Laminitis: Recognition of At-Risk Individuals,and Methods of Prevention

Even with the many advances made in the understanding of the pathophysiology, new treatments and preventative measures, laminitis continues to plague the equine population. Identification of risk factor and at-risk individuals remains the best approach with this disease.     

Soil sustainability changes in organic crop rotations with diverse crop species and the share of legumes

There have been few long-term field studies on greenhouse gases measurement in organic crop rotations under temperate climatic conditions. Little is known about the extent to which the share of legumes in a crop rotation of organic farming affects the potentials for CO₂ emission and soil organic carbon sequestration. The current study was aimed to investigate soil physicochemical state and soil net CO₂ exchange rate in diverse organic crop rotations with different crop species and proportions of legumes. Four 5-year duration crop rotations were investigated. The best soil sustainability of the arable layer was found in a crop rotation enriched with red clover (Trifolium pratense L.). This rotation resulted in the highest soil mesoporosity and the lowest microporosity, ensured the best supply of plant-available water and revealed high soil resistance to dry conditions. Red clover secured the highest soil organic C sequestration, caused the increase in reserves of total N and available K, and slackened the decrease of soil-available P sources. Red clover-based cropping system exhibited the highest soil net CO₂ exchange rate during five experimental years. The effect of crop rotation, consisting of phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth.), peas (Pisum sativum L.) and yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.), on soil sustainability was weaker than the effect of rotation with red clover. Non-legume rotations, i.e. binary (two-crop) rotation and the crop rotation involving four spring and one winter species, can be regarded as miners of soil nutrient resources rather than contributors. These rotations did not promote soil sustainability because the soil lost large amounts of macronutrients and caused 26–33% lower soil net CO₂ exchange rate, compared with leguminous rotations. For future, it could be recommended for ecological farming to rely more on crop rotations with red clover to improve ecosystems functioning.     

Wettability and liquid sorption of wood investigated by Wilhelmy plate method

The wettability of Scots pine veneers was investigated with different approaches using the Wilhelmy plate method. The probe liquids were water and octane, which differ; in that, water is able to swell the wood sample, whereas octane does not. Novel approaches based on the Wilhelmy plate method to study wettability, liquid penetration, and swelling behavior of wood veneers are introduced. First, immersion to constant depth was performed, and liquid uptake with time was evaluated. Different kinetic regimes, the fastest one associated with contact angle changes and the slowest regime associated with liquid sorption by capillary and diffusion, were observed. Two other approaches, imbibition at constant depth (with initial deeper immersion) and full immersion, were utilized in order to keep the contact angle constant during measurements. Dynamic wettability studies were done by a multi-cycle (10–20 cycles) Wilhelmy method. Based on this, the time-dependent swelling of wood and changes in sample perimeter could be obtained. Generally, water showed higher absorption than octane. In all wettability studies, and for both probe liquids, the penetration process starts with a fast initial sorption, which is followed by swelling in the case of water.     

Diagnosis and Treatment of Foot Infections

The equine foot is a prime candidate for bacterial and fungal infections. The majority of infections are abscess based and generally are easily managed. Prolonged infections can result in chronic lameness and in severe cases they can be life threatening. A systematic approach to evaluation of the equine hoof can expedite the diagnosis and treatment of foot infections.     

Rehabilitating the Chronically Laminitic Foot

Trimming and shoeing the equine patients suffering with chronic laminitis entails a well organized approach, improves quality of life and generally results in a better outcome. The chronic laminitic hoof presents clinically in a variety of ways and thus treatment needs to be tailored to the individual horse.