Changes in connectedness over time in alternative sheep sire referencing schemes

A statistic to measure the level of connectedness achieved among flocks would help producers to assess the risk of comparing EBV of animals from different flocks. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the pattern of change over time in selected connectedness measures and to determine how effectively these measures quantify the level of risk due to potential bias in EBV comparisons across production units. Connectedness was evaluated using simulated sheep populations, with connections established using sire referencing schemes (SRS). Pedigree and performance data for a single trait with a within-flock heritability of 0.25 were simulated (50 replications) for 15 flocks with 40 to 140 ewes per flock. Genetic means for each flock were sampled from a normal distribution with mean 0 and SD equal to the trait's genetic SD. After 10 yr of random mating, flocks had opportunity to join a SRS and selection began for the simulated trait. Yearling rams were chosen as reference sires randomly from the top one-sixth of the population ranked on BLUP EBV. Every year, in each flock, 3 reference sires were mated to 10 ewes each. Six sire referencing scenarios (including no SRS) and 2 sources of nonreference sires were simulated. Connectedness was measured in 2 ways: (i) as the average prediction error correlation (r(ij)) of the flock genetic means (flock r(ij)) or the EBV for the current crop of ram lambs (lamb r(ij)) or (ii) as the average scaled prediction error variance of differences (PEVD) in flock genetic means (flock PEVD) or in lamb EBV in the current crop of ram lambs (lamb PEVD). Flock r(ij) increased linearly in all scenarios while SRS was underway and leveled off if the flocks discontinued SRS. Lamb r(ij) increased rapidly as soon as SRS began but decreased substantially if the flocks discontinued SRS. Behavior of flock PEVD and lamb PEVD measures were similar but in the opposite direction (i.e., PEVD decreased with increasing r(ij)). Within scenarios, both flock r(ij) and flock PEVD had a nonlinear relationship with bias in comparing animals across flocks. However, only flock r(ij) exhibited a consistent relationship across simulation scenarios. When flock r(ij) reached 0.05 and 0.10, approximately 20 and 10%, respectively, of the bias due to initial differences in flock genetic means remained. These levels of flock r(ij) are suggested as benchmark levels for minimizing the risk of comparing animal EBV among units.     

Forage systems for beef production from conception to slaughter: I. Cow-calf production.

Six year-round, all-forage, three-paddock systems for beef cow-calf production were used to produce five calf crops during a 6-yr period. Forages grazed by cows during spring, summer, and early fall consisted of one paddock of 1) tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.)-ladino clover (Trifolium repens L.) or 2) Kentucky blue-grass (Poa pratensis L.)-white clover (Trifolium repens L.). Each of these forage mixtures was combined in a factorial arrangement with two paddocks of either 1) fescue-red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), 2) orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.)-red clover, or 3) orchardgrass-alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), which were used for hay, creep grazing by calves, and stockpiling for grazing by cows in late fall and winter. Each of the six systems included two replications; each replicate contained 5.8 ha and was grazed by eight Angus cow-calf pairs for a total of 480 cow-calf pairs. Fescue was less than 5% infected with Acremonium coenophialum. Pregnancy rate was 94%. Cows grazing fescue-ladino clover maintained greater (P less than .05) BW than those grazing bluegrass-white clover, and their calves tended (P less than .09) to have slightly greater weaning weights (250 vs 243 kg, respectively). Stockpiled fescue-red clover provided more (P less than .05) grazing days and required less (P less than .05) hay fed to cows than stockpiled orchardgrass plus either red clover or alfalfa. Digestibilities of DM, CP, and ADF, determined with steers, were greater (P less than .05) for the orchardgrass-legume hays than for the fescue-red clover hay. All systems produced satisfactory cattle performance, but fescue-ladino clover combined with fescue-red clover required minimum inputs of harvested feed and maintained excellent stands during 6 yr.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence tomato competition with bahiagrass

A strip-tillage production system for tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is impacted by nutrient competition from bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge). Tomato and bahiagrass differ in mycorrhizal responsiveness and our objective was to evaluate the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on the competitive pressure of bahiagrass on growth of tomato. The first experiment evaluated the effect of bahiagrass competition, soil pasteurization, and AM fungal inoculation on tomato growth, P content, and root colonization in a low-P soil. Tomato grown alone was very responsive to mycorrhizal colonization - shoot dry mass of inoculated plants was up to 243% greater than that of noninoculated plants. Tomato grown with bahiagrass had reduced root and shoot growth across all treatments compared with tomato grown alone, but there was an increase in shoot mass following AM fungal inoculation across both pasteurized and nonpasteurized treatments resulting in a >50% increase in shoot dry mass of tomato compared to noninoculated controls. A second experiment was conducted to test bahiagrass competition, soil pasteurization, AM fungal inoculation, and P amendment on tomato growth in a moderate-P soil. With bahiagrass competition and no P addition, inoculation increased root mass by 115% and shoot mass by 133% in pasteurized soil; however, with the application of 32 mg P kg^-1 the trend was reversed and inoculated plants were smaller than noninoculated controls. We conclude that the role of mycorrhizae in plant competition for nutrients is markedly impacted by soil nutrient status and reduced P application may allow tomatoes to take advantage of their inherent responsiveness to mycorrhizae in a low to moderate soil-P environment.     

Detection of protective antibody titers against feline panleukopenia virus, feline herpesvirus-1, and feline calicivirus in shelter cats using a point-of-care ELISA

Serum antibody titers are a useful measurement of protection against infection (feline panleukopenia virus [FPV]) or clinical disease (feline herpesvirus-1 [FHV] and feline calicivirus [FCV]), and their determination has been recommended as part of disease outbreak management in animal shelters. The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and inter-observer and inter-assay agreement of two semi-quantitative point-of-care assays for the detection of protective antibody titers (PAT) against FPV, FHV and FCV in shelter cats. Low sensitivity for FPV antibodies (28%) rendered a canine point-of-care assay inappropriate for use in cats. The feline point-of-care assay also had low sensitivity (49%) and low negative predictive value (74%) for FPV PAT detection, but was highly accurate in the assessment of FHV and FCV PAT. Improvements in accuracy and repeatability of FPV PAT determination could make this tool a valuable component of a disease outbreak response in animal shelters.     

Across-breed expected progeny differences: use of within-breed expected progeny differences to adjust breed evaluations for sire sampling and genetic trend.

Data on 2,034 F1 calves sired by Angus, Hereford, Polled Hereford, Charolais, Limousin, Simmental, Gelbvieh, and Tarentaise bulls with Hereford or Angus dams and data on 3,686 three-breed-cross calves with 700 F1 dams of the same breed crosses were used for this study. Traits analyzed were birth, weaning, yearling, and 420-d weights (BWT, WW, YW, and W420, respectively) of F1 calves and WW of three-breed-cross calves. Expected progeny differences from national cattle evaluation programs for sires of F1 calves and cows for BWT, WW, YW, and net maternal ability (milk) were used to assess their value in prediction of crossbred performance. Regressions of actual F1 calf performance on sire EPD were positive for BWT (1.09 +/- .12 kg/kg of BWT EPD), WW (.79 +/- .14 kg/kg of WW EPD), YW (1.44 +/- .16 kg/kg of YW EPD), and W420 (1.66 kg/kg of YW EPD). These regression coefficients were similar to the expected value of 1.0 for BWT and WW but were larger than expected for YW and W420. Regressions of actual three-breed-cross calf WW on milk and WW EPD of their maternal grandsires were .95 +/- .14 and .42 +/- .10 kg/kg, respectively, and differed little from their expectations of 1.0 and .5, respectively. Observed breed of sire means for each trait were adjusted for sire sampling by using EPD regressions to adjust them to the average EPD of all sires of each breed born in 1970.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Growth and carcass characteristics of lambs sired by Dorper and Dorset rams

Growth and carcass merit of Dorset-(DO) and Dorper-sired (DP) lambs were compared over 3 yr in matings with 50% Dorset, 25% Rambouillet, 25% Finnsheep ewes. The DP were slightly lighter (P = 0.09) at birth than the DO lambs. In the first year of the study, DP lambs produced by AI using imported South African sires were heavier than DO lambs when weaned at 60 d of age (21.7 vs. 19.5 kg; P = 0.05). In yr 2 and 3, however, offspring of natural-service Dorper sires produced in the U.S. did not differ in weaning weight from DO lambs (16.9 vs. 17.8 kg; P = 0.02 for breed x year interaction). Lamb survival was also affected by breed x year interaction (P = 0.04). In 2000 and 2001, with 12 to 16% triplet or larger litters, mortality was higher for DP lambs (14.9 vs. 7.7%; P = 0.12). However, in 2002, with approximately 33% triplet or larger litters and with higher mortality levels in all birth types, DP lambs had fewer death losses than did DO lambs (23.2 vs. 36.1%; P = 0.11). No differences between DO and DP lambs were observed in postweaning gain during summer grazing or in drylot in autumn. At chilled carcass weights of approximately 25 kg, DP lambs were somewhat fatter than DO lambs, with greater body wall thickness (P < 0.01; 22 vs. 19 mm) and slightly greater backfat thickness (P = 0.15; 6.4 vs. 5.5 mm) and yield grades (P = 0.15; 2.9 vs. 2.6). The DP lambs also had more desirable leg scores (P = 0.01; 11.6 vs. 10.9) and slightly larger LM area (P = 0.13; 14.1 vs. 13.5 mm2) than did DO lambs, confirming acceptable muscling and conformation in carcasses from Dorper-sired lambs. However, differences were not observed in the percentage of carcass weight in the leg or loin, or in the lean:bone ratio in the dissected leg. Ultrasonic measurements of backfat thickness and LM area taken in live lambs before slaughter were positively associated with direct measures on chilled carcasses with correlations of 0.77 for backfat thickness and 0.51 for LM area.