Tissue distribution and blood levels of gamma-glutamyl transferase in the horse.

In the horse, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) was found to be mainly located in the kidneys, liver and pancreas. As renal lesions are followed by a urinary escape of enzyme, it can be assumed that if there are raised serum enzyme levels then the source will be chiefly from the liver and pancreas. In the blood, GGT can be measured either in plasma or serum. Its mean level in 58 horses was 12 U/L. This level was not affected by moderate dilution or slight haemolysis and its activity was only slightly decreased by storage at--30 degrees C. The relative hepatic specificity of this enzyme and its easy measurement make it a potentially very useful measure of liver dysfunction in the horse.     

The use of blood meal in tropical broiler diets

Summary Sixteen hundred commercial broiler chicks (Cobbs) were used to investigate the food value of blood meal in broiler production under Sudanese conditions. Seven experimental diets, containing various levels of blood meal, were fed to groups of chicks from 0 to 9 weeks of age and the performance was compared with those on a control diet containing 15 per cent meat meal. The results indicated that 6 per cent blood meal can be used in broiler diets without growth rate being adversely affected.

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Sumario Mil seicientos pollos parrilleros de origen comercial (Cobbs) fueron usadospara investigar el valor alimenticio de la harina de sangre en la producción de pollos parrilleros bajo condiciones propias del Sudan. Siete dietas experimentales conteniendo varios niveles de harina de sangre fueron alimentadas a grupos de pollos de 0–9 semanas de edad y el rendimiento fue comparado con aquellos bajo una dieta control conteniendo 15 por ciento de harina de carne. Los resultados indicaron que la harina de sangre puede ser usada economicamente a niveles no mayores de 6 por ciento en la dieta de los pollos parrilleros.

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Résumé Seize cent poulets de chair (Cobbs) étaient utilisés pour étudier la valeur alimentaire de la farine de sang pour la production de poulets dans les conditions du Soudan. Sept régimes expérimentaux, contenant des taux différents de farine de sang, étaient distribués à des groupes de poulets agés de 0 à 9 semaines et les performances étaient comparées avec celles d'un régime témoin contenant 15 p. 100 de farine de viande. Les résultats montrent que la farine de sang peut être employée économiquement jusqu'à 6 p. 100 dans la ration des poulets de chair.

     

Principles for regulatory testing and interpretation of semi-field and field studies with non-target arthropods

This paper is a guidance document for side-effect testing with plant protection products on non-target arthropods under semi-field and field conditions. The principles, methods, endpoints and interpretation of non-target arthropod semi-field and field trials which should be conducted for registration of plant protection products in the European Union are presented and discussed. The recommendations presented reflect the opinions of the experts from authority, academia, industry and consulting which participated at the IOBC (International Organisation of Biological Control), BART (Beneficial Arthropod Regulatory Testing) group and EPPO (European Plant Protection Organisation) Joint Initiative workshop held in Versailles (France) on the 25–26 October, 1999.     

On the use of spectral reflectance indices to assess agro‐morphological traits of wheat plants grown under simulated saline field conditions

Successful breeding of plants for salinity stress tolerance requires realistic growing conditions and fast, non‐destructive evaluation techniques for phenotypic traits associated with salinity tolerance. In this study, we used subsurface water retention technique (SWRT) as a growing condition and spectral measurements as an evaluation method to assess different agro‐morphological traits of salt‐tolerant (Sakha 93) and salt‐sensitive (Sakha 61) wheat genotypes under three salinity levels (control, 60, and 120 mm NaCl). The effects of salinity on agro‐morphological traits were evaluated and related with forty‐five published vegetation‐ and water‐spectral reflectance indices (SRIs) taken at both the heading and grain milk growth stages for each salinity level, genotype, and growth stage. In general, the agro‐morphological traits gradually decreased as salinity levels increased; however, the reduction in these traits was more pronounced in Sakha 61 than in Sakha 93. The effect of salinity levels and their interaction with genotypes on the SRIs was only evident at the grain milk stage. The performance of the spectral reflectance indices depicted that the closest associations with agro‐morphological traits depended on salinity level, degree of salt tolerance of the genotypes, and growth stage. The SRI‐based vegetative indices correlated better with growth and yield of Sakha 93 than SRI‐based water indices and vice versa for Sakha 61. The SRI‐based vegetative and water indices are effective for assessment of agro‐morphological traits at early growth stages under high salinity level. The functional relationship between grain yield per hectare and the best SRIs was linear for the high salinity level and Sakha 61; however, the quadratic model was found to best fit this relationship for the control, moderate salinity level, and Sakha 93. The overall results indicate that the usefulness of the SRIs for assessment of traits associated with salinity tolerance is limited to salinity level and growth stage.     

Effect of livestock grazing and human uses on herbaceous species diversity in oriental beech （Fagus orientalis Lipsky） forests,Guilan, Masal,northern Iran

Plant diversity plays key ecological roles in forest ecosystems, including influencing succession, resilience and nutrient cycling. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of livestock grazing and human uses on herbaceous species diversity. We surveyed 50 ha of protected area and 50 ha of unprotected area to evaluate herbaceous species diversity in oriental beech （Fagus orientalis Lipsky） forests in northern Iran. We calculated and compared three indices each of diversity and evenness, and species richness between the two areas. Herbaceous cover was higher in the unprotected area while leaf litter depth and tree canopy cover were higher in the protected area. The diversity indices, H （Shan- non-Wiener index ）, N~ （McArthur index）, N2 （Hill＇s index）, EQ （Modified Nee index）, E,ar （Smith-Wilson index）, E5 （modified index of Hill） and R=S （species richness） and species richness R=S were greater in the protected area than in the unprotected area, suggesting that protection from grazing results in increased numbers of plants and species. The effect of land protection on plant diversity was more pronounced for evenness than for species richness and the positive correlation between diversity and evenness indices was higher than that between diversity and richness.     

Assessment of Phosphorus Levels in Small Ruminants as Affected by Summer and Winter

An experiment was carried out to assess the phosphorus status of free grazing goats at Faisalabad,Pakistan.Samples were collected fortnightly during summer and winter seasons of 2010 from soil and plants.The highest(118±0.54 mg·kg-1)levels of feces phosphorus were recorded in lactating goats during winter and(9.87±0.99 mg·kg-1)in urine of male during winter.Similarly maximum(71.0±0.88 mg·kg-1)phosphorus concentration was observed in the plasma of lactating animals.Milk contained(31.0±0.36)mg·L-1 in winter while during the months of summer the highest values recorded in forages,soils,canal and tube well waters were(755±1.98)mg·kg-1,(785±4.98)mg·kg-1,(0.97±8.78)mg·L-1 and(4.12±0.55)mg·L-1,respectively.It was revealed from the current results that fecal matter,forage,milk,tube well and canal water contained lower amounts of P,while P levels in blood plasma was found within the critical limits.Therefore,phosphorus supplementations were required in the area under experimentation to meet the requirements of the animals for their normal growth.     

Characterization of Some Typical Soils of the Miombo Woodland Ecosystem of Kitonga Forest Reserve,Iringa, Tanzania： Physico-Chemical Properties and Classification

Despite the fact that miombo woodland soils have significant implications in global climate change processes, few studies have been done to characterize and classify the soils of the miombo woodland ecosystem of Tanzania. The current study was carried out to map and classify soils of Kitonga Forest Reserve, which is a typical miombo woodland ecosystem, in order to generate relevant information for their use and management. A representative study area of 52 km2 was selected and mapped at a scale of 1：50,000 on the basis of relief. Ten representative soil profiles were excavated and described using standard methods. Soil samples were taken from genetic soil horizons and analyzed in the laboratory for physico-chemical characteristics using standard methods. Using field and laboratory analytical data, the soils were classified according to the FAO-World Reference Base （FAO-WRB） for Soil Resources system as Cambisols, Leptosols and Fluvisols. In the USDA-NRCS Soil Taxonomy system the soils were classified as Inceptisols and Entisols. Topographical features played an important role in soil formation. The different soil types differed in physico-chemical properties, hence exhibit differences in their potentials, constraints and need specific management strategies. Texture varied from sandy to different loams; pH from 5.1 to 5.9; organic carbon from 0.9 g/kg to 20 g/kg; and CEC from 3 cmol/（＋）kg to 24 cmol/（＋）kg. Sustainable management of miombo woodlands ecosystem soils requires reduced deforestation and reduced land degradation.     

Lumpy skin disease of cattle: an emerging problem in the Sultanate of Oman

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a highly infectious disease of cattle caused by a virus belonging to the Capripoxvirus genus of the family Poxviridae. The purpose of this study is to place on record the first confirmation of LSD in the Sultanate. The disease was diagnosed and confirmed using polymerase chain reaction, histopathology, transmission electron microscopy and serum neutralization testing. The epizootic occurred in 2009 involving a large number of animals and covering a wide area including Nezwa, Alqabel, Sohar, Saham and Burimi. Morbidity and mortality rates of 29.7 and 26.3 %, and 13.6 and 15.4 % were observed at Nezwa and Sohar, respectively. The clinical signs were much more severe in Holstein–Friesian cattle compared to indigenous breeds and were characterized by multiple skin nodules covering the neck, back, perineum, tail, limbs and genital organs. Affected animals also exhibited lameness, emaciation and cessation of milk production. Oedema of limbs and brisket, and superficial lymph node enlargement were highly prominent. It is not known from where the virus originated, or how it spread to the Sultanate. The disease has become endemic in the country and is liable to extend to other Gulf Cooperation Council Countries and cause a pandemic. It is of major concern to the Omani dairy industry. Due to the widespread presence of screw worm, serious economic losses can follow outbreaks.