Do traditional sheep breeders perform conscious selection? An example from a participatory breeding program of Morada Nova sheep

The implementation of sustainable breeding programs requires genetic breeding strategies that are appropriate for the reality production systems. It is also essential that the choice of animal selection criteria be based on breeders’ knowledge and objectives. This work is an ethno-zootechnical study of the Morada Nova sheep breed and its crossbreeds. The goals of this study were to register and analyze indigenous breeders’ knowledge and practices regarding animal selection criteria and to generate technical information to support a participatory breeding program of the breed. This study was conducted in the Morada Nova municipality in the state of Ceará, Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were evaluated using two groups of individuals, purebred Morada Nova sheep breeders (RMN, n = 13) and breeders of Morada Nova crossbreeds (MMN, n = 48). Interview questions were used to identify local selection criteria adopted by each group in the choice of animals for breeding. Data from the interviews were submitted to frequency distribution analysis and the Shapiro-Wilk test to verify their distribution. Later, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the two groups of farmers based on that information, in addition to multivariate statistical analysis and evaluation of Smith salience index. Breeders in the RMN group used selection criteria related to breed standards, such as pelage color. In contrast, breeders of the MMN group used criteria related to productivity, such as body conformation and milk production. Breeders should be engaged in the development of breeding programs, and it is important to consider their preferences and objectives when evaluating breeding animals.     

Effect of smoke-water and a smoke-isolated butenolide on the growth and genotoxicity of commercial onion

Smoke-water and a biologically active butenolide compound (3-methyl-2H-furo[2,3-c]pyran-2-one) derived from burning plant material, show stimulating effects on a number of agricultural and horticultural crops. In these trials, onion (Allium cepa L.) plants were treated (drenched) with either a 1:500 (v/v) smoke-water solution or a butenolide solution of 10⁻¹⁰ M under greenhouse conditions. Onion plants supplied with smoke-water and butenolide solution exhibited a significantly greater number of leaves, increased leaf length, and a higher fresh and dry leaf weight than untreated plants at 175 days after seed sowing (DASS) (third harvest). In addition, smoke-water and butenolide-treated onion plants exhibited a significantly higher bulb diameter and bulb weight than untreated plants, when these plants were harvested at 175 DASS. Overall, smoke-water was more effective than butenolide and achieved the highest harvest index. Genotoxicity was not detected in the bulbs of onion when they were treated with either smoke-water or butenolide.     

Effects of organic manure and chemical fertilizer on soil fertility and productivity of plant and ratoon crops of sugarcane

A long-term field experiment was initiated in November, 1967 at Research Area of Department of Soil Science to study the response of nitrogen to pearl millet-wheat cropping system at various doses and modes of farmyard manure application. The soil organic carbon increased with farmyard manure application and ranged from 0.68% in control to 1.82% in the plot receiving the highest annual dose (90 Mg ha^?1) of farmyard manure. To study the contribution of farmyard manure on the productivity of pearl millet and wheat crops, the constants (intercept and slope) were determined between the grain yield of pearl millet and wheat crops with increasing dose of fertilizer nitrogen. Another linear regression was fitted between the intercept of the linear model and the soil organic carbon content. It has been observed that with each unit increase in the soil organic carbon, the productivity of pearl millet increased by 273 kg ha^?1 and that of wheat by 1591 kg ha^?1. The regression between the slope and soil organic carbon was linear in case of pearl millet (R² 0.49) but in case of wheat there was no relationship.     

Bacterial probiotics as an aid in the control of Clostridium difficile disease in neonatal pigs

Although Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common disease in swine, there is a lack of prevention strategies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate: i) the effectiveness of Lactobacillus spp. and ii) non-toxigenic C. difficile (NTCD) as prevention for the development of CDI in piglets. Cesarean-derived piglets (N = 150) were randomly assigned to 6 groups: GROUP 1 — negative control (n = 10); GROUP 2 — NTCD only (n = 13); GROUP 3 — Lactobacillus spp. only (n = 14); GROUP 4 — positive control (challenged with toxigenic C. difficile strain) (n = 35); GROUP 5 — NTCD and challenged with the toxigenic C. difficile strain (n = 34); and GROUP 6 — Lactobacillus spp. and challenged with the toxigenic C. difficile strain (n = 44). Piglets which received NTCD showed lower prevalence of toxin-positive feces, mesocolonic edema, and microscopic lesions compared with positive control piglets. Administration of Lactobacillus spp. did not reveal clear benefits.     

Distribution and persistence of atypical porcine pestivirus in experimentally inoculated pigs

Atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV) is a cause of congenital tremors (CTs) in piglets and has been found in swine populations around the globe. Although systemic distribution of the virus has been reported, there is limited information regarding viral localization at the cellular level and distribution at the tissue level. We collected multiple tissues from 2-d-old piglets (n = 36) born to sows inoculated at 45 or 62 d of gestation with APPV via 3 simultaneous routes: intravenous, intranasal, and directly in amniotic vesicles. In addition, 2 boars from APPV-inoculated sows with CT were raised and euthanized when 11 mo old. In situ hybridization performed on tissue samples from piglets demonstrated a broad and systemic distribution of viral RNA including endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and smooth muscle. Labeling in tissues was more pronounced in piglet tissues compared to boars, with the notable exception of diffuse labeling of the cerebellum in boars. Presence of APPV in boar tissues well after resolution of clinical signs suggests persistence of APPV similar to other pestiviruses.     

Essential oils for preventative treatment and control of Asian soybean rust

The objective of the work was to evaluate the effect of essential oils as a preventive treatment to control Asian soybean rust. Initially the fungitoxic effect of the essential oils of Hyptis marrubioides, Aloysia gratissima and Cordia verbenacea was tested on the urediniospores of Phakopsora pachyrhizi, through in vitro tests. The in vivo test was set up in a greenhouse, using cultivar MGBR-46. The treatments consisted of the three oils at different concentrations, a fungicide based on pyraclostrobin + epoxyconazole and a control. To verify the potential of the essential oils in preventive treatment, inoculation was conducted at 0, 6, 12 and 24?h intervals, after application of the treatments. All treatments inhibited 100% of Phakopsora pachyrhizi germination. In the in vivo test, it was observed that all of the oils were efficient in controlling soybean rust, by preventive treatment, mainly at the higher concentrations. Efficiency of the oils was reduced with the increase of the interval between the application of the treatments and the onset of the pathogen. The essential oils, at the tested dosages, were not as efficient as the pyraclostrobin + epoxyconazole based fungicide.     

Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration in Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. (Cactaceae)

We present here a method for the regeneration of the prickly-pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) through somatic embryogenesis (SE). Direct SE was induced by cultivating shoot apices devoid of leaf primordia on semisolid Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with 4-amino 3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid (picloram) at 4 mg l⁻¹. Somatic embryogenesis was influenced by the type, age, physiological and developmental stage of the explants, and also by light conditions, wounding, and the sucrose concentration in the induction medium. A histological analysis confirmed SE by revealing the presence of a closed vascular system in the developing embryos and the absence of a vascular connection between the somatic embryos and the explant.