Hyperlipidemia in Caspian miniature horses: Effects of undernutrition

The susceptibility of Caspian miniature horses to hyperlipidemia was followed in a study of healthy Caspian miniature horses in which food but not water was withheld for 48 hours. Two months before the study, the horses were fed a high-energy diet. The mean of weight gain was 26.46 kg per horse during this period. All horses had a normal rectal temperature, respiratory rate, and pulse throughout the experiment. During the period of food deprivation, levels of serum triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase significantly (P < .05) increased and glucose concentration decreased. As a conclusion, Caspian miniature horses were susceptible to hyperlipidemia, but they did not show classic hyperlipemia syndrome.     

Mineralogical and Textural Characteristics of Soils of Hancheng and Shannxi Province,China

Studies were conducted to investigate mineralogical and textural characteristics of Hancheng soils in relation to fertility status, mineralogical, and particle size distribution properties, which were determined from soil samples of the profile pits in 2014. Prepared representative clay fraction samples were subjected to x-ray diffraction analysis for mineralogical characterization. The results show dominant of quartz, attributed to high granitic parent materials with a range of 65.7–84.6% mean 54.1%, moganite 59.8%, albite 12.0–26.3% mean 21.03%, flusston 18.1%, calcium magnesium silicate 10.6%, muscovite 7.8%, olivine 1.8%, and illite 1.6% were detected. The particle size distribution analysis revealed sand fraction of 28.12–30.12% mean 29.1%, 22.12–28.12% mean 25.1%; silt 34.0–36.0% mean 35%, 32.0–38.0% mean 35%; and clay 35.9–35.9% mean 35.9%, 35.9–43.9% mean 32.6% surface and subsurface soils respectively. Texture classes of the soils were clay loam to clay apredominantly clay loam. The mineralogical and textural characteristics are important in relation to soil fertility, which allow farmers to adapt crop management practices with real soil situation.     

Molecular breeding and the impacts of some important genes families on agronomic traits,a review

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Gene identification and evolution and also their impacts on agronomical traits are important variations between related species which are often because of...     

Fusarium langsethiae and mycotoxin contamination in oat grain differed with growth stage at inoculation

European Journal of Plant Pathology - High levels of mycotoxins are occasionally observed in Norwegian oat grain lots. Mycotoxins of primary concern in Norwegian oats are deoxynivalenol (DON)...     

Estimation of genetic parameters for reproductive traits in shall sheep

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for reproductive traits in Shall sheep. Data included 1,316 records on reproductive performances of 395 Shall ewes from 41 sires and 136 dams which were collected from 2001 to 2007 in Shall breeding station in Qazvin province at the Northwest of Iran. Studied traits were litter size at birth (LSB), litter size at weaning (LSW), litter mean weight per lamb born (LMWLB), litter mean weight per lamb weaned (LMWLW), total litter weight at birth (TLWB), and total litter weight at weaning (TLWW). Test of significance to include fixed effects in the statistical model was performed using the general linear model procedure of SAS. The effects of lambing year and ewe age at lambing were significant (P?<?0.05). Genetic parameters were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood procedure, under repeatability animal models. Direct heritability estimates were 0.02, 0.01, 0.47, 0.40, 0.15, and 0.03 for LSB, LSW, LMWLB, LMWLW, TLWB, and TLWW, respectively, and corresponding repeatabilities were 0.02, 0.01, 0.73, 0.41, 0.27, and 0.03. Genetic correlation estimates between traits ranged from ?0.99 for LSW–LMWLW to 0.99 for LSB–TLWB, LSW–TLWB, and LSW–TLWW. Phenotypic correlations ranged from ?0.71 for LSB–LMWLW to 0.98 for LSB–TLWW and environmental correlations ranged from ?0.89 for LSB–LMWLW to 0.99 for LSB–TLWW. Results showed that the highest heritability estimates were for LMWLB and LMWLW suggesting that direct selection based on these traits could be effective. Also, strong positive genetic correlations of LMWLB and LMWLW with other traits may improve meat production efficiency in Shall sheep.     

Efficacy of conventional and extended intra-mammary treatment of persistent sub-clinical mastitis with cefquinome in lactating dairy cows

The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the efficacy of intra-mammary-administered cefquinome for the treatment of sub-clinical mastitis in lactating dairy cows and to determine if extended therapy would enhance treatment efficacy. Seventy-three Holstein dairy cows from a single farm with 150 infected quarters were enrolled in the study. Infected cows were allocated randomly to one of three treatment regimens: (1) conventional (standard) regimen: 75 mg of cefquinome administered three times at 16-h intervals (25 infected cows, 52 intra-mammary infections (IMI)), (2) extended regimen: 75 mg of cefquinome administered six times at 16-h intervals (26 infected cows, 58 IMI) and (3) negative untreated control group (22 cows, 40 IMI). Most IMI were caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci, streptococci other than Streptococcus agalactiae and coliforms. The overall bacteriological cure (BC) rates for sub-clinical IMI were 84.61%, 91.37% and 20% for the conventional, extended and the control groups, respectively, indicating a higher BC rate for the treated groups than the control group (P < 0.001). Significant differences in somatic cell count (SCC) were detected between the treated versus the control group (P < 0.001). No differences, concerning the BC rate or SCC, were observed between the extended and the conventional groups. Although fat and protein percentages increased in the treated groups, there were no significant differences in post-treatment milk production between the groups. Results of this study indicate that cefquinome therapy was effective in reducing SCC and eliminating sub-clinical IMI in lactating dairy cows, but extended therapy did not enhance treatment efficacy.     

Evaluation of genetic relationships among Iranian pistachios using microsatellite markers developed from Pistacia khinjuk Stocks

To evaluate the genetic relationships among wild and cultivated Pistacia species grown in Iran and the analysis of genetic variation among Iranian pistachio genotypes, two DNA libraries enriched for dinucleotide (AG)_n and trinucleotide (ATG)_n microsatellite motifs were developed from Pistacia khinjuk genome. Following screening of clones by colony PCR technique, 44 clones were sequenced and 27 pairs of primers designed from flanking regions of the repeats. The examination of primer pairs, designed from P. khinjuk sequences, showed successful cross-species amplification within the genus Pistacia. A dendrogram constructed on the basis of the Minimum Evolution clustering algorithm revealed that Pistacia vera has closer relationships with P. khinjuk, than with Pistacia integerrima, Pistacia palaestina, Pistacia atlantica and Pistacia mutica. The dendrogram further distinguished the wild Sarakhs pistachio from the rest of P. vera genotypes suggesting that the domesticated genotypes of P. vera are evolved from P. vera var. Sarakhs and then this wild genotype likely develops to other local pistachios. Hence, it seems that the wild Sarakhs pistachio plays an important role in evolutionary trend of the edible pistachios in Iran. The results indicated that microsatellites developed in P. khinjuk are distributed in the genome of indigenous pistachio species including P. vera genotypes and therefore they will be useful in characterization of Iranian pistachio genotypes.