bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of farmyard manure and phosphorus and potassium fertilizers on soil properties in rice-wheat rotation
Authors: Formoli G. N. , Prasad R. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThe effects of farmyard manure (FYM) and P and K fertilizers on soil properties were studied at the end of a 3-year (1972–5) field experiment at New Delhi, India. Each year a crop of rice and wheat was grown. FYM was applied at 0 or 15 t/ha, phosphorus at 0, 30 and 60 kg P2O5/ha and potassium at 0 or 60 kg K2O/ha. Treatments included application of manure and fertilizer to rice or wheat alone or to both the crops. FYM application increased organic C, total N and available K and P in the soil, the effects being greater when both rice and wheat received FYM. Application of FYM slightly decreased the soil pH. Phosphorus and potassium fertilizer increased available P and K in the soil, respectively.
The effect of diet and blood-plasma magnesium concentration on the endogenous faecal loss of magnesium in sheep
Authors: Allsop T. F. , Rook J. A. F. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryTwo experiments are reported in which mature, castrated male sheep were used to study the effect of a change of magnesium status, as induced by a continuous intravenous infusion of magnesium, on the faecal output of magnesium. In the first experiment, three artificial diets differing markedly in fibre content but extremely low in magnesium were used and in the second experiment, natural diets of frozen grass and of hay and ground barley.With the artificial diets, unit change in plasma magnesium concentration gave the same increase in faecal magnesium output with all three diets but on average faecal magnesium output was highest for the diet containing the highest content of fibre and least for the diet containing an intermediate amount of fibre, and the differences, though small, were statistically significant. With the natural diets, there was no significant difference between diets in the increase in faecal magnesium output in response to a change of plasma magnesium concentration but the order of response was much greater than for the artificial diets. It is concluded that absorption of magnesium from the gut is depressed at high plasma magnesium concentrations.
The effect of treadmill slope on the relationship between heart rate and energy expenditure in cattle walking on treadmills
Authors: Sneddon Jennifer C. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryTwo steers (Bos indicus and Bos indicus x Bos taurus) were acclimatized to an ambient temperature of 30 °C before working at this temperature on two treadmills (gradients 0 and 6°) for 2 h (one on each treadmill) whilst carrying a load equivalent to 10% of body weight. The study was then repeated at an ambient temperature of 15 °C. The effect of variation between animals, ambient temperature and rate of energy expenditure were tested on the linear regression model EEw = A PHR + B (where EEw is the energy expenditure (w/kg0·75) and PHR is the percentage increase of working heart rate over resting heart rate).Animal and ambient temperature had no significant effect on the model. The gradient of the regression line was significantly greater (P < 0·01) when the animals were expending energy at the higher rate (about 30 W/kg live weight0·75) than when they were expending energy at the lower rate (about 14 W/kg live weight0·75).
Post-natal development, dimensions of the skin follicle population and birthcoat follicular origin in Barki and ⅜ Merino lambs
Authors: Guirgis R. A. , Amin S. O. , Ghanem Y. S. , EL-Sayed N. A. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYIn a study of two breed groups, coarse wool Barki and ⅜ Merino ⅜ Barki, data were obtained on skin histology from birth to the age of 1 year, birthcoat fibre type arrays and fibre-follicle relationship.The ⅜ Merino exceeded Barki lambs in the maximum S/P ratio, values of which were 3·40 and 5·64 obtained at 6 and 8 months in Barki and ⅜ Merino respectively.Internal diameters of primary follicles ranged from 39·0 to 64·7 and from 41·0 to 56·8 μm; those of secondaries ranged from 19·8 to 34·9 and from 22·6 to 33·3 μm in Barki and ⅜ Merino respectively.The ratio of primary to secondary follicle diameters showed high values in both breed groups; averages were 1·89 and 1·71 for internal diameter and 1·86 and 1·71 for external diameter in Barki and ⅜ Merino respectively.Birthcoat fibre type arrays were mostly saddle, only 8·3% were plateau (P3) in both breed groups.In Barki primary centrals grew halo hairs, super sickle (A, A′, B), primary laterals produced super sickle (A, A′, B), sickles, coarse and medium curly tips, and secondaries mostly grew medium and fine curly tips and histerotrichs.In ⅜ Merino primary centrals produced halo hairs, super sickle (A, A′, B), primary laterals grew super sickle (A, A′, B), sickles, medium curly tips, and secondaries produced medium and fine curly tips and histerotrichs.
Effects of condensed tannins in Lotus pedunculatus on its nutritive value for sheep. 1. Non-nitrogenous aspects
Authors: Waghorn G. C. , Shelton I. D. , McNabb W. C. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryLotus pedunculatus was grown under high fertility conditions and its nutritive value was determined in a feeding trial with sheep at Palmerston North, New Zealand in 1989. The condensed tannins (CT) accounted for 5·5 % of lotus dry matter (DM) and its effect on digestion was evaluated by giving an intraruminal infusion of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to six of the sheep (PEG group). PEG preferentially binds with CT so that the lotus becomes essentially CT-free.The experiment was carried out with 14 sheep (six PEG and eight ‘Tannin’) held in metabolism crates indoors and given freshly cut lotus hourly, for 32 days. This paper presents data relating to carbohydrate and mineral digestion, together with aspects of rumen function.Digestibility of lotus DM was 68%, and the digestibility of fibre was not affected by CT. Infusion of PEG increased rumen concentrations of NH3 and volatile fatty acids (P < 0·001) but effects on molar ratios of VFA were inconsistent with time. CT reduced rumen degradation and absorption of sulphur and increased net absorption of both phosphorus and zinc, but other effects on mineral digestion were small.Although the lotus was offered at c. 90% of ad libitum, intakes of the tannin sheep began to decline after c. 15 days of feeding and were c. 12% lower than those of the PEG sheep at the end of the trial (P < 0·05). At slaughter, rumen pool sizes were similar for the two treatments but the Tannin sheep had a lower fractional outflow rate, which suggests a slower rate of digestion in the rumen. Growth rate and wool production were similar for sheep on both treatments. It is concluded that the CT in Lotus pedunculatus grown under high fertility conditions had little effect on fibre and mineral digestion but the depression in DM intake reduced its nutritive value for sheep.
Intercropping wheat and barley with N-fixing legume species: a method for improving ground cover, N-use efficiency and productivity in low input systems
Authors: Reynolds M. P. , Sayre K. D. , Vivar H. E. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryTwo cereal cropping systems are described which, through the introduction of a leguminous intercrop, increased productivity, nitrogen output and ground cover of the systems in the absence of added nitrogen fertilizer. Nitrogen-fixing legumes were cultivated between rows of wheat or barley grown at low levels of soil nitrogen, and mostly under rainfed conditions, in Mexico between 1989 and 1992. None of the legumes tested reduced yields of the cereal crop in comparison to controls where cereal yields were in the range of 1–4 t/ha, while the extra total biomass from legumes in some cases more than doubled productivity. Different legume crops were tested to demonstrate the adaptability of the system to the varying needs of farmers. The intercropped legumes achieved dry biomass yields as high as 6·5 t/ha in the case of a sequentially cropped forage crop of hairy vetch, or 1·4 t/ha of dry beans plus 3·5 t/ha of green residue in the case of Vicia faba. Total biomass in the intercropped situation gave land equivalent ratios as high as 1·54. Light measurements inside the crop canopies indicated that the intercropped systems intercepted a higher proportion of the incident solar radiation than the cereal monocrop, presumably accounting for the large differences in total biomass produced. In addition, with leaf nitrogen levels of 3·8%, it is assumed that the intercropped legumes fixed considerably more nitrogen than was removed by the wheat crop. The potential of the system to stabilize erodible soils by increasing ground cover as well as by raising inputs of soil organic matteris discussed.
The use of a land suitability model to predict where autumn-sown, determinate genotypes of the white lupin (Lupinus albus) might be grown in England and Wales
Authors: Siddons P. A. , Jones R. J. A. , Hollis J. M. , Hallett S. H. , Huyghe C. , Day J. M. , Scott T. , Milford G. F. J. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryA model was developed to assess the suitability of land in England and Wales for growing newly developed genotypes of autumn-sown determinate white lupins. The model used soil pH, the number of degree-days accumulated for mainstem leaf production before the apical meristem of the mainstem became floral, and the number of machinery work days in autumn. Interactions between these three components were used to set thresholds to determine land suitability within 5 × 5 km grid squares of the National Soil Map.Of the potential 13·75 Mha of arable land in England and Wales, a total of 7·54 Mha are well or moderately suited to growing these lupin genotypes. This is equivalent to c. 2 Mha of land within the arable rotation each year. It was estimated that, because of low soil pH, lupins would be the preferred legume on 0·3 Mha out of this 2 Mha. The model was also used to assess the risk of soil acidification and nitrate leaching following mineralization of lupin residues. This exercise indicated that there was little risk of either on much of the land suited to lupins.
A quantitative evaluation of the comparative value of six fertilizer–nitrogen sources for potatoes
Authors: Swaminathan K. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYSix fertilizer–nitrogen sources, each at three levels, together with a control of no fertilizer–nitrogen were compared in field trials in two consecutive crop seasons on a sandy soil comparatively deficient in nitrogen at Patna, Bihar. Four mathematical models were fitted to the potato yield data in order to evaluate the relative availability indices of the individual fertilizers. Data collected on final stand and ‘emergence rate’ index (Bartlett) showed that while urea applications gave rise to a comparatively low speed of emergence, with observed shoot injuries, nitrate of soda caused poor final stands. The other fertilizers had no effect on either the final stand or the speed of emergence.Sulphate of ammonia was chosen as the standard fertilizer for the present study. Ammonium sulphate nitrate was as good as or even slightly better, while ammonium chloride and calcium ammonium nitrate were of intermediate efficiency, in that order. Urea and nitrate of soda were decidedly poor as nitrogen sources for potatoes under the conditions of the study. The concurrent Mitscherlich curves model was found to represent the behaviour of these fertilizers with a good measure of fit.The performance of the six fertilizers is discussed in the light of the availability of NH4+ and NO3-, the phytotoxicity of urea and nitrate of soda, and the harmful effects of Cl-. It is concluded that ammonium sulphate nitrate is the best carrier of nitrogen among those studied for potatoes under the conditions set forth.
The effects of components of body weight on reproductive efficiency in the Merino ewe
Authors: Guerra J. C. , Thwaites C. J. , Edey T. N. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYGroups of mature Merino ewes selected on the basis of either large or small bodysize were differentially fed during a pre-experimental period to produce subgroups of high and low body condition. These levels of body condition were maintained for 2 weeks before mating and for the first 5 weeks of gestation. Thereafter, the four subgroups grazed together until lambing.Big ewes had more multiple ovulations than small ewes (14/41 υ 6/53; P < 0·01), and there was a significant linear regression of ovulation rate on body size. Body condition was positively related to the incidence of multiple ovulations, but the regression of ovulation rate on body condition at mating failed to reach significance. Body weight was significantly related to both ovulation rate and the incidence of multiple ovulations, and proved to be a more effective predictor of ovulation rate than either body size or condition.These results make it clear that size and condition, the two components of body weight, each have a considerable independent influence on some aspects of reproduction, and that the precision of some experiments and the effectiveness of some production routines could be improved by considering them separately.
Improvement of wool production and quality by the use of sheep rugs on Gansu Alpine Fine wool sheep in north-west China
Authors: Davis G. P. , You Z.-F. , Crowe D. W. , Whiteley K. J. , Ma H.-Z. , Song S.-Z. , McGuirk B. J. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYFine wool in China is characterized by severe dust contamination and substantial tip weathering. In an attempt to improve wool quality, synthetic rugs were fitted to ewes and a range of raw wool characteristics was monitored. Two trials were carried out in successive years: a pilot trial (June 1985 to June 1986) involving 100 ewes wearing rugs and 75 controls, and a main trial (June 1986 to June 1987) involving 250 ewes with rugs and 250 controls. The rugs were fitted to ewes after shearing and remained on until shearing the following year. Wool from ewes with rugs was significantly better in almost all the characteristics measured (P <0·05) than wool from sheep without rugs. Clean fleece weight was improved by 15% over the two trials, yield and wax content were increased, and dust content and dust penetration were substantially reduced. Staple length and strength were increased, and dust content and dust penetration were substantially reduced in the main trial. Several style characteristics were measured using a prototype image analysis system and these also showed wool from sheep wearing rugs as being of better quality than wool from sheep in the control group. The only negative result was an increase in yellowness, in the greasy state only, due to the higher wax content in the sheep wearing rugs and the yellow nature of the wax of Gansu Alpine Finewool sheep – probably due to their genetic background. Wool from sheep wearing rugs would be expected to perform better in processing than wool from unrugged sheep.
Magnesium metabolism in lactating goats fed on grass diets differing in mineral content
Authors: Johnson C. L. , Powley G. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYA balance experiment was carried out using four young lactating goats in a Latin square design, fed with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) from plots that had received 377 kg K/ha (diet 1); 63 kg K plus 377 kg Na/ha (diet 2); 188 kg K plus 188 kg Na/ha (diet 3) or no fertilizer (control diet 4).The apparent availability of Mg was high in all the grass diets (0·355–0·469); it was significantly depressed (P < 0·05) when the intake of K was high (diet 1); but was not significantly different when a high intake of K was accompanied by a high intake of Na (diet 3).There was a significantly lower (P < 0·05) apparent availability of Na in diet 4 and a significantly higher (P < 0·05) apparent availability of K in diet 3. There were no significant differences in the apparent availability of Ca.The plasma Mg concentration was not significantly affected by any dietary treatment but did decrease temporarily when diets were changed.There were no significant effects on mineral concentrations in the milk.
Adverse effects on reproductive performance and lameness of feeding grazing dairy cows partially on silage indoors
Authors: Phillips C. J. C. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYEighty autumn-calving (A) and 82 spring-calving (S) British Friesian cows were divided during the grazing season into two groups: one group received silage overnight indoors and grazed herbage during the day (partial storage feeding, P) and the other was conventionally set-stocked (C). The effects of the four treatments (AC, AP, SC and SP) on reproductive performance and herd health are reported for the 27-week grazing season and the subsequent 25-week housed period in 1985/86 in North Wales. Calving to conception interval was not affected by treatment but, in treatment SP, pregnancy rate to all services was lower and number of barren cows was greater than in the other treatments. Partial storage feeding increased the incidence of under-run heel and laminitis in the early part of the grazing season, and this was reflected in poorer locomotion. Treatment SC resulted in an increased incidence of punctured sole with pus later in the grazing season. Both autumn-calving treatments resulted in a large decrease in lameness and poor locomotion at drying off, but these increased in the autumn before housing. The mean duration of each lameness incident was 1·88 months and, in 40 out of 97 incidents, lameness was preceded by uneven gait. The incidence of lameness and poor locomotion was low for all treatments throughout the housed period. It is concluded that a high standard of buildings and reproductive and herd health management is necessary for partial storage feeding to be practised successfully.
Interaction of Compudose 200® and resistance to parasites on growth of steers of two cattle breeds
Authors: Frisch J. E. , Hunter R. A. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThis study sought to determine whether increases in live weight (LW) of steers implanted with Compudose 200®, a growth promotant that contains 17β-oestradiol, arose in part from increases in resistance of those steers to cattle ticks and gastro-intestinal nematodes (worms) to which the steers were exposed while they were growing. Half of a group of interbred Hereford × Shorthorn (HS) and interbred Brahman × HS (BX) steers was implanted with Compudose 200 on two occasions 200 days apart. Half of each of the implanted and nonimplanted groups in each breed was treated every 3 weeks to control cattle ticks and worms. All animals grazed together and were regularly monitored for parasite burdens and LW changes. Both breeds responded positively to Compudose 200, to which BX responded most, and to treatment to control parasites. Resistance to either ticks or worms was unaffected by the presence of the implant so that, within each breed, increases in LW gain in response to the implant were similar regardless of parasite control. Thus the increases in LW gain resulting from the use of Compudose 200 arose directly from the action of the implant on metabolism, not indirectly through any effect on resistance to parasites.
Catchment basin water harvesting as a means of improving the productivity of rain-fed land in upland Balochistan
Authors: Rees D. J. , Qureshi Z. A. , Mehmood S. , Raza S. H. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYCatchment basins were prepared within bunded fields from 1986 to 1988, with ratios of catchment area to cropped area of 1:1 or 2:1. Annual rainfall varied from 102 to 282 mm.Run-off from the catchment basins increased water storage in the cropped areas by 55 and 43% of the rain falling on the catchments in the 1:1 and 2:1 treatments, respectively. Yields increased considerably on a cropped area basis by water harvesting, but not always sufficiently to compensate for the loss of cropped land. Averaged over all trials, yields from the 1:1 treatment were 95% of the control yields. Yields-in the 2:1 treatments were reduced by waterlogging damage.The cost of catchment set-up was low compared with the reduced seed and ploughing costs in the water-harvesting treatments, resulting in 18 and 31% reductions in overall costs for the 1:1 and 2:1 treatments, respectively. Net benefits for the 1:1 treatment equalled or exceeded those of the control, but were 32% lower for the 2:1 treatment. Within-field water harvesting with a 1:1 crop: catchment ratio thus reduced risk by reducing investments in seed and animal draught power, whilst maintaining yields and net benefits, suggesting that it could be of considerable benefit to farmers in an environment with a high risk of crop failure. Catchment preparation on unused land adjacent to cropped land, and further research aimed at reducing waterlogging damage, could both lead to improvements in farmers' circumstances in upland Balochistan.
Effects of protein supplementation of grass silage on the performance and carcass quality of beef cattle
Authors: Steen R. W. J. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYTwo experiments (E1 and 2) were carried out in Northern Ireland in 1988/89 to examine the effects of a wide range of supplementary protein intakes given with grass silage-based diets on the performance and carcass composition of beef cattle, and to compare diets based on silage and dried forage. The five treatments used consisted of grass silage offered ad libitum and supplemented with 2·5 kg dry matter (DM) of barley-based concentrates containing (1) zero, (2) 0·2, (3) 0·4 and (4) 0·6 extracted soyabean meal and (5) artificially dried grass and hay supplemented with 3·3 kg concentrate DM. Experiments E3 and 4 were carried out in 1991/92 to examine the responses in ration digestibility, silage intake and animal performance to supplementary protein in relation to the requirements recommended by the United Kingdom Metabolizable Protein System. The two treatments consisted of grass silage offered ad libitum and supplemented with 3·2 kg DM of (1) barley and (2) 0·8 barley and 0·2 soyabean meal. The silages used were well preserved, containing on average 200 g DM/kg; 143 g crude protein (CP)/kg DM; 79 g ammonia-N/kg total N and 734 g digestible organic matter/kg DM. The cattle were castrated males of medium to late-maturing breed type and were initially 13 months old and 396 kg liveweight. Increasing protein intake did not affect ration digestibility, silage DM intake or animal performance in any of the four experiments, despite the fact that the effective rumen degradable protein (ERDP) intakes in the diets supplemented with barley alone were only 80–85% of ERDP requirements. However, increasing protein intake tended to increase carcass fatness in all experiments, the effect being significant (P < 0·05) for the lipid concentration in the M. longissimus dorsi muscle in E1 and 2. Offering the dried forage-based diet rather than an isonitrogenous silage-based diet did not affect carcass fatness. It is concluded that supplementing well preserved grass silages with mixtures of barley and soyabean meal, rather than with barley alone, did not affect ration digestibility, silage intake or animal performance but tended to increase carcass fatness, especially marbling fat, despite the fact that ERDP intakes for the diets with the lowest protein concentration were only 80–85% of requirements given by the United Kingdom Metabolizable Protein System.
Thermoperiodicity of crop plants and strategies for climate control
Authors: Markovskaya E. F. , Sysoyeva M. I. , Bezdenezhnykh V. A. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYA method for investigating the thermoperiodicity of crop plants is described. On the basis of our experimental results and published data, crop plants were assessed to establish whether they were thermoperiodic or not. Tomato and maize were classified as thermoperiodic species. Cucumber, beans, peas, oats and wheat were not thermoperiodic. Strategies for climate control based on the estimation of optimum temperature are proposed. These can be used to minimize energy consumption and, together with other environmental treatments, could optimize the yield of glasshouse crops.