showed higher activity than the hydroxylated flavones. Mixtures containing flavone and 7-hydroxyflavon or flavone, flavanone and flavonol caused higher inhibition of fungal growth than the remaining ones.     

Potential of variegated lady beetle Hippodamia variegata in management of invasive tomato potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli

BACKGROUND

The tomato potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc) is a new invasive pest in Western Australia, which may disperse across the whole of Australia within a few years and cause significant economic losses. Chemical control is the most widely used approach to manage B. cockerelli, but insect resistance, chemical residue and effects on non-target species have become an increasing concerned. Therefore, in this study, the biocontrol potential of variegated lady beetle, Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) was investigated. The impact of utilizing B. cockerelli as a food source on the predator's development and reproduction was assessed by formulating age-stage, two sex life tables. The predatory potential of H. variegata on B. cockerelli nymphs was assessed in a closed arena and the effects of releasing H. variegata for the control of B. cockerelli were then evaluated.

RESULTS

H. variegata could successfully develop and oviposit when feeding on B. cockerelli. However, both survival and the rate of development were higher for H. variegata feeding on Myzus persicae (Sulzer) than B. cockerelli or a mixed population of B. cockerelli and M. persicae. A type II functional response was observed for H. variegata. In the greenhouse, the releases of H. variegata larvae reduced the number of B. cockerelli nymphs by up to 66% and adults by up to 59%, which positively influenced the plant chlorophyll content and biomass.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated the potential of the resident generalist predator, H. variegata as a biocontrol agent for the invasive pest, B. cockerelli, which may help improving current management strategies. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

First report of Fusarium solani causing wilt of Melia dubia

Melia dubia, a multipurpose tree species, is gaining importance to meet the demand supply gap of timber, plywood and pulpwood . In June 2016, a serious outbreak of wilt disease was observed in M. dubia seedlings planted in the Central Nursery of Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, India. The disease led to the destruction of one hundred thousand (100,000) seedlings. Earlier in June 2012, serious wilting of M. dubia seedlings was observed in Haryana, India. The pathogen was identified as Fusarium solani following standard laboratory procedures and sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA). The pathogenicity of three isolates has been proved under greenhouse conditions. This is the first report of F. solani causing wilt of M. dubia.