Scientific Journals of INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria)
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Phylogenetics of the genus Sechium P. Brown: A review
Full text linkThe Sechium P. Br. genus composed of 11 species, which originated from the mountainous regions of Mesoamerica, have been domesticated and diversified. These species are clustered in two large groups: the Mexican clade and the Central American clade. Morphological and molecular studies have shown that species of the Mexican clade are formed through interspecific hybridizations and genetic flow, with the exception of S. mexicanum, which is strongly linked to the genus Sicyos. The objective of this review was to analyze the phylogenetics of Sechium based on morphological and molecular studies, which contributed to taxonomic knowledge and utilization, thereby favoring its conservation and improvement. The Central American clade is well supported with molecular data, but not so with morphological data. The species in this clade were geographically isolated and endemic. S. edule and S. tacaco are exploited species in the agricultural and industrial sectors, and both have an extensive genetic and phenotypic diversity that has allowed them to diversify and expand into different ecological niches. Finally, the Central American species of Sechium thrive in adverse environments of temperatures of mesophyll forest and high relative humidity, with characteristics that can give resistance to frosts and phytopathogenic agents, as well as cultivated species of this genus
Short communication: A potential role of tannins in the control of American foulbrood
Full text linkAim of study: To evaluate the use of tannins extracts in the control of the American foulbrood pathology and to investigate if these extracts present levels of toxicity on Apis mellifera.Area of study: Paenibacillus larvae strains C1 and C2 were from Balcarce, province of Buenos Aires, strain C6 from Rio Cuarto, in Cordoba province and strain C9 from Concordia in Entre Rios province. Bees larvae used for toxicological assays were collected in Santa Paula experimental apiary, Mar del Plata (belonging to the Centro de Investigación en Abejas Sociales (CIAS-IIPROSAM) from UNMdP.Material and methods: The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of five different tannin extracts were obtained by agar diffusion method on four P. larvae strains; using the MIC value, the toxicity test on A. mellifera larvae was performed afterwards.Main results: The MIC value was in the range of 6.9 to 898.6 µg/mL. Three tannin extracts did not show toxicity against bee larvae; however, those that were fed with the latter showed a significant increase in weight.Research highlights: Three tanninS extracts showed a good antimicrobial activity against P. larvae and they did not show toxicity against bee larvae
Short Communication: Performance of steers fed on pasture receiving different seeding rates of vetch in an integrated crop-livestock system
Full text linkAim of study: To evaluate the performance of beef calves fed black oat and Italian ryegrass pasture seeded with several different seeding rates (SR) of common vetch in a crop-livestock integrated system.Area of study: The experiment was carried out in Dois Vizinhos city, Paraná, Brazil.Material and methods: An area of 8.3 ha was used, which was divided into 11 paddocks, 0.75 ha each. Nellore calves (n = 22), 7 ± 2 months old and with initial body weight of 134 ± 27 kg were used for the tests. The experimental design was completely randomised. Vetch (Vicia sativa L., ‘Amethyst’) SR treatments included 0, 15, 30, and 45 kg ha-1, in a mixture with black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb. ‘IPR 61’ and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) pastures.Main results: There was no effect of SR on pasture productivity parameters. The increase in vetch seed in the seed mixture resulted in an increase in crude protein and neutral detergent fibre, but decreased in vitro digestibility of vetch. However, these changes did not affect the nutritional value of the pasture. Vetch SR of 30 kg ha-1 or higher allowed greater share of the legume in the pasture, thereby enhancing greater individual animal performanceResearch highlights: Vetch SR of 30 kg ha-1 or higher allowed greater share of the legume in the pasture, thereby enhancing greater individual animal performance
Effect of stocking density and use of environmental enrichment materials on the welfare and the performance of pigs in the growth and finishing phases
Full text linkAim of study: To evaluate the effects of stocking density and the use of environmental enrichment (EE) objects on the welfare and the performance of pigs in the growing and finishing phases.Area of study: The southern region of Brazil.Material and methods: A total of 240 pigs, 120 immunocastrated males and 120 females, with an initial weight of 22.38 ± 2.38 kg and mean age of 65 days, were submitted to two stocking densities conditions (0.85 and 1.28 m²pig) with and without EE for 117 days. The experimental design was a 2×2×2 factorial (two categories, two densities, and two EE conditions), with six replicates. Performance variables and behavior were evaluated.Main results: For stocking density, there was a significant difference in the finishing phase from 148 to 161 days of age for the final weight (FW), average daily weight gain (ADWG), and feed conversion rate (FCR). For the EE factor, there was no difference in any of the phases or in the overall period. In the overall period, the higher availability of space improved the results of FW (140.56 kg vs 136.63 kg), ADWG (1.005 kg vs 0.974 kg), and FCR (2.05 vs 2.10). There was no effect of EE, stocking densities, or their interaction on the frequency of different behaviors of the pigs in the growth and finishing phases.Research highlights: There was no effect of interactions between enriched environments, stocking densities, and sex for animal performance and behavioral frequencies; however, differences between the factors were observed separately. The higher availability of space improved the results of FW, ADWG, and FCR
The impacts of agricultural support on enhancing the efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability of sheep breeding: The case of Niğde and Aksaray provinces, Turkey
Full text linkAim of the study: The sheep breeding sector in Turkey has lost its potential to become a highly competitive and efficient sector despite a number of policies being implemented over the years. Therefore, the objective of the study was to empirically evaluate the competitiveness of sheep breeding and the determinants of the technical efficiency of the sector as well as the current impacts of agricultural policies on the performance of the sector.Area of study: Niğde and Aksaray provinces of TR71 region in Turkey.Material and methods: The required primary data were obtained through a face-to-face survey from 110 sheep breeders. Two methodological approaches, namely Stochastic Frontier Analysis and Policy Analysis Matrix, were used.Main results: The support policies caused an inefficiency in allocation of already scarce resources in sheep breeding, but not ensure to increase the competitiveness at both national and international levels. Sheep farms could increase their income by up to 50% without changing the level of input by taking into account the factors that caused inefficiency in sheep breeding. The major determinants that decreased efficiency were current subsidies for sheep breeding, herd size and the excessive utilization of family labour, while the factors that increased the efficiency were sheep race, access to extension services, grazing period and location. Besides, Domestic Resource Cost (DRC) value in the efficient farms decreased to 0.88, implying that they had a comparative advantage.Research highlights: Implementation of structural support policies with long term would enhance efficiency of sheep farms and ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector
Effect of microencapsulated phenolic compound extracts of Maclura tinctoria (L.) Steud on growth performance and humoral immunity markers of white leg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei, Boone, 1931) juveniles
Full text linkAim of study: The effect of microencapsulated phenolic compound extracts of Maclura tinctoria (MTBE) on growth performance and humoral immunity markers of the white leg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei juveniles (0.5 ± 0.2 g initial weight) was studied.Area of study: M. tinctoria was collected from Hampolol, Campeche, and Arroyo del Agua, Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.Material and methods: Three MTBE inclusions (0.5, 1, and 2.5 g MTBE/kg, Purina®) were compared with a control commercial feed (Purina®) during 30 days. Nine phenolic acids, nine flavonols, four dihydro-flavonoids, four flavones, and seven unidentified phenolic compounds were determined fin the MTBE using a Perkin Elmer® HPLC chromatograph and diode array-detection.Main results: The mean concentrations of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoid compounds, and condensed tannins were 198.05 ± 5.59 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) g-1 dw, 78.57 ± 1.80 quercetin equivalent g-1, and 28.32 ± 0.33 mg epicatechin equivalent g-1, respectively. The ferric reducing antioxidant power and the total antioxidant capacity, respectively, averaged 28.32 mg GAE mL-1 and 10.9 mg ascorbic acid equivalent mL-1. Survival, weight gain, and specific growth rate of L. vannamei were similar among the experimental diets. The dietary inclusion of MTBE at 0.5 g/kg of food showed significant higher (p < 0.05) plasma hemocyte lysate protein (1.35 ± 0.055 µg mL-1), prophenoloxidase (0.47 ± 0.15, Abs. 492 nm), and superoxide anion (O2.-) activity (0.21 ± 0.07, Abs. 630 nm).Research highlights: The supplementation of MTBE at 0.5 g/kg of food could be considered as a potential alternative additive for L. vannamei diet in the juvenile production, since it improved the response of the humoral immunity markers at post larval life stages, when cultivated shrimp are more susceptible to be infected by pathogens
Vaccination programs, parity, and calving season as factors affecting the risk of fetal losses and mummified fetuses in Holstein cows
Full text linkAim of the study: To investigate vaccination programs, parity, and calving season as factors affecting the risk of abortion and mummified fetuses in Holstein cows.Area of study: Hot zone of Northeast Mexico.Material and methods: Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between peripartum disorders, parity, previous occurrence of abortion, season of calving, vaccination program, incidence of abortion, and mummified fetuses in Holstein cows.Main results: For 7014 pregnancies (2886 cows), the percentage of cows aborting and having mummified fetuses was 17.7% and 1.1%, respectively. As the number of brucellosis vaccinations increased, the incidence of abortion increased (10.4% for a single vaccination and 38.0% for 6 accumulated vaccinations). Abortion for cows having 1-2 previous abortions (56%) and >2 abortions (77%) was fivefold and sevenfold greater (p<0.01), respectively, than that for cows without previous abortion. Other important risk factors for abortion were number of calvings (19.8% for nulliparous and primiparous vs. 13.8% for >3 parturitions; OR=1.7, p<0.01), leptospirosis vaccine application <55 days postpartum (dpp; OR=1.3, p<0.05), viral vaccine application >37 dpp (OR=1.3, p<0.01), brucellosis vaccine application >20 dpp (OR=1.6, p<0.01), and no application of clostridial vaccine (OR=3.7, p<0.01). Significant risk factors for mummified fetuses were application of ≥3 brucellosis vaccinations (OR=3.3, p<0.01), no application of 10-way clostridial vaccine (OR=2.3, p<0.01), >2 previous abortions (OR=18.4, p<0.01), and calving in autumn (OR=0.4, compared to winter, p<0.05).Research highlights: Risk of abortion and mummified fetuses in Holstein cows has been found to be related to vaccination programs
Short communication: Sublethal effects of insecticides used in strawberry on Trichogramma pretiosum (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)
Full text linkAim of study: Assessment of toxicity and sublethal effects of registered insecticides currently used in strawberry cultivation in Brazil on Trichogramma pretiosum Riley adults.Area of study: The study was conducted under laboratory conditions in Paraná (Brazil).Material and methods: Previously non-parasitized Duponchelia fovealis Zeller (Lepidoptera: Cambridae) eggs were dipped into insecticide dilutions or control solution. Seven active ingredients were tested: thiamethoxam, abamectin, azadirachtin, spinetoram, chlorfenapyr, lambda-cyhalothrin and chlorpyriphos. Side-effects of pesticides were quantified by measuring mortality on T. pretiosum females in 24 h, longevity after exposure to the insecticides, parasitism and emergence rates, and offspring sex ratio. These traits were also measured on the second generation.Main results: According to IOBC criteria, thiamethoxam was classified as harmless; abamectin, chlorfenapyr and spinetoram as slightly toxic; azadirachtin and lambda-cyhalothrin as moderately toxic and chlorpyriphos as toxic. The emergence rate of T. pretiosum secondgeneration was not significantly affected by thiamethoxam, abamectin, azadirachtin, and chlorfenapyr. Sublethal effects caused by azadirachtin, abamectin and chlorfenapyr were verified in the secondgeneration.Research highlights: The information generated by this study is useful for designing future biological control strategies in integrated pest management programs against D. fovealis