Feeding value of pastures for ruminants

Perennial ryegrass is the primary forage component of ruminant diets in New Zealand. It is persistent and palatable, and immature ryegrass has a high nutritive value (NV). However, seed-head development substantially lowers its feeding value (FV) as fibre concentration increases, the rate and extent of digestibility decreases, and voluntary intake declines. Ryegrass pastures are susceptible to accumulation of endophytic and saprophytic fungi in dead material at the base of the sward, especially when mature and laxly grazed. Feeding forage legumes to ruminants grazing grass-dominant pastures will improve animal performance and lessen the reliance on a single species to meet all nutritional requirements.

The FV of forage is a function of intake and NV, measured by chemical analyses and animal feeding trials. Performance of individual animals grazing forages is usually limited by energy intake because structural fibre can slow digestion and clearance from the rumen and because of competition between individuals for available feed. The use of metabolisable energy (ME) content of forage to signify FV can give a reasonable indication of animal performance, but it should be used in conjunction with chemical analyses to improve the accuracy of predictions.

The relationship between FV, pasture production, animal performance and profitability is complex. The importance of skilled management to maintain pasture quality and optimise animal performance under inconsistent climatic conditions should not be underestimated. Acceptable animal performance with minimal veterinary intervention requires good nutrition, but the genetic potential of livestock in New Zealand cannot be met solely by grazing pasture, especially when a high utilisation of pasture is required to maintain quality and profitability.

Producers are responding to industry demands to reduce the seasonality in supply of milk and meat by changing lambing and calving dates, and extending lactation length in dairy cows. Social changes include adoption of once-daily milking in the dairy industry. Some changes have necessitated increased use of supplements and others can be met by feeding forages with a higher FV than ryegrass, all of which require an improved knowledge of feed quality. This information is available through rapid and inexpensive near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) analysis, enabling animal nutritional needs to be balanced by appropriate nutrient supply. It is essential that producers continue to improve animal welfare, limit excessive use of fertilisers and meet the demands of overseas consumers. Good nutrition, with an increased use of legumes and other forages to complement ryegrass pastures, will enable these objectives to be achieved.     

A multicentric retrospective study of serum/plasma urea and creatinine concentrations in dogs using univariate and multivariate decision rules to evaluate diagnostic efficiency

BACKGROUND: Urea and creatinine are the most frequently used indirect markers in plasma and serum of glomerular filtration rate in dogs. Both have been shown to lack sensitivity but their diagnostic efficiency for the diagnosis of kidney disease has been minimally investigated. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the influence of possible factors of variation on both analytes and to determine whether specific decision rules should be drawn up for subpopulations of dogs. METHODS: The results of urea and creatinine measurements, breed, sex, age, and health status (healthy, renal disease, or nonrenal disease) of 3822 dogs were collected from the archives of 5 veterinary clinics. Data were analyzed with univariate and multivariate decision rules with and without adjustment. RESULTS: There were significant effects and interactions of almost all of the sources of variation. Slight improvements in diagnostic efficiency were obtained by adjusting the decision rules to these sources of variations. Univariate decision rules gave approximately the same diagnostic efficiency for urea and creatinine concentrations, with sensitivity and specificity in the range of 70% and 90%, respectively, using the upper limit of the reference interval as the threshold value. Multivariate decision rules provided only minor improvements in diagnostic efficiency. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous measurement of both urea and creatinine is of limited diagnostic value over the analysis of a single variable. Creatinine is the preferred analyte as it is affected by fewer extrarenal factors of variation.     

俄罗斯野麦草引种试验

俄罗斯野麦草青草产量,４７３７０ｋｇ／ｈｍ＾２,种子产量为２２９５ｋｇ／ｈｍ＾２,抗逆性强,适应范围广,返青早,枯黄期迟,青绿期长,利用价值高,适宜甘肃省绝大多数牧区和半农半牧区推广种植。     

喷施钼肥对四川烤烟农艺与经济性状的影响研究

试验研究四川省不同植烟区土壤施用Mo肥对烟草生长、产量和品质的影响结果表明,酸性土壤喷施Mo肥效果显著,能明显改善烟草的农艺和经济性状,提高烟叶蛋白质和烟碱含量,降低还原糖含量,而石灰性土壤喷施Mo肥效果不明显。     

东祁连山高寒草甸灌木和牧草营养成分含量季节变化动态

比较分析了高寒草甸和灌丛草甸中分布的几种优势牧草和灌木的营养成分，发现灌木蛋白质含量高，利用价值大，是一种重要的蛋白质饲草资源。     

日光温室番茄的氮素追施与反馈调控

在施用足量有机肥的基础上,以山东寿光当地的常规氮肥追施措施为对照,通过结合硝酸盐速测技术对日光温室秋冬茬番茄不同生育时期的氮素供应进行实时动态调控,以确定合理的追肥数量。结果表明,同当地农民的常规处理相比,采用实时调控处理的氮素投入总量减少了N170kg.hm2,但对番茄的生长(株高、茎粗、果实发育速度等)、产量和品质等指标没有任何影响。根据追肥前根层土壤氮素的供应水平(0—30cm土壤NO3--N含量+氮素追施数量)的监测,可初步确定日光温室秋冬茬番茄在第一穗果膨大期、第二穗果膨大期和第四穗果膨大期时的氮素供应目标值最多为N296kg.hm2、216kg.hm2和191kg.hm2。与此同时,将每个时期所确定的目标值应用在同期生长的其它3个日光温室的番茄氮素追施调控,结果发现与相应的农民常规处理相比,实时调控处理对作物的生长同样没有影响,这表明在日光温室秋冬茬番茄生产过程中,结合植株和土壤硝酸盐速测技术,通过施肥调控满足作物在不同生长时期的氮素供应水平是可行的。     

安徽地区野生大豆饲用价值研究

一直以来,我国研究者对野生大豆的研究多集中在对其遗传基因的开发利用方面,对其饲用价值的研究偏少,且多集中在野生大豆种子的营养成分和饲用价值上,对于野生大豆全株饲用价值的分析近乎空白。该试验在安徽省境内22个地市（县）共采集野生大豆样本22份,在半野外环境下种植,并对其全株的主要营养成分和刈割价值进行分析,发现野生大豆蛋白质含量较高,与饲用苜蓿草粉相当,野生大豆的生物学产量也很高,有良好的抗旱性,是一种优良的饲草资源。     

Interaction of 15N-labelled ammonium nitrate,urea and ammonium sulphate with soil N during growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under field conditions

The effects of ¹⁵N-labelled ammonium nitrate, urea and ammonium sulphate on yield and uptake of labelled and unlabelled N by wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Mexi-Pak-65) were studied in a field experiment. The dry matter and N yields were significantly increased with fertilizer N application compared to those from unfertilized soil. The wheat crop used 64.0–74.8%, 61.5–64.7% and 61.7–63.4% of the N from ammonium nitrate, urea and ammonium sulphate, respectively. The fertilizer N uptake showed that ammonium nitrate was a more available source of N for wheat than urea and ammonium sulphate. The effective use of fertilizer N (ratio of fertilizer N in grain to fertilizer N in whole plant) was statistically similar for the three N fertilizers. The application of fertilizer N increased the uptake of unlabelled soil N by wheat, a result attributed to a positive added N interaction, which varied with the method of application of fertilizer N. Ammonium nitrate, urea and ammonium sulphate gave 59.3%, 42.8% and 26.3% more added N interaction, respectively, when applied by the broadcast/worked-in method than with band placement. A highly significant correlation between soil N and grain yield, dry matter and added N interaction showed that soil N was more important than fertilizer N in wheat production. A values were not significantly correlated with added N interaction (r=0.719). The observed added N interaction may have been the result of pool substitution, whereby added labelled fertilizer N stood proxy for unlabelled soil N.     

玛曲高寒沙化草地植物生态位特征研究

研究高寒沙化草地植物群落特征和演替状况,对恢复生态环境、提高草地生产力具有重要意义。本文采用样方法对玛曲高寒沙化草地20个样地的植物种群进行系统调查,并计算其主要植物的重要值、生态位宽度和生态位重叠值。结果表明:该草地当前的优势种为异针茅(Stipa aliena);生态位宽度最大的是亚优势种高山唐松草(Thalictrum alpinum)和乳浆大戟(Euphorbia esula),为0.974,而优势种异针茅仅0.941,说明优势种并不具有最强适应能力和竞争力,在群落中的地位也不稳定;生态位宽度大的物种之间具有大的生态位重叠值,其中高山唐松草和乳浆大戟生态位重叠值最大,达0.987,与其他种群之间的竞争也较强,表明高寒沙化草地的演替方向将是杂类草取代禾草的优势地位,如不及时治理,草地将进一步退化。     

Non‐phytate phosphorus requirements and efficacy of a genetically engineered yeast phytase in male lingnan yellow broilers from 1 to 21 days of age

This experiment was conducted to investigate the requirement of non‐phytate phosphorus (nPP) and efficacy of a genetically engineered yeast phytase in performance and tibia characteristics by male Lingnan Yellow broilers from 1 to 21 days of age. A total of 2640 1‐day‐old male chicks were randomly allotted to one of 11 dietary treatments, which consisted of six replicate floor pens with 40 birds per pen. All treatments had the same levels of all nutrients except for phosphorus and phytase. The control group (treatment 1) was fed the basal diet without dicalcium phosphate or phytase supplementation. Dietary concentrations of nPP were 0.11%, 0.19%, 0.27%, 0.35%, 0.43%, 0.51% and 0.59% respectively for treatments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, through addition of dicalcium phosphate (chemistry grade) to the basal diet. Diets 8–11 were supplemented with a genetically engineered yeast phytase 250, 500, 750 U/kg and a commercial phytase product 500 U/kg in basal diet respectively. The results showed that 0.46% and 0.51% nPP were required for maximum body‐weight gain and optimum tibia development indicators respectively. However, 0.59% nPP had a negative effect on bird growth. The equivalency value of the genetically engineered yeast phytase was estimated to be 874 U/kg to liberate 0.1% nPP.