THE ELECTRONIC MEASUREMENT OF SMALL HERBAGE YIELDS USING A HIGH SENSITIVITY CAPACITANCE METER

The capacitance meters available in the past for estimating herbage yields have lacked sensitivity at the extremes of their range of measurement. The preliminary evaluation of a highly sensitive capacitance meter described here indicates that accurate measurement is possible in the range 0.1100 kg DM/ha. The implications of this development for the measurement of herbage of low availability are discussed.     

基于分期播种试验夏玉米延迟收获促进子粒灌浆和粒重增益效应

基于2019-2022年夏玉米播期试验资料,分析夏玉米生理成熟后延迟收获对子粒农艺性状改善、增产效应。结果表明,早播10 d至晚播20 d处理的有效灌浆结束日均比生理成熟期延后,子粒有效灌浆持续日数依次比其花后10 d至生理成熟期日数延长28～9 d,播期每推迟10 d延长日数减少6.3 d。子粒农艺性状有明显的改善,百粒重、穗粒重提高,子粒增产效应明显,理论产量增产率16.95%～7.66%,增产量1 960.36～681.51 kg/hm²,对照增产最多,比晚播10、20 d增产粮食多2.4～2.9倍。为华北地区提高气候资源利用效率和粮食生产提质增效提供参考。     

20份早熟欧美血缘玉米自交系利用潜力分析

以20份早熟欧美血缘自交系为供试材料,9份SS群自交系为母本、11份NSS群自交系为父本,采用不完全双列杂交设计,进行配合力分析评价。结果表明,自交系DNF342、DNLM18、东407、东409和东401产量一般配合力(GCA)优良,东304和东503株高、穗位高一般配合力优良,有利于降低杂交组合株高和穗位高。杂交组合东407×东601、东409×DNF342、东502×DN4206、东409×东305、东407×DN4206和东401×东601产量对照优势较强,可用于新品种试验。     

Metabolic and microbial responses in western crossbred and Meishan growing pigs fed a high-fiber diet

Four Duroc x White composite crossbred (21.8 +/- 1.0 kg BW) and four 12-wk-old Meishan purebred (20.7 +/- 1.6 kg BW) growing barrows were used to determine the relative breed differences in metabolic and microbial responses to a high-fiber diet. The pigs were trained to consume 700 g of a diet containing 35% (as-fed basis) dehydrated alfalfa meal once daily. The pigs' daily intakes of DM, N, GE, NDF, and ADF were 610 g, 16.6 g, 2.64 Mcal, 150 g, and 88 g, respectively. On d 12 after surgical catheterization of the portal vein, ileal vein, and carotid artery, a 3-d total urine and feces collection was conducted. On d 24 after surgery, each pig was placed in an open-circuit calorimeter, and its catheters were connected to a system for simultaneous measurements of oxygen consumption by portal-drained viscera and by whole body, and the net portal absorption of VFA after a 24-h fasting and during a 5-h postprandial period. The VFA measured included acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, and valeric acids. A second 3-d total urine and feces collection was conducted on d 30 after surgery. There were no differences (P = 0.13) between the first and second collections in apparent total-tract digestibility coefficients for nutrients and N retention of pigs. Compared with Duroc x White composite crossbred pigs, Meishan pigs had lower (P = 0.05) apparent digestibility coefficients for DM, N, NDF, hemicellulose, and N retention, but their portal-drained viscera used a greater (P = 0.05) fraction of whole-body oxygen consumption. No differences (P = 0.12) were found between Duroc x White composite crossbred and Meishan pigs in total viable bacteria and cellulolytic bacteria from fecal samples, in vitro digestibility of alfalfa NDF fractions by fecal inocula, whole-body oxygen consumption, net portal absorption of VFA, total energy of absorbed VFA, and the potential of absorbed VFA for meeting the energy needs for whole-body heat production. These results indicate that, in contrast to previous beliefs, the ability of Meishan growing pigs to utilize a high-fiber diet is not superior to that of Duroc x White composite crossbred growing pigs.