Grass silage for biorefinery—A meta‐analysis of silage factors affecting liquid–solid separation

This meta‐analysis based on 19 studies from Finland comprising 43 grass silages was undertaken to evaluate the effect of silage quality on liquid yield, liquid composition and retained compounds in liquid using four different liquid–solid separation methods. Silages were classified according to species (grass, clover or a mixture of them), additive treatment (no, biological or formic acid‐based additive) and harvest (primary growth or regrowth). A mixed model regression analysis with random study effect was used to evaluate the impact of silage characteristics on biorefinery efficiency. There was a large variation in silage quality in the data set. Silage dry‐matter concentration was the characteristic most highly correlated with liquid yield for all separation methods, and when used as an independent variable in the model, it resulted in the best predictions. The liquid–solid separation methods presented a great variation in the liquid yield, ranging from 0.26 to 0.56 when silage dry‐matter concentration was standardized to 250 g/kg. There was no effect of additive treatment and harvest in the estimation of the biorefinery potential, but species was a significant variable in predicting liquid yield for the laboratory‐scale presses with higher liquid yield for mixed grass and legume. The high correlation between silage quality and liquid yield and liquid composition provides potential to predict the biorefinery potential based on equations developed for each separation method. This information can be used to modify the silage production systems so that they best meet the requirements of a green biorefinery process.     

Prediction of in vivo neutral detergent fiber digestibility and digestion rate of potentially digestible neutral detergent fiber: comparison of models

Eleven 1-pool, seven 2-pool, and three 3-pool models were compared in fitting gas production data and predicting in vivo NDF digestibility and effective first-order digestion rate of potentially digestible NDF (pdNDF). Isolated NDF from 15 grass silages harvested at different stages of maturity was incubated in triplicate in rumen fluid-buffer solution for 72 h to estimate the digestion kinetics from cumulative gas production profiles. In vivo digestibility was estimated by the total fecal collection method in sheep fed at a maintenance level of feeding. The concentration of pdNDF was estimated by a 12-d in situ incubation. The parameter values from gas production profiles and pdNDF were used in a 2-compartment rumen model to predict pdNDF digestibility using 50 h of rumen residence time distributed in a ratio of 0.4:0.6 between the non-escapable and escapable pools. The effective first-order digestion rate was computed both from observed in vivo and model-predicted pdNDF digestibility assuming the passage kinetic model described above. There were marked differences between the models in fitting the gas production data. The fit improved with increasing number of pools, suggesting that silage pdNDF is not a homogenous substrate. Generally, the models predicted in vivo NDF digestibility and digestion rate accurately. However, a good fit of gas production data was not necessarily translated into improved predictions of the in vivo data. The models overestimating the asymptotic gas volumes tended to underestimate the in vivo digestibility. Investigating the time-related residuals during the later phases of fermentation is important when the data are used to estimate the first-order digestion rate of pdNDF. Relatively simple models such as the France model or even a single exponential model with discrete lag period satisfied the minimum criteria for a good model. Further, the comparison of feedstuffs on the basis of parameter values is more unequivocal than in the case of multiple-pool models.     

Highlights of progress in silage conservation and future perspectives

Highlights of progress in the production of silage over the past 50 years include the introduction of improved hybrids of maize (Zea mays L.), the forage harvester, the big baler, polyethylene covering for horizontal silos, stretch‐wrap film for bales and novel additives designed to improve the fermentation and aerobic stability of silage. The key biochemical pathways in the silage fermentation have been described together with the effects of microbial and chemical additives on fermentation and aerobic stability during the feed‐out phase. The significance of oxygen and water in silage fermentation has been quantified and efficacy of covering silos has been established, with recent progress in the development of oxygen barrier film. Future perspectives include improving food safety and animal health by increasing the hygienic quality of silage, reducing the environmental impact of silage by decreasing loss of nitrogen to soil and atmosphere, reducing methanogenesis in the rumen and increasing methane yield from silage as biofuel, and the use of silages as feedstocks for multiple end uses in biorefineries.     

Effects of additives on the fermentation and aerobic stability of grass silages and total mixed rations

Mown herbage of timothy–meadow fescue (dry matter 218 (LDM) or 539 (HDM) g kg^?1) was ensiled in laboratory silos to evaluate silage additives. For LDM silage, additives including formic acid (a blend of formic acid, sodium formate, propionic acid, benzoic acid, glycerol and another blend of formic acid and ammonium formate, both applied at 5 L t^?1) were able to restrict fermentation and thereby improve intake potential of the silage. Aerobic stability (AS) of total mixed ration (TMR) was also improved. LDM grass treated with homofermentative lactic acid bacteria (_hoLAB) resulted in silage containing lactic acid at 132 g kg^?1 DM, ammonium‐N <40 g kg^?1 total N, and pH < 3·8, and the AS was poor (<36 h). The treatment including heterofermentative strain (Lactobacillus brevis) produced more acetic acid and better AS than _hoLAB. Salt treatment (sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sodium nitrite) reduced pH compared to the Control treatment (3·89 vs. 4·24) and improved AS of TMR. The LDM Control silage had good AS, but the TMR based on it had poor AS. All additives were able to lower pH on HDM silages also, but other benefits of using additives were minimal. The treatment including L. brevis on HDM was able to improve AS of TMR.     

The effect of cutting time of grass silage in primary growth and regrowth and the interactions between silage quality and concentrate level on milk production of dairy cows

Two silages were prepared from the primary growth (PG) of timothy-meadow fescue sward at early (E) and late (L) stage of growth. The subsequent regrowth (RG) areas were further harvested at early (EE and LE) and late (EL and LL) stages of growth resulting in six silages in total. The silages were fed ad libitum to 24 lactating Finnish Ayrshire cows and supplemented with 8 or 12 kg concentrate per day in a cyclic change-over experiment with four 21-day periods and 6 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The quality of silages varied markedly within and between the harvests although variation was greater within PG than RG. Postponing the harvest in PG decreased silage dry matter (DM) intake by 0.48 kg and energy corrected milk yield (ECM) by 0.61 per 10 g decrease in silage D-value (concentration of digestible organic matter in DM), while responses and the range between the diets were clearly smaller when RG silages were fed. On average, ECM yield was higher when PG rather than RG silages were fed. The mean response to increased concentrate DM intake was 0.62 kg ECM using diets based on PG. The response increased with increasing growth stage of grass being 0.34 and 1.01 kg ECM / kg additional concentrate DM for E and L, respectively. The difference was mainly mediated by the differences in substitution rates (reduction in silage DM intake per increase in concentrate DM intake, kg/kg), which were 0.71 and 0.22 for E and L, respectively. The ECM response to increased concentrate allowance was on average greater when RG rather than PG silages (0.92 vs. 0.62 kg/kg concentrate) were fed. Milk production of dairy cows reflected the intake of metabolizable energy and no differences in the utilization of it were found between diets based on silages harvested from PG and RG. However, intake of RG silages was slightly lower than that of comparable PG silage, but definite reasons for that could not be identified.     

Hydrogen radicals, nitrogen radicals, and the production of O3 in the upper troposphere

The concentrations of the hydrogen radicals OH and HO2 in the middle and upper troposphere were measured simultaneously with those of NO, O3, CO, H2O, CH4, non-methane hydrocarbons, and with the ultraviolet and visible radiation field. The data allow a direct examination of the processes that produce O3 in this region of the atmosphere. Comparison of the measured concentrations of OH and HO2 with calculations based on their production from water vapor, ozone, and methane demonstrate that these sources are insufficient to explain the observed radical concentrations in the upper troposphere. The photolysis of carbonyl and peroxide compounds transported to this region from the lower troposphere may provide the source of HOx required to sustain the measured abundances of these radical species. The mechanism by which NO affects the production of O3 is also illustrated by the measurements. In the upper tropospheric air masses sampled, the production rate for ozone (determined from the measured concentrations of HO2 and NO) is calculated to be about 1 part per billion by volume each day. This production rate is faster than previously thought and implies that anthropogenic activities that add NO to the upper troposphere, such as biomass burning and aviation, will lead to production of more O3 than expected.     

公司责任及其在林产工业中的体现

工商活动以及社会对其认识经历过很多显著的变化。中世纪流动的商人取代本地的工匠,满足社会对商品的需求是一大变革。社会对这些早期商人常取负面态度,认为他们进行剥削。工业革命使这种情况加剧。工商活动越来越专注于创造财富和谋求利润而置社会问题于不顾。随着时间的推移,社会管理调控的加强,工商活动的影响及其与社会及环境的相互关系逐渐被认识。自身的进化和社会的关注,使工商活动逐渐重新定向,承担起社会责任,造福于环境和社会。     

Validation of an efficient visual method for estimating leaf area index in clonal Eucalyptus plantations

Leaf area index (LAI) is a key ecophysiological parameter in forest stands because it characterises the interface between atmospheric processes and plant physiology. Several indirect methods for estimating LAI have been developed. However, these methods have limitations that can affect the estimates. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and applicability of a visual method for estimating LAI in clonal Eucalyptus grandis × E. urophylla plantations and to compare it with hemispherical photography, ceptometer and LAI-2000^® estimates. Destructive sampling for direct determination of the actual LAI was performed in 22 plots at two geographical locations in Brazil. Actual LAI values were then used to develop a field guide with photographic images representing an LAI range of 1.0–5.0 m² m^?2 (leaf area/ground area). The visual LAI estimation guide was evaluated with 17 observers in the field. The average difference between actual LAI and visual LAI estimation was 12% and the absolute difference between the two methods was less than or equal to 0.5 m² m^?2 in 77% of plots. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were high between actual LAI and hemispherical photographs (0.8), visual estimation (0.93) and LAI-2000^® (0.99) and low for the ceptometer (0.18). However, absolute values differed among methods, with the average difference between the actual and estimated LAI of [12]% for visual estimation, 28% for the LAI-2000^®, 37% for the ceptometer and ?43% for hemispherical photographs. The LAI-2000^® and ceptometer overestimated LAI in all plots, whereas hemispherical photographs underestimated the values in all measurements, showing that these methods need calibration to be used. No differences were observed between actual LAI and visual estimates across stand ages of 2–8 years and LAI of 1.5–5.3 m² m^?2 (P > 0.05). The results show that visual estimation of LAI in Eucalyptus stands is a practical method that is unaffected by atmospheric characteristics and can be used on an operational scale.     

Evaluation of an automated,homogeneous enzyme immunoassay for serum thyroxine measurement in dog and cat serum

A homogenous enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for measurement of serum thyroxine (T4) concentration was evaluated for use with canine and feline serum. The EIA method was linear from 0 to 150 nmol T4/L for human serum, 0 to 94 nmol T4/L for feline serum and 10 to 60 nmol T4/L for canine serum. Intra- and interassay precision studies yielded coefficients of variation 相似文献