The TPAD process can reduce contamination in waste-water sludge to less than 1 fecal coliform per milligram, a level not obtainable with conventional systems. The sludge is converted into biosolids that can be applied to land as a soil amendment and fertilizer without restrictions. The process also reduces sludge odor and provides an additional 15 to 20 percent reduction in solids compared to conventional methods, said Tim Ellis, an ISU assistant professor of civil and construction engineering. Wis. The technology has been licensed to Anaerobic Biosystems Corp., Ames, Iowa. The estrogen receptor gene test for improved pig litter size, developed by Iowa State animal geneticist Max Rothschild, is a genetic testing method that helps pork producers increase the size of pig litters by scientifically identifying which females and males have the genes to produce larger litters.
Efficient reproduction is one of the most important economic traits in pork production.
But U.S. producers cull 30 percent of their sows because of poor reproductive performance. The ability to identify sows for potential for increased litter size would improve the financial bottom line for producers. Rothschild and his colleagues have identified a gene that influences litter size. The ESR gene test, which is based on a simple genetic mutation or DNA polymorphism, allows the first direct selection of individual males and females and can be applied before any animals have their own litters. Conventional methods to improve the genetic ability of sows have relied on statistical methods that can only estimate that some animals are better for larger litter sizes than others.