5 results
Growth, morphology and biological nitrogen fixation potential of perennial ryegrass-white clover swards throughout the grazing season
- C. Guy, D. Hennessy, T. J. Gilliland, F. Coughlan, B. McCarthy
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- Journal:
- The Journal of Agricultural Science / Volume 156 / Issue 2 / March 2018
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 05 April 2018, pp. 188-199
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Sustainable ruminant production systems depend on the ability of livestock to utilize increased quantities of grazed herbage. The current study aimed to compare the effect of white clover (WC) inclusion and perennial ryegrass (PRG) ploidy on herbage dry matter (DM) production, plant morphology, nutritive value and biological nitrogen (N) fixation (BNF) under high N fertilizer use (250 kg N/ha) and high stocking rates (2.75 livestock units/ha). Four sward treatments (diploid-only, tetraploid-only, diploid-WC, tetraploid-WC) were evaluated over a full grazing season at a farmlet scale. White clover inclusion had a significant effect on herbage DM production, herbage growth rate, tiller density, organic matter digestibility, crude protein and BNF. Tetraploid swards had a lower tiller density, lower sward WC content and post-grazing sward height and increased organic matter digestibility and crude protein than diploid swards. White clover inclusion improved herbage DM production and nutritive value across a full grazing season, with tetraploid and diploid swards producing similar herbage DM yields across the year. Perennial ryegrass ploidy had an effect on WC morphology as plants in diploid-WC swards had narrower, longer stolons, fewer branches and more petioles than tetraploid-WC swards. The current study highlights the benefit of including WC in grass-based systems under a high N fertilizer regime and high stocking rate.
Genetics of milking characteristics in dairy cows
- D. P. Berry, J. Coyne, B. Coughlan, M. Burke, J. McCarthy, B. Enright, A. R. Cromie, S. McParland
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Genetic selection for milking speed is feasible. The existence of a correlation structure between milking speed and milk yield, however, necessitates a selection strategy to increase milking speed with no repercussion on genetic merit for milk yield. Residual milking duration (RMD) and residual milking duration including somatic cell score (RMDS), defined as the residuals from a regression model of milking duration on milk yield or milk yield plus somatic cell score (SCS) have been advocated. The objective of this study was to undertake a first ever genetic analysis of these novel traits. Data on electronically recorded milking duration and other milking characteristics from 235 005 test-day records on 74 608 cows in 1075 Irish dairy herds were available. Variance components for the milking characteristic traits were estimated using animal linear mixed models and covariances with other performance traits, including udder-related type traits, were estimated using sire models. The heritability of milking duration, RMD and RMDS was 0.20, 0.22 and 0.18, respectively. There were little differences in the heritability of RMD or RMDS when defined using genetic regression. The genetic standard deviation of RMDS defined on the phenotypic or genetic level was 36.8 s and 37.6 s, respectively, clearly indicating considerable exploitable genetic variation in milking duration independent of both milk yield and SCS. The genetic correlation between phenotypically derived RMDS and milk yield was favourable (−0.43), but RMDS was unfavourably genetically correlated with SCS (−0.30); the genetic correlations with both traits when RMDS was defined at a genetic level were zero. RMDS defined at the phenotypic level was negatively (i.e. unfavourable) genetically correlated (−0.35; s.e. = 0.15) with mastitis; however, when defined using genetic regression, shorter RMDS was not associated with greater expected incidence of mastitis. RMDS, defined at the genetic level, is a useful heritable trait with ample genetic variation for inclusion in a national breeding strategy without influencing genetic gain in either milk yield or udder health.
Contributors
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- By Mohamed Aboulghar, Mona M. Aboulghar, A. Arnone, Baris Ata, Claire Basille, Ernesto Bosch, Astrid E. P. Cantineau, Robert F. Casper, W. Ciampaglia, G. E. Cognigni, Ben J. Cohlen, C. Coughlan, Alan H DeCherney, Human Mousavi Fatemi, Bart C. J. M. Fauser, M. Filicori, Richard Fleming, Annalise Giallonardo, Shannon Gilmore, Georg Griesinger, Ahmet Helvacioglu, Hananel Holzer, Ziad Rafic Hubayter, Efstratios Kolibianakis, Gabor T. Kovacs, W. Ledger, Dan Levin, David R. Meldrum, Mohamed F. Mitwally, Monique Mochtar, Lamiya Mohiyiddeen, Francesco Morgia, Hany F. Moustafa, Suheil J. Muasher, Luciano G. Nardo, Geeta Nargund, L. Parmegiani, P. Pocognoli, Biljana Popović-Todorović, Botros Rizk, Marco Sbracia, Mauro Schimberni, William B. Schoolcraft, Eric S. Surrey, C. Tabarelli, Seang Lin Tan, George Tolis, Evert J. P. van Santbrink, Madelon van Wely, Paraskevi Xekouki
- Edited by Mohamed Aboulghar, Botros Rizk, University of South Alabama
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- Book:
- Ovarian Stimulation
- Published online:
- 05 August 2011
- Print publication:
- 23 December 2010, pp ix-xii
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Establishment of a national database to link epidemiological and molecular data from norovirus outbreaks in Ireland
- S. KELLY, B. FOLEY, L. DUNFORD, S. COUGHLAN, G. TUITE, M. DUFFY, S. MITCHELL, B. SMYTH, H. O'NEILL, P. McKEOWN, W. HALL, M. LYNCH
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- Journal:
- Epidemiology & Infection / Volume 136 / Issue 11 / November 2008
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 06 February 2008, pp. 1472-1479
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A prospective study of norovirus outbreaks in Ireland was carried out over a 1-year period from 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005. Epidemiological and molecular data on norovirus outbreaks in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Northern Ireland (NI) were collected and combined in real time in a common database. Most reported outbreaks occurred in hospitals and residential institutions and person-to-person spread was the predominant mode of transmission. The predominant circulating norovirus strain was the GII.4-2004 strain with a small number of outbreaks due to GII.2. This study represents the first time that enhanced epidemiological and virological data on norovirus outbreaks in Ireland have been described. The link established between the epidemiological and virological institutions during the course of this study has been continued and the data is being used as a source of data for the Foodborne Viruses in Europe Network (DIVINE-NET).
2 - The rice blast story: from genome sequence to function
- from I - Comparative and functional fungal genomics
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- By R. A. Dean, Center for Integrated Fungal Research Department of Plant Pathology 1200 Partners Building II Box 7251 North Carolina State University Raleigh NC 27695 USA, T. Mitchell, North Carolina State University Department of Plant Pathology Campus Box 7251 Raleigh NC 27695–7251 USA, R. Kulkarni, RTI 3040 Cornwallis Road Research Triangle Park NC 27709 USA, N. Donofrio, North Carolina State University Department of Plant Pathology Campus Box 7251 Raleigh NC 27695–7251 USA, A. Powell, North Carolina State University Department of Plant Pathology Campus Box 7251 Raleigh NC 27695–7251 USA, Y. Y. Oh, North Carolina State University Department of Plant Pathology Campus Box 7251 Raleigh NC 27695–7251 USA, S. Diener, North Carolina State University Department of Plant Pathology Campus Box 7253 Raleigh NC 27695–7253 USA, H. Pan, RTI 3040 Cornwallis Road Research Triangle Park NC 27709 USA, D. Brown, North Carolina State University Department of Plant Pathology Campus Box 7251 Raleigh NC 27695–7251 USA, J. Deng, North Carolina State University Department of Plant Pathology Campus Box 7251 Raleigh NC 27695–7251 USA, I. Carbone, North Carolina State University Department of Plant Pathology Campus Box 7244 Raleigh NC 27695–7244 USA, D. J. Ebbole, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology Peterson Building Rm 120 MS# 2132 Texas A&M University College Station TX 77843–2132 USA, M. Thon, Department of Computer Science 320C Peterson Building MS# 2132 Texas A&M University College Station TX 77843–2132 USA, M. L. Farman, Department of Plant Pathology University of Kentucky 1405 Veterans Drive Lexington KY 40546–0312 USA, M. J. Orbach, Department of Plant Pathology University of Arizona Forbes Room 105 PO Box 210036 Tucson AZ 85721–0036 USA, C. Soderlund, Director of Bioinformatics Department of Plant Science 303 Forbes Building Tucson AZ 85721 USA, J-R. Xu, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology 915 West State Street Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47906 USA, Y-H. Lee, Seoul National University School of Agricultural Biotechnology Suwon 441–744 Korea, N. J. Talbot, Department of Biological Sciences University of Exeter Hatherly Laboratories Prince of Wales Road Exeter EX4 4PS UK, S. Coughlan, Agilent Technologies Inc. Little Falls Site 2850 Centerville Road Wilmington DE 19808 USA, J. E. Galagan, The Broad Institute Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge MA 02139–4307 USA, B. W. Birren, The Broad Institute Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge MA 02139–4307 USA
- Edited by G. D. Robson, University of Manchester, Pieter van West, University of Aberdeen, Geoffrey Gadd, University of Dundee
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- Book:
- Exploitation of Fungi
- Published online:
- 05 October 2013
- Print publication:
- 24 May 2007, pp 10-22
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Summary
Introduction
Rice blast disease, caused by the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe grisea, is a serious and recurrent problem in all rice-growing regions of the world (Talbot, 2003; Valent & Chumley, 1991). It is estimated that each year enough rice is destroyed by rice blast disease to feed 60 million people. Control of this disease is difficult; new host-specific forms develop quickly to overcome host resistance and chemical control is typically not cost effective (Ou, 1987). Infections occur when fungal spores land and attach themselves to leaves using a special adhesive released from the tip of each spore (Hamer et al., 1988). The germinating spore develops an appressorium, a specialized infection cell, which generates enormous turgor pressure – up to 8 MPa – that ruptures the leaf cuticle allowing invasion of the underlying leaf tissue (de Jong et al., 1997; Dean, 1997). Subsequent colonization of the leaf produces disease lesions from which the fungus sporulates and spreads to new plants. When rice blast infects young rice seedlings, whole plants often die, while spread of the disease to the stems, nodes or panicle of older plants results in nearly total loss of the rice grain. Recent reports have further shown that the fungus has the capacity to infect plant roots (Sesma & Osbourn, 2004). Different host-limited forms of Magnaporthe also infect a broad range of grass species including wheat, barley and millet.