Metabolic response of horses to a high soluble carbohydrate diet: effects of low-intensity submaximal exercise and sodium bicarbonate supplementation.

Four mares fed a low fiber, high soluble carbohydrate diet were used in a crossover design to evaluate the effects of dietary sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) supplementation during daily low-intensity submaximal working conditions. Mares were fed the diet at 1.7 times the maintenance energy requirement for mature horses at work. The horses tolerated the diet well and had no clinical abnormalities. Resting venous blood bicarbonate (HCO3), standard HCO3, and base excess (BE) concentrations significantly (P less than 0.05) increased with NaHCO3 supplementation, but no significant changes in resting venous blood pH or carbon dioxide tension (PCO2) were recorded. Venous blood HCO3, standard HCO3, BE, hemoglobin, and heart rate were significantly (P less than 0.05) increased and plasma lactate concentration was significantly (P less than 0.05) decreased in the control horses and in the horses given the NaHCO3 supplement during low-intensity submaximal exercise. There were no significant changes in venous blood pH, PCO2, or plasma protein concentration with exercise. Venous blood HCO3, standard HCO3, and BE concentrations were significantly (P less than 0.05) greater during submaximal exercise in horses given the NaHCO3 supplement. There were no significant differences in plasma lactate or total protein concentrations, blood pH, PCO2, or hemoglobin concentration between the 2 groups during exercise.     

Immunization against cholecystokinin decreases appetite in lambs.

The effects of immunization against cholecystokinin (CCK) on feed intake, weight gain, and carcass characteristics were studied in sheep. Nine wether lambs at 10 wk of age were immunized with a conjugate of sulphated CCK octapeptide and human serum globulin or against human globulin alone. All CCK-immunized lambs produced antibodies, and the average titer 5 wk after the primary immunization was calculated to be sufficient to bind normal circulating levels of CCK. Mean daily feed intakes and BW were similar in the CCK-immunized and the control-immunized groups at the start of treatment, but after immunization, feed intake, appetite, and BW gain were decreased in the CCK-immunized animals. There was no effect on carcass composition or organ growth relative to body growth. It is concluded that the immunization procedure used in this study may have potentiated the actions of CCK rather than neutralizing its action as an appetite regulator.     

Resistance to gentamicin and amikacin of gram-negative organisms isolated from horses

Resistance of gram-negative bacteria to gentamicin has become an increasingly common problem among clinical isolates from human beings. Susceptibility of isolates from horses to gentamicin and amikacin was evaluated for the period from July, 1983 to June, 1985. All isolates of Escherichia coli, and species of Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Proteus, and Pseudomonas examined were susceptible to amikacin, except 2 of the 46 Pseudomonas isolates. In contrast, 13 to 50% of isolates were resistant to gentamicin. Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella, Proteus, and Enterobacter species isolates were highly significantly more susceptible to amikacin (P less than 0.01) than to gentamicin. Pseudomonas spp (P = 0.13) were not significantly different in susceptibility to the 2 drugs. There was significant variation among genera in their susceptibility to gentamicin (P = 0.002), primarily because of the frequency of resistance in isolates of Klebsiella spp and Proteus spp, compared with the other 3 organisms (E coli, Enterobacter spp, and Pseudomonas spp). There was no significant difference of susceptibility to amikacin among the genera studied (P = 0.06).     

Drivers,challenges and opportunities of forage technology adoption by smallholder cattle households in Cambodia

Forage technology has been successfully introduced into smallholder cattle systems in Cambodia as an alternative feed source to the traditional rice straw and native pastures, improving animal nutrition and reducing labour requirements of feeding cattle. Previous research has highlighted the positive impacts of forage technology including improved growth rates of cattle and household time savings. However, further research is required to understand the drivers, challenges and opportunities of forage technology for smallholder cattle households in Cambodia to facilitate widespread adoption and identify areas for further improvement. A survey of forage-growing households (n = 40) in July–September 2016 examined forage technology adoption experiences, including reasons for forage establishment, use of inputs and labour requirements of forage plot maintenance and use of forages (feeding, fattening, sale of grass or seedlings and silage). Time savings was reported as the main driver of forage adoption with household members spending approximately 1 h per day maintaining forages and feeding it to cattle. Water availability was reported as the main challenge to this activity. A small number of households also reported lack of labour, lack of fencing, competition from natural grasses, cost of irrigation and lack of experience as challenges to forage growing. Cattle fattening and sale of cut forage grass and seedlings was not found to be a widespread activity by interviewed households, with 25 and 10% of households reporting use of forages for these activities, respectively. Currently, opportunities exist for these households to better utilise forages through expansion of forage plots and cattle activities, although assistance is required to support these households in addressing current constraints, particularly availability of water, if the sustainability of this feed technology for smallholder cattle household is to be established in Cambodia.     

New techniques for the assessment and optimal management of growth and standing crop variation in the cultured freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii

The current ‘traditional’ prawn pond management system really does not ‘manage’, but rather accommodates prawn production characteristics and was instituted with a minimum knowledge of prawn biology and husbandry. As such, the traditional system is not optimal because it does not rely on a strong empirical knowledge base. Prawn culture has succeeded up until now because Macrobrachium rosenbergii is easily cultured and will give 500–1000 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ without much effort. This is sufficient in many areas of the world but not in others where economic conditions have break-even production requirements of nearly 1 tonne greater than this. The traditional system relying on selective harvesting with large seine nets is seriously inefficient which not only leads to lost revenue but under-manages pond growth since unculled large animals suppress the growth of unculled smaller ones. The degree to which this occurs was not known to the designers of the traditional system who had no way of knowing (as we do now from our research results) the extremely large compensatory growth capability of small prawns in the absence of large ones. The traditional system also does not manage sexual dimorphic growth because no technology exists which can be used to create monosex broods or manipulate the sex ratio in ponds. Accurate production models are not available because traditional ponds are rarely sampled and/or rarely drained. This, along with inefficient harvests, results in a co-mingling of cohort stocking classes. It is impossible to get accurate survival and growth data because of this and because it is so time consuming to sample commercial ponds and process the data on a regular basis. This paper describes four new engineering and ‘bioengineering’ techniques which are under development and can overcome all the drawbacks of the traditional system: (1) surgical sex reversal to create monosex broods; (2) genetic tagging of stocking and resident cohorts to assess survival and growth; (3) size grading and 100% efficient harvesting using pond draining and a machine grader-harvester; and (4) a semi-automated computer assisted prawn sample data management system which uses sonic digitization of prawn sample data.     

The development ofRhizoctonia solani Kühn on the underground parts of the potato plant

Summary The development of the sclerotia (black scurf) ofRhizoctonia solani Kühn, on potato tubers is related to tuber maturity and the health of the root and stolon systems. Few sclerotia formed on tubers from untreated plants until the onset of plant senescence when, as the tubers matured and roots and stolons decayed, sclerotia developed both rapidly and extensively. Application of acid to haulms in early August led to an increase in black scurf on tubers, initially related to the increase in root and stolon infection, but especially after later harvests, to the degree of tuber maturity. Later in August, scurf increases were paralleled both by tuber changes and root and stolon infection. My mid-September, when acid application was to plants becoming senescent, there was little difference between patterns of infection found on treated and check plants.

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Zusammenfassung In diesem Artikel wird der Fortlauf der Infektion durchRhizoctonia solani Kühn an Wurzeln. Stolonen und Knollen beschrieben. Ferner wird der Einfluss der Krautvernichtung und des zeitlichen Abstandes zwischen ihr und der Ernte auf diese Infektion untersucht. Pflanzknollen der Sorte Majestic wurden am Kronenende direkt vor dem Auspflanzen mit vier Isolaten vonR. solani (aus Sklerotien von Kartoffelknollen) inokuliert. An den ausgelesenen Knollen war keine Pockenkrankheit sichtbar. Das Kraut wurde an einem von fünf Daten gespritzt resp, nicht gespritzt und die Pflanzen nachher in Intervallen geerntet (Tabelle 1). Wurzel- und Stolonenteile wurden gewaschen, dann auf Leitungswasseragar, das 50 mg Neomycin und Chloramphenicol proliter enthielt, gebracht und vor der Beurteilung auf Rhizoctoniabefall w?hrend 48 Stunden bei Zimmertemperatur bebrütet. Die Pflanzknollen wurden gem?ss Tabelle 2 auf Sklerotienbefall beurteilt. Zur Reifesch?tzung wurde jede Knolle der L?nge nach geschnitten und der Prozentsatz des Periderms notiert, das mit einer Pinzette entfernt werden konnte, wenn man am Kronenende begann. Die Kontrollpflanzen hatten bis Mitte September bei nur beschr?nkter lokaler Infektion durchR. solani (Abb. 1 und 2) relativ gesunde Untergrundsysteme. In den folgenden drei Wochen reiften die Knollenperiderme. Wurzeln und Stolonen wurden weitgehend vom Pilz besiedelt. Folglich ?nderte sich die N?hrstoffversorgung des Pilzes, eine Situation, von der man weiss, dass sie die Entwicklung zur Sklerotienbildung f?rdert. Mitte September widerspiegelt sich die ?nderung in der Ern?hrung in einem Ansteigen der Anzahl von Knollen mit Pocken und in deren Ausdehnung auf den Knollen (Abb. 3 und 4). Krautvernichtung mit S?ure Anfang August führte zu einer Zunahme der Pockenkrankheit, was anf?nglich auf eine Zunahme der Wurzel- und Stoloneninfektion, sp?ter aber auf den Grad der Knollenreife (Abb. 5) in Beziehung stand.: Sp?ter, im August, wurden die Krankheitszunahmen mit Knollen?nderungen wie mit Wurzel- und Stoloneninfektion gleichlaufend. Die S?ureanwendung Mitte September geschah an alternden Pflanzen und ?nderte das an Kontrollpflanzen beobachtete Infektionsbild wenig.

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Résumé Cet article décrit l'évolution de la contamination, parRhizoctonia solani Kühn, des racines, stolons et tubercules de pommes de terre, et examine l'influence du défanage et de l'intervalle défanagerécolté sur une telle contamination. Des tubercules de la variété Majestic n'étant pas visuellement porteurs de sclérotes ont été inoculés à la couronne, juste avant la plantation, avec 4 souches deR. solani provenant de sclérotes sur tubercules de pommes de terre. Les tiges ont été ou n'ont pas été défanées à 5 dates différentes et on a récolté ensuite les tubercules à intervalles réguliers (tableau 1). Les fragments de racines et de stolons ont été lavés, placés sur une gelose à l'eau du robinet, contenant 50 mg de néomycin et de chloramphénicol par litre, et mis à incuber 48 heures à température ambiante avant notation de l'infection parR. solani. La notation des sclérotes sur tuberculesfils a été effectuée comme cela est indiqué dans le tableau 2. Comme estimation de la ‘maturité’ chaque tubercule a été coupé selon l'axe longitudinal et on a noté le pourcentage de périderme, en partant de la couronne qui a pu être enlevé avec des pinces. Les plantes témoins ont eu leurs systémes souterrains relativement sains jusqu'à la mi-septembre avec des contaminations locales parR. solani, limitées (figures 1 & 2). Les trois semaines suivantes, la maturité des tubercules a augmenté et les racines et stolons ont été fortement contaminés par le champignon. Le support nutritionnel du champignon a donc été altéré, cet élément connu permet de stimuler la maturité des sclérotes en cours de formation. Vers la mi-septembre, des changements nutritionnels se sont soldés par une augmentation du nombre de tubercules porteurs de sclérotes et par l'extension de ces derniers (figures 3 & 4). Le défanage aux colorants nitrés début ao?t a entrainé une augmentation des sclérotes, qui s'était manifestée initialement par une augmentation de la contamination des racines et stolons, et plus tard au niveau du degré de maturité du tubercule (figure 5). Plus tardivement en ao?t, l'augmentation des sclérotes allait de paire avec le changement de tubercule et avec la contamination des racines et stolons. Vers la mi-septembre, le défanage sur des plantes proches de la senescence a eu un léger effet sur la contamination des plantes témoins.

     

The role of flatfishes in the organization and structure of the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem

We evaluated the role of flatfishes in the organization and structure of the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem using the Ecopath/Ecosim approach. As basic input data for the Ecopath/Ecosim model, we used estimates of biomass from bottom trawl surveys and age-structured population models, production/biomass (P/B) ratio, consumption/biomass (Q/B) ratio, diet composition (DC), and fisheries harvests for each component of species or species groups. We estimated the trophic level of each component, niche overlaps among flatfishes, and the impacts of competition and predation on flatfish species in the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem. Based on those estimates, we developed the tropho-dynamic structure of the ecosystem, and the model was used to simulate ecological effects of fishery exploitation patterns. No single flatfish species appeared to have a profound and uniquely important role in the organization and structure of the ecosystem. Instead, the most important component among the guild of flatfish species appeared to be yellowfin sole Pleuronectes asper, which had greater biomass than other flatfish and a relatively diverse diet among the small flatfish species. Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis, Greenland turbot Reinhardtius hippoglossoides, and arrowtooth flounder Atheresthes stomias were important keystone predators in the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem together with some groups of marine mammals and sea birds. Intra flatfish complex cannibalism was not observed, however, substantial diet overlaps were common in the flatfish guild system.     

PG99S智能型喷灌机的调试及维护

在蔬菜、花卉的工厂化育苗生产中,准确控制肥水的浓度和喷洒的均匀性显得尤为重要,而喷灌设备作为智能型连栋育苗温室的主要浇灌设备,被广泛应用于现代化育苗温室中。该设备自动作业,水量控制精准。本文就PG99S型智能喷灌机介绍其调试方法和故障维修。     

施用竹炭对卷心菜叶绿素含量和荧光参数的影响

为探究人工施用竹炭对卷心菜叶绿素含量和荧光参数的影响,进而明确卷心菜的最适竹炭有机肥施用量,在田间试验条件下设置了无碳(CK)、中碳(MC)和高碳(SC)3个处理,对卷心菜莲座期和结球期的叶绿素含量及荧光参数进行测量研究.结果表明:(1)结球期的卷心菜叶绿素含量极显著高于莲座期(p0.01),且随着竹炭量的增加,两个时期的叶绿素含量变化趋势一致,从高到低依次为:MC,CK,SC.(2)结球期的卷心菜初始最小荧光Fo、初始最大荧光Fm、PSⅡ的最大光化学效率Fv/Fm,PSⅡ的潜在活性Fv/Fo、非光化学猝灭系数qN均低于莲座期,而PSⅡ实际光化学效率ΦPSⅡ、光化学猝灭系数qP高于莲座期,且随着竹炭量的增加,两个时期的这些参数均表现出一致的变化趋势,Fo和qN均呈"V"型变化,而Fm,Fv/Fm,Fv/Fo,ΦPSⅡ和qP均呈现倒"V"趋势,但对ΦPSⅡ和qP没有显著影响(p0.05).说明结球期的卷心菜光合作用高于莲座期;当竹炭量由CK增加到MC,有利于提高叶片叶绿素含量,增强光能利用率,减少植株热耗散,提高植株光合作用;但随着竹炭量进一步增加到SC,卷心菜叶片叶绿素含量降低,光能利用率减弱,热耗散增加,光合作用受到抑制,即中炭(MC)处理条件下,此卷心菜长势最优,表明中炭是该卷心菜生长的最适竹炭有机肥施用量.