Fertility of Holstein cows and heifers submitted to timed artificial insemination and receiving one or two doses (12 h apart) of semen

The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the effect of receiving a single (n = 50,285) or double (n = 4392) artificial insemination (AI), 12 h apart, within a timed artificial insemination protocol on pregnancy per AI (P/AI) in nulliparous heifers (inseminated with either sex-sorted or conventional semen) and pluriparous Holstein cows in a commercial dairy herd. Also, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between temperature-humidity index (THI) and time of the first AI and fertility. Fertility of cows receiving two AI with normothermia (THI <68) was higher (p < .05) than cows receiving a single AI (42.9% vs. 36.4%). P/AI of cows receiving two AI with severe heat stress (THI >85) was higher (p < .05) than cows receiving a single AI (21.0% vs. 12.6%). Regardless of heat stress conditions, applying the first AI in the morning increased (p < .05) P/AI in cows with double AI than in cows whose first AI occurred in the afternoon (38.4 vs. 33.3%). With moderate heat stress, and sexed-sorted semen, P/AI to timed AI was higher (65.0 vs. 51.9%; p < .05) in heifers receiving double AI than those serviced once. It was concluded that double AI, 12 h apart, enhanced fertility at timed AI than herd mates with a single AI, particularly with heat stress at breeding.     

Current knowledge about the processes of luteolysis and maternal recognition of pregnancy in camelids

Camelids have many unique reproductive features that considerably differ from those of other domestic species. Females are induced ovulators with subsequent development of a corpus luteum (CL) with a short lifespan. Plasma progesterone concentration starts to increase on day 4, peaks on day 8–9 and, in non-pregnant animals, basal concentration is reached around day 10–11 post-induction of ovulation. Luteolytic pulses of prostaglandin F_2α (PGF_2α) are firstly detected on day 7 or 8 (approximately on day 5–6 after ovulation), with maximal luteolytic peaks observed between days 9 and 11 post-mating, in coincidence with a high endometrial expression of cyclooxygenase 2, a limiting enzyme in prostaglandins synthesis. Unlike other species, oxytocin seems not to be involved in the luteolytic process in these species. The CL is the main source of progesterone secretion, and its function is required to support pregnancy. Despite constant research efforts, aspects of reproduction and maternal recognition of pregnancy in camelids remain not fully understood. A transient decrease and subsequent recovery in plasma progesterone concentration are observed after day 9 post-mating in pregnant animals in association with a pulsatile release of PGF_2α and a transitory decrease in CL vascularization. Thus, embryo recognition should occur between days 8 and 12 post-mating. In camels, conceptus tissues exhibit aromatizing activity with the capacity to synthesize large amounts of oestradiol. Similarly, llama blastocysts secrete oestradiol-17β during the preimplantation stage, with a higher production during the elongation period. An increase in the endometrial expression of oestrogen receptor α is also observed on day 12 post-mating. All these evidences suggest that oestrogen could be the signal released by the embryo at the time of its recognition in camelids. Besides, nearly 98% of pregnancies are carried out in the left horn. A decrease in the endometrial expression of mucin 1 and 16 genes has been reported, suggesting that these changes are crucial for successful embryo implantation; however, no differences have been observed between horns. Thus, maternal recognition of pregnancy in camelids is a particularly complex process that must occur in a concise time to allow the rescue of the CL and embryo survival.     

Histomorphological changes between short and long days in ovary guanacos (Lama guanicoe)

This is the first morpho-histological comparison of guanaco ovaries between reproductive (long-days) and non-reproductive (short-days) seasons, and oestrogen receptor-alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ) detection. Different stages of follicle development were found in the cortical area, but no corpus luteum was detected. The size and frequency of antral follicles and large atretic follicles were higher in long-day ovaries than short-days, consistent with ovarian activity in this season. Differential expression of ERα and ERβ was observed in follicles at different stages of development between short and long days. These data reveal histological and molecular differences between reproductive and non-reproductive seasons of guanaco ovaries.     

Using midday stem water potential for scheduling deficit irrigation in mid–late maturing peach trees under Mediterranean conditions

Irrigation techniques that reduce water applications are increasingly applied in areas with scarce water resources. In this study, the effect of two regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) strategies on peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch cv. “Catherine”] performance was studied over three growing seasons. The experimental site was located in Murcia (SE Spain), a Mediterranean region. Two RDI strategies (restricting water applications at stage II of fruit development and postharvest) based on stem water potential (Ψ_s) thresholds (?1.5 and ?1.8 MPa during fruit growth and ?1.5 and ?2.0 MPa during postharvest) were compared to a fully irrigated control. Soil water content (θ_v), Ψ_s, gas exchange parameters, vegetative growth, crop load, yield and fruit quality were determined. RDI treatments showed significantly lower values of θ_v and Ψ_s than control trees when irrigation water was restricted, causing reductions in stomatal conductance and photosynthesis rates. Vegetative growth was reduced by RDI, as lower shoot lengths and pruning weights were observed under those treatments when compared to control. However, fruit size and yield were unaffected, and fruit quality was slightly improved by RDI. Water savings from 43 to 65 % were achieved depending on the year and the RDI strategy, and no negative carryover effect was detected during the study period. In conclusion, RDI strategies using Ψ_s thresholds for scheduling irrigation in mid–late maturing peach trees under Mediterranean conditions are viable options to save water without compromising yield and even improving fruit quality.     

Factors underlying the investment decision in energy-saving systems in Dutch horticulture

In the Netherlands the greenhouse sector is a major user of energy. It accounts for 7% of the total national energy use and for 79% of the total energy use in agriculture. In order to sustain this sector on the long term, it is important that its use of energy is lowered. One way of reducing energy use by horticultural producers is investing in energy-saving systems. The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the investment behavior of firm operators in the adoption of energy-saving systems. Research objectives of the paper are (1) to analyze factors underlying the decision to invest, (2) to explore factors underlying the optimal size of investments. Three investment theories were used to construct an empirical model of investment. Consequently, this model was estimated in a two-stage procedure to analyze the factors influencing the decision of farmers to invest and the level of investments. The paper ends with policy implications.     

The effect of salinity on corn yield using the CERES-maize model

In most cases, when calculating soil water availability, only thewater content is considered. The effect of salinity on the wiltingpoint is neglected. The objective of this work is to use asimulation model (CERES-maize) in order to predict cornyields as a function of water salinity under severalenvironmental, agrotechnical, and plant characteristics. A modelis presented in which the wilting point is a function of the soilsalt content. At high salinity, the water content at wilting pointis higher than at low salinity, resulting in an insufficient amountof available water and, therefore, a reduced yield. The modelwas used to simulate several theoretical and experimentalsituations for forage corn and grain corn. Simulation resultsshowed that nitrogen fertilization increases the salinity thresholdvalue and the yield sensitivity (rate of yield reduction per unitof salinity). The also showed that forage corn is more sensitiveto salinity than grain corn. If the soil is not leached, a heaviersoil texture has a higher salinity threshold value. On the otherhand, if the soil is leached, the soil texture has no influence onthe salinity threshold value and the yield is less sensitive tosalinity in sandy soils. The determination coefficient (r²= 0.75) indicated that the results of the simulations were in goodagreement with the field data.     

Habitat quality,not habitat amount,drives mammalian habitat use in the Brazilian Pantanal

Landscape Ecology - An understanding of species-habitat relationships is required to assess the impacts of habitat fragmentation and degradation. To date, habitat modeling in fragmented landscapes...