Vachellia karroo leaf meal: a promising non-conventional feed resource for improving goat production in low-input farming systems of Southern Africa

Among a vast number of forage trees, Vachellia karroo (Acacia karroo) remains one of the most widely distributed indigenous plant legumes in Southern Africa. The plant possesses some striking attributes, such as rapid growth rate, drought tolerance, adaptation to alkaline and acidic sterile soils, and resistance to a variety of edaphic and temperature changes. In past years V. karroo was recognised to be a major threat to rangeland productivity owing to its invasive nature. Research interest has shifted from its eradication as an unwanted plant to its utilisation as a feed resource for livestock. Extensive utilisation of V. karroo is mainly hindered by the presence of tannins and spines. Prospects to lessen the adverse effects of the anti-nutritional influences are now recognised. Vachellia karroo possesses desirable fatty acid profiles, and high protein and mineral contents that can improve animal performance. Presently, the use of V. karroo for goat production in communal areas is restricted owing to limited evidence for its nutritional value as animal feed. The present review, therefore, seeks to demonstrate the utility potential of V. karroo to improve growth performance, carcass characteristics, chevon quality, meat fatty acid profiles and as a natural anti-helminth for goats raised under an extensive system of production.     

紫花苜蓿对草炭改良露天矿表土替代材料的响应

为探讨添加草炭对露天矿表土替代材料的改良效果,以紫花苜蓿为试材,草炭为改良剂,研究了草炭添加量分别为0、10、30、50 g·kg-1（干土）与表土替代材料配合施用对紫花苜蓿生长性能及抗逆性能的影响。试验结果显示,添加草炭对紫花苜蓿生长期内的株高、生长率、生物量、叶片SPAD值、叶片的细胞膜透性、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性、过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性、过氧化物酶（POD）活性及可溶性蛋白含量等指标均有显著影响（P<0.05）。草炭施用量为10 g·kg-1（干土）时,紫花苜蓿的株高、生长率、地上及地下部分     

Pond production of Pacific white shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei,fed grain distillers dried yeast

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of four diets formulated to contain increasing levels (0, 50, 100 and 150 g kg^?1 of diet) of grain distillers dried yeast (GDDY) in production diets for Litopenaeus vannamei, reared in outdoor tanks or production ponds. The production pond trial was carried out in 16, 0.1‐ha ponds using four replicates per diet. Juvenile shrimp (38.1 ± 4.26 mg, initial weight) were stocked at 30 shrimp m^?2 for a 16‐week period. The same four diets and a commercial reference diet were offered to shrimp maintained in outdoor tanks over a 12‐week period. A total of 20 tanks were stocked with juvenile shrimp (3.05 ± 0.22 g, initial weight) obtained from production ponds at a density of 30 shrimp per tank (40 shrimp m^?2). At the conclusion of these trials, mean final weight ranged from 19.77 to 23.05 g, yield ranged between 4760 and 5606 kg ha^?1, survival ranged from 69.6% to 89.4%, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was between 1.02 and 1.23. Shrimp reared in the outdoor tanks confirmed the results of the pond trial. Mean final weight ranged between 18.12 and 18.97 g, survival ranged from 93.3% to 98.3%, and FCR was between 1.25 and 1.29. In both trials, there were no significant differences regarding mean final weight, FCR and survival among dietary treatments. Based on this study, GDDY up to 150 g kg^?1 of diet can be used in L. vannamei commercial feed formulation.     

可变剪接及其在畜禽育种中的研究与应用

可变剪接是指个体发育或者细胞分化时有选择地越过某些外显子或某个剪接点进行变位剪接,从而产生组织或发育阶段特异性mRNA的过程。通过可变剪接,生物体可以由单个基因产生多个不同的蛋白质异构体,从而导致大量的蛋白质变异。因此,可变剪接在动物生长发育和生理代谢等过程中发挥重要的调控作用。本文对可变剪接的类型、鉴定方法及其对畜禽各种经济性状的影响进行了总结,并展望了其在畜禽育种中的应用前景,以期为畜禽育种改良进行提供新思路。     

控制性根系分区交替灌溉对冬小麦水分与养分利用的影响

以移栽小麦为试验材料,采用盆栽的方法研究了3种不同灌水方式：全面积均匀灌水(对照)、控制1/2区域交替灌水(CRDI)和控制固定1/2区域灌水对冬小麦水分与养分利用的影响。研究结果表明：在同一灌水方式中土壤含水率下限小的冬小麦根冠比大,且根系总的干重也大;CRDI对根系生长有显著促进作用,使根均匀分布在土壤中,且根长密度较对照大;对于CRDI,当控制土壤含水率下限由65％θ_F变化为55％θ_F时,耗水量下降了35％,节水效果明显;土壤含水率较高,有利于冬小麦根系对土壤中离子态养分的吸收;土壤含水率下限相同时,3种不同的灌水方式中,土壤中H₂PO^-₄和NH⁺₄-N离子浓度均呈现出递减的趋势,而NO^-₃-N离子浓度却呈现出明显的递增趋势,在同一土壤含水率下,CRDI对养分离子的吸收优于其它两种灌水方式。     

可变剪接体WNT4-β对山羊卵泡颗粒细胞增殖和激素分泌的影响

旨在研究WNT4的一个可变剪接体（WNT4-β）对山羊卵泡颗粒细胞增殖的影响。本研究选取4~6月龄健康母羊20只,采集双侧卵巢,体外分离卵泡颗粒细胞进行培养。通过免疫荧光染色技术确定WNT4-β的表达位置;在山羊颗粒细胞中过表达或干扰WNT4-β后,利用RT-qPCR、Western blot检测WNT4-β和WNT信号通路中关键标记因子ROA1、RHOA及颗粒细胞增殖标记基因cyclin-D2、CDK4的表达变化;CCK-8技术检测颗粒细胞增殖情况;并通过ELISA分析颗粒细胞中生殖激素水平的变化。免疫荧光染色结果显示,WNT4-β只在山羊卵泡颗粒细胞中表达,在卵母细胞不表达;过表达WNT4-β后,WNT4-β和颗粒细胞增殖因子cyclin-D2、CDK4的mRNA相对表达量极显著增加（P<0.01）,蛋白表达水平显著增加（P<0.05）;WNT信号通路标记因子ROA1、RHOA mRNA表达水平显著增加（P<0.05）,β-catenin蛋白表达水平显著增加（P<0.05）;干扰WNT4-β后,WNT4-β、cyclin-D2、CDK4、ROA1和RHOA 的mRNA表达显著降低（P<0.05）,WNT4-β、cyclin-D2、CDK4及β-catenin蛋白表达显著降低（P<0.05）。CCK-8结果显示,过表达WNT4-β促进颗粒细胞增殖（P<0.05）;ELISA结果显示,过表达WNT4-β后,颗粒细胞中雌二醇（estradiol,E₂）水平显著增加（P<0.05）,孕酮（progesterone,P₄）水平升高但不显著（P>0.05）;干扰WNT4-β后则结果相反,颗粒细胞增殖受到抑制（P<0.05）,E₂和P₄的水平显著降低（P<0.05）。综上所述,WNT4可变剪接体WNT4-β通过调控WNT信号通路促进山羊卵泡颗粒细胞增殖及类固醇激素分泌,本研究为解析WNT4调控山羊颗粒细胞增殖的潜在分子机制提供理论基础。     

防治水稻白背飞虱高毒农药替代药剂的室内筛选及对吡虫啉的抗性风险评估

 为筛选高毒农药的替代药剂,采用稻茎浸渍法测定了7类共21种杀虫剂对2006年和2007年采自南京市江浦地区的白背飞虱种群3龄若虫的毒力。结果表明,噻虫嗪、吡虫啉、噻嗪酮对白背飞虱3龄若虫的毒力最高(LC50=004~026 mg/L);烯啶虫胺、丁烯氟虫腈、吡蚜酮、啶虫咪、氯噻啉、毒死蜱、氟虫腈等也有较高的毒力(LC50＜4.50 mg/L）;异丙威、敌敌畏虽然触杀毒力稍低(LC50＞19.85 mg/L),但两者在生产上仍广泛应用,所以把以上12种药剂作为田间药效试验的推荐品种;同时还比较了该地区白背飞虱种群对供试药剂敏感性的年度间差异,其中对毒死蜱、异丙威、丁硫克百威、速灭威这4种药剂的敏感性下降了66.7%~71.4%。对2006年南京江浦种群用吡虫啉连续筛选15代的结果表明,1~15代抗性上升433倍,抗性现实遗传力为0.2295,存在抗性风险。另外,还讨论了白背飞虱的综合防治。     

Replacing Soybean Meal with Alternative Protein Sources in Diets for Pond‐raised Hybrid Catfish, ♀ Ictalurus punctatus × ♂ Ictalurus furcatus

The present study investigated the replacement of soybean meal with combinations of two or three alternative protein sources in diets for pond‐raised hybrid catfish, ♀ Ictalurus punctatus × ♂ Ictalurus furcatus. Alternative protein sources evaluated included cottonseed meal, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), peanut meal, and porcine meat and bone meal (PMBM). Hybrid catfish fingerlings with a mean initial weight of 35 g/fish were stocked into 25 earthen ponds (0.04 ha) at a density of 14,826 fish/ha. Fish were fed once daily to apparent satiation for 166 d. No significant differences were observed for total diet fed, net yield, weight gain, survival, carcass yield, fillet yield, or fillet proximate composition among dietary treatments. Results show soybean meal may be completely replaced by combinations of cottonseed meal and one or two other alternative protein sources including DDGS, peanut meal, and PMBM in the diet without markedly affecting production and processing characteristics and fillet proximate composition of pond‐raised hybrid catfish. These alternative diets may be used during foodfish production when prices are favorable.