Effects of toasting blue lupins, soybeans or barley as supplement for high-yielding, organic dairy cows fed grass-clover silage ad libitum

The effect of toasted supplement on milk production was examined in three experiments on an organic study farm during the winter 2004/2005. Three types of iso-energetic supplement feed, toasted or untreated, were examined in each experiment, with an untreated cereal mixture as control. The supplement under investigation was: lupins in experiment 1, barley in experiment 2 and soybeans in experiment 3. The same forage mixture of grass-clover silage (84% of DM), grass pellets (11% of DM) and straw (5% of DM) was fed ad libitum in all the experiments.

Toasting decreased effective rumen protein degradability determined in situ for all three supplements. Compared to untreated lupins toasting of lupins tended (P = 0.10) to increase milk yield, whereas toasting of soybeans did not affect milk yield. Toasting of lupins decreased (P = 0.03) milk protein content (32.2 versus 32.7 g/kg), whereas toasting of soybeans did not affect milk protein content. ECM yield was significantly higher (P = 0.002) for cows fed toasted soybeans than for cows fed untreated soybeans (28.1 versus 26.4 kg ECM) whereas there was no significant effect on ECM yield from toasting lupins or barley. It can be concluded that the potential of toasting to increase the supply of metabolisable protein under organic feeding conditions is variable between feeds.     

S-RNase based S-genotyping of Japanese plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) and its implication on the assortment of cultivar-couples in the orchard

Determination of the genetic compatibility between self-incompatible cultivars is crucial in agriculture. The Rosaceae family carries the S-RNase-mediated gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) system. Each haplotype is conferred by an S-locus. The S-locus contains two highly polymorphic genes, S-RNase and SFB, which are characteristic of each haplotype and therefore these genes are ideal markers for molecular S-genotyping. In this study 43 Japanese plum cultivars grown in Israel were S-genotyped based on their S-RNase gene sequences. Four alleles, S^b, S^c, S^e and S^h are widespread and together are responsible for 87% of the S-haplotypes therefore many of the cultivar combinations are semi-compatible. In Israel semi-compatibility was shown to correlate with low yield. However, two cultivars, ‘Wickson’ S^fS^k and ‘Shiro’ S^fS^g carry rare S-haplotypes and, therefore, are fully compatible with most of the analyzed cultivars.     

Growth traits of crossbreds of Ankole with Brown Swiss,Holstein Friesian,Jersey, and Sahiwal cattle in Rwanda

The objective of the study was to compare body weights and growth from birth to 18 months of age of various groups of crossbred cattle born from 1999 to 2007, being crossbreds of Ankole (A) with Brown Swiss (B), Holstein Friesian (F), Jersey (J), and Sahiwal (S). Average weights were 26.5 kg at birth, 161 kg at weaning, and 226 kg at 18 months. Both season and sex significantly affected birth weight (BW), weight at 8 and 18 months (W8 and W18), and average daily gain from weaning to 18 months (ADG18) and, unlike season, sex significantly affected average daily gain to 8 months and weaning age. The general trend was that average daily gain attained a maximum before weaning and thereafter decreased until 18 months. Least square means for AB and AF calves were comparable and significantly differed only for W18 and ADG18. AJ had the lowest BW but was comparable with AS, AJxS, and ASxJ for W8, age-adjusted weaning weight, and W18. Generally, AF was heavier than other breed groups, but the difference was smaller than expected probably because environmental conditions did not allow full expression of genetic potential for growth.     

Mathematical modeling and simulation in animal health. Part III: Using nonlinear mixed‐effects to characterize and quantify variability in drug pharmacokinetics

A common feature of human and veterinary pharmacokinetics is the importance of identifying and quantifying the key determinants of between‐patient variability in drug disposition and effects. Some of these attributes are already well known to the field of human pharmacology such as bodyweight, age, or sex, while others are more specific to veterinary medicine, such as species, breed, and social behavior. Identification of these attributes has the potential to allow a better and more tailored use of therapeutic drugs both in companion and food‐producing animals. Nonlinear mixed effects (NLME) have been purposely designed to characterize the sources of variability in drug disposition and response. The NLME approach can be used to explore the impact of population‐associated variables on the relationship between drug administration, systemic exposure, and the levels of drug residues in tissues. The latter, while different from the method used by the US Food and Drug Administration for setting official withdrawal times (WT) can also be beneficial for estimating WT of approved animal drug products when used in an extralabel manner. Finally, NLME can also prove useful to optimize dosing schedules, or to analyze sparse data collected in situations where intensive blood collection is technically challenging, as in small animal species presenting limited blood volume such as poultry and fish.     

Understanding utilitarian and hedonic values determining the demand for rhino horn in Vietnam

We examined utilitarian and hedonic values as motivations for rhino horn use in Vietnam. We also evaluated consumers’ response to consequences of the illegal trade in behavior modification campaigns and the likely outcome of a legalized trade. The most prevalent use was for treatment of hangovers indicating utilitarian values, although difficult to separate from the hedonic value in projecting success in business. A ritualized way of honoring terminally ill relatives represented a hedonic value replacing belief in effective treatment. Demand reduction campaigns need to appropriately reflect all relevant values determining specific uses. The plight of rhino populations, Vietnam’s penal code, and the possible contribution to international crime mattered little to consumers. Horn from wild rhino was preferred over farmed, and respondents would demand more if available in a legalized trade. This suggested that a legalized trade could maintain or even increase demand for poached rhino horn.