The use of antibiotics on small dairy farms in rural Peru

Very little is known about the use of antibiotics on small dairy farms in lower/middle-income countries. The use of these drugs can have profound impacts on animal health, farmer income and public health. A survey of 156 farmers was conducted in Cajamarca, a major dairy-producing center in the highlands of Peru characterized by small farms (<15 cows) to assess patterns and determinants of antibiotic use and farmers’ knowledge of antibiotics. The reported incidence of disease on these farms was relatively low (0.571 episodes of disease per cow-year), but more than 83% of the reported episodes were treated with antibiotics. The most commonly used antibiotics were oxytetracycline, penicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole drugs; antiparasitic drugs were also used to treat what were likely bacterial infections. An increased incidence of treated disease was significantly associated with smaller farm size, lower farmer income, the previous use of the Californian Mastitis test on the farm and antibiotic knowledge. Farmers’ knowledge of antibiotics was assessed with a series of questions on antibiotics, resulting in a “knowledge score”. Increased knowledge was significantly associated with the use of antibiotics for preventative reasons, the purchase of antibiotics from feed-stores, the experience of complications in animals after having administered antibiotics, the number of workers on the farm and the educational level of the farmer. Overall, antibiotics appeared to be used infrequently, most likely because therapeutic interventions were sought only when the animal had reached an advanced stage of clinical disease. Few farmers were able to define an antibiotic, but many farmers understood that the use of antibiotics carried inherent risks to their animals and potentially to the consumers of dairy products from treated animals. The results of this study are useful for understanding the patterns of antibiotic use and associated management, demographic and knowledge factors of farmers on small dairy farms in rural Peru.     

Collective management on communal grazing lands: Its impact on vegetation attributes and soil erosion in the upper Blue Nile basin,northwestern Ethiopia

Collective action, on communal grazing land, has evolved in the highlands of northwestern Ethiopia to mitigate the problems of feed shortage and land degradation due to overgrazing. The exercise is liked by farmers for improving the availability of natural pasture during the long dry season when other feed sources get depleted. However, large portions of the communal grazing lands are still managed under free grazing throughout the year. This study was undertaken in Maynet village in the upper Blue Nile basin, northwestern Ethiopia, to assess the impacts of three different types of grazing land management (GLM) and two slope gradients (<10%; 15–25%) on aboveground herbaceous biomass yield, ground cover, species richness, runoff, soil loss and soil bulk density of grazing lands. The GLMs include (a) freely open communal GLM, (b) restricted communal GLM – collective management of communal grazing land locally named as ‘yebere sar’ and (c) private holding GLM. Stocking density was more than carrying capacity of grazing lands across all GLMs. However, the extent of overstocking problem was exceptionally severe in freely open communal GLM. The interaction between GLM and slope was significant (P<0.05) for runoff, soil loss and runoff coefficient. The average runoff coefficient was close to 50% in freely open communal GLM on steeper slopes (15–25%). Freely open communal GLM on steeper slopes resulted in consistently highest cumulative runoff and soil loss amounting to 491 mm and 32 t/ha per year, respectively. Polynomial regression analysis showed that quadratic relationship (r²=0.87) existed between soil loss and runoff. But, soil loss was close to nil when runoff did not exceed 2 mm per rainfall event. As expected, restricted communal GLM appeared to reduce surface runoff by more than 40% and curb the rate of soil erosion by more than 50% compared to freely open communal GLM. Its vegetation cover persisted above 70% throughout the year, meeting the threshold level recommended to keep surface runoff and soil loss to minimum. Reducing the problem of overstocking and pasture resting in August–November are important components to improve ground cover and aboveground herbaceous biomass yield, which in turn reduce land degradation on grazing lands.     

酶制剂在鸡饲料中的科学应用

根据国外近年来有关酶制剂在改善饲料利用效率、提高家禽生产性能、减少疾病和改善禽舍环境等方面的实验结果。结合我国养鸡生产实际,从配合饲料的原料学特性、主要营养素的含量、鸡群的生理状况以及饲料的加工调制方法等方面阐述了提高酶制剂使用效果的原理和方法,对国内养鸡生产中合理使用酶制剂起到一定的指导作用。     

宁夏东部荒漠草原猪毛蒿光合特征和水分利用效率对降水变化的响应

荒漠草原植物的生长和生存受降水影响很大,本研究以宁夏东部荒漠草原猪毛蒿种群为研究对象,2017-2020年连续4年监测了降水改变条件下土壤水分特征,测定了猪毛蒿净光合速率、蒸腾速率、气孔导度和胞间CO₂浓度等光合特征,并对其内禀水分利用效率和瞬时水分利用效率进行了分析。研究表明：4年中无效降水事件(<5mm)发生次数较多,占当年降水频次的60.00%～82.54%;大雨(≥25 mm且≤49.9 mm)和暴雨等级(≥50 mm)降水事件较少,平均单次降水事件的降水量仅为3.3～6.5 mm·次^-1。不同处理各土层的土壤含水量存在较大差异,表层(10 cm)土壤含水量较次表层(20 cm)和深层(60 cm)的变幅大;次表层(20 cm)土壤平均含水量低于表层,与小降水事件发生频次较高无法入渗补给以及植物吸收消耗有关;深层(60 cm)土壤含水量变化小,较稳定。净光合速率随着光合有效辐射的增加而增大,当光合有效辐射在400～1600μmol·m^-2·s^-1时,增雨处理提高了猪毛蒿的净光合速率;在...     

带幅设计对玉米/苜蓿间作群体光环境特征及光能利用效率的影响北大核心CSCD

探究间作带幅设计对玉米/苜蓿间作群体光环境特征、产量及光能利用效率(LUE)的影响,提出黄土高原旱作条件下玉米/苜蓿间作群体最佳带幅比例。研究设置了玉米单作(SM)、紫花苜蓿单作(SA)以及玉米/紫花苜蓿1∶2(I_(12))、2∶2(I_(22))和2∶4(I_(24))间作5种种植模式,并采用田间试验和数学模拟相结合的方法,分别测定了玉米和苜蓿的干物质产量及作物冠层光合有效辐射(PAR)等指标;建立了考虑光线入射角度和群体冠层结构几何关系的玉米/苜蓿间作群体辐射传输模型,并用实测值对其进行了验证。试验结果表明,在2018年,单作处理的苜蓿干物质产量显著高于间作处理(P<0.05),而在2019年各间作处理苜蓿的干物质分别比单作高197.8、180.3和197.0 g·m^(-2);处理I_(12)、I_(22)和I_(24)两年总的玉米生物量比SM处理高12.1%、0.9%和23.9%。所有间作处理的土地当量比在2019年均大于1.0,表现出间作优势。辐射传输模型可准确模拟玉米/苜蓿间作群体冠层底部的光合有效辐射,间作群体光合有效辐射模拟值与实测值的平均绝对误差和均方根误差分别为59.0和66.6μmol·m^(-2)·s^(-1)。除玉米和苜蓿生育前期及玉米收获后,不同间作处理苜蓿群体冠层上方的PAR均低于单作苜蓿。2018和2019年I_(12)、I_(22)和I_(24)间作处理玉米的光能利用效率分别比单作处理高52.5%、9.3%、51.7%和28.5%、9.6%、21.0%,而间作苜蓿的LUE仅在2019年显著高于单作19.2%、32.4%和20.9%(P<0.05)。因此,合理的玉米/苜蓿间作带幅搭配可改善苜蓿的光照环境,提高其光能利用效率,尤其是玉米/紫花苜蓿2∶4间作群体光能利用效率和产量优势显著,建议在具有类似气候的地区推广种植。     

The stadium effect: rodent damage patterns in rice fields explored using giving‐up densities

Rodents are globally important pre‐harvest pests of rice. In Southeast Asia, rodent damage to growing rice crops is commonly concentrated towards the center of rice fields, away from the field edge, resulting in a clear pattern known as the “stadium effect.” To further understand this behavior of rodent pests and to develop recommendations for future research and management, we examined the relation between giving‐up densities (GUDs) and damage patterns. In Tanay, Luzon, Philippines, GUD trays containing pieces of coconut in a matrix of sand were placed at 4 different distances from the field edge to quantify the perceived risk of predation in a rice field pest, Rattus tanezumi. GUDs were recorded during a dry and wet season crop at the reproductive and ripening stages of rice. In addition, assessments of active burrows, tracking tile activity and rodent damage to the rice crop, were conducted in the dry season. GUDs were significantly lower in the center of the rice fields than on the field edges, suggesting that rodent damage to rice is greater in the middle of rice fields due to a lower perceived predation risk. Furthermore, this perception of predation risk (or fear) increases towards the field edge and was greatest on the rice bund, where there was no vegetation cover. We discuss the implications for rodent management and rodent damage assessments in rice fields. This is the first documented use of GUDs in a rice agro‐ecosystem in Asia; thus we identify the challenges and lessons learned through this process.     

Maize silage particle length modulates feeding patterns and milk composition in loose-housed lactating Holstein cows

This study analysed feeding patterns and feed selective consumption by loose-housed lactating dairy cows fed diets based on maize silage (MS) with different particle length (PL) to establish its effects on overall dry matter intake (DMI) and productive performance. Twelve multiparous Holstein cows were offered a total mixed ration (TMR) with three different PL of MS at harvesting (i.e., long, medium, and short). Results demonstrated greater numbers of day-time meals (i.e., 07:30–19:00 h) when PL was decreased from long to medium (P < 0.05). Night-time (i.e., 19:00–06:30 h) changes in the feeding pattern included an increased amount of feed per meal (P < 0.05) and a tendency to increase eating time per meal (P < 0.10) in cows fed the short-PL diet. Lowering the PL of MS also lowered the selective consumption against physically effective fibre larger than 1.18 mm (peNDF_> 1.18; P < 0.05) and in favour of fine particles (i.e., particles passing through 1.18 mm screen; P < 0.01). Decreasing PL of MS from long to medium and short increased daily DMI as well as the intake of energy and other nutrients contained in the diet including the amount of peNDF_> 1.18 (P < 0.01). The decrease in the PL of the diet also was associated with increased milk protein and lactose yield and milk urea nitrogen (P < 0.05). The actual milk yield and fat-corrected milk were not affected by the diet (P > 0.10). Although lowering of the PL tended to increase daily milk energy output (P < 0.10), the ratio between energy milk output and the energy intake was linearly decreased (P < 0.01), indicating a lower milk efficiency for the lower-PL diets. In conclusion, particle length of MS in a TMR has the potential to modulate circadian feeding patterns, selective consumption of the feed, daily DMI, and milk composition in high-producing dairy cows.     

达赉湖保护区水鸟生境利用研究

2007年3～11月,通过样带法对内蒙古达赉湖自然保护区内水乌生境利用进行了研究。研究表明,达赉湖保护区不同种水乌的生境利用显著不同,鹳形目、鸥形目和鹈形目鸟类主要选择在河漫滩草甸,鸻形目鸟类主要选择泥岸沼泽,鹤形目和鸊（？）目鸟类主要选择浅水植被区,雁形目鸟类主要选择深水区。     

致病性大肠杆菌苗用菌株的原生质体融合的研究

对筛选的5株大肠杆菌(E2:O2、E6:O78、E7:O8、E9:O9、E22:O138)进行药敏试验以及致病性大肠杆菌原生质的制备、融合和筛选试验。结果表明:①5株大肠杆菌对多种抗菌素存在抗药性,并且这种抗药性能进行培育,同时,在原生质的融合过程中能递进;②大肠杆菌原生质体选择的最佳组合是:溶菌酶2.0 g/L,处理时间是20 m in;③大肠杆菌的融合率在10-8左右,大肠杆菌之间的融合率为10-6左右;共选出3株融合菌株为E2-E6、E6-E7和E2-E22,各融合株的生化特征介于起源菌株的生化特征之间,有2株融合株的抗原特征含原菌株各自的抗原成分。     

Reactions of goldfish (Carassius auratus) to three suture patterns following full thickness skin incisions

Three different suture patterns (simple interrupted, interrupted horizontal mattress, subcuticular) were placed in a full thickness incision (skin and body wall) of 18 goldfish (Carassius auratus). After 14 days all fish were euthanized using benzocaine solution. The tissue reactions were evaluated by gross visual inspection and histopathological examination. The superficial inflammatory reactions were graded on a scale from 0 (no inflammation) to 3 (severe inflammation). The inflammatory response in histological examination was graded on a scale from 0 (no inflammatory response or normal skin tissue) to 5 (severe inflammatory response and necrosis). The interrupted horizontal mattress induced a moderately severe to severe inflammatory response and necrosis (grades 4–5) but the subcuticular suture induced a very mild to mild inflammatory response (grades 0–1). The simple interrupted suture induced a moderate to moderately severe inflammatory response (grades 2–4). In conclusion, results showed that a subcuticular suture is the most appropriate to use in the closure of a full thickness body wall incision.