Effects of dietary Leucas aspera levels on growth performance,nutrient utilization,digestive enzymes and physio-metabolic and health status of bagrid catfish,Rita rita (Hamilton, 1822)

The study was to examine the effects of dietary L. aspera on growth performance, physio-metabolic response and health status of Rita rita fish reared in tanks for 60 days. Six experimental diets were formulated containing 0 g/kg, 3 g/kg, 6 g/kg, 9 g/kg and 12 g/kg L. aspera and designated as D0, D3, D6, D9 and D12 respectively. The inclusion of L. aspera at graded levels resulted in significantly varying effects on growth performance where the weight gain (%), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) were significantly higher (p<0.05) in D6 and D9 groups than others. The protease and amylase activities were elevated in L. aspera supplemented groups than the control group (p<0.05), whereas lactate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase and serum transaminase enzyme activities were significantly reduced with the increasing level of L. aspera and comparatively higher activities of the respective enzymes were found in the control group. The activities of oxidative stress enzymes were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the D9 group and lower in control. The blood glucose level significantly decreased with the increasing level of L. aspera in the experimental diets. The L. aspera supplemented fish had significantly higher liver glycogen, serum protein, albumin and globulin than control group. Red blood cell count was significantly higher (p<0.05) in D6-D12, whereas white blood cell count and haemoglobin content were significantly higher (p<0.05) in D6 and D9 groups. Regression analysis showed that L. aspera at the level of 7.3–7.9 g/kg is optimum for better growth and feed efficiency.     

Composition and variation in vitamin C,carotenoids, protein,nitrate and oxalate contents inCelosia leaves

Twenty two lines/accessions belonging to 5 species ofCelosia were analysed for their nutritional and antinutritional composition. The nutrient contents, vitamin C varied from 18.8 to 53.6 mg/100 g, carotenoids 9.1 to 15.1 mg/100g, protein 2.1 to 5.9%, while the antinutritional factors, nitrate 0.18 to 0.46% and oxalate 0.98 to 3.93%. Moisture ranged 81 to 89%. Variation of these parameters with leaf position and the amino acids profile of some promising lines was also evaluated.     

Management of a chronic wound in a chimpanzee: A lesson learned

A male chimpanzee was presented with a chronic swelling near the left cheek region. Various attempts to treat the chimpanzee went in vain. Vices of the animal, emotional attitude of his family members, and rules and regulations of the Central Zoo Authority made the treatment a challenging task. Meanwhile, the swelling turned into an open wound because of the female chimpanzee that further aggravated the situation. Proper behavioral study of the subject, positive reinforcement training, and accurate treatment protocol resulted in complete healing of the wound without any complications.     

Studies on the variability,inheritance, and inter-relationships of mineral macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients in strawberry (Fragariaananassa Duch.)

Summary

Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) is a rich source of minerals, vitamins, and anti-oxidants, and has a unique flavour and aroma. However, there is little information on the genetic variability and inheritance of mineral elements in strawberry. This is important as it can influence the selection of better genotypes and suitable breeding approaches for improvements in the nutritional quality of fruit. The objectives of the present study were, therefore, to estimate the variability, inheritance, and inter-relationships of mineral elements, to identify mineral-rich and productive genotypes, and to suggest suitable breeding approaches. A significant genotypic mean square for all the minerals studied indicated sufficient variation among genotypes. Our results also indicated that the effect of genotype on the mineral content of fruit was stronger than that of environment. Six genotypes, namely ‘Ofra’, ‘Sweet Charlie’, ‘Elista’, ‘Festival’, ‘Camarosa’, and ‘Douglas’ were found to have higher mineral contents as well as better fruit yields, and therefore could be useful in further breeding programmes. N, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu contents, together with fruit yield, could be improved by selection and hybridisation as these traits showed high heritability (> 80%) and high genetic advance as a percentage of the mean (> 40%), while recurrent selection was suitable for increasing P contents, which showed moderate heritability (> 79.81%) and low genetic advance as a percentage of the mean (> 33.86%). Moreover, Mg and N contents could be used as reliable tools with which to identify the most productive and mineral-rich genotypes, as indicated by correlation and path analysis. Studies on such genetic estimates will increase our understanding of the inheritance of mineral contents and affect the design of crop improvement strategies.     

茶叶中农药残留及其通过茶汤进入人体量的估算

茶是世界上最普及的饮料.茶树由于受到大量病虫危害而需要施用许多农药.鉴于公众对食品安全性关注度的日益提高,本文对红茶中7种农药的残留量及其通过泡茶进入茶汤的残留量进行了研究.红茶中的农药残留量为0.18～1.90 mg/kg,其中只有一部分能进入茶汤而被人体摄入.将茶叶冲泡因素考虑在内,通过饮茶进入人体的农药残留量只有...     

Epidemiological, bacteriological and molecular studies on caseous lymphadenitis in Sirohi goats of Rajasthan, India

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is the causative agent of caseous lymphadenitis (CL), a chronic debilitating disease of goats. In the present study, a total of 575 goats of Sirohi breed on an organized farm situated in the semi-arid tropical region of Rajasthan, India were clinically examined. Pus samples from superficial lymph nodes of 27 (4.7%) adult goats presenting clinical lesions suggestive of CL were collected for bacteriological and molecular analyses. Of these goats, 51.9% yielded C. pseudotuberculosis on the basis of morphological, cultural and biochemical characteristics. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting proline iminopeptidase gene specific to C. pseudotuberculosis was developed that confirmed all 14 bacterial isolates. The specificity of the PCR product was confirmed by sequencing of the 551-bp amplicon in both senses, showing 98-100% homology with published sequences. Thus, overall prevalence rate based on clinical, bacterial culture and PCR assay were found to be 4.7%, 2.4% and 2.4%, respectively. The PCR assay developed in this study was found to be specific and rapid, and could be used for confirmation of CL in goats as an alternative method to generally cumbersome, time-consuming and less reliable conventional methods.     

Common occurrence of a unique Cryptosporidium ryanae variant in zebu cattle and water buffaloes in the buffer zone of the Chitwan National Park, Nepal

There are very few studies on the diversity and public health significance of Cryptosporidium species in zebu cattle and water buffaloes in developing countries. In this study, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequence analyses of the small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene were used to genotype Cryptosporidium specimens from 12 zebu cattle calves, 16 water buffalo calves, and four swamp deer (Cervus duvaucelii) collected from the buffer zone of the Chitwan National Park, Nepal. All Cryptosporidium specimens from cattle and buffaloes belonged to Cryptosporidium ryanae, whereas those from deer belonged to Cryptosporidium ubiquitum. Comparison of the SSU rRNA gene sequences obtained with those from earlier studies has identified a nucleotide substitution unique to all C. ryanae isolates from Nepal, in addition to some sequence heterogeneity among different copies of the gene. The finding of the dominance of a unique C. ryanae variant in both zebu cattle and water buffaloes in Nepal indicates that there is unique cryptosporidiosis transmission in bovine animals in the study area, and cross-species transmission of some Cryptosporidium spp. can occur between related animal species sharing the same habitats.     

Seroprevalence of chlamydial infection in cattle in Ireland

Although few studies have investigated the prevalence of chlamydial infections in cattle, reported prevalence rates vary hugely. In order to assess the prevalence of this infection in cattle in Ireland, serum samples (100 herds, 20 samples/herd) collected for statutory screening for brucellosis were examined by soluble chlamydial antigen indirect ELISA. The assay detects antibodies to the two most common Chlamydiaceae spp. affecting cattle, namely Chlamydia abortus and Chlamydia pecorum. A total of 95 samples from 57 herds were seropositive, representing an observed prevalence rate of 4.75%. The parametric bootstrap estimate of the mean disease prevalence in the population was 6.04% (95%, CI 4.70-7.50). The results suggest the prevalence of chlamydial infection is low in cattle in Ireland.     

Greenhouse gases emission,soil organic carbon and wheat yield as affected by tillage systems and nitrogen management practices

Agricultural activities are responsible for greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission in the environment. Strategies are required to enhance the soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (N) sequestration to adapt and mitigate the climate change. We investigated GHGs emission, SOC and N enhancement under conventional tillage (CT) and zero tillage (ZT) with N management in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Seasonal carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission and global warming potential (GWP) reduced for ZT treatments over CT without residues and 100% of required N with a blanket split application (CT – R + 100N). The ZT with 5 t ha^?1 maize (Zea mays L.) residues retention and 75% of required N and GreenSeeker^TM (GS)-aided N management (ZT + R + 75N + GS) reduced yield-scaled GHGs emission and increased total organic carbon (C) stock over CT – R + 100N. However, nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission was lower in CT. The GS-based N management saved 26–35 kg N ha^?1 in different tillage systems in both years over blanket application with higher N uptake and associated reduction in N₂O emission. The study recommends that ZT with residues retention and GS-based N management can minimize the GHGs emission and improve the SOC.