1. The relationship between plasma triglyceride concentrations and body fat content was examined in three groups of male and one of female broiler chickens fed ad libitum on a normal growing diet.
2. Phenotypic correlations between total plasma triglyceride concentration and fat content were + 0.50, + 0.37 and + 0.39 for the three groups of male broilers and +0.33 for the group of females. Triglyceride content of plasma very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) plus low density lipoprotein (LDL) showed similar correlations with fat content.
3. Selection of birds from a flock of 550 male broilers on the basis of high or low plasma VLDL plus LDL triglyceride concentrations produced groups with significant differences in body fat content but little difference in body weight.
4. The results suggest that measurements of plasma triglyceride concentration could be used as an indirect means of selecting for decreased body fat content in broiler breeding programmes. 相似文献
Effects of adding different concentrations of melatonin (10?7, 10?9 and 10?11 M) to maturation (Experiment 1; Control, IVM + 10?7, IVM + 10?9, IVM + 10?11) and culture media (Experiment 2; Control, IVC + 10?7, IVC + 10?9, IVC + 10?11) were evaluated on in vitro bovine embryonic development. The optimal concentration of melatonin (10?9 M) from Experiments 1–2 was tested in both maturation and/or culture media of Experiment 3 (Control, IVM + 10?9, IVC + 10?9, IVM /IVC + 10?9). In Experiment 1, maturated oocytes from Control and IVM + 10?9 treatments showed increased glutathione content, mitochondrial membrane potential and percentage of Grade I blastocysts (40.6% and 43%, respectively). In Experiment 2, an increase in the percentage of Grade I blastocysts was detected in IVC + 10?7 (43.5%; 56.7%) and IVC + 10?9 (47.4%; 57.4%). Moreover, a lower number and percentage of apoptotic cells in blastocysts were observed in the IVC + 10?9 group compared to Control (3.8 ± 0.6; 3.6% versus 6.1 ± 0.6; 5.3%). In Experiment 3, the IVC + 10?9 treatment increased percentage of Grade I blastocysts with a lower number of apoptotic cells compared to IVM /IVC + 10?9 group (52.6%; 3.0 ± 0.5 versus 46.0%; 5.4 ± 1.0). The IVC + 10?9 treatment also had a higher mRNA expression of antioxidant gene (SOD 2) compared to the Control, as well as the heat shock protein (HSPB 1) compared to the IVM + 10?9. Reactive oxygen species production was greater in the IVM /IVC + 10?9 treatment group. In conclusion, the 10?9 M concentration of melatonin and the in vitro production phase in which it is used directly affected embryonic development and quality. 相似文献
Sustainable soil and crop management practices that reduce soil erosion and nitrogen (N) leaching, conserve soil organic matter, and optimize cotton and sorghum yields still remain a challenge. We examined the influence of three tillage practices (no-till, strip till and chisel till), four cover crops {legume [hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth)], nonlegume [rye (Secaele cereale L.)], vetch/rye biculture and winter weeds or no cover crop}, and three N fertilization rates (0, 60–65 and 120–130 kg N ha−1) on soil inorganic N content at the 0–30 cm depth and yields and N uptake of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. A field experiment was conducted on Dothan sandy loam (fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic, Plinthic Paleudults) from 1999 to 2002 in Georgia, USA. Nitrogen supplied by cover crops was greater with vetch and vetch/rye biculture than with rye and weeds. Soil inorganic N at the 0–10 and 10–30 cm depths increased with increasing N rate and were greater with vetch than with rye and weeds in April 2000 and 2002. Inorganic N at 0–10 cm was also greater with vetch than with rye in no-till, greater with vetch/rye than with rye and weeds in strip till, and greater with vetch than with rye and weeds in chisel till. In 2000, cotton lint yield and N uptake were greater in no-till with rye or 60 kg N ha−1 than in other treatments, but biomass (stems + leaves) yield and N uptake were greater with vetch and vetch/rye than with rye or weeds, and greater with 60 and 120 than with 0 kg N ha−1. In 2001, sorghum grain yield, biomass yield, and N uptake were greater in strip till and chisel till than in no-till, and greater in vetch and vetch/rye with or without N than in rye and weeds with 0 or 65 kg N ha−1. In 2002, cotton lint yield and N uptake were greater in chisel till, rye and weeds with 0 or 60 kg N ha−1 than in other treatments, but biomass N uptake was greater in vetch/rye with 60 kg N ha−1 than in rye and weeds with 0 or 60 kg N ha−1. Increased N supplied by hairy vetch or 120–130 kg N ha−1 increased soil N availability, sorghum grain yield, cotton and sorghum biomass yields, and N uptake but decreased cotton lint yield and lint N uptake compared with rye, weeds or 0 kg N ha−1. Cotton and sorghum yields and N uptake can be optimized and potentials for soil erosion and N leaching can be reduced by using conservation tillage, such as no-till or strip till, with vetch/rye biculture cover crop and 60–65 kg N ha−1. The results can be applied in regions where cover crops can be grown in the winter to reduce soil erosion and N leaching and where tillage intensity and N fertilization rates can be minimized to reduce the costs of energy requirement for tillage and N fertilization while optimizing crop production. 相似文献
This study evaluated the reproductive performance of gilts inseminated at three intervals before ovulation (0-12, 13-23, 24-30 h) with sperm doses (SD) stored for 0-48 and 96-120 h. A total of 218 PIC Camborough 22 gilts were inseminated once with SD of 1.5 x 10(9) sperms. Pregnant gilts (n = 166) were slaughtered 30.8 +/- 3.7 days after artificial insemination. The number of corpora lutea (CL) and total embryos (TE) was counted. Pregnancy rates (PR) were analysed by chi-square test. TE and embryonic survival (ES), obtained as the ratio between viable embryos and CL, were analysed by GLM procedure (SAS) and mean values were compared by Tukey's test. Pregnancy rate was similar among artificial insemination-ovulation (AIOV) intervals when semen was stored for 0-48 h. However, the lowest PR was observed in the 24-30 h AIOV interval with storage time (ST) of 96-120 h (p < 0.05). There was a significant effect of the interaction between ST and AIOV (p < 0.05) on TE and ES variables. Total embryos and ES did not differ (p > 0.05) among AIOV intervals in ST of 0-48 h. However, gilts inseminated at 24-30 h AIOV interval with ST of 96-120 h showed a reduction of 6.7 embryos (p < 0.05) compared with gilts in the same interval inseminated with semen stored for 0-48 h. ES for the 24-30 h AIOV interval and ST of 96-120 h was lower than that observed in the other groups (p < 0.05). 相似文献
1. Yellow follicle numbers and production of defective egg shells were greater in the early part of the laying period in conventionally-reared turkeys photostimulated at 24 rather than 30 weeks of age. 2. The number of yellow follicles declined with age and were similar in both groups at 40 weeks of age. 3. At 55 weeks of age more birds photostimulated at 24 weeks were out of lay and birds in lay had fewer yellow follicles and more atresia compared with turkeys photostimulated at 30 weeks of age. 4. The numbers of white follicles in the 1 to less than 2 mm size were similar in the two groups at each age. The proportion of white follicles which were atretic was negatively related to the number of yellow follicles, particularly in follicles 5 to less than 8 mm diameter. 相似文献
When a diet containing only 0.038% sodium was fed to two strains of laying hens for four weeks they showed no increase in feather pecking, toe pecking, pecking activity or general activity, although egg production almost completely ceased. This finding is unexpected in view of recent reports to the contrary under field conditions. It is postulated that very low sodium intakes may be less deleterious than intermediate intakes which permit some laying, and therefore sodium loss, to continue. The absence of adverse behavioural effects emphasises the potential value of sodium deprivation as a means of halting egg production. 相似文献
1. Female chicks of a White Leghorn strain were fed three different diets from one day old: control, additional vitamin K3 (10 mg/kg), and a diet containing a combination of additional vitamin K3, sodium fluoride (10 mg/kg) and limestone in particulate rather than powdered form. At 16 weeks photoperiod was increased for half the birds from 8:16 L:D to 16:8 L:D immediately or by one hour per week to the same ultimate photoperiod for the other half. 2. Age at first egg was lower by 4.0 d for birds on the fast lighting regime but there were no overall effects of lighting on bone quality at either 25 or 70 weeks. 3. Additional vitamin K3 resulted in higher proximal tarsometatarsus cancellous bone volumes at 15 weeks and throughout the laying period compared with controls. Plasma osteocalcin concentrations were unaffected by vitamin K3 supplementation during growth. 4. The combination diet resulted in beneficial responses of 12 to 20% in most bone characteristics in hens at 70 weeks. The magnitude of these effects was similar to a previous study involving a particulate calcium source alone (Fleming et al., Poultry Science, 39: 434-440, 1998b). We conclude that the beneficial effects of the combined treatment over the lifetime of the hens were attributable mainly to the presence in the diet of a calcium source in particulate form. 相似文献
Osteochondrosis/osteoarthrosis (OC/OA) are common terms for various joint pathologies that occur in pigs. Pathologies that may contribute to these disorders have been described, but the primary cause(s) remain unknown. We hypothesised that as OC has some similarities to dyschondroplasia, which involves a failure of growth plate chondrocytes to fully differentiate and hypertrophy, treatment with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-D) might reduce the incidence and/or severity of lesions in pigs, as it does in chickens with dyschondroplasia. Control pigs were fed a commercial diet ad libitum. In the treated group this diet was supplemented with 25-D at 0.1 mg/kg. Ten pigs from each of the control and treated groups were sampled at 7, 12, 16 and 21 weeks. Treatment with 25-D had no effect on the incidence or severity of OC/OA lesions. Cartilage dry weight, total collagen content and proteoglycan content, and plasma levels oftotal calcium, inorganic phosphorous, vitamin C, insuline-like growth factor-I, parathyroid hormone and tumour necrosis factor alpha were unaffected by treatment. In addition, none of these parameters were correlated with the incidence or severity of OC/OA lesions. The mRNA expression levels of 21 out of 23 genes assayed by RT-PCR were unaltered in articular cartilage from OA lesion samples as compared to normal articular cartilage. However, collagen type II was reduced and collagen type X increased in OA lesion and near lesion samples. These results suggest that OA in pigs may share some features of osteoarthritis in other mammalian species. 相似文献