Gastrointestinal nematode infections of goats in a sub-tropical and humid zone of India

Twelve hundred and twenty-eight goats (Capra hircus L.) from a sub-tropical and humid zone of India were examined for gastrointestinal nematodes. The species encountered in the region were: Haemonchus contortus, Bunostomum trigonocephalum, Oesophagostomum columbianum, Trichuris globulosa, O. aspersum, and T. ovis. The overall infection rate was 86.8%. Among various species found, H. contortus emerged as the most prevalent, although B. trigonocephalum and O. columbianum were also significantly in evidence. The seasonal fluctuation in infection was assessed by monitoring the faecal egg count of 1638 goats slaughtered during the 1-year period. The maximum values for the prevalence and overall mean eggs g-1 of faeces (EPG) were observed after the heavy rainfall season and remained at a relatively high level from July to December. H. contortus and O. columbianum appear to be of major importance as parasites in the goats of this climatic zone; the role of climatic factors in their prevalence is discussed.     

In situ provision of drinking water to grazing dairy cows improves milk production

AIMS: To determine the effect of providing water within the area grazed by dairy cows on milk yield and quality, compared to requiring cows to walk to a distant water trough, on a dairy farm in the Pampa region of Argentina during summer.

METHODS: Holstein dairy cows were allocated to two herds with similar parity, days in milk and milk production. They were grazed in one paddock that was divided in two, with a fixed water trough at one end. Cows were moved twice daily to grazing plots within the paddock. Control cows (n=66) could only access water from the fixed trough, whereas supplemented cows (n=67) also received water from a mobile trough within the grazing plot. Milk production of each cow, and water consumption of the two herds were measured daily over 62 days. Milk composition for each herd was determined weekly from Days 18 to 60 of the study, and grazing behaviour was observed between 08:00 and 16:00 hours on Days 11–15, 19–22 and 39–43.

RESULTS: Over the 62 days of the study, supplemented cows produced 1.39 (SE 0.11) L/cow/day more milk than Control cows (p=0.027). Estimated mean daily water intake was 50.4 (SE 2.1) L/cow/day for supplemented cows and 58.2 (SE 2.7) L/cow/day for Control cows (p=0.004). Percentage total solids in milk was higher for supplemented (12.5 (SE 0.06)%) than Control (12.4 (SE 0.04)%) cows (p=0.047). During the periods of behavioural observation, a higher percentage of cows in the water supplemented than the Control herd were observed in the grazing area (p=0.012).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This preliminary study demonstrated that provision of water to dairy cows within the grazing plot was beneficial for milk production and composition, and may be associated with longer periods spent within the grazing area, during hot weather in the Pampa region of Argentina.     

Spermatic and oxidative profile of domestic cat (Felis catus) epididymal sperm subjected to different cooling times (24, 48 and 72 hours)

Cooling stored epididymal samples for several days allows facilities to transport and process genetic material post‐mortem. Improvements to this practice allow the preservation of sperm from domestic cats, which are the ideal study model for wild felids. However, the modifications in spermatic features and the oxidative profile are not fully understood in cats. This information is necessary for the development of biotechniques, such as new extenders for cryopreservation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the spermatic and oxidative profile in samples from the epididymal cauda of domestic cats cooled at 5°C for 24, 48 and 72 hr. Spermatozoa were collected from the epididymis cauda. Evaluations consisted of computer‐assisted sperm analysis (CASA), plasma membrane integrity (eosin/nigrosin), acrosome integrity (fast green/rose bengal), sperm morphology, sperm DNA integrity (toluidine blue), mitochondrial activity (3′3 diaminobenzidine), activity of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), measurement of lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and protein oxidation. A decrease in sperm motility parameters was observed after 72 hr of cooling (i.e. total and progressive) with a higher percentage of minor (37.7 ± 6.3%) and total defects (53.4 ± 6.3%). Additionally, a decrease in high mitochondrial activity (Class I: 16.6 ± 2.2%) occurred after 72 hr. The decrease in motility rates after a long cooling time probably was caused by the increase in sperm abnormalities. A long cooling time causes cold shock and mitochondrial exhaustion, but there was no observed change with the oxidative stress condition. Therefore, cat epididymal sperm stored at 5°C appear to maintain a high quality for up to 48 hr of cooling time.     

Pregnancy‐Induced ISG‐15 and MX‐1 Gene Expression is Detected in the Liver of Holstein–Friesian Heifers During Late Peri‐Implantation Period

The bovine embryonic signal interferon‐τ (IFN‐τ) produced by the trophoblast is known to pass through the uterine fluid towards the endometrium and further into the maternal blood, where IFN‐τ induces specific expression of interferon‐stimulated gene expression (ISG), for example in peripheral leucocytes. In sheep, it was shown experimentally by administration of IFN‐τ that ISG is also detectable in the liver. The objective was to test whether ISG can be detected in liver biopsy specimens from Holstein–Friesian heifers during early pregnancy. Liver biopsies were taken on day 18 from pregnant and non‐pregnant heifers (n = 19), and the interferon‐stimulated protein 15 kDa (ISG‐15) and myxovirus‐resistance protein‐1 (MX‐1) gene expression was detected. The expression of both MX‐1 (p: 24.33 ± 7.40 vs np: 9.00 ± 4.02) and ISG‐15 (p: 43.73 ± 23.22 vs 7.83 ± 3.63) was higher in pregnant compared to non‐pregnant heifers (p < 0.05). In conclusion, pregnancy induced ISG‐15 and MX‐1 gene expression in the liver already at day 18 in cattle.     

Community water management to intensify agricultural productivity in the polders of the coastal zone of Bangladesh

Paddy and Water Environment - Most of the lands of the southern coastal zone of Bangladesh are protected from tidal flooding and storm surges by embankments constructed during the 1960s and 1970s,...     

Molecular identification of blast resistance genes in rice landraces from northeastern India

Rice blast disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is one of the most devastating diseases causing huge losses worldwide. In the present study, major blast resistance genes were investigated in landraces originating from northeastern India. Based on phenotypic evaluation, 288 landraces were classified into three distinct groups: resistant (75), moderately resistant (127) and susceptible (86). The genetic frequencies of the 18 major blast resistance genes were between 6.2% and 27.4%, with only two genotypes possessing a maximum of nine blast resistance genes. The cluster and population structure analysis grouped the landraces into two groups. Through principal coordinate analysis, the scatter plots partitioned the resistant and moderately resistant landraces into different groups. Analysis of molecular variance showed maximum (96%) diversity within populations and least (4%) diversity between populations. Association analysis identified six markers, CRG4_2, RM72, tk59-2, pi21_79-3, RM1233 and RM6648, that are significantly associated with blast disease and explained a phenotypic variance of 1.1–6.5%. The associated genes could be used in marker-assisted rice breeding programmes for gene pyramiding to develop rice varietal resistance against blast disease. The present study represents a valuable blast resistance genetic resource that could be used for identification of new R genes, donors for blast resistance, and genomic studies.     

Development and characterization of a cell line TTCF from endangered mahseer Tor tor (Ham.)

Tor tor is an important game and food fish of India with a distribution throughout Asia from the trans-Himalayan region to the Mekong River basin to Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. A new cell line named TTCF was developed from the caudal fin of T. tor for the first time. The cell line was optimally maintained at 28°C in Leibovitz-15 (L-15) medium supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The propagation of TTCF cells showed a high plating efficiency of 63.00%. The cytogenetic analysis revealed a diploid count of 100 chromosomes at passage 15, 30, 45 and 60 passages. The viability of the TTCF cell line was found to be 72% after 6 months of cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen (-196°C). The origin of the cell lines was confirmed by the amplification of 578- and 655-bp sequences of 16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) genes of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) respectively. TTCF cells were successfully transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter plasmids. Further, immunocytochemistry studies confirm its fibroblastic morphology of cells. Genotoxicity assessment of H?O? in TTCF cell line revealed the utility of TTCF cell line as in vitro model for aquatic toxicological studies.     

Response of strawberry to organic versus inorganic fertilizers

The aim of this research was designed in order to optimize integrated plant nutrient supply (IPNS) through balanced fertilization of organic, inorganic and microbial inoculants in strawberry cv. Chandler. The potential efficiency of bio-organics used along with chemical fertilizers on cropping behaviour, physical-chemical and biological properties of rhizosphere soil, fruit yield, quality attributes and leaf nutrient content was investigated. The significant improvement in physico-chemical properties of the soil and nutrient uptake was recorded. The uninoculated control received farmyard manure (FYM) and inorganic nitrogen (N) recorded the highest cation exchange capacity (CEC) and soil organic carbon (OC) content. Highest available N and phosphorus (P) of soil were recorded in vermicompost and inorganic N applied in two and one split, respectively. The concentration of micronutrients cations viz., iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) in soil was higher in treatment received vermicompost and inorganic N in two splits. The integration of bio-organic nutrient supplements also significantly enriched the microbial status of the rhizosphere soil, leaf nutrient concentration and maintained soil health and productivity on long term basis for sustainable fruit production.     

Measurement of genetic dissimilarity in fieldpea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pisum sativum</Emphasis> L.) genotypes using RAPD markers

The present investigation was carried out on fifteen germplasm lines of Pisum sativum L. were used for characterization using Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. While 12 random primers were taken, out of them 11 primers gave amplification. These primers gave a total of 133 bands out of which 106 were polymorphic. Genetic similarities of the RAPD profiles were estimated by using Jaccard’s coefficient with NTSYSpc 2.0 software. The similarity index values ranged from 0.263 to 0.793 indicating the presence of enormous genetic diversity at molecular level. A dendrogram generated by cluster analysis divided fifteen fieldpea genotypes into two Groups A and B. Major Group A have five genotypes and major Group B have nine genotypes.