Analysis of growth curves of fowl. I. Chickens.

1. The Richards function was used to describe the growth curves (n = 989) of 9 broiler lines. Chickens were fed ad libitum and body weight was recorded every second week from hatching to 26 weeks of age. 2. The accuracy of curve fit measured by the coefficient of determination (R2) was better for males than for females (0.9986-0.9995 vs 0.9972-0.9988, respectively). 3. The estimation of the asymptotic final weight (A) for different lines enabled the degree of maturity (ut = yt/A) to be determined at any fixed point of the curve. At the age of 7 weeks this had a value of 0.318-0.369 for cockerels and 0.325-0.377 for pullets and represented the slaughter maturity of individual lines. The ratio of inflection/asymptotic weight (y+/A = 0.370-0.388) indicated that in some cases chicken growth can be described approximately by the Gompertz function (y+/A = 0.368). 4. It was found that the age at the inflection point of curves (t+ 48.2-55.7 d for cockerels and t+ = 47.8-52.8 d for pullets) roughly corresponds to the slaughter age of the chickens. 5. The interline differences in the parameters of maturation rate for weight (y+/A, k, t+, u7) are low in comparison with the differences in body weight (A, y+, y7) and absolute growth rate (v, v+). 6. The intragroup phenotypic correlation among growth parameters and the importance of the mathematical models are discussed.     

Analysis of growth curves of fowl. II. Ducks.

1. Growth curves of nine selected lines and one random-bred control population (in total, n = 1070) were evaluated by the Richards function. The ducks were weighed at 7-d intervals and, after the tenth week, every second week (up to 18 weeks). Food and water were supplied ad libitum. 2. The predicted curves closely fitted the weight data points (R2 = 0.9991-0.9997). 3. The ducks are characterized by early maturity rate. The peak of the absolute growth rate (the inflection point of the curve) occurred at 24.1-27.6 d of age (t+). A higher ratio of the inflection to the asymptotic weights (y+/A = 0.380-0.424) was found in comparison to those from the Gompertz-type function of growth (y+/A = 0.368). 4. In the selected lines the degree of maturity at a slaughter age of 7 weeks (u7 = y7/A) ranged from 0.784 to 0.835 for males and from 0.819 to 0.889 for females. 5. Ducks within the non-selected control line had a significantly lower maturing rate than the selected lines. 6. Sexual dimorphism was recorded for all growth parameters analysed. Females have faster maturation rate than males (higher values of y+/A, u7, k and a shorter auto-acceleration phase of growth). 7. High interline differences were found for body weight (A, y+, y7) and for absolute growth rate (v, v+) and smaller ones for parameters of the maturation rate (y+/A, u7, k and t+). 8. The intragroup phenotype correlation between growth parameters and the use of weight data only up to 7 weeks of age for the estimation of parameters of the Richards function are discussed.     

不同水平小肽制剂对黑凤鸡生产性能及其血清生化指标的影响

选取 190日龄的产蛋黑凤鸡 135只 ,随机分成 5组。对照组饲喂基础日粮 ,其余 4组分别以 0 .5 %和 0 .3%的小肽制剂添加量替代基础日粮中 30 %或 5 0 %的鱼粉量。结果表明 ,添加量为 0 .5 %的小肽制剂替代基础日粮中 30 %的鱼粉量的试验 1组黑凤鸡的采食量、产蛋性能蛋的品质、饲料利用率均较高 ;小肽添加量为 0 .5 %的试验 1组和 2组黑凤鸡血清BUN水平分别比对照组低 33.33% (P >0 .0 5 )和 7.84 % (P >0 .0 5 ) ,TP含量比对照组分别高 14 .2 4 % (P <0 .0 5 )和 5 .2 2 % (P >0 .0 5 ) ,有利于提高黑凤鸡的生产性能和机体合成蛋白质的能力     

美国加州李在楚雄地区的引种及丰产栽培技术

美国加州李是目前国内外流行的一种新型高档水果。1996年在云南楚雄市作引种试验，经5年的试验证实加州李在楚雄地区适应性强，具有结果早、丰产等特点，有较高的推广价值。本文从嫁接苗的培育、种植技术、管理措施、病虫害防治等方面，详细地介绍了美国加州李的丰产栽培技术，并对果实的采收和贮藏技术作了介绍。     

Influence of litter size on metabolic status and reproductive axis in primiparous sows

This study on primiparous sows was designed to 1) determine the impact of nursing a large litter on LH secretion and follicular development, and 2) investigate the metabolic adaptations by which milk yield increases with litter size. At farrowing, crossbred, primiparous sows were assigned to 1 of 3 experimental groups differing in litter size and feed allowance. Sows with 13 or 14 piglets (13AL, n = 7) were fed ad libitum. Sows with 7 piglets were fed ad libitum (7AL, n = 6) or were feed-restricted (7R, n = 8). The restriction was based on the estimated energy deficiency for the 13AL sows. On d 9 +/- 1 of lactation, a jugular catheter was surgically implanted. Serial blood samplings and glucose tolerance tests were performed in mid- and late lactation. Sows were slaughtered 3 d after weaning, and ovarian characteristics were recorded. During lactation, the 7AL sows lost no or little body reserves, and their estimated energy balance was near zero. The 13AL and 7R sows exhibited similar negative energy balances and similar losses of backfat and estimated lipid content. Litter growth rate was greater (P < 0.05) in the 13AL than in the 7AL and 7R groups. After weaning, the volume of the largest 14 follicles was smaller (P < 0.05) in sows nursing 13 or 14 piglets than in sows with 7 piglets. Plasma concentrations of LH and LH pulse frequency did not differ between groups (P > 0.1). The longer glucose half-life on d 16 than on d 27 of lactation (22.5 vs. 18.8 min; P < 0.05) indicated a lower glucose tolerance in mid- than in late lactation. The area under the insulin curve was greater in the 7AL than in the 13AL sows (P = 0.08) and intermediate in the 7R group, with no differences in glucose profiles. This led to the suggestion that the 7AL sows were more resistant to insulin than the 13AL sows. In all groups of sows, follicular development after weaning was correlated with LH secretion in midlactation. Active follicular development was associated with prolonged secretion of insulin in response to glucose challenge. Our results show that besides litter size, a sow's metabolic status in lactation influences follicular maturation after weaning and also indicate that the metabolic adaptations by which primiparous sows nursing large litters increase litter growth rate and body reserve mobilization do not involve an accentuated peripheral insulin resistance.     

Risk assessment of outcrossing of transgenic rapessed to related species:

Summary The risk for a gene dispersal is reported for reciprocal crosses between a transgenic rapeseed variety resistant to the herbicide phosphinotricin and five related species. The first stages after pollination were cytologically observed and fertilized ovaries were established in in vitro culture for the production of interspecific hybrids. A similar classification was observed for the index of pollination compatibility and embryo yield. From the 243 embryos produced, 109 plantlets were obtained in a greenhouse. All the interspecific combinations tested were able to produce hybrid plants. A higher number of hybrids was obtained when rapeseed was used as the female parent. The hybrids had the expected triploid structure except for two amphidiploid, B. napus × B. oleracea, and one amphidiploid, B. napus × S. arvensis, plants with 56 chromosomes. The triploid hybrids were sterile or partially fertile but two of the amphidiploid plants, B. napus × B. oleracea, were fully fertile. The cytoplasm source did not seem to affect the fertility of the hybrids.     

Characterization of dinucleotide and trinucleotide EST-derived microsatellites in the wheat genome

Over the past decade microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have attracted a considerable amount of attention from researchers. The aim of the present paper was to analyse expressed sequence tag-derived SSR (EST-SSR) marker variability in wheat and to investigate the relationships between the number and type of repeat units and the level of microsatellite polymorphism. Two hundred and forty-one new EST-SSR markers available in a public database () were characterized in eight durum wheat cultivars (Svevo, Ciccio, Primadur, Duilio, Meridiano, Claudio, Latino, Messapia), two accessions of Triticum turgidum var. dicoccoides (MG4343, MG29896), one accession of T. turgidum var. dicoccum (MG5323) and in the common wheat cv. Chinese Spring. Of these, 201 primer pairs (83.4%) amplified PCR products successfully, while the remaining 40 (16.6%) failed to amplify any product. Of the EST-SSRs analysed, 45.2% of the primer pairs amplified one or two PCR products. Multiple discrete PCR products were observed among both di- and trinucleotide EST-SSR markers (31.2 and 40.5%, respectively). Markers based on dinucleotide microsatellites were more polymorphic than those based on trinucleotide SSRs in the 12 wheat genotypes tested (68.9 and 52.7%, respectively). An average of 2.5 alleles for dinucleotide and 2.0 alleles for trinucleotide SSRs was observed. The data reported in the present work indicate the presence of a significant relationship between motif sequence types and polymorphism. The primer set based on the AG repeat motif showed the lowest percentage of polymorphism (55.0%), while the primer set based on the AC repeat motif showed t he highest percentage (85.0%). Among trinucleotide SSRs, the AGG microsatellite markers showed the highest percentage of polymorphism (70.0%), and the ACG motif the lowest value (25.0%). The characterization of these new EST-SSR markers and the results of our studyon the effect of repeat number and type of motifs could have important applications in the genetic analysis of agronomically important traits, quantitative trait locus discovery and marker-assisted selection.     

Heredity of seventeen isozyme loci in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Summary Starch gel electrophoresis was used to assess isozyme polymorphism in two Manihot species. Crude extracts were obtained from leaves and pollen. Ten enzymes were examined for their polymorphism in a germplasm collection of 365 cultivated plus 109 wild accessions, mainly from Africa. The inheritance of these enzymes was examined using 13 intra and interspecific progenies. Seventeen polymorphic loci were found for the ten enzyme systems, with 59 alleles. All the markers showed disomic heredity and three linkage groups were identified.     

Assessing success in gene transfer betweenLolium multiflorum andFestuca arundinacea

Summary AFestuca arundinacea (2n=6x-42) plant with three PGI/2 homoeoalleles marking three homoeologous chromosomes was crossed with aLolium multiflorum plant (2n=4x=28) with a different PGI/2 phenotype to give a pentaploid hybrid (2n=5x=35) with five chromosomes each marked by a different PGI/2 allele. This hybrid plant was backcrossed twice with diploidL. multiflorum (2n=2x=14) with a different PGI/2 phenotype. Numbers of interspecific recombinants involving chromosomes marked by PGI/2 were then determined in both backcross generations. In the BC1, recombinants involving only one PGI/2 allele were found but in the BC2, all three homoeologousF. arundinacea chromosomes carrying the PGI/2 locus recombined withLolium with one in greater frequency and the others in equal but lower frequency. The evidence supports claims made forF pratensis (2n=2x=14) andF. arundinacea var.glaucescens (2n=4x=28) being progenitors forF. arundinacea.