bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The concentration of minerals in the blood of genetically diverse groups of sheep
Authors: Wiener Gerald , Field A. C. , Jolly G. M. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYChanges in the concentration of copper in the blood of 241 adult ewes bled 4 times over a 12-month period (and 332 ewes over a shorter period) were analysed to examine sources of variation in the changes. Breed, age and swayback history were the most significant of the factors associated with both the amount and rate of decline in copper level from summer through autumn to winter. The number of lambs born, age of ewe, and swayback history were the most significant factors associated with the increase in levels from winter to the following summer.There was a tendency for the classes of sheep with the relatively higher concentrations of copper in their blood to show less seasonal fluctuation in those levels than classes of sheep with relatively lower concentrations of copper.
The effect of different proportions of hay and fortified rolled barley in the diet on digestible-energy value and urinary-energy excretion by cattle
Authors: Raven A. M. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYA 6 x 6 Latin Square balance experiment was carried out using six Friesian steers, each of which initially weighed about 304 kg. The six treatments studied were an all-hay diet and five other diets containing 20,40,60,80 and 100 % of rolled barley fortified with mineral and vitamin supplements, accompanied by correspondingly reduced proportions of hay. Each diet was fed at an estimated maintenance level of feeding.The progressive increase in the proportion of concentrate gave a significantly linear increase (P < 0·001) in both digestible and calculated metabolizable energy. The actual increase in digestible energy was from 2·62Mcal/kg dry matter (59·3% of the gross energy) on the all-hay treatment to 3·42 Mcal/kg dry matter (79·5% of the gross energy) on the all-concentrate treatment. Use of the determined digestible energy values for the all-hay and fortified barley diets to calculate the digestible energy of the four mixed diets gave results in reasonably good agreement with the determined values, the maximum difference being 0·12 Mcal/kg dry matter, which represented 3·83 % of the determined value. The losses of energy in the urine expressed as percentages of the gross energy of the diets showed a small but significantly linear decrease (P < 0·01) with increase in proportion of barley in the diet. The molar proportions of steamvolatile acids in samples of rumen fluid taken from two animals on each treatment indicated that increase in the proportion of concentrate was associated with tendencies for increase in acetic acid, decrease in propionic acid and little change in butyric acid. The mean digestibility of the organic matter was 62·6 % on the all-hay treatment and 81·8 % on the all concentrate treatment. The progressive increase in the proportion of concentrate gave a significantly linear increase (P < 0·001) in digestibility of the organic matter. Although intakes of nitrogen decreased with increase in the proportion of concentrate due to a decrease in the amount of dry matter fed, the weights of nitrogen retained were well maintained and when expressed as percentages of intake showed a significantly linear increase (P < 0·01).
The relationship between diet, the copper and sulphur content of wool, and fibre characteristics
Authors: Kapoor U. R. , Agarwala O. N. , Pachauri V. C. , Nath K. , Narayan S. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThirty-six rams of Chokla breed of about 1–1½12 years of age were randomly divided into six groups and were fed for 4 months on a basal ration of Cynodon dactylon grass or its hay ad libitum. One group acted as the control, while the rations of the remaining groups were respectively supplemented with 250 g of a concentrate mixture, 250 g of lucerne hay, mg CoCl2.6H2O, 10 mg CuSO4.5H2O and 1 mg CoCl2. 6H2O plus 10 mg CuSO4. 5H2O per animal per day. The mean copper, sulphur and cobalt ingestion in the different groups respectively ranged from.1 to 9·7, 475 to 2030 and 0·10 to 0·53 mg per animal per day. The copper, sulphur, fibre diameter, staple length, medullation percentage, crimp per cm and staining grade were not significantly (P > 0·05) affected by the different dietary treatments. The wool copper was strongly correlated with wool sulphur (r = + 0·79) and both were inversely correlated with fibre diameter and medullation percentage. Wool sulphur, but not wool copper, was inversely correlated with staple length. Wool copper, but not wool sulphur, was inversely correlated with the staining grade of canary coloured wool. Staining grade was inversely correlated with fibre diameter as well as crimps per cm. The results suggest that copper plays an intrinsic role in the marshalling of the sulphur component of wool and in the synthetic mechanism of the wool fibre. A suggestion has been made that copper may be playing a biochemical part in the physiological processes causing canary coloration in Indian wools.
Lead contamination of roadside soil and grass in Birmingham, England, in relation to naturally occurring levels
Authors: Davies Brian E. , Holmes Pamela L. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYLead was determined in soil and grass from transects across three main roads and one minor road in Birmingham, England. The pattern of enhancement of lead contents was consistent with aerial contamination by lead compounds from motor vehicle exhausts. Data from grass sampled during wet and dry weather suggested that approximately half the lead was present as a removable surface film on the grass blade. Generally, the lead content of the grass was not high enough to affect grazing cattle adversely but the growing of vegetables for human consumption might need regulation. The lead values for contaminated soil, although locally high, were within the normal range for British and American soils and, for comparable traffic volumes, were less than those reported in the U.S.A. Attention is drawn to inter-laboratory differences when reporting analyses of reference rocks and the implications for environmental research.
Studies on mixtures of maize and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) with particular reference to plant population
Authors: Willey R. W. , Osiru D. S. O. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYTwo experiments are described in which the possible yield benefits of mixing maize and beans were examined under intensive farming conditions. A ‘replacement series’ of pure maize, two-thirds maize/one-third beans, one-third maize/two-thirds beans and pure beans was used at four plant populations. A high level of nitrogen was applied on the maize to eliminate the effects of nitrogen transfer from the beans.Yields of the mixtures were up to 38% higher than could be achieved by growing the crops separately. It is concluded that this occurred because the mixtures achieved a greater utilization of environmental resources; it is suggested that, because of the marked height differences of the two crops, an increased utilization of light was probably a major contributing factor. The need for high populations in mixtures is indicated, partly because the largest yield increases were achieved at high populations and partly because the mixtures required a higher population pressure to produce their maximum yield.The maize was found to have the higher relative competitive ability, and this increased with increase in plant population pressure. It is suggested that this was probably due to the shading effect which the maize had on the beans. The effects of a change in relative competitive abilities, or in relative selling prices, on the optimum proportion of two species in a mixture are also considered.
Assessing and predicting environmental response inLolium perenne
Authors: Samuel C. J. A. , Hill J. , Breese E. L. , Davies Alison 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYRecently developed regressional techniques suggest that some of the problems posed by genotype-environment interactions may be solved. These techniques have been applied, therefore, to data from an extensive trial involving perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) varieties grown under various treatments at several locations throughout Great Britain. Analysis reveals that the relative performance of the varieties depends mainly upon whether they are grown as spaced plants or swards. Even though the genotype-environment interactions are large, much of their effects could be reduced to an essentially linear scale. These results are considered in the light of the known characteristics of the varieties concerned, whilst the wider implications are also discussed.
The nutrition of the early weaned lamb:I. The influence of protein concentration and feeding level on rate of gain in body weight
Authors: Andrews R. P. , Ørskov E. R. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe live-weight gains of male and female lambs were measured during growth from 16 to 40 kg live weight when five cereal-based diets varying in dietary crude protein concentration (from 10 to 20%) were given at three levels in a 5×3×2 factorial design.Males grew faster than females by about 15% (P < 0·001); this difference increased with age and with the amount of feed given (P < 0·05). Growth rate responded linearly to increase in feeding level (P < 0·001) and curvilinearly to increase in dietary protein concentration (P < 0·01). A significant interaction (P < 0·01) occurred whereby growth increased with higher protein concentrations as feeding level increased.At the highest feeding level (near ad libitum) the results suggest that the optimum dietary crude protein concentration for growth was about 17·5, 15·0, 12·5 and 12·5% at body weights of 20, 25, 30 and 35 kg respectively. The overall optimum dietary crude protein concentration for growth between 16 and 40 kg body weight was about 17·0, 15·0 and 11·0% when the mean digestible energy intake was 3·0, 2·6 and 2·1 Mcal/day.The results agree reasonably well with estimates of protein requirements for lambs given by the Agricultural Research Council (1965).
The effect of different extraction procedures on the recovery of cell walls in forage and faeces from cattle and sheep
Authors: Moir K. W. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYForages and faeces from 28 digestibility experiments with cattle or sheep were extracted with neutral detergent solution, with and without sodium sulphite, or sequentially extracted with acid-pepsin, ethyl alcohol, diethyl ether and either ammonium oxalate or hot water. Ammonium oxalate was used to extract small amounts of non-protein material not extracted from legumes by hot water. Compared with sequential extraction the average protein-free organic residues after extraction with detergent, with and without sodium sulphite, were significantly lower in legumes and faeces, but not in grasses. The largest differences occurred in faeces from grasses for which the recoveries of cell walls as percentages of the faecal organic matter were found to be 59·2, 62·0 and 66·4 respectively, after extraction with neutral detergent plus sodium sulphite, neutral detergent alone and sequential extraction with various solvents. It was considered that the differences were due to extraction of cell-wall constituents by both detergent and sulphite.
An assessment of the quality of forage from its cell-wall content and amount of cell wall digested
Authors: Moir K. W. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYGrasses and legumes comprising poor to good quality temperate and tropical species were fed to either cattle or sheep in 36 digestibility experiments. Cell wall in these forages was the ash-free and protein-free residue after sequential extraction with acidpepsin, organic solvents and either water for grasses or ammonium oxalate for legumes. The average amount of cell wall digested per 100 g forage OM was 40·0±0·59 g in grasses and 19·8±1·85 g in legumes. It was considered that within grasses and within legumes the physiology of ruminant digestion, rather than forage quality, was the main determinant of the average amount of cell wall digested and the difference between grasses and legumes was due to interaction of the ruminant digestion process with the physical structure of the cell wall. Of forage factors governing variation about the physiological average, the total cell wall had some effect on the amount of cell wall digested, but the lignin concentration in the cell wall had no effect.Among grasses and legumes the average, apparently undigested, protein-free non-cell-wall component was 6·2±0·13 g per 100 g forage OM. This component and digestible protein relative to total protein varied among different sets of data. It was concluded that only the component of digestible organic matter which was governed by the relative proportions of cell walls and cellular contents was predictable from chemical composition. It was considered that selection in plant breeding should be based on both digestible cell wall and cell-wall content instead of digestible organic matter.
The potential digestibility of cellulose in grasses and its relationship with chemical and anatomical parameters
Authors: Wilkins R. J. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYPotential cellulose digestibility, measured by incubation in vitrofor 6 days, decreased during floral development in perennial ryegrass, Wimmera ryegrass, cocksfoot, oat and tall fescue. The rate of decline was slower than for cellulose digestibility measured after incubation in vitro for 2 days only. Morphological fractions ranked in order of descending potential cellulose digestibility – leaf blade, inflorescence, leaf sheath and stem.Lignin content was determined chemically by the method of Van Soest (1963) and lignified tissue was assessed by staining transverse sections of leaf blades and leaf sheaths with safranin and fast green. Both lignin and lignified tissue increased with maturity. Lignified tissue increased mainly through increase in the number of scleren-chyma cells, but was also affected by the formation of lacunae or cavities between the vascular bundles in leaf blades of cocksfoot and in leaf sheaths of all species studied. For 19 samples of leaf blades and leaf sheaths, potential cellulose digestibility had significant negative correlations with both lignin content (r = -0·862) and lignified tissue (r = -0·905). Limitations to the techniques used to assess lignification and further factors which may affect the relationship between lignification and potential cellulose digestibility are discussed.
Effects of defoliating different zones on the plant in field beans (Vicia faba L.)
Authors: McEwen J. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe mean yield of grain of untreated spring field beans was 2750 kg/ha. By the use of differential defoliation, upper and lower limits were set for the photosynthetic contributions of four zones to this yield:(i) stems and pods 0–300 kg;(ii) leaves below first flowering node 280–1150 kg;(iii) leaves on first nine flowering nodes 720–2100 kg;(iv) leaves above first nine flowering nodes 260–1150 kg.The evidence suggested that all zones functioned below their full photosynthetic efficiency when other zones were present and that competition between zones for sites to store carbohydrate was a greater limiting factor than mutual shading.
Activity and energy expenditure in laying hens: 2. The energy cost of exercise
Authors: van Kampen M. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryIn capacity studies on adult White Leghorn hens during exercise it was found that the maximum velocity of the bird was 2·4 km/h.Metabolic rate increased linearly with running speed and, between the speeds of 1 and 2 km/h, was 53–65% higher than the metabolic rate at rest.The bird moved faster largely by increasing its stride.The cost of bipedal locomotion for hens, in contrast to men and rhea, is lower than the cost of the quadrupedal locomotion of mammals.
The effect of plant density, date of apical bud removal and leaf removal on the growth and yield of single-harvest Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleraceavar. gemmifera D.C.): III. The components of marketable yield
Authors: Fisher N. M. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryAn analysis of marketable yield of sprouts is suggested in which the components are: number of plants/m3, number of buds/plant, acceptable size fraction, acceptable quality fraction and mean weight per marketable bud.The number of buds per plant was dependent on date of stopping but was not greatly affected by plant density. This component was not found to limit yield.Acceptable size fraction was related to the standard deviation of bud size and increased to a maximum at the time of optimum bud size. The maximum acceptable size fraction obtained from field samples could be reliably predicted from measurements of the standard deviation of bud size.The acceptable quality fraction was of particular importance in later harvested crops and at higher plant densities. It was highly dependent upon cultivar but was little affected by stopping treatment. Unacceptable buds occurred most frequently at the base of the stem and it is argued that the importance of the blemishing diseases responsible for these losses has been increased by the single-pick harvesting technique.The optimum plant density was related to the expected date of harvest but the practice of delaying maturity by increasing density is limited by the decreased acceptable quality fraction. Crops for harvest in October and November should undoubtedly be stopped both to reduce bud size variation and to stimulate bud growth.
Causes of variation in milk yield and lactation length of Jersey cattle in Western Nigeria
Authors: Adeneye J. A. , Bamiduro T. A. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryStudies on 59 first four completed lactations of 37 imported Jersey cattle in Western Nigeria showed that their mean lactation length (248·4 days) and average milk yield (1257·4 kg) were inferior to those of their counterparts in other tropical countries. Lactation length following the birth of female calves was longer and milk production greater than those subsequent to male births but the differences were small (P > 0·05). Peak milk production was reached at the third lactation. Influence of season of calving on lactation length was slight; mean milk yield was significantly highest (P < 0·05) among October-December calvers, while the July-December period appeared to be more propitious for milk production. The regression coefficients of lactation length and milk yield on age of dam at calving were negative and unimpressive (P > 0·05), being −2·108 ± 2·661 and −19·106 ± 17·130 respectively. Analysis of variance for weight of milk with lactation length as a covariate revealed that although lactation length was a major (P < 0·001) determinant of milk production, both the period of calving and lactation number had recognizable bearing on milk yield. All interaction effects were trivial (P > 0·05). The period of study was 1968–74.
Absorption and movement of 14C-labelled MH and 2,4-D in onions
Authors: Asif M. I. , Khan A. A. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe absorption and movement of 14C-labelled maleic hydrazide (2000 mg/1) and 2,4-D (250 mg/1) were studied in seedlings and mature plants of a local strain of onion (Allium cepa L.) from Kano, Nigeria, in the presence and absence of N (20 mg/1).Plants absorbed and accumulated considerable amounts of both the chemicals. Addition of N to the treatment solution reduced the absorption of 2,4-D. Also, N reduced the mobility of the chemicals from the roots to the tops which resulted in accumulation of the chemicals in the bulbs.
The performance of Santa Gertrudis, Sahiwal, Brahman and cross-bred animals in the intermediate savannahs of Guyana: 2. Birth weight and preweaning performance
Authors: Harricharan H. , Mahadevan P. , Springer B. G. F. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYData collected over a period of 11 years at the Ebini Livestock Station in the intermediate savannahs of Guyana were analysed to determine the effect of breed or cross, sire, sex, year and season of birth of calf, and age and length of calving interval of the dam on weights at birth and at 4, 8 and 12 months of age, in Santa Gertrudis, Sahiwal and Brahman cattle. The heritability of body weights at the different ages was estimated.
The effect of two synthetic steroids on plasma glucose concentration and total entry rate of glucose in sheep
Authors: Ranaweera Anoma , Ford E. J. H. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryPrimed continuous intravenous infusions of tracer amounts of [2·3H]gluscose were used to measure glucose entry rates before and after the administration of triamcinolone acetonide or trienbolone acetate to sheep eating 1200 g/day of chopped hay.The intramuscular injection of triamcinolone acetonide caused hyperglycaemia with a maximum plasma glucose concentration 24 h after the injection. Twenty-four hours after the injection of 0·5 mg/kg of steroid the mean glucose entry rate rose from 1·44 to 2·14 mg/min/kg. The difference between these means is significant (P < 0·02). Twenty-four hours after injecting 0·05 mg/kg of steroid the mean glucose entry rate had risen from 1·34 to 1·86 mg/min/kg. The difference between these means is significant (P < 0·05). The intramuscular injection of trienbolone acetate (0·5 mg/kg) had no effect on plasma glucose concentration or on glucose entry rate.These results are compared with the effect of betamethasone and are discussed in relation to the treatment of ketosis in cattle and sheep.
Comparison of methods of extending part lactation records for sire evaluation
Authors: Rao M. K. , Sundaresan D. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThe first lactation records of 684 Sahiwal, 157 Brown Swiss × Sahiwal (BS × S) and 255 Friesian × Sahiwal (F × S) constituted the data for this study. The 300-day yield was estimated from part lactation yields of 13, 17, 21, 26 and 30 weeks post partum by four methods, namely, regression, ratio, gamma and inverse polynomial functions. The duration of the part record and the method of estimation were evaluated for their reliability in estimating the 300-day yield and sire evaluation.The correlations between part records and 300-day yield ranged from 0·76 to 0·95, thecorrelations being higher in F × S. The error, absolute error and standard deviation of error weresmaller for ratio and regression methods than for the gamma and inverse polynomial functions. The part records of 30 weeks or more were found to be necessary to estimate 300-day yield within 15% of the actual yield with regression or ratio methods.The rank correlations and product moment correlations between sire indices calculated with part records and 300-day yield were found to be highly significant. The part records of 17 weeks or more extended by ratio or regression could be used to evaluate sires as accurately as with 300-day yield by increasing the progeny group size by 7–10% in Sahiwal and by about 20% in F × S. Theloss of efficiency in sire evaluation amounted to about 10–15% with part records of 17 weeks or more compared with 300-day yield.