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Emissions d’ammoniac et de protoxyde d’azote au bâtiment et au stockage de fumiers bovins
No full textThe Presence of Pulses within a Meal can Alter Fat-Soluble Vitamin Bioavailability.
No full textScope : It is widely advised to increase pulse consumption. However, pulses are rich in molecules displaying lipid‐lowering properties, including fibers, phytates, saponins and tannins. We thus explored the effects of pulses on fat‐soluble vitamin bioavailability. Methods : We assessed vitamin A (β‐carotene and retinyl‐palmitate), vitamin E (α‐tocopherol), vitamin D (cholecalciferol) and vitamin K (phylloquinone) bioaccessibility, i.e. micellarization after in vitro digestion of meals containing either potatoes (control), household‐cooked or canned pulses. The obtained mixed micelles were delivered to Caco‐2 cells to evaluate vitamin uptake. We then specifically assessed the impact of fibers, phytates, saponins and tannins on both phylloquinone (used as a model vitamin) bioaccessibility and uptake. Results
: The presence of pulses significantly decreased both vitamin bioaccessibility (up to ‐65% for β‐carotene, ‐69% for retinyl‐palmitate, ‐45% for cholecalciferol, ‐53% for α‐tocopherol and ‐67% for phylloquinone) and uptake (‐40% for retinyl‐palmitate, ‐67% for cholecalciferol, ‐50% for α‐tocopherol and ‐57% for phylloquinone). Effects on bioaccessibility, but not on uptake, were dependent on pulse cooking method. Phylloquinone bioaccessibility was specifically impacted by saponins, tannins and fibers while its uptake was impacted by saponins, fibers and phytates. Conclusion : Pulses can alter fat‐soluble micronutrient bioavailability. Pulses should thus be cooked appropriately and consumed within micronutrient‐rich meals
Organic farming expansion drives natural enemy abundance but not diversity in vineyard‐dominated landscapes
No full textOrganic farming is seen as a prototype of ecological intensification potentially able to conciliate crop productivity and biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes. However, how natural enemies, an important functional group supporting pest control services, respond to organic farming at different scales and in different landscape contexts remain unclear. Using a hierarchical design within a vineyard-dominated region located in southwestern France, we examine the independent effects of organic farming and semi-natural habitats at the local and landscape scales on natural enemies. We show that the proportion of organic farming is a stronger driver of species abundance than the proportion of semi-natural habitats and is an important facet of landscape heterogeneity shaping natural enemy assemblages. Although our study highlights a strong taxonomic group-dependency about the effect of organic farming, organic farming benefits to dominant species while rare species occur at the same frequency in the two farming systems. Independently of farming systems, enhancing field age, reducing crop productivity, soil tillage intensity, and pesticide use are key management options to increase natural enemy biodiversity. Our study indicates that policies promoting the expansion of organic farming will benefit more to ecological intensification strategies seeking to enhance ecosystem services than to biodiversity conservation
Agroforestry systems provide firewood for livelihood improvement in Guatemala
No full textGiven the context of climate change and poverty, rural populations are increasingly faced with the challenges of appropriate resource management, adequate food production and improving their quality of life. Guatemala has to cope with climate change and poverty while taking its agricultural production into account. In this regard, agroforestry systems have been proposed as an alternative method of sustainable production. This article presents a comparison between conventional cropping systems and enriched agroforestry systems in Camotan and Jocotan. The results show that the enriched agroforestry system contributed to 65% of the firewood compared to 7% from the conventional cropping system. Families using the conventional cropping system extracted 81% of their firewood from the forest, while families using the enriched agroforestry system extracted only 32%. The firewood produced by the enriched agroforestry system provided an additional benefit to women, children and young people tasked with carrying the bundles, in that they no longer needed to travel long distances to supply the household. Families constructed and adapted empirical knowledge on tree management into their cropping systems. The enriched agroforestry system is thus presented as a potential solution for meeting the annual demand for firewood. Land tenure security influences rural families' decision to invest or innovate. Agroforestry systems play a key role in augmenting resources and improving quality of life
Genetic evidence for transboundary circulation of Peste Des Petits Ruminants across West Africa
No full textPeste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease affecting predominantly small ruminants. Due to its transboundary nature, regional coordination of control strategies will be key to the success of the on-going PPR eradication campaign. Here, we aimed at exploring the extent of transboundary movement of PPR in West Africa using phylogenetic analyses based on partial viral gene sequences. We collected samples and obtained partial nucleoprotein gene sequence from PPR-infected small ruminants across countries within West and Central Africa. This new sequence data was combined with publically available data from the region to perform phylogenetic analyses. A total of fifty-five sequences were obtained in a region still poorly sampled. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the majority of virus sequences obtained in this study were placed within genetic clusters regrouping samples from multiple West African and Central African countries. Some of these clusters contained samples from countries sharing borders. In other cases, clusters grouped samples from very distant countries. Our results suggest extensive and recurrent transboundary movements of PPR within West Africa, supporting the need for a regional coordinated strategy for PPR surveillance and control in the region. Simple phylogenetic analyses based on readily available data can provide information on PPR transboundary dynamics and, therefore, could contribute to improve control strategies. On-going and future projects dedicated to PPR should include extensive genetic characterization and phylogenetic analyses of circulating viral strains in their effort to support the campaign for global eradication of the disease
Fine Comminution of Pine Bark: How Does Mechanical Loading Influence Particles Properties and Milling Efficiency?
No full textThe use of lignocellulosic plant biomass as an alternative to fossil feedstocks for chemistry, energy and materials often involves an intense dry comminution step, for which the energy consumed can vary significantly according to the process parameters, the particle size targeted, and the properties of the biomass. Here we studied the fine milling of maritime pine bark in an impact-mill configuration and in an attrition-mill configuration. The properties of the resulting powders (particle size distribution, particle shape, specific surface area, agglomeration level) obtained in each configuration were compared in relation to process energy consumption. Results evidenced that the agglomeration phenomena drive milling efficiency and limit the possibilities for reaching ultrafine particles. Interestingly, impact loading proved more effective at breaking down coarse particles but tended to generate high agglomeration levels, whereas attrition milling led to less agglomeration and thus to finer particle
A Beauveria bassiana strain naturally parasitizing the bee predator Vespa velutina in France
No full textVespa velutina is a hornet predator of bees that was accidentally introduced in Europe from China in 2004. Since its arrival, it expanded through Europe, impacting both biodiversity and beekeeping. As there are currently no biological alternatives to chemical treatment of V velutina nests, we need more studies on the development of potential biological control methods. We present here a further description of an indigenous strain of entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana that was discovered naturally parasitizing a foundresses of V velutina in France. The genus was identified by its macro and micro morphological characteristics and the specie by molecular techniques. It growing preferences were described according temperature conditions, and the potential in using such entomopathogens as a biological control agent against V velutina was also discussed here, first at least to replace currently occurring direct chemical treatments, and then potentially to be integrated in future Trojan horse strategies
Linking soil's volatilome to microbes and plant roots highlights the importance of microbes as emitters of belowground volatile signals
No full textPlants and microbes release a plethora of volatiles that act as signals in plant-microbe interactions. Characterizing soil's volatilome and microbiome might shed light on the nature of relevant volatile signals and on their emitters. This hypothesis was tested by characterizing plant cover, soil's volatilome, nutrient content and microbiomes in three grasslands of the Swiss Jura Mountains. The fingerprints of soil's volatiles were generated by solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, whereas high-throughput sequencing was used to create a snapshot of soil's microbial communities. A high similarity was observed in plant communities of two out of three sites, which was mirrored by the soil's volatilome. Multiple factor analysis evidenced a strong association among soil's volatilome, plant and microbial communities. The proportion of volatiles correlated to single bacterial and fungal taxa was higher than for plants. This suggests that those organisms might be major contributors to the volatilome of grassland soils. These findings illustrate that key volatiles in grassland soils might be emitted by a handful of organisms that include specific plants and microbes. Further work will be needed to unravel the structure of belowground volatiles and understand their implications for plant health and development
Genetic determinism of abdominal fat tissue and relationships with body weight and egg quality in Rhode Island Red
No full textThe objective of this study was to investigate the phenotypic and genetic relationships between the presence/absence of abdominal fat tissue in males of 90 weeks (AFT♂), male and female body weight at 70 weeks (BW♂ and BW♀), and egg quality at 70 weeks (EW: egg weight, ESC: egg shell colour, ESS: egg shell strength, AH: albumen height) in laying hens. Weight and egg quality records were routinely collected between 2010 and 2015 on a Rhode Island Red line selected by NOVOGEN (83316 records from 9586 animals). Abdominal fat notations were performed on 987 males born between 2010 and 2012, which were genotyped on the 600K Affymetrix® Axiom® HD genotyping array. Phenotypic correlations were calculated with R, genetic analyses were performed with BLUPF90 programs. Heritability estimate for AFT♂ was about 0.21. The GWAS showed that a region in chromosome 3 (between 0.0 and 3.1 Mbp) and another in chromosome 4 (between 83.8 and 84.5 Mbp) were associated with AFT♂ (-logP≥4.0). AFT♂ was moderately correlated to BW♂ (phenotypic: 0.31, genetic: 0.21), weakly correlated to BW♀(rg=0.10), and not correlated to egg quality. Heritability estimate for BW♂ was about 0.43 and this trait was correlated to BW♀, EW and ESC (rg=0.67, 0.38 and 0.11 respectively). Heritability estimate for BW♀ was about 0.66 and this trait was correlated to EW, ESC, and ESS (rg=0.40, 0.39 and -0.17 respectively). Further investigations are needed on the relationships between female body fat reserves and egg production to better understand the energy allocation in extended laying periods
Climatic and regional antibiotic resistance patterns of Staphylococcus aureus in South African dairy herds
No full textSouth Africa is a large country of approximately 1.22 million km(2), made up of nine provinces with three climatic zones. Farming in the country is mostly defined by regional differences. Of the different organisms isolated from milk samples of dairy cows, Staphylococcus aureus poses a challenge to maintain udder health and wholesome dairy products for human consumption. Antibiotic resistant bacteria are therefore a potential health hazard. The objective of this study was to investigate the seasonal and regional relationships of antibiotic resistance of S. aureus, of which little is known. This study was undertaken to evaluate a data set of 3410 S. aureus isolates, taken from milk samples with a somatic cell count of > 400 000 cells/mL from commercial dairy herds. These isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using the Kirby Bauer method for ampicillin, cloxacillin, penicillin G, clindamycin, oxy-tetracycline, cephalexin, cefuroxime and tylosin. The samples were from 830 dairy herds, out of the estimated 2000 commercial dairy herds in South Africa. All the antibiotics tested, except for cephalosporins, showed a predicted prevalence of resistance of above 50% in most provinces, which is a concern. The lowest prevalence of resistance to the majority of the categories of antibiotics tested was present in KwaZulu-Natal during spring. The cephalosporins had the lowest levels of prevalence of bacterial resistance in Gauteng during winter. Resistance patterns of S. aureus to the eight antibiotics varied in the different seasons and provinces, possibly because of different weather conditions, and the action and spectrum of antibiotics