Adoption of leaf color chart for nitrogen use efficiency in rice: Impact assessment of a farmer-participatory experiment in West Bengal,India

Unbalanced and excessive use of N-fertilizers causes environmental pollution, lodging of plants and increased pest pressure, in addition to increased cost to farmers from excessively applied fertilizers and pesticides. N application at the right time and in right amount is critical for healthy plant and environment. Rice leaf color intensity is directly related to leaf chlorophyll content and leaf nitrogen status. The concept for the use of leaf color as an indicator to apply N in rice was crystallized during 1990s. The International Rice Research Institute and the Philippine Rice Research Institute developed a leaf color chart (LCC) that helps guide farmers for real-time nitrogen management in rice farming. The technology is inexpensive, and easily affordable by most resource poor rice farmers. In 2003 we initiated a farmer-participatory research to validate real-time N management in rice by the use of LCC in West Bengal state of India. After 3 years of validation research, a survey was conducted to assess the adoption and impact of LCC. The survey was conducted in both intervention and adjacent control villages and data were collected from 20% farm households selected randomly. In this paper, we report findings of the study on the determinants of adoption of LCC, and its effect on fertilizer and pesticides use.     

黑河流域草地资源保护与建设

黑河流域除绿洲地区外有160万hm2的草地,进行草地分户、围栏封育、人工改良草地;牧户按地定畜、优化牧场、推广良种、改良畜群;按草定牧、实行休牧和轮牧;革新观念、子羔出栏、加速出栏周期、保障牧民增收等措施可保护草地资源,加速草地建设,繁荣牧区经济.     

紫花苜蓿根系主要功能性状对分根区交替灌溉的响应

分根区交替灌溉是一种具有节水潜力的灌溉方式,为了揭示紫花苜蓿(Medicago sativa L.)根系对分根区交替灌溉的响应,在甘肃武威绿洲农业高效用水国家野外科学观测研究站设置3种占田间持水量(Field capacity, FC)不同比例的灌水梯度(T1:80%～100%FC,T2:60%～80%FC,T3:40%～60%FC)去开展分根区交替灌溉与不分根区灌溉的对比试验。结果表明：分根区交替灌溉在80%～100%FC灌水量时,根颈直径小于不分根区灌溉,60%～80%FC和40%～60%FC灌水量时,根颈直径大于不分根区灌溉。分根区交替灌溉的根系分支多于不分根区灌溉,但根平均直径小于不分根区灌溉。两种灌溉方式下紫花苜蓿地上部和地下部的生物量均随着灌水量梯度的下降而下降。同一灌水梯度下,不分根区灌溉的地下和地上生物量均高于分根区交替灌溉。上述结果说明紫花苜蓿采用分根区交替灌溉方式对根系生长发育具有重要影响。     

A prospective,randomized, double-blind,placebo-controlled multisite,parallel-group field study in dogs with osteoarthritis conducted in the United States of America evaluating bedinvetmab,a canine anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibody

ObjectiveBedinvetmab, a fully canine anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibody, was evaluated in dogs for control of osteoarthritis-related pain in a study conducted to support registration in the USA.Study designRandomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, parallel-group study.AnimalsGeneral practice client-owned dogs with osteoarthritis (n = 272).MethodsDogs were block randomized 1:1 to placebo (saline, n = 137) or bedinvetmab (n = 135; 0.5–1.0 mg kg^–1) administered subcutaneously, once monthly. The primary end point, day 28 Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) treatment success (TS), required pain severity score (PSS; 0–10) decrease ≥1 and pain interference score (PIS; 0–10) decrease ≥ 2. CBPI TS rates [and number needed to treat (NNT)], change in scores [and standardized effect size (ES)], change in quality of life (QoL) and bedinvetmab half-life were calculated.ResultsSignificant (p < 0.05) improvement with bedinvetmab over placebo occurred (days 28, 42, 56, 84) for CBPI TS. Of cases evaluable for day 28 CBPI TS (placebo, n = 131; bedinvetmab, n = 128), success rates were 36.6% and 47.4%, respectively (p = 0.0410) (NNT, 9.3; PSS and PIS ES, 0.3). CBPI TS increased after the second dose in both groups, plateaued for bedinvetmab at day 42 and decreased for placebo beginning day 84. Day 84 NNT (4.3), PSS (0.4) and PIS (0.5) showed continued improvement with monthly dosing. After the first dose, mean (± standard deviation) bedinvetmab half-life was 19.1 (8.3) days. Adverse events were similar between groups and not considered treatment-related. There was a significant effect of bedinvetmab versus placebo on all CBPI components (PIS, PSS, QoL).Conclusions and clinical relevanceThese results corroborated those previously reported and provide further support of safety and effectiveness of bedinvetmab (0.5–1.0 mg kg^–1) administered subcutaneously at monthly intervals to dogs for control of osteoarthritis-related pain.     

The fox (Vulpes vulpes) as a reservoir for canine angiostrongylosis in Denmark. Field survey and experimental infections.

Until recently, Angiostrongylus vasorum was not considered to be an endogenous Danish parasite, since demonstration of this worm had been confined to necropsy findings in 2 dogs, both of which had visited France. During the last 2 years, however, clinical cases have been diagnosed among a considerable number of Danish dogs, none of which had ever been outside Denmark. All these cases have occurred north of Copenhagen, where an endemic focus seems to exist. In this field survey A. vasorum was found for the first time in wild Danish red foxes. Furthermore, experimental infections showed that the parasite can be transferred between foxes and dogs. Consequently, the wild fox population must be considered a potential reservoir for transfer of A. vasorum to domestic dogs.     

Economic evaluation of artificial insemination of sex‐sorted semen on a Brown Swiss dairy farm—A case study

Artificial insemination using sex‐sorted semen is employed to efficiently increase the number of female dairy calves born. Previous studies have determined that using sex‐sorted semen is beneficial to improve the management, but the mechanism by which it increases cattle numbers through objective indices of breeding remains unclear. This study focused on a Brown Swiss cattle herd in which frozen female sex‐sorted semen was systematically employed to increase the number of cattle. We analyzed the correlation between the increase in the number of cattle and the screening accuracy of sex‐sorted semen, measuring indices such as pregnancy rate and birth rate of female calves. Study revealed that: (1) production cost for female calves is influenced by the pregnancy rate, rate of female calves, and using sex‐sorted semen is less expensive than using nonsorted semen; (2) improvements in screening accuracy nearly doubled the number of cows and tripled the number of heifers in 5 years; and (3) use of sex‐sorted semen improved milk quality. The pregnancy rate was lower when sex‐sorted semen was used, but the birth rate of heifers was improved. Results suggest that artificial insemination using sex‐sorted semen is beneficial because it economically produces offspring to increase the herd.     

内蒙古赛罕乌拉国家级自然保护区陆生野生动物长期监测简报

开展生物多样性动态长期监测,了解生态系统结构与功能变化,探明生物多样性变化过程及影响因素是制定有效保护措施的重要基础。本研究在内蒙古赛罕乌拉国家级自然保护区开展10年野生动物多样性动态监测,新发现保护区分布哺乳动物7种、鸟类98种,内蒙古鸟类新纪录2种,内蒙古蛇类新纪录1种。但也未发现一些以往有记录的物种,需要进一步强化野生动物多样性监测,探明物种变化的原因。后续监测工作引入了非损伤采集动物粪样提取DNA技术,从而深入了解保护区野生动物种群长期稳定的遗传学和空间分布特征,为有效管理自然保护区珍稀野生动物提供科技支撑。     

竞技赛马的营养需要研究进展

马是一种独特的家畜,主要用途是娱乐或工作。长期以来,马的营养一直集中在提供足够数量和类型的营养素,以达到最大的运动状态。营养学家的目标是最大限度地发挥营养对运动的影响,因此,本文综述了关于赛马主要营养素的需求特点,为竞技赛马的饲养提供依据。