Effect of Mediterranean saltbush (Atriplex halimus) ensilaging with two developed enzyme cocktails on feed intake,nutrient digestibility and ruminal fermentation in sheep

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of feeding Atriplex halimus (AH) silage treated with two developed enzyme cocktails to sheep on feed intake, nutrient digestibility and ruminal fermentation. The AH silage was treated without or with 2 L of ZAD1^® or ZAD2^®/1000 kg with 5% molasses and ensiled for 30 days. Barley grain (300 g/head/day) was fed as an energy supplement once daily at 10.00 hours and AH silage with or without enzyme treatment was offered ad libitum to animals twice daily at 09.00 and 16.00 hours. Sheep were fed on four experimental forage diets comprised of AH silage and barley (D1), AH silage treated with ZAD1^® and barley (D2), AH silage treated with ZAD2^® and barley (D3) and AH silage treated with a combination of ZAD1^® and ZAD2^® (1:1) and barley (D4). Ensiling AH with enzymes reduced its contents of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber. The dry matter intake of AH of D2, D3 and D4 decreased (P < 0.001) as compared to D1. However, enzyme‐treated diets had greater total digestible nutrients intake (P < 0.001) as compared to D1. The nutrients digestibility for D2, D3 and D4 were higher than those for D1 (P < 0.001), and were higher for D3 as compared to both D2 and D4. Sheep fed on D3 had highest (P < 0.001) ruminal total volatile fatty acids concentration, ammonia nitrogen concentration and microbial protein yield. It could be concluded that AH silage treated with ZAD1^® or ZAD2^® improved digestibility and rumen fermentation in sheep.     

Anhydrous goat's milk fat: thermal and structural behaviors studied by coupled differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. 2. Influence of cooling rate

Crystallization and melting properties of triacylglycerols (TGs) in anhydrous goat's milk fat (AGMF) are investigated by X-ray diffraction as a function of temperature (XRDT) coupled with high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), using synchrotron radiation and Microcalix. The polymorphic behavior of AGMF was monitored by varying the cooling rates between 5 and 1 degrees C/min from 45 to -20 degrees C with their subsequent melting at 1 degrees C/min. Quenching of AGMF at -20 degrees C was also examined to determine the metastable polymorphic form of AGMF. At intermediate cooling rates, TGs in AGMF crystallize, from about 18 degrees C in two different lamellar structures with triple chain length 3Lalpha stacking of 72 A and a double chain length 2Lalpha stacking of 48 A, which are correlated to two overlapped exothermic peaks recorded by DSC. A reversible transition sub alpha <--> alpha was observed. Subsequent heating at 1 degrees C/min shows numerous structural rearrangements before final melting. At fast cooling of AGMF (5 degrees C/min), similar unstable crystalline varieties are formed while three endotherms are recorded. Several new unstable lamellar structures are observed after quenching. All of these data are compared to those previously reported at slow cooling (0.1 degrees C/min) showing a relative stability of the structures formed. In spite of general similitude, the thermal and structural behavior of the goat's milk is more complex than that of the cow's milk.     

Effect of gamma and e-beam radiation on the essential oils of Thymus vulgaris thymoliferum, Eucalyptus radiata, and Lavandula angustifolia

The microbiological contamination of raw plant materials is common and may be adequately reduced by radiation processing. This study evaluated the effects of gamma- and e-beam ionizing radiations (25 kGy) on three plants used as food or as medicinal products (Thymus vulgaris L., Eucalyptus radiata D.C., and Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) as well as their effects on extracted or commercial essential oils and pure standard samples. Comparison between irradiated and nonirradiated samples was performed by GC/FID and GC/MS. At the studied doses, gamma and e-beam ionizing radiation did not induce any detectable qualitative or quantitative significant changes in the contents and yields of essential oils immediately after ionizing radiation of plants or commercial essential oils and standards. As the maximum dose tested (25 kGy) is a sterilizing dose (much higher than doses used for decontamination of vegetable drugs), it is likely that even decontamination with lower doses will not modify yields or composition of essential oils of these three plants.     

Integrated pest management of Tuta absoluta: practical implementations across different world regions

Journal of Pest Science - The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), has invaded most Afro-Eurasian countries and is threatening worldwide tomato...     

The parasitoid Dolichogenidea gelechiidivoris eavesdrops on semiochemicals from its host Tuta absoluta and tomato

Journal of Pest Science - Semiochemicals such as herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) and host chemicals serve as communication signals for parasitoids searching for oviposition sites. The...     

沿淮稻茬麦区小麦的产量及籽粒灌浆特性

为给沿淮稻茬麦区小麦高产栽培及品种育种提供依据,在大田条件下,选取沿淮麦区6个高产小麦品种为供试材料,用三次多项式方程对籽粒灌浆过程进行拟合,通过相关性分析对小麦籽粒灌浆参数与粒重的关系进行探究,研究不同小麦品种间产量及其构成因素的差异。结果表明： 6个品种中,安农大1216的产量最高,为8 598.77 kg·hm^-²,烟农19最低,产量为6 031.07 kg·hm^-²;籽粒灌浆过程中安农大1216粒重最高,成熟期千粒重达到51.4 g,郑麦9023的千粒重最低,为47.78 g;各个品种间灌浆速率存在明显差异。不同小麦品种籽粒灌浆过程均呈“S”型变化,因品种不同,灌浆参数也有所不同,但“R²”均达到0.99以上。相关性分析表明,千粒重与理论最大粒重（W）显著相关,与平均灌浆速率（V）、最大灌浆速率（V_max）、有效灌浆持续期平均灌浆速率（Vs）、有效灌浆持续期粒重增加值（Ws）和最大灌浆速率出现时间（T）呈正相关但未达显著水平。可见筛选的W、V、V_max、Vs、Ws和T等灌浆参数值较高的小麦品种在该地区种植有利于提高小麦千粒重,增加产量。此外,必须考虑到小麦品种、高效栽培方式、管理手段和协调产量构成三因素,才会最大可能实现小麦高产高效。     

评估鱼种质量的方法

本文分析研究了鲢、鳙、草鱼、鳊鱼鱼种的体重与体长的相关关系，以及它们与鱼体肥满度、体高率和体厚率的相关关系，得出：鱼种体重的大小能比较正确地反映出鱼种质量的优劣，而体长仅是鱼种质量的参比指标。利用鱼种体重与体长相关点分布面的上周界线、中值线和下周界线的数学方程式，可以推算出各种规格鱼种的优、中、劣的标准，即以鱼种的相对体重来评估鱼种的质量。     

Microscopic examination of the intestinal wall and selected organs of minipigs orally supplemented with humic acids

Humic acids are used to prophylactically treat intestinal diseases in a wide number of species, yet the mechanism of action remains unknown. The general assumption has been that humic acids act locally; however studies using young piglets show orally supplemented humic acids can penetrate the intestinal wall, and thus potentially act systemically. The objective of this study was to determine if humic acids could also cross the intestinal barrier in adult pigs and be detected in other organs. Adult minipigs (>18 months old) orally received either 1 g humic acids/kg body weight (verum, n = 3) or placebo (control, n = 3), for 2 weeks. At the end of the feeding period tissue samples were harvested from the intestine, various glands and organs. Unstained tissue samples were examined by light microscopy for the presence of humic acid particles. No humic acid particles were detected in any of the unstained tissues from verum or control pigs.