bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of nutrition and dose level of PMS on oestrous response and ovulation rate in progestagen-treated non-cyclic Suffolk × Galway ewe lambs
Authors: Keane M. G. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYMarch-born non-cyclic Suffolk × Galway ewe lambs were treated with progestagen pessaries while being either fed fresh-cut grass ad libitum, or restricted to 50% of appetite and at pessary removal half of the animals on each nutritional treatment received either 600 i.u. or 300 i.u. PMS. Averaged over both levels of PMS, 97·5% of the lambs showed oestrus when fed ad libitum but only 67·5% of those on restricted feeding responded. When feed intake was not restricted there were no differences due to PMS level but when feed intake was restricted the higher dose level of PMS resulted in a greater percentage showing oestrus and a significantly higher ovulation rate. The dose level of PMS had no effect on the time of oestrous onset but restricted feeding resulted in delayed onset and poor synchronization of oestrus. Duration of oestrus was greatest for lambs fed ad libitum given 600 i.u. PMS and least for those on restricted feeding given 300 i.u. PMS but the difference was not significant. A minority of lambs showed broken oestrous periods.
Effect of some soil amendments on sodium uptake and translocation in dry beans (P. vulgaris L.) in relation to sodium toxicity
Authors: Ayoub Ali T. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYBean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were grown in field plots with the objective of comparing the effect of some soil amendments on sodium uptake and translocation at three levels of salinity in the soil.Gypsum and wheat straw mulch treatments reduced the translocation of sodium from the roots to the stems and leaves at the higher external sodium level. Incorporation of animal manure with the soil had little effect on translocation at the higher level but may have promoted sodium translocation to the stems at the lower level.Plant growth and survival were negatively correlated with the sodium content in the plant, particularly with that of the stems.
A model for estimating soil moisture deficits under cereal crops in Britain:2. Performance
Authors: Francis P. E. , Pidgeon J. D. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe new model, described in a previous paper (Francis & Pidgeon, 1982), for estimating soil moisture deficits under cereal crops in Britain, was evaluated against experimental neutron probe data for eight test crops. The test crops covered a wide range within Britain of growing-season weather and soil types for both winter and spring cereals. Comparisons were also made with estimates of three other models, those of Ritchie, Rhoades & Richardson (1976), Jensen, Wright & Pratt (1971) and Smith & Douglas (1975).The new model gives the best fit for six of the eight test crops, with root-mean-square errors (RMSE), taken over the whole season, of less than 10 mm of deficit and having small random bias. RMSE seldom exceeds 10 mm for any section of any season. By contrast, the other three models have whole season RMSE values in the range 10–40 mm. The model of Ritchie et al. (1976) generally overpredicted deficits early in the season and thereafter performed erratically; those of Jensen et al. (1971) and Smith & Douglas (1975) generally underestimated deficits. For two test crops where the new model performed poorly, serious inadequacies in crop growth and/or meteorological input data were identified as the reasons.A sensitivity analysis for the new model emphasized the importance of the soil variables that were incorporated and the need for rudimentary crop growth information to supplement default assumptions.It is concluded that the new model, having average RMSE values similar to expected neutron probe measurement errors, offers significant advantages over other models in estimation of soil moisture deficits. The new model could further provide a basis for extension to other crops or to description of the distribution with depth of soil moisture deficit.
A comparison of the yield responses of four grasses to a wide range of nitrogen application rates
Authors: Reid D. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe yield results are reported for an experiment in which 21 rates of nitrogen fertilizer were applied on pure-sown swards of four grasses, S. 24 and Barvestra perennial ryegrass, S. 37 cocksfoot and S. 53 meadow fescue. Growth curves fitted to the herbage yield data for each grass in each year are presented. On average the total dry-matter yield curves for the two ryegrasses were similar to one another, but showed a slightly smaller response to nitrogen rates below 300 kg/ha than did S. 23 ryegrass in an earlier experiment, and a more rapid decrease in response at higher rates. S. 37 cocksfoot had a similar dry-matter yield response to the ryegrasses at the low nitrogen rates, but the response decreased more rapidly at nitrogen rates over 250 kg/ha. The dry-matter yield response of S. 53 fescue decreased even more rapidly with nitrogen rates over 200 kg/ha. The mean estimates of the optimal nitrogen rate for each of the four grasses, i.e. the nitrogen rate at which the dry-matter response had decreased to 10 kg/kg N, was 380, 372, 357 and 327 kg N/ha for S. 24, Barvestra, S. 37 and S. 53 respectively, compared with 409 kg/ha for S. 23 ryegrass in the earlier experiment.
The effect of drainage treatments on cereal yields: results from experiments on clay lands
Authors: Armstrong A. C. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryCrop yield results from three long-term drainage experiments are analysed and show that increases of up to 1 t/ha of winter wheat can be attributed to the effect of drainage. Mole drainage is clearly the preferred treatment on heavy clay soils. There is also a suggestion that drainage permits more efficient utilization of nitrogen.
The effects of growth regulators, seed rates and row spacings on field beans (Vicia faba L.)
Authors: McEwen J. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryFour growth regulators were tested: N-dimethylaminosuccinamic acid (aminozide); N-pyrrolidinosuccinamic acid (F529); 2-chloroethyldimethyldodecylammonium chloride (JF2579); potassium 2(3-chlorophenylcarbamoyloxy) propionate (JF3072); all shortened stems. JF2579 and JF3072 were phytotoxic and lessened yield. Aminozide and F529 (tested in 1970 only) did not affect yield in 1970 but aminozide increased yield by 28% in 1971. Seed rates and row spacings had small effects on yield which varied with season. Growth regulators did not interact with seed rates or row spacing. Plant density and growth regulators had effects on yield via the number of stems and pods per stem. The effects of season on yield were greater and were caused via 100 grain weight. Speculative hypotheses are suggested to explain the different actions of season and treatments.
A radiographic study of age changes in the skull, mandible and teeth of pigs
Authors: Wenham G. , Fowler V. R. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryRadiographs were taken, of the medially sectioned half heads and flesh-free mandibles of 32 pigs serially slaughtered between birth and 120 kg live weight. From these radiographs, measurements were taken of the length of the skull, the depth of the cranium, the length and depth of the brain cavity, and five separate measurements of the mandible. Observations were made of the changes in configuration of the skull as a whole including sinuses. The patterns of development and eruption of the deciduous and permanent teeth were examined. It is suggested that the elongation of the mandible and the maxilla necessary to accommodate the full permanent dentition, together with the increasing size of the frontal sinuses, has an important influence on the shape of the skull as a whole. The results are discussed in relation to other published descriptions of the chronological development of the teeth.
Methods of analysing competition with special reference to herbage plants: II. Effects of associate plants
Authors: Hill J. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryAn examination of the role played by associate plants in conditioning the behaviour of a competitor was carried out on a diallel arrangement of five perennial ryegrasa genotypes using regression techniques similar to those devised for the analysis of genotype-environment interactions. By far the largest proportion of the significant genotype x associate interaction could be ascribed to differences between the slopes of the fitted regression lines, with the three long-leaved genotypes (A, C and E)having the highest slopes and hence being the most sensitive to changes in the associate environment. Significant departures from the fitted regression lines occurred, however, but these could be traced solely to genotype C.Theoretical models capable of identifying those conditions under which 50:50 mixtures may be expected, first, to exceed the average of their component monocultures, and secondly, to surpass the better monoculture, were developed. Applying these models to the present experiment confirms that the performance of the 50:50 mixtures generally exceeds the monoculture average, but rarely surpasses the better monoculture.The scope of the regression technique was broadened to incorporate the 75:25 and 25: 75 mixtures, thereby revealing that the response of the two strongest competitors (C and E) is frequency dependent. Density dependent effects were also uncovered in this material, with genotype C the strongest competitor, being particularly noteworthy in this respect. The role of this regression technique in the development of new and highly productive mixtures is briefly discussed.
Stocking intensity and pastoral production: I. Changes in the soil and vegetation of a sown pasture grazed by sheep at different stocking rates
Authors: Langlands J. P. , Bennett I. L. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryA Phalaris tuberosa and Trifolium repens pasture was grazed continuously at stocking rates varying from 2·5 to 37·1 sheep per ha between 1964 and 1969. During this period herbage availability and composition, basal cover, root weight, water infiltration, soil moisture content, bulk density and chemical composition of the soil were measured at intervals.As stocking rate was increased, herbage availability, root weight, basal cover, soil pore space and the rate of water infiltration declined, and bulk density and the nitrogen and calcium contents of the herbage on offer increased. In periods of below-average rainfall, soil moisture and nitrate levels were greater when herbage was of low availability.Herbage production was calculated from estimates of herbage consumption and of litter decomposition, and averaged 8·45 t dry matter/ha/year; it was insensitive to changes in stocking rate over the range from 2 to 22 sheep/ha. The ratio, herbage consumption/ pasture production increased by 0'045 per unit increase in stocking rate.
The effects of feeding white clover pellets and red clover hay on teat length, plasma gonadotrophins and pituitary function in wethers
Authors: Saba N. , Symons A. M. , Drane Hilary M. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryFeeding of white clover or red clover oestrogenic diets to wethers produced increases in teat length but did not affect the basal plasma luteinizing hormone levels or pituitary sensitivity to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone.
On the relation between milk production and fertility in Kibbutz dairy cattle herds
Authors: Francos G. , Rattner D. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYMilk production (305 day lactations, 3·5% fat-corrected milk), and lengths of time between calving and conception for 541 heifers and 1127 older cows were examined. These data were collected from 11 herds in collective farms in Israel during two successive years. Herd lactation means ranged from 5046 to 8570 kg for cows and from 5021 to 7250 for heifers; the ranges of time between calving and conception were 89–123 days and 99–141 days, respectively.A significant correlation was found between the weight of milk given per lactation and the length of the interval between calving and the next conception, with coefficients of 0·298 (cows) and 0·333 (heifers). There was a positive non-linear regression of length of calving to conception interval on production of milk, the regression line becoming steeper, both for cows and heifers, as yield rose.All herds practised first insemination at the first heat exhibited after 60 days from calving. The results indicate that, when this is done, cows yielding 8000 kg or over per lactation, and heifers yielding 6750 kg or over, will show calving to conception intervals exceeding a mean length of 110 days.
The chemical influence of the duodenal contents on the activity of the antrum and duodenum of sheep
Authors: Mostaghni K. , Howard B. R. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe mechanical and eleetromyographic activity of the pyloric antrum and duodenum of sheep has been studied both under resting conditions and while infusing various solutions to alter the chemical composition of the chyme.Bursts of spike-type electrical activity, synchronized with the depolarization phase of slower potential variations, accompanied duodenal contractions. Both mechanical distension and chemical stimulation of the proximal duodenum influenced the electrical activity and led to changes in the frequency, duration and amplitude of contractions.
The effects of supplementary feeding, pattern of growth and slaughter age on the carcass characteristics of Hereford steers
Authors: Morgan J. H. L. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThree groups (1, 2 and 3) of weaned Hereford steers were grazed separately on pasture. Groups 1 and 2 were supplemented with hay and oats during autumn and winter in an attempt to maintain two rates of live-weight gain, namely 0·8 and 0·4 kg/day, respectively. Group 3 was not supplemented and gained at zero and 0·11 kg/day during corresponding periods in the 2 years in which the experiment was repeated (years 1 and 2).Supplementation ceased at the end of winter (September). Group 1 steers were slaughtered at the end of the growing season (January) when their mean live weight was 420 and 450 kg in years 1 and 2 at 19 months of age. Thereafter, groups 2 and 3 were removed from the plots and grazed together on another pasture at a reduced stocking rate until they attained the slaughter live weights of group 1 when they were slaughtered at 25 and 27 months of age, respectively.Mean depth of fat cover over the eye muscle at the 10–11th rib in groups 1, 2 and 3 were 8, 6 and 4 mm in year 1, and 12, 5 and 6 mm in year 2, respectively. Group 1 carcasses had shorter skeletal dimensions, contained more fat and graded better than the carcasses of groups 2 and 3. The Longissimus dorsi muscles from group 1 were found to be the most tender in year 1 but no treatment effects were detected in year 2.
Effect of foliage cutting on growth and yield of different rice cultivars under semi-deepwater conditions (0–80 cm)
Authors: Sharma A. R. , De R. N. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYIn 1990 and 1991, four rice cultivars – Utkalprabha, Panidhan, CN573–321–7–1 and Jaladhi–1 were sown in dry soil at the end of May and grown thereafter under semi-deepwater conditions (0–80 cm) at Cuttack, India. These crops were subjected to foliage cutting at the collar of the uppermost leaf on 1 September and/or on 1 October. The amount of foliage cut was greater in 1990 than in 1991 due to a relatively slower rise in water level in the initial stages of the experiments, which resulted in a more vigorous growth of the plants. The tall, rapidly elongating and floating deepwater cultivar Jaladhi–1 yielded the most foliage, followed by the relatively shorter cultivars CN573–321–7–1, Panidhan and Utkalprabha. However, the grain yield of CN573–321–7–1 was greatest and the effect of foliage cutting was least pronounced; whereas Jaladhi–1 gave the lowest grain yield which further decreased significantly when foliage was removed. Cutting in September had no effect on the yield of CN573–321–7–1, Panidhan and Utkalprabha, but the later cut in October had a detrimental effect, particularly when cutting was done a second time. Nevertheless, a single late cutting in October was not found to be harmful to the yield of the tall cultivar CN573–321–7–1 and the long-duration semitall Panidhan. Decrease in grain yield with two cuts of foliage was due to a reduction in the weight and number of grains/panicle as panicles/m2 and 1000-grain weight remained unaffected. The results suggest that foliage could be harvested for feeding cattle from the long-duration, tall and photosensitive rice cultivars without any adverse effect on grain yield under semi-deep lowland conditions.
Strategic milk progesterone testing for the detection of silent oestrus and anovulation in dairy cows
Authors: Williams M. E. , McLeod B. J. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYDairy cows were inseminated on the basis of oestrus detection alone (Control, n = 206) or in conjunction with milk progesterone profiles (Experimental, n = 204). Milk samples were taken at 4–5 day intervals to determine oestrous cyclicity and on alternate days (at strategic times) to determine the time of ovulation. Progesterone profiles were consulted routinely as an aid to oestrus detection, and also to identify and aid diagnosis of cows with reproductive disorders. Cycling cows not observed in oestrus were inseminated on the basis of their progesterone profile alone. Animals showing oestrus within 2 days of a progesterone-timed insemination were inseminated again. In Experiments 1 and 2, inseminations were given from Day 42 post partum, but AI was delayed (mean time of 68±1·1 days after calving) in Experiment 3.The median interval from calving to first insemination was not significantly different between Experimental and Control groups, but the time of conception was earlier (P < 0·05) and the median calving interval shorter (P < 0·05) in progesterone-monitored cows in Expts 1 and 3. In addition, the percentage of cows served within 21 days of the start of the service period was greater (P < 0·05) in Experimental groups in Expts 1 and 2. This was reflected by an increase in the proportion (P < 0·05) of cows pregnant by 85 and 100 days after calving. The frequency with which the interservice interval equated to the length of the oestrous cycle was increased (P < 0·01) by progesterone testing (84·1% and 53·9% in Experimental and Control cows, respectively). Conception rates did not differ significantly between groups, but the number of double inseminations (P < 0·001) and thus the mean number of inseminations/conception (P < 0·01) were greater in progesterone-monitored cows. Conception rate was lower (P < 0·05) in cows that failed to show oestrus, and to the first insemination in double-inseminated cows.Progesterone testing reduced (by 44–66%, P < 0·01) the number of cows presented for veterinary examination and the mean time of presentation (P < 0·05), and also influenced the diagnosis made.
Growth and development in beef cattle. 2. Direct and residual effects of plane of nutrition during early life on the chemical composition of body components
Authors: Patterson D. C. , Steen R. W. J. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYLow, medium and high planes of nutrition were imposed on Friesian calves from 1 to 13 weeks of age (Period 1) and factorially arranged with low and high planes of nutrition in the 13–25 week period (Period 2). In the final (residual) period, from 25 weeks to slaughter, all animals were given the same high plane diet. The different planes of nutrition were achieved by offering restricted allowances of milk replacer or concentrates with roughage ad libitum. The roughage was grass hay during the milkfeeding period and grass silage thereafter. Representative animals were slaughtered at 1, 13 and 25 weeks of age while the remaining animals were slaughtered at mean liveweights of 503 and 553 kg. The ME intake of the low plane animals in Period 1 was 0·55 that of the high plane animals and produced daily accretions of protein, fat and energy in empty body which were respectively 0·43, 0·29 and 0·36 of the gains of the high plane animals. The ME intake of the low plane in Period 2 was 0·69 of the high plane and daily accretions of protein, fat and energy in empty body were 0·46, 0·59 and 0·54 of the gains of the high plane animals.Within Period 2 compensatory protein growth was observed in both carcass and non-carcass components in response to nutritional restriction in Period 1. Compensatory protein growth was also obtained in the carcass component in the residual period as an indirect effect of nutritional restriction in Period 2.Nutritional restriction in early life produced relatively small non-significant direct effects on body and carcass composition and while early restriction subsequent produced a considerable degree of compensatory growth, there were no significant differences in carcass measurements or chemical composition of the carcass by the final slaughter weight.
Direct and residual effect of phosphorus on dryland barley
Authors: Orphanos P. I. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYIn a 14-year experiment conducted at Athalassa in the central plain of Cyprus, phosphorus was applied (0, 30 or 60 kg P/ha) annually over the first 5-year period to rainfed barley continually grown and cut for hay at the milk stage of the grain. The bicarbonate-extractable P content in the surface soil was 4 mg/kg at the start and increased to 16 and 25 mg/kg after the five annual applications of 30 and 60 kg P/ha, respectively. The residual effect of P was monitored in the following seven crop seasons, by the end of which soil P had dropped to below the recognised 6 mg/kg threshold value for response to P. The application of P was resumed in the last two experimental seasons (1992/93 and 1993/94). In two cropping seasons, rainfall was < 140 mm and no harvestable yield was obtained. In another two seasons, in which there was adequate rainfall in December and January, there was no response to P, but in the other seasons 30 kg P/ha was sufficient for maximum yield. Concentration of P in the dry matter (DM) harvested increased in proportion to the P applied.A P balance sheet made after the first five P applications and taking into account the amount of P removed in the DM and the increase in soil bicarbonate-extractable P indicated that 29 and 26 % of the P applied with the 30 and 60 kg P/ha rates, respectively, was accounted for.The data indicate that the established threshold value of 6 mg P/kg is valid. The soil tested 180 mg/kg exchangeable K. but application of 240 or 480 kg K/ha did not increase yield.