bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Causes of early flowering in tabacco
Authors: Hopkinson JM
Published: November 2004

Two factors believed to be involved in the early flowering of tobacco, the timing of transplanting relative to seedling development, and the effects of low temperature, were investigated. Early flowering in the field appeared to be due to the occurrence of floral induction in the seed-bed. If the shoot apex became irreversibly committed to flower before transplanting, flower initiation at a low node took place soon afterwards. The risk of floral induction in the seed-bed increased with seedling age, but diminished if the seedlings were retarded through drought. In controlled conditions, ripeness-to-flower of a short-day cultivar was judged to be dependent on the attainment of a minimum plant size corresponding to a minimum leaf area of about 25 cm2, and was reached sooner at 30/25 than at 20/15°C. Floral induction, however, proceeded more quickly at the lower temperature. The minimum effective inductive period was 10 days, after which floral differentiation was quicker at the higher temperature. Thus the plant's response to temperature depended very much on its stage of development.
Corrigendum - Efficacy of cobalt pellets for providing cobalt for penned sheep
Authors: Dewey DW , Lee HJ , Marston HR
Published: November 2004

Cobalt pellets introduced into the rumens of sheep, either singly or accompanied by an abrasive steel grinder or by a second pellet, have been shown to be equally as effective, over a period of more than 5 years, as a supplement of 1 mg Co/day per os in maintaining health, body weight, and adequate concentrations of vitamin B12 in liver and serum of sheep fed on a cobalt-deficient ration in pens. Comparison of the weight losses of pellets recovered from the rumens in which they were carried, either singly or together with another heavy object, and studies with pellets containing 60Co have shown that release of cobalt from a pellet which is accompanied by an abrading device is significantly greater than when a single pellet is carried in the rumen. Increase of the calcium acetate content of the diet increased the rate of release of cobalt from the pellet.
Genetic and phenotypic parameters for wool characteristics in fine-wool Merino, Corriedale, and Polwarth sheep. I. Influence of various factors on production
Authors: Mullaney PD , Brown GH , Young SSY , Hyland PG
Published: November 2004

Estimates are given of the change in the level of production of 10 fleece characteristics of four Merino, one Polwarth, and three Corriedale flocks, in Victoria associated with variation in property, breed, season, property x season, age, and reproductive status. There was a decrease with age of characteristics associated with wool weight, and a decline in general wool quality. The decline was approximately linear for most characteristics from ewes of 3 years of age. Lactation was generally more severe than pregnancy in reducing wool production. The estimates of the effect of age on wool characteristics are used to assess the likely quantity and quality of wool produced by flocks of different age structures. These estimates may be used in conjunction with reproductive performance data to plan for maximum wool production.
Factors affecting the urinary excretion of urea nitrogen in cattle. II. The plasma urea nitrogen concentration
Authors: Thornton RF
Published: November 2004

The relationships between the plasma urea concentration and clearance variables associated with urinary urea excretion were investigated in urea-supplemented cattle. The plasma urea concentration was related to the urinary urea output, and thus to the urea clearance and the fraction of filtered urea excreted. It is suggested that the urine flow rate was influenced by urinary urea excretion, which in turn was influenced by the plasma urea concentration and therefore by the filtered load of urea. The probable influence of the recycling of urea to the rumen on the excretion of urinary urea is discussed.
Effect of pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMS) on ovarian function of beef heifers, as influenced by progestins, plane of nutrition, and fasting
Authors: Lamond DR
Published: November 2004

Beef heifers aged 1-3 years were kept on different planes of nutrition and given progestins to synchronize ovarian cycles. Treatments included fasting for 24 or 72 hr and/or administration of PMS 0 or 4 days, before the end of the synchronization regime. Ovulations and follicles greater than 3 mm in diameter were recorded at laparotomy and slaughter. Plane of nutrition, fasting, progestin treatment, time of year, and the dose and time of injection of PMS influenced follicular development and ovulation in PMStreated heifers. PMS given before the end of the progestin regime resulted in ovulation of a high proportion of follicles. The results are discussed in relation to design of experiments concerned with understanding the physiological basis of control of ovarian function in the cow.
Heritability estimates from correlations in intra-sire data. Appendix I. from - Resistance to the cattle tick, Boophilus microplus in a herd of Australian Illawarra Shorthorn cattle: Its assessment and heritability
Authors: Turner HG
Published: November 2004

An Australian Illawarra Shorthorn herd of 24 cows was mated in three consecutive years with an AIS bull. The cows and their progeny were rated for tick resistance at frequent intervals from August 1959 to December 1965 by counting the numbers of semiengorged female ticks on the right side. The mean of log counts for all counts on a particular animal was adopted as the reference value for its degree of susceptibility. The ranking of cattle generally showed a high level of consistency with mean repeatability of counts (r = 0.47, P < 0.01). Discrimination between animals was more reliable (P < 0.01) in summer (r = 0.52) than in winter (r = 0.27). The repeatability of tick counts increased with mean count, from r = 0.27 when the mean count was 3 to r = 0.67 when it was 100. The reliability of counts on the cows decreased with age and with lactation. Supplementary information on a larger herd showed no effect of pregnancy on mean count or on discrimination between susceptible and resistant animals, but showed that there was a partial breakdown of resistance during lactation. In calves infested naturally, no effects of age or sex on tick counts or their repeatability were detected, though male calves yielded significantly larger numbers of ticks than females when infested artificially. The mean yield of mature female ticks on the cows following two artificial infestations with known numbers of larvae ranged from 0.2 to 27.4% of the potential. Natural and artificial assessments of susceptibility were closely correlated. The rank of the bull was similar to that of the more resistant cows. Mean estimates of the heritability of tick resistance based on single counts were 39 % from dam-calf correlations and 49 % from full-sib correlations. Estimates based on summer counts only were 42 and 64% respectively. These results provide strong encouragement for selecting for tick resistance.
The effects of magnesium deficiency on the quality and magnesium content of flue-cured tobacco leaf
Authors: Pinkerton A
Published: November 2004

In an outdoor trial with tobacco in sand culture, two levels of magnesium were supplied initially in the nutrient solution. The effects on quality and magnesium concentration in the cured leaf when magnesium was withheld from the nutrient were studied. When the magnesium supply was inadequate the reduction in magnesium concentration in leaves was largely accounted for by the diluting effect of increase in dry weight, and was accentuated under conditions of extreme deficiency by transference of magnesium from older leaves to actively expanding tissues nearer the apex. The effects of deficiency on quality depended partly on the amount of magnesium the plant had absorbed before the cessation of magnesium supply. To avoid loss of quality, magnesium in the nutrient solution had to be maintained at 20 % at least of the total cations (equivalent basis) until plants had been 'topped' (i.e. inflorescence removed) and the total leaf area of the plant had reached c. two-thirds of its final size.
Metabolism of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the ovine rumen. II. Some factors affecting rate of alkaloid breakdown by rumen fluid in vitro
Authors: Lanigan GW
Published: November 2004

When the pyrrolizidine alkaloids heliotrine and lasiocarpine were incubated in vitro with sheep's rumen contents, a common metabolic product was formed. This compound was also found as an end-product of metabolism in the rumen contents of sheep fed on a ration containing the plant Heliotropium europaeum. Previously described rumen metabolites of the Heliotropium alkaloids were 1-methylenepyrrolizidine derivatives, e.g. l-goreensine. The newly found product represents a further stage of reduction of l-goreensine in which the 1-methylene group has been replaced by a 1-methyl group. This compound has been identified as 7�-hydroxyla- methyl-8�-pyrrolizidine, a previously unknown pyrrolizidine derivative.
The nitrogen nutrition of the peach tree. VI. Influence of Autumn nitrogen applications on the accumulation of nitrogen, carbohydrate, and macroelements in 1-year-old peach trees
Authors: Taylor BK , van den Ende B
Published: November 2004

An experiment was carried out on young peach trees in sand culture to determine whether differential application of nitrogen in autumn would influence the accumulation of nitrogenous, carbohydrate, and macroelement reserves in woody tissues of the trees. Increasing the nitrogen supply in autumn markedly increased the accumulation of storage nitrogen in woody tissues of dormant trees but did not influence accumulation of carbohydrate or macroelement reserves, despite the observation that foliage colour and time of leaf abscission in autumn were markedly influenced by treatments. The former result, when allied with data published earlier, indicates that autumn applications of nitrogenous fertilizer in peach orchards are an effective means of increasing tree nitrogen status. With increasing nitrogen supply, the accumulation of soluble organic nitrogen in woody tissues was especially significant, and arginine nitrogen was a major constituent of this fraction. Since amide nitrogen was synthesized along with arginine nitrogen in autumn, it is concluded that rapid arginine synthesis in peach tissues in autumn is not simply related to the relative availabilities of soluble carbohydrate and soluble nitrogen as proposed earlier. It is also suggested that experimental systems in which nutrient treatments are imposed only following cessation of plant growth could prove useful for studying the role of stored nutrients in the performance of perennial plants.
The effect of starvation and low nitrogen intakes on the concentration of free amino acids in the blood plasma and on the nitrogen metabolism in sheep
Authors: Leibholz J
Published: November 2004

Crossbred wethers were given a control diet (8 g nitrogen, 730 g dry matter daily) or a low nitrogen diet (0.5 g nitrogen, 520 g dry matter daily) or starved, for a 12 or 20 day experimental period. The concentrations of free serine, glutamine, glycine, alanine, histidine, and arginine in the plasma of the starved sheep decreased significantly while the concentrations of lysine, 3-methylhistidine, and isoleucine increased significantly. The ratio of essential to non-essential amino acids increased from 0.35 to 0.56 in the starved sheep. In sheep on the low nitrogen diet, the ratio of essential to non-essential amino acids in the plasma decreased from 0.40 to 0.27, with significant increases in the concentrations of glutanlic acid, glutamine, glycine, isoleucine, leucine, and 3-methylhistidine. Starvation and the low nitrogen diet both resulted in a reduction of the plasma urea concentrations. Starvation and the low nitrogen diet resulted in a 20-50 % reduction in the flow of saliva and a 40-78% increase in the concentration of total nitrogen. This resulted in no significant change in the daily secretion of nitrogen in the saliva. The concentration of urea in the saliva was increased by 3-54%. The concentrations of individual free amino acids in saliva are reported. The nitrogen content of the rumen was reduced, and after 7 days of starvation or on the low nitrogen diet all rumen nitrogen could be attributed to ammonia and free �-amino nitrogen.
The effect of increased rectal temperature on nitrogen metabolism in Brahman cross and Shorthorn × Hereford steers fed on a low nitrogen roughage
Authors: Vercoe JE , Frisch JE
Published: November 2004

A study was made of the effect of increasing the rectal temperature on nitrogen metabolism in Brahman cross and British cross steers offered a fixed amount of a low nitrogen roughage. Increasing the rectal temperature by c. 1.3�C in either breed slightly depressed intake, increased the dry matter digestibility by a small but statistically significant amount, and had no effect on the nitrogen digestibility. It did not significantly increase the urinary excretion of total nitrogen or urea nitrogen over the whole collection period, but over the last 5 days there were increases in the urinary total and urea nitrogen excreted per day which in most cases were significant. Increasing the rectal temperature significantly increased the urinary excretion of creatinine. The ambient temperature at which rectal temperatures were increased by 1.3�C was 35�C for the British cross steers and 43' for the Brahman cross steers. At the increased rectal temperature, the Brahman cross steers drank significantly more water than the British cross steers although faecal and urinary water losses were not significantly different. The calculated evaporative water loss was higher in the Brahman cross steers than in the British cross steers when both breeds were heated.
Assessment of the efficiency of acaricides and their mode of application against the cattle tick (Boophilus microplus)
Authors: Wharton RH , Roulston WJ , Utech KBW , Kerr JD
Published: November 2004

A method for assessing the effect of acaricides on B. microplus is described based on counts of female ticks 4.5–8 mm in length on treated and untreated groups of naturally infested cattle. Ticks of this size engorge during the next night and drop from cattle the following morning. The counting method was used to compare the efficiency of different ways of applying acaricides. In comparison with untreated cattle, 0.025% coumaphos applied in summer by hand-spraying, plunge-dipping, or commercial spray race was estimated to kill respectively 99.5, 98, and 95% of female ticks which would have been present on days 1–21 after treatment. The lower efficiency of the spray races was due principally to survival of ticks on the ears and neck and most survivors were found 9–15 days after treatment. Cattle of all treated groups became reinfested with larvae 2–3 days after treatment. The relative inefficiency of spray race treatment was confirmed by spraying and plunge-dipping cattle in 0.075% ethion in early winter, when the mortality on days 1-21 after treatment was estimated to be respectively 90 and 98.5%. In the same experiment the counting method was compared with the stalling of cattle to collect engorged females after treatment with 0.025% coumaphos: estimates of 98.5 and 99.1% mortality were obtained by the counting and stalling methods respectively. The relative efficiency of different acaricides was also compared: coumaphos and ethion in plunge dips were estimated to kill 98.5%; chlorxylam, ethion, and DDT applied by spray race were estimated to kill 99.2, 90, and 88.2% respectively on days 1–21 after treatment. The number of days during which cattle were protected from infestation with larvae could not be determined precisely, but was about 8–9 days after treatment with coumaphos and 10–12 days after treatment with ethion, DDT, and chlorxylam. No difference was found in the effect of coumaphos against ticks on Hereford, Shorthorn, and Zebu x British cattle. In trials with the candidate acaricides chlorxylam, Dursban, bromophos ethyl, and SD8447 applied at a range of concentrations, distinct differences in the mortality of ticks 9–15 days after treatment were recorded at the different concentrations with most candidate acaricides, and their efficacy could be compared readily with a reference commercial acaricide.
Studies of grain production in Sorghum vulgare. I. The contribution of pre-flowering photosynthesis to grain yield
Authors: Fischer KS , Wilson GL
Published: November 2004

Sorghum plants were allowed to assimilate known relative amounts of 14C in the two periods: (i) from full expansion of the third uppermost leaf to anthesis; and (ii) from anthesis to grain maturity. By comparing relative 14C activity in the mature grain, the relative partitioning of photosynthate between grain production and other uses in the two periods was calculated. Plant and grain dry weight data from another experiment showed the amounts of net photosynthesis in the two periods. It was then possible to calculate the maximum amount of the material assimilated in the pre-anthesis period that could have gone to grain production, and thus the percentage of grain material derived from this earlier period. The estimate was 12%.
Effect of implanted testosterone propionate on the growth and wool production of Merino wethers
Authors: Southcott WH , Royal WM
Published: November 2004

The effect of subcutaneous implantation of testosterone propionate in fine-wool Merino wethers at pasture was studied in four experiments over a 5-year period. The wethers were maintained virtually free of posthitis so that the observed responses to implantation were physiological in origin. In nine comparisons two implants of 70 mg testosterone propionate per annum increased liveweights significantly. Annual greasy wool weights increased by amounts ranging from 0.03 to 0.25 kg per head, the differences being significant on five occasions. Annual clean wool weights increased by a maximum of 0.13 kg per head. Fleece weight indices used as a measure of the gross efficiency of wool production were similar in the implanted and control wethers in all experiments. Also no significant change in efficiency was recorded where direct measurements were made of wool grown and food intake. Implantation tended to reduce the percentage yield of clean wool, the effect being greatest in the first year of treatment. Measurement and assessment of wool traits of commercial importance showed negligible differences between treated and control wethers and the average value per kilogram greasy wool was similar.
Effects of nutrition, liveweight, and season on the incidence of twin ovulation in South Australian strong-wool Merino ewes
Authors: Fletcher IC
Published: November 2004

The effects of nutrition on the incidence of twin ovulation in strong-wool Merino ewes were studied at two seasons. Liveweight at the time of ovulation was the important determinant of twinning rate. Over the liveweight range 42-57 kg, the incidence of twin ovulation increased by about 2 . 5 % for each 1 kg increase in liveweight at ovulation due to variation in recent nutrition, and by about 1.3 % for each 1 kg of liveweight at ovulation due to inherent variation in liveweight. These relationships did not vary significantly between January and April. The incidence of twin ovulation was not enhanced by a state of increasing liveweight before ovulation ('flushing'), and did not vary significantly between January and April.
Factors limiting the intake of feed by the sheep. VI. Feed intake in the ruminant lamb in relation to the administration of a nutrient solution per abomasum
Authors: Weston RH
Published: November 2004

The voluntary consumption by lambs of a ground and pelleted diet containing 24.4% crude protein on a dry matter basis was studied over 25 days when a nutrient solution based on evaporated cows' milk and lactose was administered per abomasum. The lambs, initially 11-12 weeks old and weighing 26 kg, had been surgically prepared with permanent abomasal fistulae. Separate digestion experiments were conducted to determine (i) the digestible energy (DE) content of the basal diet and (ii) patterns of digestion of the basal diet in the stomach and intestines. The basal diet had a DE content of 3.39 kcal/g dry matter and provided 22 g crude protein digested in the intestines per 100 g digestible organic matter; the nutrient solution contained 7.2 g nitrogen/Mcal gross energy and the energy was 94% digestible. In the digestion experiments, the rates of flow of digesta from the rumen and abomasum were 9.9 and 14.4 l/day respectively; the ruminal digesta was at pH 5.7 and the concentration of volatile fatty acids was 138 mmoles/litre. Approximately 59% of the apparent digestion of organic matter and 78% of the digestion of acid detergent fibre occurred in the stomach. The supplemented and unsupplemented groups of lambs consumed similar amounts of feed in a control period; the daily intakes expressed in relation to body weight in kg0.75 (BWkg0.75) were 101 g dry matter and 341 kcal DE. When nutrient solution providing 836 kcal gross energy or 58 kcal DE/BWkg0.75 per day was administered per abomasum, voluntary feed consumption declined by 16 g dry matter/BWkg0.75 or 53 kcal DE/BWkg0.75. Thus on the basis of DE, the decline in dietary intake compensated for the nutrient solution administration to the extent of 91 %. The daily DE intake of the supplemented group during nutrient administration was 345 kcal/BWkg0.75 and the rate of body height increase was 306 g/day ; the corresponding values for the unsupplemented group were 340 kcal DE/BWkg0.75 and 290 g/day. The data indicated that caloric homeostasis was well developed in lambs of this maturity and that the diet probably contained sufficient essential nutrients to permit the lambs to exhibit maximum growth. The capacity of the lamb to consume feed and increase in body weight did not appear to be restricted by any feature of ruminal digestion.
Factors affecting the uterine weight of ewes ovariectomized for bioassay procedures
Authors: Little DA , Lambourne LJ
Published: November 2004

The pattern and rate of regression of the ovine uterus following ovariectomy were examined and discussed in relation to the use of such animals in oestrogen bioassay. Uterine weight decreased linearly between 2 and 6 weeks after ovariectomy, and did not reach an asymptote in this time; the rate of decrease was 1.7 g/week (c. 6 %of the uterine weight 2 weeks after ovariectomy). The concomitant rate of dry matter loss was 0.25 g/week. The stage of the oestrous cycle at which ovariectomy was performed had no effect on uterine weights between 2 and 6 weeks later.
Effects of lime on the growth of five species, on aluminium toxicity, and on phosphorus availability
Authors: Helyar KR , Anderson AJ
Published: November 2004

Preliminary pot culture experiments indicated that the yield of phalaris relative to that of perennial ryegrass was poor on the less productive soils, particularly on some of the soils of pH <5.0 as measured in 115 soil/water suspensions. On an infertile acid soil with a high content of exchangeable aluminium, lucerne and phalaris plants responded to lime in pot experiments while subterranean clover, white clover, and perennial ryegrass were depressed by liming. The evidence, including that based on chemical analyses of extracted soil solutions and of lucerne plants, indicates that where adequate nitrogen had been applied, aluminium toxicity depressed the growth of lucerne and phalaris on this acid soil. The plant roots did not show the stunting which is obvious in cases of more severe aluminium toxicity. Subterranean clover, white clover, and perennial ryegrass resisted the toxicity. There was little evidence of a negative interaction between lime and phosphate on yields through their effects on aluminium toxicity. In general, responses to phosphate increased as the level of lime increased. Where suboptimal levels of nitrogen were applied there were responses to lime which were not clearly attributable to the alleviation of aluminium toxicity. Where nitrogen was adequate and there was no effect of lime in counteracting aluminium toxicity, in most cases lime caused a decrease in the concentration of phosphorus in the plants as well as a decrease in the yield. Lime also caused a decrease in the phosphorus level in the extracted soil solutions. However, in some cases where lime counteracted aluminium toxicity it increased the concentration of phosphorus in the tops of the plants. The significance of the results in relation to the problem of the diagnosis of aluminium toxicity is discussed.
Effects of phosphorus and sulphur on dark respiration of subterranean clover leaves
Authors: Bouma D
Published: November 2004

Respiration rates in the dark (oxygen uptake) of leaves sampled from subterranean clover plants (Trifolium subterraneum L. cv. Mt Barker) increased with the phosphorus supply in the culture solutions in which the plants were grown. Over a period of 3 hr no differences were detected in respiration rates when leaves of these plants were placed in Warburg flasks containing complete solutions or solutions without phosphorus. However, when whole plants were transferred to complete and no-phosphorus solutions, the differences in respiration rates of leaves sampled from the two groups of plants depended on the phosphorus status of the plants at transfer. Leaves from plants raised at an adequate phosphorus level showed no differences over a period of 96 hr after transfer, but leaves from plants raised at suboptimal phosphorus levels before transfer to complete and no-phosphorus solutions showed significant differences in respiration rates as early as 18-19 hr after transfer. Similar results were obtained for leaves sampled from plants raised at different sulphur levels when transferred to complete solutions and to solutions without sulphur. However, these differences took longer to develop than in the phosphorus experiments. When phosphorus-deficient plants were transferred to complete solutions and to other solutions each without a different element, the respiration rates of the leaves sampled from the plants in the solutions without phosphorus were much lower than for the leaves of plants in the other solutions.
Numerical analysis of variation patterns in the genus Stylosanthes as an aid to plant introduction and assessment
Authors: Burt RL , Edye LA , Williams WT , Grof B , Nicholson CHL
Published: November 2004

An experiment is described in which a large collection of Stylosanthes introductions, comprising 14 named species, was grown as spaced plants and simple morphological and agronomic data recorded. After applying various methods of numerical analysis, and integrating the results, it was found that species and forms could be delineated. The importance of non-stable agronomic characteristics in the classification of the introductions is explored and the taxonomic status of the resultant groups briefly examined; the use of these systems for plant assessment programmes is discussed.
Growth and feed conversion of Jersey and Friesian bulls in relation to plane of nutrition
Authors: Leche TF
Published: November 2004

Sixty Jersey and 48 Friesian bull calves were reared from birth on either of two planes of nutrition. A milk replacer and a concentrate diet were given before and after weaning respectively. The Jerseys were weaned at 45 kg and the Friesians at 77 kg. At liveweights arranged in logarithmic progression between birth and 249 kg, three calves of each treatment group were killed for analysis of body composition. Before and after weaning, the Friesians grew more rapidly than the Jerseys on the same treatment. They were also more efficient in terms of feed intake per liveweight gain. Similarly, calves of both breeds on the high plane of nutrition grew faster and more efficiently than the corresponding calves on the low plane. The growth of the Friesians was affected less by the feed restriction than was that of the Jerseys. After weaning, the feed conversion efficiency of the Friesians did not change significantly with increasing liveweight. Feed efficiency was reduced in the Jerseys as they grew larger. These results are compared with others from the literature and are discussed in relation to the difference in mature size between these breeds.
Changes in soil chemical properties in a long-term fertilizer trial in a non-irrigated vineyard
Authors: Seeliger MT , French RJ
Published: November 2004

Changes in soil properties in a long-term factorial experiment with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer at the Nuriootpa Viticultural Research Station in South Australia were measured after 23 years of application. The measurements were related to vine yield responses reported earlier. Phosphorus, broadcast as superphosphate, gave excessively high available phosphorus levels in the top 6 in, of soil, but yield responses were delayed for 8 years until the slow-moving phosphorus reached the 6–12 in. layer where the feeder roots occurred. Broadcasting superphosphate was a wasteful and inefficient means of applying phosphorus in this environment. About three-quarters of the phosphorus applied could be measured in the top foot of soil. Nitrogen applied as sulphate of ammonia reduced pH significantly in the top 18 in. of soil, with the biggest reduction of 1.5 units to pH 5.0 in the 6–12 in. layer. As this acidity developed it probably caused the depression in vine vigour and yield. Potassium levels were high and not limiting in the unfertilized soils. The relation between nutrients supplied in the fertilizers and nutrients removed in the grapes is discussed.
The effect of formaldehyde treatment of peanut meal in concentrate diets on the performance of calves
Authors: Faichney GJ , Davies HL
Published: November 2004

Four groups of eight Friesian bull calves were given concentrate diets containing untreated or formaldehyde-treated peanut meal at two protein levels. The effect of protein level and of formaldehyde treatment was studied in terms of liveweight gain, food conversion, digestibility of the diet, and the levels of urea, glucose, and α-amino nitrogen in blood plasma. The calves were given the diets for 14 weeks from 6 weeks of age. The calves given the higher protein diets grew significantly faster and required significantly less food per unit of gain than did the calves given the lower protein diets. Formaldehyde treatment of the peanut meal in the higher protein diet had no effect on these variables. Small improvements in these variables in response to treatment of the meal in the lower protein diet were not statistically significant. Treatment was associated with reductions in nitrogen digestibility and plasma urea levels. The digestibility of dry matter and of organic matter and plasma levels of glucose and α-amino nitrogen were not affected by the treatment.
The effect of gibberellic acid on apparent photosynthesis and dark respiration of simulated swards of Pennisetum clandestinum Hochst
Authors: Lester DC , Carter OG , Kelleher FM , Laing DR
Published: November 2004

Gibberellic acid (GA3 at 40 g/ha equivalent was applied to simulated swards of Pennisetum clandestinum (kikuyu grass) at the fourth leaf stage in a glasshouse held at a 25°C maximum and 15° minimum diurnal temperature cycle. Continuous 24-hr recordings of apparent photosynthesis and dark respiration in relation to normal variation in solar radiation were made on the whole swards by using an open chamber system monitored by infrared gas analysis. No effect was noted until 9 days from spraying, by which time the GA3 application stimulated the apparent photosynthetic rate of the sward and reduced the dark respiration rate. These effects became greater with time. The stimulation of apparent photosynthesis increased as the level of radiation increased. At 21 days from spraying, while large increases in apparent photosynthesis and reductions in dark respiration rate were being recorded, a botanical separation of the swards was made. GA3 increased the total dry weight (tops plus roots) of the sward and the dry matter above soil level. The latter effect was due to a greater amount of stem dry matter in the GA3-treated sward. GA3 reduced the dry weight of senescent leaf blade and leaf sheath tissue. GA3 had no effect on leaf area index. Area per leaf was increased, but GA3 stimulated apical dominance reduced the number of leaves per sq metre of sward. It is postulated that stimulation of apparent photosynthesis by GA3 is related to leaf age and a change in canopy structure through an improvement in leaf dispersion.
Whole wheat grain feeding of lambs. I. Production responses to mineral buffer supplements
Authors: McManus WR , Bigham ML , Edwards GB
Published: November 2004

Thirty-nine crossbred lambs off pasture and weighing about 27 kg were group-fed on lucerne chaff and whole wheat grain ad libitum in yards over a 3-week adaptation period. All animals were then offered whole wheat grain plus 1½% ground limestone ad libitum for 19 weeks. Addition of mineral buffer supplements of 1/1 Na2HPO4 and NaHCO3 (buffer I), or a 1/1/1/1 mixture of Na2HPO4, NaHCO3, KHCO3, and CaHPO4 (buffer II) as 2% of the grain offered, resulted over the 22-week experimental period in significantly better food intakes and liveweight gains and decreased food conversion ratios as compared with those shown by control sheep fed on wheat grain and limestone (P < 0.01). Buffer supplements significantly raised the rumen pH above values for control animals (P < 0.01), decreased the total rumen volatile fatty acid concentration(P < 0.05), and lowered the proportion of acetic acid and increased that of propionic acid (P < 0.05). Caproic acid was detected in significant quantities in the rumen fluid of all sheep. Wheat sickness caused the removal of 25% of control sheep fed on wheat grain and limestone; 21% of sheep given buffer I died from a urolithiasis-like condition; no deaths occurred in sheep given buffer II. Administration of 2.5 x l06 i.u. injectible vitamin A to half the animals over the first 10 weeks of the experiment seemed to cause neither benefit nor harm.
Studies of fat distribution in the bovine carcass. I. The partition of fatty tissues between depots
Authors: Johnson HR , Butterfield RM , Pryor WJ
Published: November 2004

(1) Total side fat (total dissected fat plus intramuscular fat) was examined in 23 bovine carcasses in four weight ranges. (2) The partition of fatty tissue between five depots revealed relative rises in intermuscular and subcutaneous depots and relative declines in intramuscular, kidney, and channel fats with increasing carcass weight. (3) Intermuscular and subcutaneous fats reached high levels relative to total side fat at different stages. Intermuscular fat rose quickly to c. 45.0% of total side fat at about 2.0 kg total side fat (c. 56 days) whilst subcutaneous fat reached 29.0% at c. 13.0 kg total side fat (c. 270 days). (4) Intramuscular fat did not show an increase relative to total side fat as carcass weight increased. Its contribution to total fat was greatest in the lightest sides and reached a minimal value at c. 13.0 kg total side fat, which it maintained thereafter. (5) All regressions of the weight of five fat depots on total side fat were highly significant (P < 0.01). (6) There appears to be a need for precise definition of fat distribution patterns in breeds and strains of cattle in order that carcasses of optimum composition might be produced.
Physiological and ecological studies on the oestrogenic isoflavones in subterranean clover (T. subterraneum L.). IX.* Effects of sulphur supply
Authors: Rossiter RC , Barrow NJ
Published: November 2004

The results of field and glasshouse experiments showed that sulphur deficiency increased isoflavone concentrations in clover leaves. Severe deficiency almost doubled the concentration of total isoflavones (formononetin + genistein f biochanin A). Usually formononetin was affected as much as, or more than, either of the other two isoflavones. Four clover strains—Dwalganup, Geraldton, Daliak, and Yarloop—which differed widely in their isoflavone concentrations did not differ significantly in their proportionate increases in isoflavone concentrations due to severe sulphur deficiency. Practical implications of the results are considered briefly.

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*Part VIII, Aust. J. Agric. Res., 21: 593 (1970).
Yield and quality of four wheat crops subsequent to annual and perennial irrigated pastures
Authors: Rixon AJ
Published: November 2004

Four consecutive wheat crops were grown after each of three annual and three perennial irrigated pastures, each group consisting of a legume, a grass, and the same grass supplied with fertilizer nitrogen. Tiller numbers and grain yields were greater after perennial pastures than after annual pastures. Nitrogen supplied to each wheat crop at the rate of 112 kg/ha prevented the differences in tiller number and in grain yield from developing. A greater rate of mineralization of nitrogen after perennial pastures than after annual pastures was sustained for 4 years, and this was associated with superior yields, tiller numbers, nitrogen content, and grain quality in each wheat crop. Although the concentration of total nitrogen in the 0–7.6 cm soil horizon after the two species of grass did not differ, there was approximately twice as much nitrogen taken up in the four wheat crops after the perennial grass pasture as after the annual grass pasture. At all levels of available nitrogen, the ratio between nitrogen in the grain and in the straw + chaff was c. 2 : 1.
The effect of phosphorus and sulphur fertilization on the growth and distribution of dry matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur in Townsville stylo (Stylosanthes humilis)
Authors: Robinson PJ , Jones RK
Published: November 2004

The effects of phosphorus and sulphur applications on the growth of Townsville slylo (Stylosanthes humilis) and the redistribution of dry matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur in various parts of the plant were examined in a glasshouse experiment. Large yield responses lo phosphorus and sulphur, and a highly significant interaction were obtained. Phosphorus and sulphur deficiency caused a 3-week delay in flowering. The rapid decline in nutrient concentrations both before and after flowering is discussed in relation to the use of critical values. Townsville stylo shows a very marked ability to translocate nutrients to the seed. Adequately fertilized plants contained only 0.02% phosphorus and 0.10% sulphur in the mature leaf, while the seeds contained 0.36% phosphorus and 0.36% sulphur. This is discussed in relation to animal nutrition during the dry season.
Observations on some pythiaceous fungi associated with grapevine decline in South Australia
Authors: Bumbieris M
Published: November 2004

A grapevine decline that causes considerable loss in grape production in South Australia was studied over a 2-year period. Isolations from soil and roots yielded various Pythium spp., mainly P. ultitnum, P. irregulare, and P. aphanidermatum. Five Pythium spp. were pathogenic to young grapevines in a glasshouse test. In thc field, however, disease incidence was not correlated with numbers of Pythium propagules in soil. Other soil fungi and root-feeding nematodes are also present, and it is suggested that the grapevine decline should be considered as a disease complex.
Factors affecting the urinary excretion of urea nitrogen in cattle. III.* High plasma urea nitrogen concentrations
Authors: Thornton RF , Wilson BW
Published: November 2004

The relationship between urinary urea nitrogen excretion, the filtered load of urea nitrogen, and the plasma urea nitrogen concentration were studied in cows intravenously infused with 0.5–10 g urea nitrogen per hour. These levels of infusion resulted in ranges of plasma urea nitrogen concentration of 12–63 mg/100 ml, of filtered urea nitrogen of 3–19 g/hr, and of urinary urea nitrogen excretion of 2.5–12.7 g/hr. There were linear relationships between the filtered load of urea nitrogen and the plasma urea nitrogen concentration (r = 0.91), between urinary urea nitrogen excretion and the filtered load of urea nitrogen (r = 0.92), and between urinary urea nitrogen excretion and the plasma urea nitrogen concentration (r = 0.97). It was concluded that the amount of urea excreted in the urine was regulated more by the plasma urea concentration than by renal processes such as glomerular filtration rate (GFR), the concentrating ability of the kidneys, or urine flow rate. The capacity of the bovine kidneys to excrete urea and mechanisms involved in the renal excretion of urea are discussed. The successful use of 51Cr-EDTA for the estimation of GFR in cattle is reported in an appendix.

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*Part II, Aust. J. Agric. Res., 21: 145 (1970).
Digestion by sheep of concentrate diets containing formaldehyde-treated peanut meal
Authors: Faichney GJ
Published: November 2004

The effect of formaldehyde treatment of peanut meal on the digestion of barley-peanut meal diets was studied in fistulated crossbred sheep at two peanut meal and therefore dietary protein levels. There were no differences either between protein levels or due to treatment in the overall digestion of organic matter, but more of this digestion took place in the stomach when the low protein diets were given. Dietary starch was completely digested. There was no effect of protein level or of formaldehyde treatment on the partition of starch digestion between the stomach and the intestines. About 10% of the dietary nitrogen disappeared from the stomach when the high protein diet containing untreated peanut meal was given; treatment resulted in a small net gain of nitrogen in the stomach. There was a net gain of nitrogen in the stomach when the low protein diets were given, the gain tending to be greater when the peanut meal was treated. When the meal was treated, there was a small but not significant increase (c. 2%) for the low protein diet and a substantial increase (c. 31 %) for the high protein diet in the amount of crude protein digested in the intestines per unit of digestible organic matter intake. Changes observed in the composition and flow of digesta and in plasma urea and cc-amino nitrogen levels are discussed in relation to the digestion of organic matter and protein.
The relationship between voluntary intake and mean apparent retention time in the rumen
Authors: Thornton RF , Minson DJ
Published: November 2004

The relationship between mean apparent retention time of dry matter in the reticulorumen (RD, hr) and the daily voluntary dry matter intake (ID, g/day) of six dried panicum diets was determined on sheep which were offered fresh feed every hour. RD was measured by emptying the reticulorumen via a large rumen fistula. ID for the six diets by the sheep with fistulae was slightly higher than, and correlated (r = 0.99, P < 0.001) with, that previously found when the same diets were offered to intact sheep. ID varied from 659 to 1355 g/day and RD from 13.3 to 27.1 hr. These two factors were inversely related:
Feasibility study of the utilization of processed sheepskins as a protein supplement to the diet of chickens
Authors: Pratt LM , Schiller EE , Bartlett BE , Garrow C , Crewther WG
Published: November 2004

Dry woolled sheepskins were ground coarsely and treated with alkali or acid to render the protein digestible with proteases. A series of laboratory experiments showed that on autoclaving with 0 . 2 5M sulphuric acid or 0.10M caustic soda and subsequent neutralization the material was largely digestible with pepsin and a mixture of trypsin and chymotrypsin. The acid treatment caused little destruction of amino acids whereas the alkali treatment converted most of the cystine residues to products such as lanthionine. A bulk preparation obtained by boiling in 4M sulphuric acid for 1 hr, neutralizing with lime, filtering, and drying had a similar composition but most of the tryptophan was destroyed during preparation. In a feeding trial with chickens this material was shown to be a suitable substitute for meat and bone meal as a protein supplement.
Brown rot of stone fruits on the Murrumbidgee irrigation areas. III. Influence of weather conditions during the harvest period on disease incidence in canning peaches
Authors: Kable PF
Published: November 2004

Brown rot caused severe losses on the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Areas in nine of 36 seasons. Slight to moderate losses were more frequent. The influence of weather on incidence of brown rot losses was examined. Losses did not occur unless there was rain when fruits were ripe. Losses never resulted from long damp periods occurring prior to the commencement of harvest. Rain causing surface wetness on ripe fruit of duration in excess of 10 hr was necessary before losses occurred. Severity of losses increased with duration of wetness, losses being most likely and most severe when the duration of surface wetness approached or exceeded 20 hr. The probability of losses increased with increasing number of long rain-induced damp periods during the harvest period. Dews appeared to have little influence on brown rot incidence. Temperatures during damp periods were generally in a range suitable for infection. The most common weather patterns associated with long rain-induced damp periods are described. Losses from fruit rot increase for some 3-5 days after the damp period causing infection, then gradually decline. Springtime brown rot infection was not a prerequisite for fruit rot.
Nitrogen metabolism in sheep. I. The effect of protein and energy intake on the flow of digesta into the duodenum and on the digestion and absorption of nutrients
Authors: Leibholz J , Hartmann PE
Published: November 2004

The digestion of organic matter, nitrogen, and sulphur was measured in sheep fitted with re-entrant duodenal cannulae. The sheep were given 1.4, about 16, or 30 g of nitrogen per 24 hr from barley roughage with or without a nitrogen supplement of lucerne, wheat gluten, or casein. A further diet supplied 16.1 g of nitrogen per day but consisted of 83 % low-quality roughage compared with 50% in the other diets. The flow of digesta to the duodenum varied from 4.4 to 6.8 1. per 24 hr with dry matter intakes of 480–800 g per 24 hr. The sheep were fed hourly and watered continuously, and there was a more than 10-fold variation in the flow of digesta to the duodenum over 2-hr collection periods. The digestibility of organic matter was lower for the diet supplying 1.4 g of nitrogen per day than for the other diets. Between 77 and 96 % of the apparent digestion of organic matter occurred before the duodenum. In the sheep given 1.4 g of nitrogen per 24 hr, the flow of nitrogen to the duodenum was 4.8 g per 24 hr, while in the sheep given about 16 g of nitrogen daily the flow of nitrogen to the duodenum was 8.4–11.8 g per 24 hr. Only 35 % of the dietary intake of nitrogen reached the duodenum in the sheep given 30 g of nitrogen daily. The sheep given the diet containing 83 % low-quality roughage showed a lower retention of nitrogen than those given the other diets of similar nitrogen content. Between I and 9 % of the flow of nitrogen to the duodenum was in the form of ammonia. The flow of sulphur to the duodenum was between 33 and 55% of the dietary intake, while 72-99% of the apparent digestion of sulphur occurred before the duodenum. The digestibility of dietary sulphate sulphur was greater than that of the sulphur found in lucerne.