Comparative field performance of some agricultural crops under a canopy of Populus deltoides and Ulmus wallichiana

The performance of maize, beans and sunflower was evalu-ated under a canopy of Populus deltoides and Ulmus wallichiana at Fac-ulty of Agriculture, Wadura. The germination, growth and yield of the three...     

Biochemical Changes in Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii During Larval Development

Abstract.— Quantitative changes in the protein, lipid and carbohydrate were studied in the early larval stages of developing freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii reared under fed and starved conditions to understand the relative importance of these nutrients in energy metabolism of the growing larvae. Larvae obtained from several females were stocked into three 250-L tanks at a density of 30 larvae/L. The feeding regime consisted of newly hatched Artemia nauplii. Protein was always the major organic constituent followed by lipids and then carbohydrates of both fed and starved larvae. Protein levels of both fed and starved larvae increased during development, suggesting an important role in morphogenesis. The decline of lipid during the larval growth that was more rapid for starved larvae, suggests a probable utilization of lipid as the major metabolic source of energy. Carbohydrates formed less than 5 and 2.4% of the larval dry weight of fed and starved larvae, respectively, suggesting their limited role in larval metabolism.     

Changes in Growth,Yield, Photosynthetic Pigments,Biochemical Substances,Oxidative Damage,and Antioxidant Activities Induced by Treatment with Different pH of Artificial acid rain in Pumpkin (Cucurbita Moschata)

Acid rain is one of the major environmental problems that causes plant morphological and physiological disorders. But there are few studies about the impact of acid rain on vegetable crops. This work aimed to study the various effects of simulated acid rain (SAR) at different levels of pH (5.0, 4.5, 4.0, 3.5 or 3.0) on growth, yield, pigment content, protein, carbohydrate, water content in leaves, minerals (NPK), oxidative damage and the activity of various antioxidants in pumpkin. The results show that the plant growth, yield, chlorophyll, carotenoids, protein, carbohydrates, leaf water content, NPK in the leaves of the pumpkin crop decreased significantly with increasing levels of acidity of SAR as compared to the untreated set. H₂O₂ and MDA are increased by SAR treatment which depends on the level of pH value of SAR. The highest value of hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde was recorded at pH 3.0 and lower at pH 5.0 of SAR treatment on the pumpkin crop. In contrast, superoxide dismutase, catalase, nitrate reductase and proline contents were accumulated at pH 3.0 and degraded at pH 5.0 of SAR treatment on pumpkin as compared to control. In conclusion, our findings suggest that pumpkin produces more reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging SAR stress through the production of enzyme and non-enzyme antioxidant compounds at 3.0 pH. Meanwhile, growth inhibition as well as the photosynthesis of pumpkin and the magnitude of oxidative damage increased as acidity increased (pH 3.0 of SAR).

     

Influence of varying dietary electrolyte balance on broiler performance under tropical summer conditions

A 6‐week feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of varying dietary electrolyte balance (DEB) on growth performance and physiological responses in broiler chicks reared during hot summer months (26.1–37.5 °C). The average minimum and maximum room temperatures recorded from 14 to 42 days of age were 26.1 and 37.5 °C, respectively, with relative humidity ranging from 51% to 55%. Five DEB treatments supplying 0, 50, 150, 250 and 350 (Na⁺+K⁺–Cl^?) mEq/kg of diet were prepared by adding NaHCO₃ and/or NH₄Cl to basal diet that contained 185 mEq/kg from 1 to 28 days and 172 mEq/kg from 29 to 42 days. These DEB diets were randomly offered to six experimental units of 20 chicks each. Improved 42‐day body weight gain (BWG), feed:gain (F:G) and reduced mortality was noted with DEB 50, 150 and 250 mEq/kg compared to DEB 0 and 350 mEq/kg. A quadratic effect of increasing DEB level was observed on BWG and F:G, whereas the effect was linear for feed intake, water intake and litter moisture. The DEB 50, 150 and 250 maintained better blood pH, pCO₂ and HCO₃ concentrations during acute heat stress periods than that of 0 and 350. The blood heterophil and lymphocyte percent as well as heterophil:lymphocyte were remained unaffected. The lowest DEB (0 mEq/kg) diet reduced the feed intake and promoted metabolic acidosis. At 350 mEq/kg DEB, water intake and metabolic alkalosis were promoted probably due to high levels of dietary NaHCO₃. The study concluded that overall better performance was recorded with DEB 50, 150 and 250 mEq/kg. These results indicated that single optimal DEB value could not be recommended to combat heat stress in broilers.     

Production analysis of broiler farming in central Punjab,Pakistan

Tropical Animal Health and Production - This study examined the analysis of personal and production performance of broiler farming in 10 cities of central Punjab (Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara,...     

Phenotypic plasticity induced using high ambient temperature during embryogenesis in domesticated zebrafish,Danio rerio

Ambient temperature during early stages of life has a substantial effect on physiological processes, eliciting phenotypic plasticity during zebrafish developmental stages. Zebrafish are known to possess a noteworthy ability to modify their phenotype in dependence of environmental factors. However, there is a poor understanding of the effects of temperature during embryogenesis, which influences the biological functions such as survival ability and masculinization in later developmental stages. Since the middle embryonic phase (pharyngula period) is genetically the most conserved stage in embryogenesis, it is very susceptible to embryonic lethality in developmental processes of vertebrates. Here, we tested the effect of transient perturbations (heat shock) during early development (5–24 hr post‐fertilization; hpf) at 35°C compared to control group at 28°C, on survival ability of zebrafish to study the embryonic and post‐embryonic mortality. We studied the variation of heat‐induced masculinization among and across the families in response to high temperature. Furthermore, morphometric traits of adult zebrafish at different developmental time points were measured in order to estimate the temperature × sex interaction effect. We found the highest embryonic mortality around the gastrula and segmentation periods in both experimental groups, with significantly lower survival ability in the temperature‐treated group (73.30% ± 0.58% vs. 70.19% ± 0.57%, respectively). A higher hatching success was observed in the control group (71.08% ± 0.61%) compared to the heat‐induced group (67.95% ± 0.60%). A distinct reduction in survival ability was also observed in both experimental groups during the first two weeks after hatching, followed by a reduced level of changes thereafter. We found sex ratio imbalances across all families, with 25.2% more males under temperature treatment. Our study on growth performance has shown a positive effect of increased temperature on growth plasticity, with a greater impact on female fish in response to high ambient temperature.     

A comparative study on behavioral,physiological, and adrenal changes in buffaloes during the first stage of labor with normal and difficult parturition

The present study was primarily carried out to trace the behavioral, physiological, and adrenal changes during the first stage of labor in cases of dystocia, either in parturient buffalo heifers or cows, and their clinical significance. Of the 118 investigated buffalo herds, 40 cows (dystocia = 20 and eutocia = 20) and 40 heifers (dystocia = 20 and eutocia = 20) were used in this study. Cows approaching actual birth were transferred to a calving box with straw bedding. Behavior of the studied animals was recorded from the time that the animal was moved to the calving box until the emergence of the fetal limbs in the vulval lips. If no progress in parturition was observed within two hours after the rupture of fetal sacs (end of the first stage), these cases were considered as suffering dystocia. As the fetal limbs emerged from the birth canal, animals were examined clinically to determine their average pulse and respiratory rates as well as body temperature. Blood samples were collected to determine the cow/heifers cortisol level. Results of the present study indicated that dystocia was accompanied by disturbed physiological status and cortisol levels. Practical monitoring system of parturient animals, through observing behavioral, physiological, and adrenal aspects during calving, should be regarded to expect dystocia and provide help for the animal in the appropriate time.     

Media coverage of lethal control: A case study of kangaroo culling in the Australian Capital Territory

Culling kangaroos, Australia’s most abundant marsupial, is a controversial practice in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The ACT government introduced a kangaroo management plan in response to the growing kangaroo population causing damage in grassland ecosystems. Although some groups (e.g., local government, some researchers) support implementation of this plan, critics claim it is inhumane and lacks concrete evidence. To examine media portrayal of this debate, this study conducted a content analysis of newspaper coverage between 2006 and 2016. Although ACT newspapers were impartial in their presentation of the debate, sources that previous studies found were typically considered trustworthy to speak on the scientific validity of the program were found to have conflicting messages and be less represented in the media. Thus, future research should explore if the messenger is more important than the message in determining influences on public perceptions about the use of lethal control.