Scientific Journals of INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria)
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Differential response of Iberian and lean pig crossbreeds to dietary linoleic acid administration
Get PDFWe aimed to determine whether the response of linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6) tissue concentration to dietary C18:2 n-6 administration, in the finishing period, is done in a different way in Iberian pig compared with a lean genotype. Therefore, 48 pigs, 24 of a lean genotype (Large White × Great York) and 24 of a fat genotype (Iberian × Duroc) were offered three commercial diets, for each genetic type, in order to provide three levels of C18:2 n-6, but maintaining constant the concentration of saturated and linolenic fatty acids (FA) in each genotype. Samples from adipose tissue (subcutaneous backfat and intramuscular fat (IMF) from Longissimus dorsi muscle) were taken. Six pigs of each genotype (two per each C18:2 n-6 level) were slaughtered at the start of the trial to estimate initial fatty acids composition. The C18:2 n-6 proportions at slaughter were higher in the subcutaneous backfat outer layer than in subcutaneous backfat inner layer for both genetic types. In both backfat layers, as the dietary C18:2 n-6 increased, the C18:2 n-6 proportions also increased in both genotypes. In IMF, the concentration of C18:2 n-6 was also altered in lean genotype according to dietary treatment, but no response was observed in Iberian pigs. Linoleic acid concentrations was higher in lean pig genotypes than in the Iberian pig, both in subcutaneous and IMF throughout the whole range of dietary linoleic acid concentration used in this experiment. These results indicate the resistance of Iberian pig to modify the proportion of linoleic in their tissues, particularly in the IMF
Genetic parameters of live body weight, body measurements, greasy fleece weight, and reproduction traits in Makuie sheep breed
Get PDFGenetic parameters of production and reproduction traits were estimated using 39,926 records from 5,860 individual progenies of 163 sires and 1,558 dams. The data were collected at Makuie Sheep Breeding and Raising Station (Maku, Iran) from 1989 through 2013. Nineteen traits were classified in four main groups: a) live body weight traits, b) body measurement traits, c) greasy fleece weight traits, and d) reproduction traits. Year of birth, lamb sex, age of dam, and birth type were considered as fixed effects in the animal model. Four different animal models that are differentiated by including or excluding maternal effects were fitted for each trait. The Akaike information criterion was used to determine the most appropriate model for each trait. Parameters were overestimated substantially when maternal effects, either genetic or environmental, were ignored from the models. By ignoring the maternal effects, the traits could be classified into three main groups: body live weight traits with high heritability (0.34-0.46), body measurement and greasy fleece weight traits with medium heritability (0.11-0.27) and reproduction traits with low heritability (0.03-0.20). The genetic correlations among the traits ranged from-0.41 to 0.99. The estimated genetic parameters may be used to set up short/long term breeding program for the selection purpose of Makuie sheep breed
Linseed, microalgae or fish oil dietary supplementation affects performance and quality characteristics of light lambs
Get PDFThe aim of this work was to improve the fatty acid profile of meat from light lamb, frequently reared in Spain and in other Mediterranean countries. A total of 44 light lambs fed different n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids sources were studied: control (C) (palm oil), extruded linseed (L), extruded linseed mixed with microalgae (LM) and fish oil (FO). The productive performance from 14.7 to 26.2 kg of live weights and meat quality characteristics during refrigerated storage were assessed. Lambs fed FO showed lower feed intake (p <0.001), average daily gain (p <0.001) and higher feed conversion ratio (p <0.001) than lambs from the other treatments. Fish oil meat had the lowest (p <0.01) protein proportion and the highest (p <0.001) C20:5n-3, C22:5n-3 and C22:6n-3 proportions, while L or LM produced the highest (p <0.001) C18:3n-3 deposition. Fish oil meat had higher (p <0.05) L* and lower (p <0.001) a* than meats from the other treatments. After 7 days of storage, FO meat showed the highest TBARS (p <0.001), while C meat showed similar value to 0 days of storage. Additionally, FO underwent higher microbial growth after 7 days of storage as compared to the other treatments. Dietary supplementation with L and LM leads to C18:3n-3 meat enrichment and to a microbial load and colour characteristics similar to those of C, without adverse effect on lamb performance. However the use of FO improves the fatty acid profile of meat, but negatively affects lamb performance and meat quality
Short communication. Effect of soybean meal heat procedures on growth performance of broiler chickens
Get PDFThe aim of this research was to study the effect of soybean meal (SBM) heat procedures on growth performance of broiler chickens. A trial was carried out using 200 male Ross 308 strain chickens during 3 feeding periods (starter, grower and finisher, 42 days). The experiment was based on a completely randomized design with 5 treatments giving 4 replications of 10 broilers per treatment. Treatments consisted on: T1 (control, un-processed SBM), T2 (autoclaved SBM: 121ºC, 20 min), T3 (autoclaved SBM: 121ºC, 30 min), T4 (roasted SBM: 120ºC, 20 min) and T5 (microwaved SBM: 46ºC, 540 watt, 7 min). Growth performance of animals was examined by determining body weight (BW), body weight grain (BWG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion rate (FCR). Higher BW (p<0.05) and BWG (p<0.05) and lower FCR (p<0.05) were found in broiler chickens fed heat processed SBM diets compared to those fed a raw SBM diet, probably due to higher nutrient availability. However, no differences were found among heat SBM procedures (autoclaving, roasting and microwaving) on growth performance of animals for the starter, grower and finisher periods. From the results of this experiment, it is concluded that further research needs to be developed to establish the effect of temperature-time heat procedures on nutritive value of SBM in terms of levels of anti-nutritional factors (trypsin inhibitor activity and phytic acid) and amino acids profile and its influence on growth performance of broilers
Using the DNDC model to compare soil organic carbon dynamics under different crop rotation and fertilizer strategies
Get PDFSoil organic carbon (SOC) plays a vital role in determining soil fertility, water holding capacity and susceptibility to land degradation. On the Chinese Loess Plateau, a large amount of crop residues is regularly removed; therefore, this agricultural area mainly depends on fertilizer inputs to maintain crop yields. This paper aims to use a computer simulation model (DeNitrification and DeComposition, or DNDC) to estimate the changes of SOC content and crop yield from 1998 to 2047 under different cropping systems, providing some strategies to maintain the SOC in balance and to increase crop yields. The results demonstrated that: (i) single manure application or combined with nitrogen fertilizer could significantly enhance the SOC content and crop yield on the sloped land, terraced field and flat land; and (ⅱ) in contrast to sloped land and terraced field, the SOC content and crop yield both continuously increased in flat fields, indicating that the flat field in this region is a good soil surface for carbon sequestration. These results emphasize that application of manure combined with nitrogen fertilizer would be a better management practice to achieve a goal of increasing soil carbon sequestration and food security
Broadening the genetic base of Abyssinian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) through introgression of genes from related allotetraploid species
Get PDFBrassica carinata (BBCC, 2n=34) has still to emerge as a major oilseed crop owing to poor agronomic attributes like long stature, long maturity duration and low seed yield. The restricted amount of genetic variability available in natural B. carinata necessitates utilization of new sources of variability for broadening its genetic base. Interspecific hybridization followed by selection in selfed and back cross progenies was employed to generate useful variability into B. carinata cv ˈPC5ˈ from elite lines of Brassica napus (AACC, 2n=38) and Brassica juncea (AABB, 2n=36). The morphological evaluation of 24 stable introgressed progenies revealed wide range of variability for key economic traits. The progenies with mean maturity duration of 161 ± 2.1 days, short stature of 139.5 ± 6.5 cm and seed yield per plant of 18.6 ± 2.0 g in comparison to the corresponding figures of 168 ± 4.6 days, 230.6 ± 12.7 cm and 12.0 ± 2.4 g in ˈPC5ˈ (recurrent parent) were recovered. Diversity analysis at morphological level revealed that 22 out of 24 stable introgressed progenies were grouped with B. carinata ˈPC5ˈ at average taxonomic distance of 1.19. The diversity at molecular level using 25 polymorphic and reproducible RAPD primers revealed that 19 out of 21 introgressed progenies grouped with B. carinata ˈPC5ˈ at a similarity coefficient of 0.68. The clusters in general represent a wide range of genetic diversity in the back cross lines of B. carinata as a result of introgression of genes from elite lines of B. napus and B. juncea parents
Assessment of the viability of using saline reclaimed water in grapefruit in medium to long term
Get PDFCitrus trees are strongly affected by salinity, especially in countries where irrigation is required as a semi-arid Mediterranean agronomic region. The aims of the study were i) to identify the best reliable plant-based water status indicator for field grown grapefruit trees irrigated with saline reclaimed water during five years of cultivation by measuring seasonal changes in physiological parameters (i.e. gas exchange and stem water potential measurements), leaf structural traits (i.e. leaf chlorophyll content, area-based leaf nitrogen and area-based dry mass), phytotoxic elements and yield; ii) to estimate phytotoxicity thresholds at leaf level. Our results showed that the chlorophyll content was the parameter with the highest number of measures with significant differences (p≤0.05, ANOVA) between trees irrigated with reclaimed water and control trees throughout growing stages. Moreover, Chl a increased linearly with area-based leaf nitrogen (R2=0.63; p<0.001) and area-based dry mass (R2=0.64; p<0.001). We also determined the salt-induced phytotoxicity thresholds at which a reduction in yields occurs; these levels were Na: 0.1 g/100 g, Cl: 0.6 g/100 gand B: 100 ppm. In conclusion, we revealed the importance of leaf chlorophyll measurements as a significance diagnostic indicator of salt stress on field grown grapefruit trees. This parameter was also related to plant-based water status indicators such as stem water potential, stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis. Additionally, a salt accumulation potential at leaf level was shown, leading to possible risk in crop sustainability in the medium to long term
Soil nematode responses to fertilization with ammonium nitrate after six years of unfertilized apple orchard
Get PDFA nematode community was used as a bioindicator of changes in agroecosystems caused by fertilization. The effect of applying nitrogen (N) fertilizer on a soil nematode community structure was studied in a soil which had not been fertilized for six years in the Rio Negro Valley, Argentina. Treatments were: i) 100 kg N ha-1 (N100); ii) 200 kg N ha-1 (N200); in each case 50% of the dosage was applied at the time of petal fall and 50% at fruit harvest in 2004/2005, 2005/2006, 2006/2007 growing seasons; and iii) control with no fertilizer (N0). Soil samples were collected in the 0 to 30 cm soil layer in October, November, April and July in each growing season. The number of bacterivores increased in N200 compared to N0. Cephalobidae were present in greater numbers in N200 than in N100 and N0. Predator abundance was lower under N200, after the first N application in each growing season. The ratio of fungivores to bacterivores (F/B) was 0.21, 0.3 and 0.41 in N200, N100 and N0, respectively. N200 resulted in a community with a lower maturity index (MI) than N0. Structure index (SI) was lower in N200 than N100 and N0. The enrichment index (EI) was less sensitive at detecting fertilizer effects. In November and April, soil nitrate concentrations were higher in N200 than in N100 and N0. Soil nitrate concentration was positively correlated with EI and negatively with MI, SI and F/B. N200 affected the trophic structure of the nematode community consistent with a less stable soil system
Impact of infiltration parameters and Manning roughness on the advance trajectory and irrigation performance for closed-end furrows
Get PDFEvaluation of furrow irrigation systems requires accurate estimation of soil infiltration parameters and Manning roughness, and the impact of variations of those parameters should be considered. The objectives of this paper were to verify the reliability of the infiltration parameters and Manning roughness estimated with SIPAR_ID software, and to analyze the impacts of different combinations between soil infiltration parameters and Manning roughness on the water trajectory and irrigation performance for closed-end furrows. The study consisted of field experiments and numerical simulation. Field experiments using Fuji apple trees were conducted in three villages of the Yangling district in October 2007. Infiltration parameters and Manning roughness were estimated with SIPAR_ID software. The estimated values were input into the WinSRFR software, and the advance trajectory and flow depths in the upstream were simulated on each furrow. The results show that the simulated values with WinSRFR software were in good agreement with measured data. Thus, the infiltration parameters and Manning roughness estimated with SIPAR_ID software were reliable. It was found that the water advance trajectory and the irrigation performance were not sensitive to variations of Manning roughness, but they were very sensitive to the variation of soil infiltration parameters laterally across the field between the furrows. Therefore, the average of Manning roughness on the whole field can be used as a representative value to simulate the advance trajectory and irrigation performance for every furrow. However, during the simulations, the variations of the soil infiltration parameters for different furrows across the field must be taken into account. Otherwise, significant errors can be produced in the simulated water advance trajectory and irrigation performance
Characterization of native perennial ryegrasses for persistence in mediterranean rainfed conditions
Get PDFForage varieties of Lolium perenne L. (perennial ryegrass) available on the seed market generally show low persistence in rainfed Mediterranean conditions. Eleven native populations of perennial ryegrass from Corsica and Sardinia, previously chosen for their ability to re-grow after summer drought, were grown in a 3-year field experiment in Sardinia (Italy). The objective was to characterize these populations for traits linked with persistence in rainfed conditions under low input management. Their differentiation and stability over time were assessed for some morphological traits (tiller, spike and flag leaf length, number of spikelets spike-1, spikelet and glume length). In addition, some agronomic traits (canopy height, dry matter and seed yield, spike emergence date) and physiological traits (canopy temperature and leaf area index) were observed to identify, using a multivariate approach, correlations with persistence. A significant variability between accessions was observed for all the morphological traits over the three years of observation; a significant Accession × Year interaction was found for tiller length, flag leaf length and number of spikelet/spike with a plastic adaptation to weather conditions of some populations, these traits being the most important contributors to persistence. The most persistent perennial ryegrass accession proved to be the most vigorous and early flowering one. Some contrasting accessions represent valuable resources to be exploited into breeding programs based on Mediterranean germplasm, in order to provide farmers with perennial ryegrass varieties adapted for different purposes and which are able to survive to more frequent hot and dry summer conditions in a context of climate change