The assessment and the farmers’ perceived ranking of feed resources and coping strategies with feed scarcity in smallholder dairy farming in selected district towns of Jimma Zone,Ethiopia     

Belay Duguma  Veronique Dermauw  Geert Janssens 《Tropical animal health and production》2017,49(5):923-935

Inadequate quantity and quality of feed resources are major constraints limiting milk production and reproductive performance of dairy cattle in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess dairy cattle feed resources, feeding practices, the farmers’ perceived ranking of feed resources, causes of feed shortage, and coping strategies to feed scarcity in smallholder dairy system in selected district towns of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia. Data were obtained by interviewing 52 randomly selected smallholder dairy farmers using structured questionnaires and through direct observations. Results showed that 20 main feed types used by dairy farmers were identified and categorized into natural pastures, crop residues, green feeds, hay, agro-industrial by-products, concentrate mix, and non-conventional feeds. Overall, natural pasture (mean rank = 0.453), non-conventional feeds (0.307), cut green feeds (0.086), conserved hay (0.076), crop residues (0.049), and concentrate feeds (0.029) were ranked as the main feed resources in decreasing order of importance. Natural pasture grazing (92.2% of the respondents), hay (35.6%), and green feeds (29.4%) were the most important conventional basal feeds used. Wheat bran (11.7% of the respondents) followed by commercial concentrate mix (9.4%), Noug seedcake (8.3%), grain (7.8%), and molasses (6.1%) were the concentrate supplements used. Overall, bulule-flour mill leftovers (67.2% of the farmers), bean and pea hulls (57.2%) and atella-local brew by-product (37.2%), enset (Ensete ventricosum, 34.4%), and sugarcane top (32.2%) were the non-conventional feeds available and used during feed scarcity. Barley and teff (Eragrostis teff) straws and maize and sorghum stovers were the main crop residues used in the dry seasons. Overall, 73.9, 12.2, 12.2, and 1.7% of the respondents practiced free grazing, zero grazing, semi-zero, and a combination of zero- and free-grazing systems, respectively. Over 84% of the respondents in the dry season and 50% in the wet season reported experiencing a shortage of feeds. Poor feed availability (73.9% of the respondents) was reported as the main causes of feed shortage followed by shortage of pastureland (7.8%). Increased use of bulule (55.6% of the respondents), crop residues (16.1%), non-conventional feed resources (14.4%), conserved hay (11.1%), purchased green feeds and concentrates (1.1%), and reducing herd size (1.1%) were the farmers’ adopted coping strategies to mitigate feed shortage. It is suggested that technical intervention to improve the quality and efficient utilization of the existing feed resources is crucial to enable sustainable feed supply and boost milk production. Technologies that are easy to adopt, feasible, and low cost are also needed to be developed in participatory manner.  相似文献   

Environmental and maternal factors associated with gross placental morphology in dairy cattle          下载免费PDF全文

MM Kamal  M Van Eetvelde  L Vandaele  G Opsomer 《Reproduction in domestic animals》2017,52(2):251-256

This article reports on a study of gross placental morphology of 282 expelled placentas from 89 primi‐ and 193 multiparous Holstein dams immediately after calving and examines associations with environmental factors such as typical herd features and season of calving, and maternal factors such as age at calving, level of milk yield at conception and cumulative amount of milk produced during gestation. The highest correlation between calf measurements and placental characteristics was found between the weight of the calf and the total cotyledonary surface (r = .643; p < .001), confirming the high importance of the cotyledonary surface available for nutrient transfer to the developing foetus. Younger age in adolescent and smaller heart girth in multiparous dams were associated with a higher cotyledon number, suggesting placental compensation in dams with lower capacities in terms of dry matter intake. No significant association between milk yield during gestation in multiparous animals and gross placental morphometrics could be detected, indicating that factors such as the amount of milk produced during gestation affect placental development less than foetal weight close to term. Therefore, placental growth may be sustained at the expense of other tissues in an attempt to maintain pregnancy and minimize the adverse consequences for the foetus. This study offers evidence concerning factors affecting the placental surface size for nutrient transfer from dam to calf in dairy cattle based on gross morphometrics, but needs confirmation from studies in which this surface size is more profoundly assessed by measuring the branches present in the cotyledonary villi.  相似文献   

Analysis of population structure and genetic diversity reveals gene flow and geographic patterns in cultivated rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">O. sativa</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">O. glaberrima</Emphasis>) in West Africa     

Octaviano Igor Yelome  Kris Audenaert  Sofie Landschoot  Alexandre Dansi  Wouter Vanhove  Drissa Silue  Patrick Van Damme  Geert Haesaert 《Euphytica》2018,214(11):215

To fully exploit the diversity in African rice germplasm and to broaden the gene pool reliable information on the population genetic diversity and phenotypic characteristics is a prerequisite. In this paper, the population structure and genetic diversity of 42 cultivated African rice (Oryza spp.) accessions originating from West Africa (Benin, Mali and Nigeria, Liberia etc.) were investigated using 20 simple sequence repeats (SSR) and 77 amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP). Additionally, field trials were set up to gain insight into phenotypic characteristics that differentiate the genetic populations among rice accessions. The analysis revealed considerably high polymorphisms for SSR markers (PIC mean?=?0.78) in the germplasm studied. A significant association was found between AFLP markers and geographic origin of rice accessions (R?=?0.72). Germplasm structure showed that Oryza sativa accessions were not totally isolated from Oryza glaberrima accessions. The results allowed identification of five O. glaberrima accessions which grouped together with O. sativa accessions, sharing common alleles of 18 loci out of the 20 SSR markers analyzed. Population structure analysis revealed existence of a gene flow between O. sativa and O. glaberrima rice accessions which can be used to combine several interesting traits in breeding programs. Further studies are needed to clarify the contributions of this gene flow to valuable traits such as abiotic and biotic stresses including disease resistance.  相似文献   

Pre‐operative and Operative Difficulties During Bovine Caesarean Section in Belgium and Associated Risk Factors     

I Kolkman  G Opsomer  D Lips  B Lindenbergh  A De Kruif  S De Vliegher 《Reproduction in domestic animals》2010,45(6):1020-1027

The aim of this study was to describe the difficulties encountered during caesarean section (CS) in practice on mainly Belgian Blue (BB) cows and to identify the associated risk factors. Data were collected using a questionnaire completed by veterinarians of the Ambulatory Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University (Belgium), immediately after performing a CS. Results revealed that the BB breed had fewer severe pre‐operative problems than animals of other breeds, most probably due to the fact that CSs in this breed are performed in a very early stage of parturition. Mild as well as severe difficulties were more likely to happen during surgery in cows that had undergone a CS before. Cows at their second or third surgery had a significantly higher proportion of larger calves and more skin scar tissue was present, both increasing the risk of abdominal wall muscular and uterine haemorrhage. These factors can all lead to problems with exteriorization and suturing of the uterus; hence special attention is needed when performing a CS on a cow which has experienced the procedure before. The more experienced veterinarians were less likely to report difficulties during the operation than less experienced surgeons.  相似文献   

Indirect effects of bottom fishing on the productivity of marine fish          下载免费PDF全文

Jeremy Collie  Jan Geert Hiddink  Tobias van Kooten  Adriaan D Rijnsdorp  Michel J Kaiser  Simon Jennings  Ray Hilborn 《Fish and Fisheries》2017,18(4):619-637

One quarter of marine fish production is caught with bottom trawls and dredges on continental shelves around the world. Towed bottom‐fishing gears typically kill 20–50 per cent of the benthic invertebrates in their path, depending on gear type, substrate and vulnerability of particular taxa. Particularly vulnerable are epifaunal species, which stabilize the sediment and provide habitat for benthic invertebrates. To identify the habitats, fisheries or target species most likely to be affected, we review evidence of the indirect effects of bottom fishing on fish production. Recent studies have found differences in the diets of certain species in relation to bottom fishing intensity, thereby linking demersal fish to their benthic habitats at spatial scales of ~10 km. Bottom fishing affects diet composition and prey quality rather than the amount of prey consumed; scavenging of discarded by‐catch makes only a small contribution to yearly food intake. Flatfish may benefit from light trawling levels on sandy seabeds, while higher‐intensity trawling on more vulnerable habitats has a negative effect. Models suggest that reduction in the carrying capacity of habitats by bottom fishing could lead to lower equilibrium yield and a lower level of fishing mortality to obtain maximum yield. Trawling effort is patchily distributed – small fractions of fishing grounds are heavily fished, while large fractions are lightly fished or unfished. This patchiness, coupled with the foraging behaviour of demersal fish, may mitigate the indirect effects of bottom fishing on fish productivity. Current research attempts to scale up these localized effects to the population level.  相似文献   

An Analysis of Ovarian Dysfunction in High Yielding Dairy Cows After Calving Based on Progesterone Profiles   总被引：4，自引：0，他引：4  

G Opsomer  M Coryn  H Deluyker  A de  Kruif 《Reproduction in domestic animals》1998,33(3-4):193-204

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Advances in prevention and therapy of neonatal dairy calf diarrhoea: a systematical review with emphasis on colostrum management and fluid therapy     

Vanessa Meganck  Geert Hoflack  Geert Opsomer 《Acta veterinaria Scandinavica》2014,56(1)

Neonatal calf diarrhoea remains the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in preweaned dairy calves worldwide. This complex disease can be triggered by both infectious and non-infectious causes. The four most important enteropathogens leading to neonatal dairy calf diarrhoea are Escherichia coli, rota- and coronavirus, and Cryptosporidium parvum. Besides treating diarrhoeic neonatal dairy calves, the veterinarian is the most obvious person to advise the dairy farmer on prevention and treatment of this disease. This review deals with prevention and treatment of neonatal dairy calf diarrhoea focusing on the importance of a good colostrum management and a correct fluid therapy.  相似文献   

Fault diagnostic systems for agricultural machinery     

Geert Craessaerts  Josse De BaerdemaekerWouter Saeys 《Biosystems Engineering》2010,106(1):26-36

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Identification of the cleaning process on combine harvesters,Part II: A fuzzy model for prediction of the sieve losses     

Geert Craessaerts  Wouter Saeys  Bart Missotten  Josse De Baerdemaeker 《Biosystems Engineering》2010,106(2):97-102

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An updated conventional- and a novel GM potato late blight R gene differential set for virulence monitoring of Phytophthora infestans     

Suxian Zhu  Jack H. Vossen  Marjan Bergervoet  Maarten Nijenhuis  Linda Kodde  Geert J. T. Kessel  Vivianne Vleeshouwers  Richard G. F. Visser  Evert Jacobsen 《Euphytica》2015,202(2):219-234

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