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This page lists all time most cited articles for this title. Please use the publication date filters on the left if you would like to restrict this list to recently published content, for example to articles published in the last three years. The number of times each article was cited is displayed to the right of its title and can be clicked to access a list of all titles this article has been cited by.
- Cited by 103
Applying the ecosystem services framework to pasture-based livestock farming systems in Europe
- T. Rodríguez-Ortega, E. Oteros-Rozas, R. Ripoll-Bosch, M. Tichit, B. Martín-López, A. Bernués
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- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 March 2014, pp. 1361-1372
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The concept of ‘Ecosystem Services’ (ES) focuses on the linkages between ecosystems, including agroecosystems, and human well-being, referring to all the benefits, direct and indirect, that people obtain from ecosystems. In this paper, we review the application of the ES framework to pasture-based livestock farming systems, which allows (1) regulating, supporting and cultural ES to be integrated at the same level with provisioning ES, and (2) the multiple trade-offs and synergies that exist among ES to be considered. Research on livestock farming has focused mostly on provisioning ES (meat, milk and fibre production), despite the fact that provisioning ES strongly depends on regulating and supporting ES for their existence. We first present an inventory of the non-provisioning ES (regulating, supporting and cultural) provided by pasture-based livestock systems in Europe. Next, we review the trade-offs between provisioning and non-provisioning ES at multiple scales and present an overview of the methodologies for assessing biophysical trade-offs. Third, we present non-biophysical (economical and socio-cultural) methodologies and applications for ES valuation. We conclude with some recommendations for policy design.
- Cited by 103
Factors affecting the intake of grass silage by cattle and prediction of silage intake
- R. W. J. Steen, F. J. Gordon, L. E. R. Dawson, R. S. Park, C. S. Mayne, R. E. Agnew, D. J. Kilpatrick, M. G. Porter
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- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 September 2010, pp. 115-127
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A partially balanced change-over design experiment involving 192 beef steers, which were initially 14 months old and 415 kg live weight, was carried out to determine the intakes of 136 silages from commercial farms in Northern Ireland. Each silage was offered ad libitum as the sole food to 10 animals, with eight silages offered in each of 17 periods over 2 years. A standard grass hay was offered to 16 animals in each period to enable period effects on intake to be removed. Detailed chemical and biological compositions of the silages were also determined. The ranges for pH and dry matter (DM), crude protein, ammonia-nitrogen and apparent digestible organic matter (in vivo) concentrations in the silages and silage dry DM intakes were 3·50 to 5·49 (s.d. 0·396); 155 to 413 (s.d. 43·1) g/kg; 79 to 212 (s.d. 24·4) g/kg DM; 45 to 384 (s.d. 63·2) g/kg total nitrogen; 528 to 769 (s.d. 58) g/kg DM and 4·3 to 10·9 (s.d. 1·13) kg/day respectively. Relationships between intake and individual parameters or groups of parameters have been developed using simple and multiple linear regression analysis and partial least-squares analyses. Silage intake was closely related to factors which influence the extent of digestion and rate of passage of the material through the animal, as indicated by the strong relationships (R2 of regressions = 0·28 to 0·50) with in vivo apparent digestibility and rumen degradability and the concentrations of the fibre and nitrogen factors. Intake was poorly correlated with factors such as pH, total acidity, buffering capacity and the concentrations of lactic, acetic and butyric acids (R2 of regressions = zero to 0·11). Near infrared reflectance spectrometry (NIRS) provided the best fit relationship with intake (R2 of relationship = 0·90). The results also indicate that the intake potential of silages can be directly predicted with a high degree of accuracy from the NIRS of both dried and undried samples of silage, provided the appropriate sample preparation and scanning methods are used.
- Cited by 103
Dietary fatty acids and cardiovascular disease
- A. M. Salter
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- 11 November 2011, pp. 163-171
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In 1991, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy produced a report on the dietary reference values for food energy and nutrients for groups of people in the United Kingdom. The resulting recommendations, which included specific limits for intakes of total, saturated, trans- and cis-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have remained a cornerstone of public health policy ever since, and similar recommendations have been adopted by the World Health Organization. These recommendations were made largely on the basis of specific effects of these fatty acids on the risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). The intervening years have seen a plethora of human epidemiological and intervention trials to further elucidate the specific relationship between dietary fatty acid intake, plasma lipids and lipoproteins and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A number of recent meta-analyses and systematic reviews have revisited the role of specific dietary fatty acid classes and CVD risk. In general, these continue to support a link between saturated fatty acids (SFA) and CVD morbidity/mortality. They also highlight the potent adverse effects of trans fatty acids derived from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. The most recent data suggest that replacing SFA with cis-PUFA (primarily linoleic acid) has the greatest impact on reducing CVD risk. Evidence of specific beneficial effects of n-3 PUFA is generally stronger for secondary, rather than primary, CVD risk, and it is restricted to very long chain fatty acids of marine origin as opposed to alpha-linolenic acid. Taken together, these data suggest that recent focus on dietary n-6-to-n-3 PUFA ratios may have been misguided, and that future strategies should focus on replacing dietary SFA with total PUFA, rather than concentrating on n-6 : n-3 PUFA ratio.
- Cited by 102
Genomic inbreeding estimation in small populations: evaluation of runs of homozygosity in three local dairy cattle breeds
- S. Mastrangelo, M. Tolone, R. Di Gerlando, L. Fontanesi, M. T. Sardina, B. Portolano
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- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 06 January 2016, pp. 746-754
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In the local breeds with small population size, one of the most important problems is the increase of inbreeding coefficient (F). High levels of inbreeding lead to reduced genetic diversity and inbreeding depression. The availability of high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays has facilitated the quantification of F by genomic markers in farm animals. Runs of homozygosity (ROH) are contiguous lengths of homozygous genotypes and represent an estimate of the degree of autozygosity at genome-wide level. The current study aims to quantify the genomic F derived from ROH (FROH) in three local dairy cattle breeds. FROH values were compared with F estimated from the genomic relationship matrix (FGRM), based on the difference between observed v. expected number of homozygous genotypes (FHOM) and the genomic homozygosity of individual i (FMOL i). The molecular coancestry coefficient (fMOL ij) between individuals i and j was also estimated. Individuals of Cinisara (71), Modicana (72) and Reggiana (168) were genotyped with the 50K v2 Illumina BeadChip. Genotypes from 96 animals of Italian Holstein cattle breed were also included in the analysis. We used a definition of ROH as tracts of homozygous genotypes that were >4 Mb. Among breeds, 3661 ROH were identified. Modicana showed the highest mean number of ROH per individual and the highest value of FROH, whereas Reggiana showed the lowest ones. Differences among breeds existed for the ROH lengths. The individuals of Italian Holstein showed high number of short ROH segments, related to ancient consanguinity. Similar results showed the Reggiana with some extreme animals with segments covering 400 Mb and more of genome. Modicana and Cinisara showed similar results between them with the total length of ROH characterized by the presence of large segments. High correlation was found between FHOM and FROH ranged from 0.83 in Reggiana to 0.95 in Cinisara and Modicana. The correlations among FROH and other estimated F coefficients were generally lower ranged from 0.45 (FMOL i−FROH) in Cinisara to 0.17 (FGRM−FROH) in Modicana. On the basis of our results, recent inbreeding was observed in local breeds, considering that 16 Mb segments are expected to present inbreeding up to three generations ago. Our results showed the necessity of implementing conservation programs to control the rise of inbreeding and coancestry in the three Italian local dairy cattle breeds.
- Cited by 102
A carvacrol–thymol blend decreased intestinal oxidative stress and influenced selected microbes without changing the messenger RNA levels of tight junction proteins in jejunal mucosa of weaning piglets
- H.-K. Wei, H.-X. Xue, Z. X. Zhou, J. Peng
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- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 15 July 2016, pp. 193-201
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Recent studies indicate that intestinal oxidative stress and microbiota imbalance is involved in weaning-induced intestinal dysfunction in piglets. We have investigated the effect of feeding a carvacrol–thymol blend supplemented diet on intestinal redox status, selected microbial populations and the intestinal barrier in weaning piglets. The piglets (weaned at 21 days of age) were randomly allocated to two groups with six pens per treatment and 10 piglets per pen. At weaning day (21 days of age), six piglets were sacrificed before weaning to serve as the preweaning group. The weaned group was fed with a basal diet, while the weaned-CB group was fed with the basal diet supplemented with 100 mg/kg carvacrol–thymol (1 : 1) blend for 14 days. On day 7 post-weaning, six piglets from each group were sacrificed to determine intestinal redox status, selected microbial populations, messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript levels of proinflammatory cytokines and biomarkers of intestinal barrier function. Weaning resulted in intestinal oxidative stress, indicated by the increased concentration of reactive oxygen species and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances present in the intestine. Weaning also reduced the population of Lactobacillus genus and increased the populations of Enterococcus genus and Escherichia coli in the jejunum, and increased mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 1β and interleukin 6 (IL-6). In addition, decreased mRNA levels of zonula occludens and occludin in the jejunal mucosa and increased plasma diamine oxidase concentrations indicated that weaning induced dysfunction of the intestinal barrier. On day 7 post-weaning, supplementation with the carvacrol–thymol blend restored weaning-induced intestinal oxidative stress. Compared with the weaned group, the weaned-CB group had an increased population of Lactobacillus genus but reduced populations of Enterococcus genus and E. coli in the jejunum and decreased mRNA levels of TNF-α. The results indicated that weaning induced intestinal oxidative stress and dysfunction of the intestinal barrier. Dietary supplementation with 100 mg/kg carvacrol–thymol (1 : 1) decreased the intestinal oxidative stress and influenced selected microbial populations without changing the biomarkers of intestinal barrier in weaning piglets.
- Cited by 102
Trajectories of evolution and drivers of change in European mountain cattle farming systems
- A. García-Martínez, A. Olaizola, A. Bernués
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- 01 January 2009, pp. 152-165
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In the last few decades, significant changes in livestock farming systems and land use were observed in European mountain areas with large implications for the sustainability of grazing agro-ecosystems. System dynamic studies become essential to understand these changes, identify the drivers involved and trying to anticipate what might happen in the future. The objectives of this study were as follows: (i) to analyse the main recent changes that occurred in mountain cattle farming in the Spanish Pyrenees; (ii) to typify diverse trajectories of evolution of these systems; and (iii) to establish drivers of change that might help understand the evolution of mountain agriculture. A constant sample of mountain cattle farms was analysed for the period 1990 to 2004. In total, 30% of farms have disappeared during this time interval. For the remaining farms, the most important general changes observed were as follows: increment of size; change of productive orientation from mixed beef-dairy to pure beef production; extensification of grazing management; reduction of family labour and increase of pluriactivity; reduction of unitary variable costs; and increase of labour productivity. After the elimination of common temporal effects between dates, multivariate techniques allowed for the identification of three patterns and six specific trajectories of evolution that are profiled in the text. Relationships between the patterns of evolution and other variables referring the farm, the household and the socio-economic environment were identified as drivers of change: (i) the specific location of the farm in relation to the capital village of the municipality and the evolution other sectors of the economy, in particular tourism; (ii) the size of the family labour, presence of successors and degree of dynamism of the farmer; and (iii) the initial orientation of production.
- Cited by 102
Heifer fertility and carry over consequences for life time production in dairy and beef cattle
- D. C. Wathes, G. E. Pollott, K. F. Johnson, H. Richardson, J. S. Cooke
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- 03 April 2014, pp. 91-104
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The rearing period has a key influence on the later performance of cattle, affecting future fertility and longevity. Producers usually aim to breed replacement heifers by 15 months to calve at 24 months. An age at first calving (AFC) close to 2 years (23 to 25 months) is optimum for economic performance as it minimises the non-productive period and maintains a seasonal calving pattern. This is rarely achieved in either dairy or beef herds, with average AFC for dairy herds usually between 26 and 30 months. Maintaining a low AFC requires good heifer management with adequate growth to ensure an appropriate BW and frame size at calving. Puberty should occur at least 6 weeks before the target breeding age to enable animals to undergo oestrous cycles before mating. Cattle reach puberty at a fairly consistent, but breed-dependent, proportion of mature BW. Heifer fertility is a critical component of AFC. In US Holsteins the conception rate peaked at 57% at 15 to 16 months, declining in older heifers. Wide variations in growth rates on the same farm often lead to some animals having delayed first breeding and/or conception. Oestrous synchronisation regimes and sexed semen can both be used but unless heifers have been previously well-managed the success rates may be unacceptably low. Altering the nutritional input above or below those needed for maintenance at any stage from birth to first calving clearly alters the average daily gain (ADG) in weight. In general an ADG of around 0.75 kg/day seems optimal for dairy heifers, with lower rates delaying puberty and AFC. There is some scope to vary ADG at different ages providing animals reach an adequate size by calving. Major periods of nutritional deficiency and/or severe calfhood disease will, however, compromise development with long-term adverse consequences. Infectious disease can also cause pregnancy loss/abortion. First lactation milk yield may be slightly lower in younger calving cows but lifetime production is higher as such animals usually have good fertility and survive longer. There is now extensive evidence that as long as the AFC is >23 months then future performance is not adversely influenced. On the other hand, delayed first calving >30 months is associated with poor survival. Underfeeding of young heifers reduces their milk production potential and is a greater problem than overfeeding. Farmers are more likely to meet the optimum AFC target of 23 to 25 months if they monitor growth rates and adjust feed accordingly.
- Cited by 101
Review: Feeding conserved forage to horses: recent advances and recommendations
- P. A. Harris, A. D. Ellis, M. J. Fradinho, A. Jansson, V. Julliand, N. Luthersson, A. S. Santos, I. Vervuert
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- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 24 November 2016, pp. 958-967
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The horse is a non-ruminant herbivore adapted to eating plant-fibre or forage-based diets. Some horses are stabled for most or the majority of the day with limited or no access to fresh pasture and are fed preserved forage typically as hay or haylage and sometimes silage. This raises questions with respect to the quality and suitability of these preserved forages (considering production, nutritional content, digestibility as well as hygiene) and required quantities. Especially for performance horses, forage is often replaced with energy dense feedstuffs which can result in a reduction in the proportion of the diet that is forage based. This may adversely affect the health, welfare, behaviour and even performance of the horse. In the past 20 years a large body of research work has contributed to a better and deeper understanding of equine forage needs and the physiological and behavioural consequences if these are not met. Recent nutrient requirement systems have incorporated some, but not all, of this new knowledge into their recommendations. This review paper amalgamates recommendations based on the latest understanding in forage feeding for horses, defining forage types and preservation methods, hygienic quality, feed intake behaviour, typical nutrient composition, digestion and digestibility as well as health and performance implications. Based on this, consensual applied recommendations for feeding preserved forages are provided.
- Cited by 101
Objectives in pig breeding
- V. R. Fowler, M. Bichard, A. Pease
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- 02 September 2010, pp. 365-387
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1. Some criticisms of the classical approach to constructing a selection index are advanced. This approach (the economic model) is contrasted with an alternative one (the biological model) which is derived from the concept of the biological efficiency of production of lean tissues. The selection objective which is proposed from the biological model is the improvement of lean tissue feed conversion. The most important single means of achieving this is increasing the lean tissue growth rate.
2. The approaches were compared in three studies: (a) the effects of errors in economic and genetic parameters of the economic index; (b) phenotypic relationships between biological objectives and other measures of performance; (c) a theoretical model based on the utilization of metabolizable energy.
3. In a fixed situation the results were similar for both models, but the main advantage of the biological model is that it gives good indications of what happens, and what selection policies should be, in different situations. In addition, lean tissue feed conversion and lean tissue growth rate are closely related to concepts widely applied in biology, and their use as selection objectives should be helpful in enabling workers in many disciplines to make use of each other's knowledge.
- Cited by 99
Meta-analysis of the effect of immunocastration on production performance, reproductive organs and boar taint compounds in pigs
- N. Batorek, M. Čandek-Potokar, M. Bonneau, J. Van Milgen
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- 10 February 2012, pp. 1330-1338
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Meta-analytical approach was used to quantitatively synthesize the effect of immunocastration on growth, carcass, meat quality, reproductive organs and boar taint compounds. Altogether, 41 papers were collected for effect size (θ) calculation and the comparisons were made with entire males (EM) and surgical castrates (SC). The data for reproductive organs and growth performance are numerous enough to draw firm conclusions. In contrast, data for carcass and meat quality are more limited. Results of meta-analysis show efficient immunocastration with the magnitude of the response being by far the largest for reproductive organs (θ = −2.8 to −5.0) and boar taint substances (θ = −2.8 and −0.8 for androstenone and skatole, respectively). However, compared with SC, the immunocastrates exhibit larger bulbourethral glands (θ = 1.3) and slightly higher concentrations of androstenone and skatole (θ = 0.1 and θ = 0.2, respectively). The impact of immunocastration is also remarkable on performance, where the main advantage of the immunocastrates is their boar-like performance until revaccination. In the period following the second vaccination, they eat much more than EM (θ = 2.1), resulting in large effect size for growth rate compared with both EM and SC (θ = 1.1 and θ = 1.4, respectively). Considering the whole fattening period, their feed conversion ratio is higher compared with EM (θ = 0.6) and much lower than that of SC (θ = −1.3), although exhibiting moderately faster growth compared with both (θ = 0.6 and θ = 0.2, respectively). With regard to carcass quality, the immunocastrates take intermediate position between EM and SC. Besides, our analysis suggests no difference in meat quality with SC and some meat quality advantages of immunocastrates over EM because of higher intramuscular fat content (θ = 0.4) and lower shear force (θ = −0.6).
- Cited by 99
A review on prebiotics and probiotics for the control of dysbiosis: present status and future perspectives
- R. Ducatelle, V. Eeckhaut, F. Haesebrouck, F. Van Immerseel
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- 22 October 2014, pp. 43-48
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Dysbiosis or dysbacteriosis is defined as a shift in the intestinal microbiota composition resulting in an imbalance between beneficial and harmful bacteria. Since the ban on the use of growth-promoting antibiotics in animal feed in the EU, dysbiosis has emerged as a major problem in intensive animal production. Prebiotics and probiotics are currently under investigation as possible alternatives to growth-promoting antibiotics, as their mode of action is thought to be based largely on a modulation of the composition and function of the intestinal microbiota. In this review, we analyse the currently available data from both animal and human nutrition that document the potential and limitations of prebiotics and probiotics for the control of dysbiosis. An impressive number of empirical feeding trials have been carried out in healthy animals, yielding sometimes contradictory results. More in-depth studies have revealed the complexity of the interactions taking place in the lower intestinal tract, thus illustrating that pre- and probiotics cannot be a simple replacement for growth-promoting antibiotics. Although there are indications that the strategic use of pre- and probiotics can provide major benefits, there is still a lack of basic knowledge on the delicate interactions between the microbiota, the host and the feed components, which hampers the widespread use of these valuable feed additives.
- Cited by 99
A comparison of the welfare of sows in different housing conditions
- D. M. Broom, M. T. Mendl, A. J. Zanella
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- 02 September 2010, pp. 369-385
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Twelve sows in good quality unstrawed stalls, three groups of five sows in strawed pens with individual feeding stalls and sows in a 38-sow group in a strawed yard with an electronic sow feeder were compared during the first four parities. They originated from the same source, were about 9 months of age and in the 7th week of their first pregnancy at the start of the experiment and were kept in adjacent rooms in a building, cared for by the same staff and given the same diets at a rate of 2·2 kg/day per animal. No new animals were added to the groups or stalls during the study and animals returned to the same condition after periods in farrowing and service accommodation. Using a wide range of welfare indicators, it was clear that stall-housed sows had more problems than group-housed sows and that tliese problems were worse in the fourth than in the first pregnancy. By the fourth pregnancy, stall-housed sows spent proportionately 0·14 of time showing activities which were clearly stereotypies and much time on activities which were sometimes stereotyped, i.e. ‘drinking’ and rooting or chewing at pen fittings making a total of proportionately 0·50 of time. Comparable figures for group-housed sows were much lower (0·037 and 0·081 in total). Stall-housed sows were also more aggressive than group-housed by the fourth pregnancy and their body weights were lower. There were no differences using physiological or immunological tests or measures of reproductive output. When the two group-housing systems were compared, sows in the electronic feeder system showed more fighting, especially soon after initial mixing, but fewer total agonistic interactions than sows in groups of five during the first pregnancy. Oral stereotypies were slightly higher in small groups, perhaps because of smaller pen space, than in larger groups but much lower than in stalls. By the fourth pregnancy there were few differences between sows in small and large groups and all seemed to have adapted well to the conditions. Evaluation of welfare in different housing systems requires use of a wide range of measures and of long-term studies.
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Effect of dietary fat supplements on levels of n-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids, trans acids and conjugated linoleic acid in bovine milk
- N. W. Offer, M. Marsden, J. Dixon, B. K. Speake, F. E. Thacker
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- 18 August 2016, pp. 613-625
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The effects of three fat supplements on milk yield and composition were measured using 12 mid-lactation in-calf Hoistein-Friesian cows in a balanced incomplete change-over design over three periods each of 3 weeks. All cows received a basal diet consisting of 36 kg/day grass silage (dry matter (DM) 270 g/kg, metabolizable energy (ME) 11·6 MJ/kg DM) and 7 kg/day o f a concentrate mixture containing (g/kg) rolled barley (501), molassed sugar-beet pulp shreds (277), soya-bean meal (208) and a standard cow mineral supplement (14). Treatments were CON (control-no supplement); LIN and FISH (250 gl day of either linseed oil or marine oil, providing approximately 0·046 of ME intake) or TOA (95 glday of tuna orbital oil, providing 0·018 of total ME intake).
There were no significant effects on silage DM intake or milk yield (means 9·25 and 17·2 kg/day respectively). The FISH and TOA treatments depressed (F < 0·05) milk fat concentration (45·4, 44·6, 34·5 and 41·6 (s.e.d. 1·08) g/kg for CON, LIN, FISH and TOA respectively; note — the same treatment order is used for all results quoted). Compared with values for CON, yield of f at (glday) was significantly (F < 0·05) greater for LIN and significantly lower for FISH (739, 808, 572 and 732, s.e.d. 28·7). All three oil supplements reduced (F < 0·05) milk protein content (33·6, 32·5, 30·6 and 32·4 (s.e.d. 0·43) g/kg) but, apart from a small increase for LIN, protein yield (glday) was unaffected (545, 586, 510 and 574, s.e.d. 20·2).
The concentrations (g/100 g) of short-chain fatty acids (< C14) and C16 : 0 in milk f at were lower (F < 0·05) for LIN than for the other treatments. All supplements increased the concentrations ofC18:1 (F < 0·05), the value for LIN being greater (F < 0·05) than for the other treatments (21·0, 27·2, 25·3 and 23·7, s.e.d. 0·74). The FISH and TOA treatments increased (F < 0·05) the concentrations of long chain (< C2O) (n-3) poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), (0·19, 0·17, 0·49 and 0·27, s.e.d. 0·026) but less than proportionately 0·03 of dietary intake of these acids was transferred to milk, probably because they were found to be mostly in the phospholipid and cholesterol ester fractions of plasma. The FISH and TOA treatments increased (F < 0·05) the percentages of total trans fatty acids in milk fat (1·13, 2·19, 10·26 and 3·62, s.e.d. 0·728) whilst a significant (F < 0·05) increase in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was observed only for FISH (0·16, 0·28, 1·55, and 0·52, s.e.d. 0·154). Concentrations of CLA and total trans acids in milk were highly correlated (r = 0·91, no. =36, F < 0·001) whilst trans acids in milk were inversely correlated with milk fat content (r = -0·63, no. = 36, F < 0·001) supporting the theory that milk fat depression may be caused by increased supply of trans fatty acids to the mammary gland. The health implications of these changes in milk fat composition are discussed.
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Changes in body components of autumn-calving Holstein-Friesian cows over the first 29 weeks of lactation
- M. J. Gibb, W. E. Ivings, M. S. Dhanoa, J. D. Sutton
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- 02 September 2010, pp. 339-360
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Changes in body composition of 54, second to fourth parity, autumn-calving Holstein-Friesian dairy cows offered grass silage ad libitum and 3(L), 6(M) or 9(H) kg concentrate dry matter per day were measured by serial slaughter at 0, 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 19, 24 and 29 weeks post partum.
Concentrate level had a significant effect on the fresh weights of many of the body fractions with the differences generally being greater between L and M than between M and H. Increasing concentrate level generally reduced the extent of weight loss of body fractions in early lactation and enhanced subsequent repletion. Empty body weight decreased to week 8 and then increased steadily over the remaining 21 weeks, but within this pattern different organs were concomitantly increasing and decreasing. Carcass weight and the weights of the internal fat depots showed a decline over the first 8 weeks and a subsequent increase, udder weight declined throughout, weights of various sections of the digestive tract showed an initial increase then remained steady, whilst liver weight increased throughout.
In week 0 the carcass accounted for proportionately 0-61 of the total energy in the body (6278 MJ), of which fat and crude protein (CP) comprised proportionately 0·67 and 0·33, respectively. In early lactation mobilization of fat and CP in the carcass was reduced with increasing level of concentrate. In the non-carcass fraction increasing concentrate level led to a higher weight of CP in the metabolically active organs such as the digestive tract and udder but had little effect on the weight of fat. Nevertheless, there was generally a positive effect of concentrate level on energy content. Total weights of fat, CP and water in the body declined to week 8 then increased over the following 21 weeks. Although weight of CP in the liver increased throughout lactation and weight of fat was elevated in weeks 0 and 2, the energy content of the liver remained fairly constant.
Estimates of the change in net energy (NE) associated with live-weight loss and with live-weight gain showed a slight though non-significant difference between the two, despite evidence of a higher concentration of fat associated with gain than with loss, and CP concentration being the same in both cases. The mean value was 19·3 MJ/kg live-weight change.
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Inclusion of oat hulls in diets for young pigs based on cooked maize or cooked rice
- G. G. Mateos, F. Martín, M. A. Latorre, B. Vicente, R. Lázaro
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- 09 March 2007, pp. 57-63
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An experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of the main cereal (cooked maize or cooked rice) and the inclusion of cooked and expanded oat hulls (0, 20 or 40 g/kg) in the diet on total tract apparent nutrient digestibility (TTAD) and productive performance of piglets weaned at 21 days. Each of the six treatments was replicated eight times (five piglets penned together) and the trial lasted for 33 days. From 21 to 41 days of age piglets were given their respective experimental complex diets that contained 530 g/kg cooked cereal and from 41 to 54 days they received a common starter diet based on maize, barley and soya-bean meal. Growth promoters were not included in the diets. The TTAD was determined at 27 and 37 days of age and pig performance was measured at 31, 41 and 54 days of age. Nutrient digestibility increased with age ( P<0·001) and in general were higher for rice- than for maize-based diets ( P<0·001 for dry matter, organic matter and gross energy and P<0·05 for ether extract). From 21 to 41 days of age piglets given rice had higher food intake (FI, P<0·05) and average daily gain (ADG, P<0·01) than piglets given maize but food conversion ratio was not affected. The differences observed were maintained until the end of the trial. The inclusion of oat hulls in the diet did not affect TTAD of the nutrients but tended to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea from 21 to 41 days of age ( P<0·1). Oat hulls inclusion reduced FI and ADG in diets based on maize but had the opposite effect in diets based on rice, indicating that piglets might have a minimum requirement for dietary fibre. It is concluded that cooked rice is an ingredient of choice in pre-starter diets for weanling pigs. Also, the inclusion of moderate levels of fibre as oat hulls reduces the incidence of diarrhoea and might improve productive performance in low fibre diets.
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Animal board invited review: genetic possibilities to reduce enteric methane emissions from ruminants
- N. K. Pickering, V. H. Oddy, J. Basarab, K. Cammack, B. Hayes, R. S. Hegarty, J. Lassen, J. C. McEwan, S. Miller, C. S. Pinares-Patiño, Y. de Haas
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- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 09 June 2015, pp. 1431-1440
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Measuring and mitigating methane (CH4) emissions from livestock is of increasing importance for the environment and for policy making. Potentially, the most sustainable way of reducing enteric CH4 emission from ruminants is through the estimation of genomic breeding values to facilitate genetic selection. There is potential for adopting genetic selection and in the future genomic selection, for reduced CH4 emissions from ruminants. From this review it has been observed that both CH4 emissions and production (g/day) are a heritable and repeatable trait. CH4 emissions are strongly related to feed intake both in the short term (minutes to several hours) and over the medium term (days). When measured over the medium term, CH4 yield (MY, g CH4/kg dry matter intake) is a heritable and repeatable trait albeit with less genetic variation than for CH4 emissions. CH4 emissions of individual animals are moderately repeatable across diets, and across feeding levels, when measured in respiration chambers. Repeatability is lower when short term measurements are used, possibly due to variation in time and amount of feed ingested prior to the measurement. However, while repeated measurements add value; it is preferable the measures be separated by at least 3 to 14 days. This temporal separation of measurements needs to be investigated further. Given the above issue can be resolved, short term (over minutes to hours) measurements of CH4 emissions show promise, especially on systems where animals are fed ad libitum and frequency of meals is high. However, we believe that for short-term measurements to be useful for genetic evaluation, a number (between 3 and 20) of measurements will be required over an extended period of time (weeks to months). There are opportunities for using short-term measurements in standardised feeding situations such as breath ‘sniffers’ attached to milking parlours or total mixed ration feeding bins, to measure CH4. Genomic selection has the potential to reduce both CH4 emissions and MY, but measurements on thousands of individuals will be required. This includes the need for combined resources across countries in an international effort, emphasising the need to acknowledge the impact of animal and production systems on measurement of the CH4 trait during design of experiments.
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Analyses of lamb survival of Scottish Blackface sheep
- R. M. Sawalha, J. Conington, S. Brotherstone, B. Villanueva
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- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 February 2007, pp. 151-157
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Scottish Blackface lamb viability records at birth, and postnatal survival from 1 day to 14 days, from 15 days to 120 days and from 121 days to 180 days were used to determine influential factors and to estimate variance components of lamb survival traits. The binary trait viability at birth was analysed using a linear model whereas the postnatal survival traits were analysed as continuous traits using a Weibull model. The data consisted of about 15 000 survival records of lambs born from 1996 to 2005 on two farms in Scotland. The models included fixed factors that had significant effects and random direct and maternal additive genetic effects and maternal litter effects for viability at birth, and sire and maternal litter effects for the postnatal survival traits. The possible effect of maternal behaviour measured around lambing on lamb survival was investigated in separate analyses. Male lambs were found to be at a higher risk of mortality than females during all periods considered. The effect of type of birth and age of dam was more important during the preweaning period than at later ages. The postnatal hazard rate was not significantly affected by the behaviour score of the dams. The genetic merit of dams had more influence on viability at birth than the genetic merit of lambs themselves. Estimates of heritability for postnatal survival traits were in the range of 0.18 to 0.33 and were significantly greater than zero. These results indicate that lamb survival can be improved through farm management practices and genetic selection. Both animal and maternal genetic effects should be considered in breeding programmes for improving viability at birth.
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Diet selection in pigs: choices made by growing pigs given foods of different protein concentrations
- I. Kyriazakis, G. C. Emmans, C. T. Whittemore
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- 02 September 2010, pp. 189-199
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To test the proposition that growing pigs, when given a choice between two foods, are able to select a diet that meets their requirements, and to investigate the rules of diet selection, four foods (L, A, B and H) with similar energy yields, but different concentrations of crude protein (CP) (125, 174, 213 and 267 g CP per kg fresh food respectively) were formulated. The four foods were offered ad libitum either singly, or as a two-way choice using all the six possible pairs, to 40 individually caged pigs from 12 to 30 kg live weight. On the single foods the rate of food intake fell from 1001 to 971 to 961 to 868 (s.e.d. 40) g/day (F < 0·05) as the protein concentration of the foods increased from L to H; the growth rate followed an opposite trend (492, 627, 743 and 693 (s.e.d. 31) g/day respectively; P < 0·01). When the pigs had to select between two foods limiting in protein (L and A) the less limiting one was preferred (710 (s.e. 200) g A per kg total food intake; the protein concentration of the selected diet was 160 (s.e. 10) g CP per kg). On the choice between B and H (a choice between a food with protein concentration close to requirements and a food with protein excess) the lower food was markedly preferred (928 (s.e. 4) g B per kg total food intake; the protein concentration of the selected diet was 218 (s.e. 1) g CP per kg). When the animals were given a choice between two foods, a combination of which was non-limiting (pairs LB, LH, AB and AH), the protein concentrations of the selected diets were not different between treatments (208, 204, 202 and 205 (s.e.d. 13) g CP per kg respectively) and they also declined systematically with time and weight. The growth rate of the animals on these pairs were 752, 768, 769 and 763 (s.e.d. 54) g/day (P > 0·05), which were not significantly different from the highest growth rate achieved on a single food. The results suggest that pigs, when given a choice between a suitable pair of foods, are able to choose a balanced diet and to change its composition to reflect their changing requirements. The choice-feeding method may well be useful as an effective and economic way of estimating and meeting requirements, and of measuring the growth potential of pigs.
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Protein growth in pigs
- C. T. Whittemore, J. B. Tullis, G. C. Emmans
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- 02 September 2010, pp. 437-445
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Estimates were made of total body protein in 45 unimproved crossbred pigs slaughtered serially between 20 and 200 kg live weight. Allometric functions were used to estimate protein weight at any given body weight and the Gompertz function was used to express live-weight changes in relation to time and to predict weight at maturity. Predicted values for daily protein retention increased rapidly from 20 kg to attain, at around 75 kg live weight, maxima of 130 g for entire males, 120 g for females and 105 g for castrated males. Between 45 and 110 kg live weight rates of protein retention were maintained within 10 g of the maximum rate. Mature live weights were estimated to be 240, 215 and 225 kg for entire males, females and castrated males. The allometric exponents for whole body protein as a function of body weight were 0·963 (s.e. 0·025), 0·927 (s.e. 0·021) and 0·850 (s.e. 0·049) for entire males, females and castrated males respectively.
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Shelf life and eating quality of beef from cattle of different breeds given diets differing in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid composition
- L. Vatansever, E. Kurt, M. Enser, G. R. Nute, N. D. Scollan, J. D. Wood, R. I. Richardson
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- 18 August 2016, pp. 471-482
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Two experiments were conducted with 32 Charolais cross steers (experiment 1) and 36 Holstein-Friesian and Welsh Black steers (experiment 2) to examine the effects of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA ) and breed on meat quality. Diets were comprised of grass silage and a concentrate (60 : 40 on a dry-matter basis). Lipid in the concentrate provided 30 g/kg diet dry matter derived from either linseed, fish oil or linseed/fish oil (experiment 1); and linseed or linseed/fish oil (experiment 2). These n-3 PUFA sources were compared with Megalac, a saturated fatty acid control, in both experiments. Diets were offered for 120 days (experiment 1) and 90 days (experiment 2). Measurements of meat quality included fatty acid composition, lipid oxidation and colour during retail display (i.e. shelf life parameters) and eating quality assessed by a trained taste panel. The samples examined were sirloin (longissimus) steaks and minced beef burgers produced from the forequarter muscles infraspinatus, supraspinatus and triceps brachii. The fatty acid results showed that linseed increased the proportion of 18 : 3 n-3 (a -linolenic acid) in neutral lipid of the burgers and approximately doubled it in the phospholipid. Increased synthesis of 20 : 4 n-3 and 20 : 5 n-3 also occurred, raising their levels in the phospholipid. Fish oil doubled the proportions of 20 : 5 n-3 and 22 : 6 n-3, with the linseed/fish oil results intermediate between linseed and fish oil. The Welsh Blacks in experiment 2 had higher proportions of 18 : 3 n-3 in neutral lipid and higher proportions of 18 : 3 n-3, 20 : 5 n-3 and 22 : 5 n-3 in phospholipid. This showed a clear genetic effect on fatty acid composition. The fish oil diet in experiment 1 greatly increased lipid oxidation during retail display in both overwrapped loin steaks and burgers packed in a modified atmosphere. Values for lipid oxidation in the burgers were much higher than in the steaks due to the intimate mixing of phospholipid fatty acids and prooxidants. Lipid oxidation was also greater in the linseed/fish oil samples than controls in both experiments but was similar in linseed and controls. Colour oxidation also proceeded more rapidly in the fish oil samples in experiment 1 and tended to be faster in the linseed/fish oil groups in both experiments. Eating quality was affected by diet in experiment 1 — the fish oil samples eliciting higher scores for ‘fishy’ and ‘rancid’ than controls and having lower ‘overall liking’ scores. Steaks from animals given the linseed diet (with high 18 : 3 n-3 proportions) had the highest ‘overall liking’ scores in experiment 1 but the cattle given linseed for the shorter time in experiment 2 were not different from controls. Despite their different PUFA profile in muscle, Welsh Blacks had similar eating quality scores to Holstein-Friesians which deposited more neutral lipid (marbling fat) in muscle.