Dairy goat production systems

Goat production concentrated in developing countries (tropics, dry areas), contributes largely to the livelihoods of low and medium income farmers. Farming systems in these areas have evolved to cope with the formidable constraints imposed by harsh natural and economic conditions by adapting integrated crop/livestock production strategies. In Asia, Africa and Latin America, due to its almost exclusive extensive nature, goat production relies mainly on grazing on communal lands that hardly provide the minimum nutrient requirements due to overstocking and degradation. While some of these production systems are becoming semi-intensive, appropriate breeding strategies should be designed to promote conservation and improvement of their unique attributes, such as adaptability, water use efficiency and suitability under harsh climatic conditions. In Europe, dairy goat production is more common around the Mediterranean basin, where it is important from an economic, environmental and sociological perspective to the Mediterranean countries: Spain, France, Italy and Greece. Europe owns only 5.1 % of the world’s dairy goat herds, but produces 15.6 % of the world’s goat milk; this is the only continent where goat milk has such an economic importance and organization. In developing countries the dairy goat sector requires a systemic approach, whereby nutrition, animal health, breeding, know-how, inputs and technologies must be assembled. This would allow the optimization of natural and local resources and would promote the transition from a risk reduction strategy towards an increased productivity strategy. Such an increase would privilege production efficiency based on clean, green and ethical practices for responsible innovation.     

Assessing the effects of applying landscape ecological spatial concepts on future habitat quantity and quality in an urbanizing landscape

This study develops a quantitative approach to evaluate the application of design concepts that link landscape ecology theory to landscape planning. Landscape ecology principles were used to develop spatial concepts for creating an armature of open space in areas subject to rapid urbanization. It focuses on the predicted urban expansion of Damascus, Oregon, as a case study. An alternative futures study was used to test three open space spatial concepts for patches, corridors and networks contrasted with compact and dispersed urban development patterns. Eight scenarios of land use and land cover, over 50 years, were defined based on different spatial design concepts to evaluate their effects on habitat quantity and quality and analyze the tradeoffs between urban development and conservation of three focal wildlife species: red-legged frog, western meadowlark, and Douglas squirrel. Open space spatial concepts highly influenced habitat quantity and quality differences among scenarios. Development patterns showed lower influence on those variables. Scenarios with no landscape ecological spatial concept provided the most land for urban development but reduced habitat quantity and quality. Greenway scenarios presented increases of habitats, but failed to provide sufficient habitats for western meadowlark. Park system scenarios also presented an increase on the amount of habitats, but high-quality habitats for western meadowlark and red-legged frog decreased. Network scenarios presented the best overall amount of habitats and increase of high-quality habitats for the three species, but constrained urban development options.     

The interaction between microbiome and pig efficiency: A review

The existence of genetic control over the abundance of particular taxa and the link of these to energy balance and growth has been documented in model organisms and humans as well as several livestock species. Preliminary evidence of the same mechanisms is currently under investigation in pigs. Future research should expand these results and elicit the extent of genetic control of the gut microbiome population in swine and its relationship with growth efficiency. The quest for a more efficient pig at the interface between the host and its metagenome rests on the central hypothesis that the gut microbiome is an essential component of the variability of growth in all living organisms. Swine do not escape this general rule, and the identification of the significance of the interaction between host and its gut microbiota in the growth process could be a game-changer in the achievement of sustainable and efficient lean meat production. Standard sampling protocols, sequencing techniques, bioinformatic pipelines and methods of analysis will be paramount for the portability of results across experiments and populations. Likewise, characterizing and accounting for temporal and spatial variability will be a necessary step if microbiome is to be utilized routinely as an aid to selection.     

Physicochemical characterization of goat milk produced in the Comarca Lagunera,Mexico

The purpose of this study was to determine goat milk physicochemical parameters during the feed scarcity season. An evaluation was made for 398 milk samples from 80 multiparous goats belonging to three different production systems: (S1) mechanized milking grazing pasture and harvested residue (alfalfa) and grain supplemented; (S2) system grazing native pasture; and (S3) system grazing native pasture and grain supplemented. The general averages were: fat (FT) 4.0 ± 0.20%, protein (PR) 3.3 ± 0.05%, lactose (LC) 4.9 ± 0.09%, nonfat solids (NFS) 8.9 ± 0.13%, total solids (TS) 14.5 ± 0.20%, temperature (TM) 24.6 ± 1.06°C, and acidity (pH) 6.7 ± 0.049. Most of the physicochemical components of milk were affected (p < 0.0001) by the production system × month interaction and production system × group × month interaction. The FT content was higher (p < 0.05) in S2 (4.56 ± 0.18) than in S1 (3.64 ± 0.20) and S3 (3.50 ± 0.20). LC differed (p < 0.05) in S2 (5.07 ± 0.08) than in S1 (4.77 ± 0.09) and S3 (4.70 ± 0.09). No differences were observed for the rest of the variables (p < 0.05) among the production systems. The study unveiled a higher content of FT, LC, NFS, PR, and TS for S2 than for S1 and S3. This higher content may be explained because S2 only grazed on herbs and shrubs, in contrast to S1 and S3 which were additionally supplemented with grain concentrates.     

Development of osteochondrosis in Lusitano foals: A radiographic study

This study aimed to detect, by radiographic examination, the evolution of osteochondral lesions in the tarsocrural and femoropatellar joints of Lusitano foals. Within 1 month of age, 76.08% of foals had radiographic signs of osteochondrosis, but only 16.20% had lesions at 18 months. The radiographic signs resolved by 5 mo of age in most foals, but some cases that involved either joint, were not resolved until 12 mo of age. It is thought that the “age of no return” is 5 mo for the tarsocrural and 8 mo for the femoropatellar joint but this study demonstrated regression of osteochondral lesions in both joints of Lusitano foals up to 12 months of age.     

Occurrence of Anti-Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies in Dogs in the Urban Area of Monte Negro,Rondônia,Brazil

The prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in dogs in an urban area of the municipality of Monte Negro, Rondônia, Brazil, was evaluated using an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Blood samples were taken from 157 dogs living in 85 of the 94 blocks of the city. A seropositivity of 76.4% (120/157) was found and associations between the prevalence and the variables sex, age, type of raising and food were studied. The prevalence tended to increase with age (p<0.05); dogs over 24 months old had 85.5% (100/117) positivity, compared with 50% (20/40) in dogs less than 24 months old, showing postnatal exposure to the agent. It was also observed that dogs with access to the streets showed greater prevalence (84.9%) than companion animals (58.8%). There was no association between sex or the type of food (home-made or commercial) and anti-T. gondii antibodies.     

Prevalence of antibodies to Neospora caninum in dogs from Amazon,Brazil

Neospora caninum is an important cause of abortion in dairy cattle worldwide. Dogs are important in the epidemiology of this parasite because they are the only hosts known to excrete N. caninum oocysts. Antibodies to N. caninum were assayed in serum samples from 157 dogs from Monte Negro, Rond?nia, Amazon, Brazil using the indirect fluorescent antibody test. Antibodies to N. caninum were found in 13 (8.3%) of dogs in titers of 1:50 in 1, 1:100 in 2, 1:200 in 5, 1:800 in 1, 1:1600 in 2, and 1:3200 in 2 dogs. These data indicate that N. caninum infection is prevalent even in remote areas of the Amazon.     

Mycoflora and fumonisin contamination in Brazilian corn from sowing to harvest

The present study aimed to analyze the mycoflora and potential mycotoxin contamination of soil and corn samples collected at different plant maturity stages in Cap?o Bonito and Ribeir?o Preto, two regions of the State of S?o Paulo, Brazil. In addition, the data obtained were correlated with the occurrence of wind-dispersed fungi and the predominant climatic conditions of the two regions studied. Corn mycoflora profiles showed that Fusarium verticillioides prevailed in 35% of the samples from Cap?o Bonito and in 49% of the samples from Ribeir?o Preto. Examination of wind-dispersed fungi also revealed a high incidence of F. verticillioides. Soil mycoflora analyses showed that Penicilliumwas the most prevalent genus, although F. verticillioides was present in 55.5% of Cap?o Bonito's samples and in 26.7% of Ribeir?o Preto's samples. With respect to water activity, the corn kernels most contaminated with F. verticillioides had water activity levels of 0.70-0.80. HPLC analysis of fumonisins revealed that 88.5% of Cap?o Bonito's kernels were contaminated with fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) (0.09-10.87 microg/g) and 53.8% with fumonisin B(2) (FB(2)) (0.05-0.52 microg/g); Ribeir?o Preto's kernels presented contamination levels of 93.5% for FB(1) (0.11-17.69 microg/g) and 61.3% for FB(2) (0.05-5.24 microg/g). No aflatoxins were detected by thin-layer chromatography in corn grains of either region. The concomitant occurrence of F. verticillioides and fumonisins in most of the field corn assayed demonstrates the importance of an effective control of cultivation throughout the plant maturity stages.