Fixed‐time post‐cervical artificial insemination in weaned sows following buserelin use combined with/without eCG

Fixed‐time post‐cervical artificial insemination (FTAI) drastically reduces labour requirements and increases the use of boars with higher genetic merit. This study evaluated the efficiency of eCG administration combined with/without the GnRH agonist buserelin for the induction and synchronization of ovulation in weaned sows submitted to FTAI. The sows were allocated into three groups. In the control group, the first artificial insemination was performed at the onset of oestrus and repeated every 24 hr. In the eCG+GnRH group, sows received 600 IU eCG at weaning and buserelin (10 μg) after 86–89 hr of eCG, and in the GnRH group, sows received only buserelin after 86–89 hr of weaning. The hormone‐treated sows received a single FTAI after 30–33 hr of buserelin application. All the sows were inseminated with homospermic doses (1.5 × 10⁹ sperm cells/50 ml). The interval between weaning and ovulation was shorter (p < .05) in the eCG+GnRH (133.3 hr) and GnRH (135.9 hr) groups than the control (141.5 hr) group. In the eCG+GnRH group, the sows ovulated earlier (p < .05) than those in the GnRH group (44.5 vs. 48.2 hr after buserelin administration). The reproductive performance of GnRH sows was not compromised when only sows exhibiting oestrus at the time of insemination were considered, but lower farrowing rate and smaller litter size were observed in eCG+GnRH sows. The reproductive performance of eCG+GnRH sows was primarily compromised because the insemination was performed outside the optimal time relative to ovulation; therefore, it is advisable to inseminate them before 116–122 hr after weaning.     

Reproductive performance of postpartum ewes treated with insulin or progesterone hormones in association with ram effect

The reproductive performance of postpartum Santa Inês (SI) and Morada Nova (MN) ewes treated with insulin or progesterone hormones in association with ram effect was evaluated. Ewes from SI (n = 69) and MN (n = 69) breeds were randomly allocated to three groups of each breed (T1—ram effect only; T2—ram effect + insulin; T3—ram effect + progesterone). Progesterone concentrations (ηg/ml; mean ± SD) before and after introduction of rams (n = 6) were 0.51 ± 0.22 and 3.78 ± 0.68 (T1), 0.65 ± 0.21 and 3.77 ± 0.78 (T2) and 0.52 ± 0.21 and 3.84 ± 0.84 (T3) in SI ewes and 0.74 ± 0.19 and 3.71 ± 0.56 (T1), 0.70 ± 0.21 and 3.79 ± 0.75 (T2) and 0.81 ± 0.14 and 3.87 ± 0.80 (T3) in MN ewes, respectively. Thus, lower progesterone concentrations were found before the introduction of rams (p < .05). After the introduction of rams, preovulatory peaks of LH (ηg/ml) occurred at 28 (T1), 44 (T2) and 48 (T3) hr in SI ewes and at 64 (T1), 40 (T2) and 44 (T3) hr in MN ewes. The mean number of ovulations was similar between groups (p > .05), was 1.3 ± 0.51 (T1), 1.5 ± 0.54 (T2) and 1.6 ± 0.51 (T3) in SI ewes and 1.3 ± 0.51 (T1), 1.6 ± 0.51 (T2) and 1.6 ± 0.51 (T3) in MN ewes. In conclusion, the ram effect alone is effective at inducing and synchronizing oestrus in sheep under postpartum anoestrus, irrespective of hormone treatments.     

Foetal pulmonary maturity in dogs: Estimated from bubble tests in amniotic fluid obtained via amniocentesis

The goal of this study was to evaluate the reliability of amniocentesis during late pregnancy to assess lung maturity in puppies using a bubble test as described by Gunston and Davey (South African Medical Journal, 54, 1978, 495). Thirty‐five bitches from eight different breeds were followed during late pregnancy before undergoing elective Caesarean (C)‐section on days 61–62 after ovulation. Bubble tests were performed the day before the C‐section (n = 11 bitches) and before the administration of aglepristone on amniotic fluid samples obtained via amniocentesis and were repeated the day of the surgery on amniotic fluid samples collected via puncture of the amniotic bags before they were opened (n = 35 bitches). No complications were observed following amniocenteses and the C‐sections. The mortality rate (2.3%) was similar to the result of other studies using the same protocol for an elective C‐section. Of the non‐contaminated samples collected the day of the C‐section, 89.6% were positive in the bubble test, which was consistent with observations of clinical maturity the day of the surgery and on the following days. In contrast, 70% of the samples collected the day before the C‐section (when progesterone concentrations were still high) were negative, suggesting that the puppies were still immature at this point in the pregnancy. Additionally, we observed a significant difference in the bubble test results before and 18 hr after the administration of aglepristone, suggesting that aglepristone may act as an inducer of the final maturation of the puppies by inactivating progesterone receptors and simulating a physiological decrease in progesterone. Finally, we confirmed the need to exclude all contaminated samples, which could lead to false‐negative results.     

Development and evaluation of a standard area diagram set for the severity of phomopsis leaf blight on eggplant

A standard area diagram set (SADs) with eight severity values ranging from 0.5 to 32% was evaluated as a tool to improve the accuracy of the estimates of Phomopsis leaf blight severity on eggplant by ten inexperienced raters. A first assessment in a 50-leaf dataset of digital images was performed unaided (UN, no SAD). Two further aided (A) assessments, conducted two (A1) and four weeks after the first (A2) unaided one were performed. The precision of the estimates, as indicated by the Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r), improved significantly when using the aid (A1: r = 0.96 and A2: r = 0.96) compared to unaided (UN: r = 0.79). However, the generalized bias (C _b) was not significantly affected because the unaided estimates were already quite accurate (C _b = 0.93). The overall concordance (ρ _c) was significantly improved due to the large gains in precision when using the SADs. The raters’ estimates were more uniform (ρ _c > 0.9) when using the aid, with progressive gains in the reliability of the estimates among them, indicated by the concordance correlation coefficient statistics. The SADs proposed in this study will be useful in severity estimation during field work involving multiple raters, especially as use of the SADs results in less variable estimates, improving accuracy and reliability among raters.     

Genetic diversity and changes in phenolic contents and antiradical activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vaccinium myrtillus</Emphasis> berries from its southernmost growing area in Italy

In this study, we evaluated by the RAPD technique the genetic diversity of 42 individual Vaccinium myrtillus L. plant samples, collected from different locations of Tuscan Apennines (Italy), which represent the southernmost growing latitude of this plant. Total polyphenols, total anthocyanins and radical scavenging activity were also determined in two successive harvesting years on bilberry samples obtained from the same individuals characterized by molecular analysis. The RAPD analysis indicated a highly prevalent gamic propagation of bilberry in the investigated area, and, in accordance with genetic findings elsewhere reported for populations of Central and Northern Europe, suggested the presence, from North-to-South Europe, of a clonal-to-gamic genetic gradient of the propagation strategy. In the context of a quite homogeneous panorama of biochemical data, significant variations were occasionally evidenced by comparing closely-located individuals. We tentatively attributed such variations mainly to genetics, due to the very close location of biomes exhibiting different biochemical attributes. However, molecular clustering by RAPD did not show any relationship with biochemical diversity. Strong variations of climatic conditions were probable responsible of the remarkable variability of the investigated biochemical parameters in the two harvesting years.     

EuMIXFOR empirical forest mensuration and ring width data from pure and mixed stands of Scots pine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus sylvestris L.</Emphasis>) and European beech (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fagus sylvatica L.</Emphasis>) through Europe

Key message

This data set provides unique empirical data from triplets of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) and European beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.) across Europe. Dendrometric variables are provided for 32 triplets, 96 plots, 7555 trees and 4695 core samples. These data contribute to our understanding of mixed stand dynamics. Dataset access at   http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8v04m . Associated metadata available at https://metadata-afs.nancy.inra.fr/geonetwork/apps/georchestra/?uuid=b3e098ca-e681-4910-9099-0e25d3b4cd52&hl=eng .