A comparison of the effect of short-acting and long-acting cloxacillin-based dry-cow therapy on somatic cell counts after calving in cows also given internal teat sealants

AIM: To compare, in cows treated with an internal teat sealant, the effect of short-acting and long-acting cloxacillin-based dry-cow therapy on somatic cell counts (SCC) after calving.

METHODS: Cows from a spring-calving, pasture-based dairy farm in the Manawatu-Whanganui region of New Zealand were randomly allocated to receive either a short-acting cloxacillin and ampicillin dry-cow therapy and internal teat sealant (n=291) or a long-acting cloxacillin and ampicillin dry-cow therapy and internal teat sealant (n=288) at the end of lactation. Cows were managed on-farm with routine husbandry procedures through the dry period and following calving. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine the association between length of action of dry-cow therapy and the proportion of cows with a SCC >150,000?cells/mL at the first herd test after calving.

RESULTS: Age of cow, mean SCC for the preceding season and interval from calving to the first post-calving herd test were all associated with the proportion of cows with an individual SCC >150,000?cells/mL at the first herd test (p<0.001) Treatment with the short-acting dry-cow therapy was not associated with decreased odds of cows having a SCC >150,000?cells/mL at the first herd test compared with treatment with long-acting dry-cow therapy (OR=0.724; 95% CI=0.40–1.30).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In this herd, which routinely used internal teat sealants, the use of short-acting cloxacillin-based dry-cow therapy did not result in an increased proportion of cows with elevated SSC post-calving. This was a single farm, single year study but indicates that in this herd, changing from a long-acting to a short-acting antimicrobial may have no impact on the prevalence of subclinical mastitis.     

New technique of sex preselection for increasing female ratio in boar sperm model

In this study, we tried to optimize the porcine semen extender conditions to maximize the differences between live X chromosome-bearing (X) spermatozoa and to Y chromosome-bearing (Y) spermatozoa without a decline in the fertility rate at different pH conditions during storage. We observed the viability of X and Y boar spermatozoa in acidic (pH 6.2), original (pH 7.2), and alkaline condition (pH 8.2) for 5 days to investigate the effect of storage conditions on the X to Y spermatozoa ratio. The functional parameters of spermatozoa were also examined to evaluate sperm quality. Sperm motility was preserved at pH 7.2 and pH 6.2 for 3 days, while sperm motility at pH 8.2 decreased significantly after 2 days. Non-capacitated spermatozoa increased while capacitated spermatozoa decreased during storage. Sperm viability decreased significantly duration-dependent under all pH conditions, but there was no significant difference during storage at pH 6.2 and 7.2. The X: Y ratio of live spermatozoa in acidic condition was maximized (1.2:1) without affecting the sperm function and fertility-related protein expression after 2 days compared to original conditions. Moreover, insemination of sows using acidic extender increased the number of female pups on days 1 and 2 of preservation. These results indicate that the production of female offspring may increase when acidic BTS is used for 2 days without affecting the success rate of AI. Above all, this method is simple and economical compared to other methods.     

A review of okara (soybean curd residue) utilization as animal feed: Nutritive value and animal performance aspects

Year by year, huge quantities of by-products are generated during the manufacturing process of soybean-based products. Okara is one of the by-products, and it is an insoluble portion of the soybean. It consists of high moisture (8.4–22.9%); on dry matter basis, it contains high metabolizable energy (9.0–14.2 MJ/kg) and other components that include crude protein (20.9–39.1%), crude fiber (12.2–61.3%), crude fat (4.9–21.5%), and ash (3.4–5.3%). Fermentation of okara improves its nutritional quality and reduces its anti-nutrient contents. Due to animals' palatability, okara can be used to replace the soybean meal/concentrate feed partially or completely in ruminant's diet and partially in nonruminant's diet. Okara feeding does not depress the intake, digestibility, growth, milk production, blood metabolic profiles, and meat quality of animals. However, this by-product decays quickly due to its high moisture content, and its heavy weight and sticky nature make it difficult to process and expensive to dry using conventional methods. This paper thoroughly summarizes the utilization of okara as animal feed in the cause of developing a general guideline with favorable levels of inclusion in the diets of animals for its exploitation and valorization. This review will encourage further research to develop eco-friendly and value added feed for animals.     

Effect of Extraction Variables on the Biodegradable Chelant-Assisted Removal of Toxic Metals from Artificially Contaminated European Reference Soils

Development of aminopolycarboxylate chelants (APCs) having enhanced biodegradability is gaining increasing focus to replace the EDTA and its homologs with those used widely for the ex situ treatment of contaminated soils and are potential eco-threats. The paper reports the chelant-assisted extraction of the toxic metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) from the metal-spiked European reference soils (Eurosoil 1 and Eurosoil 4) using biodegradable APCs, namely EDDS, GLDA, and HIDS. The effects of chelant-to-metal molar ratio, solution pH, and metal/chelant stability constants were evaluated, and compared with that of EDTA. The selectivity aptitude of the biodegradable chelants towards the toxic metals was assumed from the speciation calculations, and a proportionate correlation was observed at neutral pH. Pre- and post-extractive solid phase distributions of the target metals were defined using the sequential extraction procedure and dissolution of metals from the theoretically immobilized fraction was witnessed. The effect of competing species (Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, and Mn) concentrations was proven to be minimized with an excess of chelant in solution. The highlight of the outcomes is the superior decontamination ability of GLDA, a biodegradable APC, at minimum chelant concentration in solution and applicability at a wide range of pH environments.     

Postharvest quality response of strawberries with aloe vera coating during refrigerated storage

Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) were coated either with chitosan (1, 1.5, and 2% solution, w/v) or aloe vera (AV) gel and the coatings were air dried. Coated strawberries were put in a polypropylene box and stored in refrigerator (6 ± 1°C and 50 ± 5% relative humidity. The success of coating in retaining the postharvest quality of the strawberries was evaluated by determining respiration rate, firmness, weight loss, external colour change, ascorbic acid content, total soluble solids, acidity, pH, microbial decay and sensory quality. The incidence of microbial rot started on day-6 in uncoated and 1% chitosan coated strawberries. Strawberries coated with 1.5 and 2% chitosan were affected by microbial decay on day-9 of storage. On the other hand, rot incidence was initiated in AV gel coated strawberries on day-15 of storage. Aloe vera gel or chitosan coating reduced respiration rate, weight loss, and microbial decay and preserved firmness, ascorbic acid content, and other quality parameters, thus delaying ripening and the progress of fruit decay due to senescence or microbial attack. Furthermore, AV gel delayed the changes in external colour and retained all other postharvest quality of strawberries compared to chitosan coated or uncoated ones throughout the storage.     

Nitrogen fertilizer–induced mineralization of soil organic C and N in six contrasting soils of Bangladesh

A 90‐day laboratory incubation study was carried out using six contrasting subtropical soils (calcareous, peat, saline, noncalcareous, terrace, and acid sulfate) from Bangladesh. A control treatment without nitrogen (N) application was compared with treatments where urea, ammonium sulfate (AS), and ammonium nitrate (AN) were applied at a rate of 100 mg N (kg soil)^–1. To study the effect of N fertilizers on soil carbon (C) turnover, the CO₂‐C flux was determined at nine sampling dates during the incubation, and the total loss of soil carbon (TC) was calculated. Nitrogen turnover was characterized by measuring net nitrogen mineralization (NNM) and net nitrification (NN). Simple and stepwise multiple regressions were calculated between CO₂‐C flux, TC, NNM, and NN on the one hand and selected soil properties (organic C, total N, C : N ratio, CEC, pH, clay and sand content) on the other hand. In general, CO₂‐C fluxes were clearly higher during the first 2 weeks of the incubation compared to the later phases. Soils with high pH and/or indigenous C displayed the highest CO₂‐C flux. However, soils having low C levels (i.e., calcareous and terrace soils) displayed a large relative TC loss (up to 22.3%) and the added N–induced TC loss from these soils reached a maximum of 10.6%. Loss of TC differed depending on the N treatments (urea > AS > AN >> control). Significantly higher NNM was found in the acidic soils (terrace and acid sulfate). On average, NNM after urea application was higher than for AS and AN (80.3 vs. 71.9 and 70.9 N (kg soil)^–1, respectively). However, specific interactions between N‐fertilizer form and soil type have to be taken into consideration. High pH soils displayed larger NN (75.9–98.1 mg N (kg soil)^–1) than low pH soils. Averaged over the six soils, NN after application of urea and AS (83.3 and 82.2 mg N (kg soil)^–1, respectively) was significantly higher than after application of AN (60.6 mg N (kg soil)^–1). Significant relationships were found between total CO₂ flux and certain soil properties (organic C, total N, CEC, clay and sand content). The most important soil property for NNM as well as NN was soil pH, showing a correlation coefficient of –0.33** and 0.45***, respectively. The results indicate that application of urea to acidic soils and AS to high‐pH soils could be an effective measure to improve the availability of added N for crop uptake.     

Potential of weed seedbanks for managing weeds: a review of recent New Zealand research

Weed seedbanks are the primary source of weeds in cultivated soils. Some knowledge of the weed seedbank may therefore be appropriate for integrated weed management programs. It would also be very useful in planning herbicide programs and reducing the total herbicide use. However, a number of problems are inherent in the estimation of the seedbank size for arable weeds that usually have annual life cycles. In a long-term research project we have investigated the dynamics of weed seedbanks in corn fields for the past 8 years. Specific studies have included (i) developing cheap and efficient methods for estimating the weed seedbank; (ii) developing guidelines for efficient soil sampling (including the number and size of samples); (iii) influence of cultivation methods on weed seed distribution; (iv) mapping the spatial variability of the seedbank; (v) estimating the rate of seedbank decline for certain weed species; and (vi) assessing the potential of using the weed seed content in the soil to predict future weed problems. This paper reviews and summarizes the results of our research on the above aspects. The strong correlation between seedlings emerged in the greenhouse and seeds extracted in the laboratory for the most abundant weed species has demonstrated the potential for using the weed seed content of the soil to predict future weed infestations. The next step is to establish correlations with field emergence under commercial conditions using the sampling guidelines developed in our studies. Subsequently, we aim to offer the weed seedbank estimation as a commercial service to farmers for planning the most appropriate weed management options.     

Acute cortisol responses of calves to scoop dehorning using local anaesthesia and/or cautery of the wound

Objective To measure plasma cortisol responses in calves dehorned using a scoop after administration of local anaesthesia and/or cautery of the wounds.
Design A physiological study with controls.
Procedure There were six treatments: control handling with and without local anaesthesia, dehorning, dehorning after local anaesthesia, dehorning followed by wound cautery, and dehorning after local anaesthesia followed by wound cautery. Blood samples were taken before and after dehorning.
Results Dehorning caused an increase in plasma cortisol concentrations, which decreased a little to plateau values and then declined to pretreatment values 3 to 4 h after dehorning. The peak was smaller after local anaesthesia was administered but when its effects wore off, cortisol concentrations increased and thereafter were similar to those in the dehorned animals. The combination of local anaesthesia and cautery resulted in a plasma cortisol response similar to those in control calves with or without local anaesthesia.
Conclusions If plasma cortisol concentrations reflect the distress being experienced by the calves, then local anaesthesia reduces the acute distress for about 3 h after dehorning but not during the subsequent 3 to 4 h. Combining local anaesthetic and cautery prevented the significant increase in plasma cortisol following dehorning and may eliminate the acute distress caused by scoop dehorning.     

The establishment and development of Haemonchus contortus in goats

Twelve goats were inoculated with 40,000 third-stage Haemonchus contortus larvae and two were killed on each of Days 4, 7, 11, 14, 18 and 21 after inoculation (DAI). The number of worms that established, and the site of development were recorded. More worms established in the fundic, than in the middle or pyloric thirds of the abomasum. Early development occurred within the mucosa; emergence into the lumen started between 7 and 11 days after infection. By 4 DAI, all worms had completed the third moult to the L4 stage. At 11 DAI the majority of the worms were adults. A mean of 13.2% of the female worms had eggs in their uteri at 18 DAI; by 21 DAI more than half of the female worms had eggs in their uteri. The development of H. contortus was essentially similar to that described in sheep.     

Genital pathology of feral male goats

Genitalia from 1000 feral male goats derived from western Queensland and New South Wales were examined after slaughter at an abattoir and the prevalence of abnormalities determined. Ulcerative balanoposthitis, considered due to caprine herpesvirus infection, was observed in 11 animals (1.1%); acidophilic intranuclear inclusions were found in 7 of these. Other conditions included focal hypoplasia of seminiferous tubules in 2 bucks (0.2%), segmental aplasia of the epididymis (one buck, 0.1%), bulbourethral gland cysts with contained aggregations (33 bucks, 3.3%) and haemangiosarcoma of the bulbourethral gland in one animal. The low prevalence of several conditions such as spermatic granuloma, cryptorchidism, and testicular hypoplasia, was attributed largely to the fact that the bucks examined were horned so that the recognised association between genital abnormalities and polledness did not apply.