Explore the vast range of titles available.

This investigation was conducted to determine the effect of organic fertilizers on the content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, antioxidant activity, crude fibre, and zinc in two onion cultivars, Stuttgarter Riesen and Rote Laaer, during 2016, 2017, and 2018. In this research, the following treatments were used: B-Stimul (contains Azospirillum Tarrand et al., Azotobacter Beij., Bacillus Cohn, Chlorella vulgaris Beij., and Herbaspirillum Baldani et al.), EkoBooster 2 (contains biostimulators and mineral salts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) and Vermifit A (extract of compost of Californian earthworm). The results showed that the application of biofertilizers to onion resulted in the highest chlorophyll b content in 2017 in Stuttgarter Riesen. EkoBooster 2 positively affected crude fibre content in both cultivars, but only in 2016. Antioxidant activity was not significantly affected by the interaction of experimental factors. The application of the biostimulating fertilizers can have a positive impact on the quality parameters of onion, but the kind of fertilizer must be suited to seasonal conditions and the cultivar.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most important perennial forage crops to build effective diets for livestock producers. Forage crop improvement depends largely on the availability of diverse germplasms and their efficient utilization. The present investigation was conducted at Ismailia Agricultural Research Station to assess twenty-one alfalfa genotypes for yield components, forage yield and quality traits during 2019/2020 and 2020/2021. The genotypes were evaluated in field experiments with three replicates and a randomized complete block design, using analysis of variance, estimate of genetic variability, estimate of broad sense heritability (hb2) and cluster analysis to identify the inter relationships among the studied genotypes as well as principal component analysis (PCA) to explain the majority of the total variation. Significant differences were found among genotypes for all studied traits. The general mean of the studied traits was higher in the second year than the first year. Moreover, the combined analysis showed highly significant differences between the two years, genotypes and the year × gen. interaction for the traits studied. The genotype F18 recorded the highest values for plant height, number of tiller/m2, total fresh yield and total dry yield, while, the genotype F49 ranked first for leaf/stem ratio. The results showed highly significant variation among the studied genotypes for crude protein %, crude fiber % and ash %. Data revealed that the genotypes P13 and P5 showed the highest values for crude protein %, whereas, the genotype F18 recorded the highest values for crude fiber % and ash content. The results revealed high estimates of genotypic coefficient and phenotypic coefficient of variation (GCV% and PCV%) with high hb2, indicating the presence of genetic variability and effective potential selection for these traits. The cluster analysis exhibited considerable genetic diversity among the genotypes, which classified the twenty one genotypes of alfalfa into five sub-clusters. The genotypes F18, F49, K75, S35, P20, P5 and P13 recorded the highest values for all studied traits compared with other clusters. Furthermore, the PC analysis grouped the studied genotypes into groups and remained scattered in all four quadrants based on all studied traits. Ultimately, superior genotypes were identified can be utilized for crop improvement in future breeding schemes.

Background A field experiment to evaluate the dry matter yield and nutritive value of Sugar graze and Jumbo plus under irrigation was conducted at three different plant spacings (15 x 30, 15 x 45, 15 x 60 cm) on a red–yellow latosol in the dry zone of Sri Lanka from March to June 2016. The design was a factorial randomised complete block design with three replications. Morphological parameters measured were plant height, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area and number of leaves per plant, inter-node elongation and stem girth. Chemical composition of forages, viz. crude protein, crude fibre, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre and dry matter yield, was also determined. Results There was no difference in the chemical composition of Sugar graze and Jumbo plus 60 days after planting. Sugar graze had significantly higher values ( p  < 0.05) for stem girth, leaf length, leaf width and leaf area 60 days after planting. Sugar graze produced significantly higher dry matter yield than Jumbo plus. The narrowest spacing 15 × 30 cm gave the highest yield than the other 2 spacings. Conclusions It could be concluded that Sugar graze with 15 × 30 cm spacing will give more dry matter yield than Jumbo plus with similar chemical composition in the yala season of dry zone of Sri Lanka.

The study evaluated the effects of crude fibre concentrate supplementation on final body weight, mortality, feed conversion ratio, European Production Efficiency Factor, European Broiler Index, welfare parameters, colony-forming units of selected caecal bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria) and pH of broiler faeces and litter. The study comprised 990 Ross 308 male chicks divided into three groups, a control and two experimental groups, which were given crude fibre concentrate as a feed supplement. On the thirty-fifth day of rearing, the birds’ welfare scores were evaluated, and 2 g of cecum was collected post-mortem from six chickens in each group. Subsequently, a series of ten-fold dilutions of the material was prepared, followed by cultures and measurement of pH in the faeces and litter. The inclusion of crude fibre concentrate resulted in a beneficial impact on the ultimate body mass (p ≤ 0.001), welfare standard (p ≤ 0.001), and quantity of colony-forming units of lactic acid bacteria (p ≤ 0.05) within the cecum. Furthermore, it had a positive influence on lowering the pH levels of both faeces and litter (p ≤ 0.05).

The aim of the study was to analyse the influence on tail-biting in undocked pigs during the rearing period of crude fibre in piglets' rations. All pigs were fed the same pre-starter until weaning. The study comprised two trials with four experimental groups each. The first trial contained: a control group (CG1) with conventional feed (up to 40 g/kg crude fibre), two groups with an increased crude fibre content of up to 50 g/kg (G5) and 60 g/kg (G6), respectively, and one group with conventional feed and crude fibre provision ad libitum (AL). The second trial consisted of a control group (CG2) which received the same conventional feed as CG1 and three treatment groups with either soya hulls (SS), dried sugar beet pulp (DP) or oat fibre (OF) admixed to their ration, to achieve a crude fibre content of 60 g/kg in all three groups. The rearing week, the batch, the treatment group (only in trial one) and the interaction between batch and treatment group had a significant influence on tail-lesions (P < 0.05). The tail-biting process started in rearing week 3 (trial one) and 5 (trial two), respectively. Due to the low frequency of tail-biting during the present study, crude fibre seems to have no major influence on tail-biting during the rearing period. This unexpected result may be caused by the optimized conditions in which the piglets were kept and the intensive animal observation carried out by the employees. However, the batch effect was most influential.

Rodents’ lifestyles vary in different environments, and to adapt to various lifestyles specific digestion strategies have been developed. Among these strategies, the morphology of the digestive tracts and the gut microbiota are considered to play the most important roles in such adaptations. However, how subterranean rodents adapt to extreme environments through regulating gut microbial diversity and morphology of the digestive tract has yet to be fully studied. Here, we conducted the comparisons of the gastrointestinal morphology, food intake, food assimilation, food digestibility and gut microbiota of plateau zokor Eospalax baileyi in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and laboratory rats Rattus norvegicus to further understand the survival strategy in a typical subterranean rodent species endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Our results revealed that plateau zokor evolved an efficient foraging strategy with low food intake, high food digestibility, and ultimately achieved a similar amount of food assimilation to laboratory rats. The length and weight of the digestive tract of the plateau zokor was significantly higher than the laboratory rat. Particularly, the weight and length of the large intestine and cecum in plateau zokor is three times greater than that of the laboratory rat. Microbiome analysis showed that genus (i.e., Prevotella, Oscillospira, CF231, Ruminococcus and Bacteroides), which are usually associated with cellulose degradation, were significantly enriched in laboratory rats, compared to plateau zokor. However, prediction of metagenomic function revealed that both plateau zokor and laboratory rats shared the same functions in carbohydrate metabolism and energy metabolism. The higher digestibility of crude fiber in plateau zokor was mainly driven by the sizes of cecum and cecum tract, as well as those gut microbiota which associated with cellulose degradation. Altogether, our results highlight that both gut microbiota and the morphology of the digestive tract are vital to the digestion in wild rodents.

Canola meal is highly regarded as a component of animal feed with a high protein content and a desirable amino acid profile. The presence of some components, in particular glucosinolates, sinapine and fibre, affects the value of the meal and reduces the amount that can be used in animal feed formulations. Glucosinolates in traditional cultivars (rapeseed) had very high amounts and this severely limited the usefulness of the meal. Canola breeding programs have successfully reduced glucosinolate content to trace amounts. However sinapine remains at levels sufficiently high to cause problems, particularly in poultry feed. The relatively high fibre level in canola also reduces the value of the product for animal feed. This study has determined the level of sinapine, glucosinolates and fibre in current cultivars of canola in Australia to illustrate advances made by breeding programs and limitations which still remain to raise the usefulness of a potentially valuable feedstock. Although glucosinolate levels in meal were shown to have been reduced to 11 μmol/g in some cases, sinapine remained at traditional levels of about 12-15 g/kg and neutral detergent fibre levels were about 30-40%. These issues are important priorities for canola breeders.

Many fibre sources can help the adaptation of piglets at weaning, improving the growth. In this study, the effects of a dietary crude fibre concentrate (CFC) on piglet’s growth was investigated. From 31 to 51 days of age, 108 weaned piglets (D×(Lw×L)), had access to two isofibrous, isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets, supplemented with 1% of CFC (CFC group) or not (control (CON) group). From days 52 to 64 all piglets received the same starter diet. During the dietary treatment period the CFC group showed higher average daily gain, average daily feed intake and feed efficiency (P<0.001) than CON group. At 64 days of age, BW was higher in CFC group compared with CON group (P<0.001). Blood samples were collected at days 31, 38, 45 and 52 of age. From days 31 to 52 significant differences in the somatotropic axis between groups were observed. In particular, growth hormone levels were higher only at the end of the 1st week of dietary treatment (P<0.05) in CFC group animals compared with CON group animals. The IGF-I trend was similar between groups even if the IGF-I levels were higher in the CFC group than CON group 1 week after starting treatment (P<0.01). The IGF-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) levels were higher in the first 2 weeks of dietary treatment and lower in the 3rd week in CON group compared with CFC group (P<0.01). Specifically, the IGFBP-3 profile was consistent with that of IGF-I in CFC group but not in CON group. At the same time, an increase of leptin in CFC compared with CON group was observed (P<0.05). Piglets fed the CFC diet showed a lower diarrhoea incidence (P<0.05) and a lower number of antibiotic interventions (P<0.05) than CON diet from 31 to 51 days of age. Pig-major acute-phase protein plasma level (P<0.01) and interleukin-6 gene expression (P<0.05) were higher in CON group than CFC group at the end of 1st week of dietary treatment. In conclusion, this study showed that CFC diet influences the hormones related to energy balance enhancing the welfare and growth of piglets. Furthermore, the increase in feed intake during 3 weeks of dietary treatment improved the feed efficiency over the entire post-weaning period.

The whole buckwheat flour (WBF) was used in Turkish flat bread, lavas, up to 30% level without gluten, and up to 40% level with gluten and sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL) additions. Some physical, chemical, and sensory properties of lavas bread samples were determined. While ash, crude fiber, phytic acid (PA), Fe, K, Mg, and P contents of lavas breads increased with WBF addition, gluten supplementation caused an increase especially in protein and Ca contents. Leavening process decreased PA contents in the breads compared to raw material, but WBF substitution increased PA contents up to 729 mg/100 g. As a result, the utilisation of WBF in lavas bread improved the nutrients contents of the bread except PA. The dark colour and slight bitter taste of the WBF affected the sensory score of lavas bread negatively at 40% substitution level, but the overall acceptability values did not change significantly in comparison with control samples.