Feed Shortage Research Articles

Effect of Vitamin Supplementation on Egg Production, Egg Quality, and Mortality of Sasso Chickens.

IntroductionEthiopia has a huge poultry population that plays a role in rural development. However, feed shortage is a major problem. Vitamin supplementation in feed formulation is crucial to improve the productivity of poultry. The objective of this study was to evaluate extra doses of vitamin supplements in quality egg production.MethodsThis experimental study was conducted on Sasso Ruby T chickens aged 22 weeks. The experimental and control groups each contained 60 hens. For the study group, extra doses of vitamins were added to the drinking water. Weekly observation was carried out for 3 months for a total of 12 observations. The effect of extra doses of vitamins on layers in terms of mortality, egg production, egg size, egg-specific gravity, and eggshell thickness was analyzed using SPSS 20 with t-tests.ResultsSignificant changes were observed for mortality (P<0.05), with mean mortality of 0.25±0.45 and 0.66±0.65 and general mortality of 5% and 13% in the study and control groups, respectively. Average egg production per week in the study group (279.5±3.80) was significantly (P<0.05) higher than the control group (256±4.81). However, no significant difference (P>0.05) was found for egg size between the groups: study group 59.99±0.92 g and control group 59.34±0.95 g. There was no significant variation (P>0.05) in average egg-specific gravity: study group 1.068±5.33×10−3 and control group 1.061±5.33×10−3. Average eggshell thickness was significantly greater (P<0.05) in the study group(0.36±0.048 mm) than the control group (0.32±0.04 mm).ConclusionWe identified that extra vitamin supplements for layer chickens is very important to increase profitability in the poultry industry by decreasing mortality and increasing egg production.

Performance Evaluation of Boer × Central Highland Crossbred Bucks and Farmers’ Perceptions on Crossbred Goats in Northeastern Ethiopia

The study aimed to characterize the production system, to evaluate the genetic merit of Boer × Central Highland crossbred bucks, and to solicit the perception of farmers about crossbred goats and crossbreeding program. Data were collected through a personal interview, focus group discussion, field observation, and measurement of the live animal. Besides, data on growth performance were extracted from available performance records at Sirinka sheep and goats breeding station. Data were analyzed using SAS, and the breeding values for bucks were estimated using WOMBAT software. Goats were the second most important animal species, and income generation, home meat consumption, and saving were found to be the main reasons for keeping goats with index values of 0.484, 0.355, and 0.085, respectively. The production system was characterized as a low-input production system. Feed shortage and disease/poor veterinary service were the most important constraints for the goat crossbreeding program. The overall mean estimated breeding values (EBV) for three- and six-month weight of disseminated crossbred bucks were 0.53 and 0.31 kg, respectively. The three-month weight EBV for crossbred goats disseminated in Amhara Sayint and Habru district was lower than their contemporary group. Likewise, the six-month weight EBV for crossbred goats distributed in Amhara Sayint was lower than the contemporary group mean. These results depict the absence of buck selection based on their genetic merit. As per farmers’ perception, crossbred goats were superior (odds ratio = 3.94 to 20.9, P &lt; 0.001 ) to indigenous goats in terms of production traits. Besides, the price of the crossbred goat was higher (213 to 372 ETB/head) than indigenous goats with similar management and age. However, poor adaptability and fitness were the major demerits of Boer × Central Highland crossbred goats under a smallholder management system. Therefore, while introducing exotic breeds, it is imperative to give due attention to nutrition and veterinary service.

Flexible Co-Processing Of Refinery Middle Distillate In FCC To Maximize Gasoline And LPG

Catalytic cracking of middle distillate fractions is a viable option to cope with the decreasing automotive diesel requirement, optimize throughput of catalytic crackers in case of shortage of feed and maximize gasoline and LPG production. Cracking performance of diesel range hydrocarbon streams from atmospheric and vacuum distillation towers, hydrocracker, delayed cooker and catalytic cracker was tested with respect to maximizing gasoline production. Subsequently an optimum blending ratio with vacuum gas oil was deduced followed by simulated cracking of said blend to calculate the potential yield benefit. A Refinery trial was conducted on basis of laboratory studies and a sustainable net value addition has been observed.

Fermentation quality and protein fractions of four Pennisetum grass silages

AbstractIn order to make good use of Pennisetum grasses to relieve the shortage of animal feed, the nutrients, silage fermentation quality, and Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) protein fractions of Pennisetum spp. were evaluated in this study. Four Pennisetum cultivars of Reyan‐4, Mott, Guimu‐1, and MT‐1 were harvested at the first cut and second cut, and they were wilted and ensiled for the analyses of fermentation quality and protein fractions. The first‐cut grasses had higher crude protein (CP), water‐soluble carbohydrate (WSC) contents, and lower detergent fiber contents than the second cut ones. Mott had higher CP content. Reyan‐4 and MT‐1 contained higher WSC contents, and their silages had lower pH and ammonia nitrogen (NH3‐N) content, higher lactic acid content than Mott and Guimu‐1 silages. Wilting increased pH and NH3‐N contents and decreased lactic acid contents of both cut silages. The CNCPS analysis showed that fresh MT‐1 of either first or second cut had more evenly distributed protein fractions than other three grasses. Wilting and ensiling increased nonprotein nitrogen contents and decreased unavailable protein contents of four grasses. Four cultivars at the first cut contained more CP and less fiber than those at the second cut. Reyan‐4 and MT‐1 had better fermentation quality of silage than Mott and Guimu‐1; the latter might need additives to improve fermentation quality at ensiling.

Effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Molasses Additives on Dynamic Fermentation Quality and Microbial Community of Native Grass Silage.

Ensiling native grass is an effective method to protect the nutritional quality of forage and alleviate feed shortages in the cold winter of the Inner Mongolian Plateau. To improve the usability of native grass resources as feed in China, the effects of lactic acid bacteria and molasses additions on the microbial population, fermentation quality, and nutritional quality of native grass during silage were investigated. Treatments were a control treatment with no additive (CK), lactic acid bacteria (L), molasses (M), and lactic acid bacteria in combination with molasses (L+M), all of which were stored at ambient temperature (17–28°C) for 7, 14, 30, and 60 days. The results showed that all additives improved nutritional value and fermentation quality with low pH and ammonia nitrogen (NH3–N) and high crude protein (CP) and water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) than control silage over the ensiling period. Compared with L or M silage, the L+M silage combination improved fermentability, as evidenced by higher LA content and a faster pH drop during the first 7 days of ensiling. With prolonged ensiling time, the combined addition of L and M could increase the count of desirable Lactobacillus, decrease microbial diversity, and inhibit the growth of undesirable microorganism, such as Clostridia, Escherichia, and Enterobacter abundance compared with silage treated with CK, L. or M. Application of L together with M could further improve the silage quality of native grass by altering bacterial community structure. In summary, the addition of lactic acid bacteria and molasses increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus of native grass silage and improved fermentation quality.

Assessing the nutritional quality of stored grain legume fodders: Correlations among farmers’ perceptions, sheep preferences, leaf-stem ratios and laboratory analyses

Crop residues have the potential to alleviate annual feed shortages and nutrient deficiencies experienced in the dry season in the savanna zones of West Africa. Farmers in West Africa especially value the residues of grain legumes, also known as grain legume fodders (GLFs), as animal feed. In this study, therefore, we assessed the nutritional quality of GLFs as affected by storage conditions using four different methods: farmers’ perception score (FPS), sheep preference score (SPS), leaf-to-stem ratio (LSR), and laboratory analysis of organic matter digestibility (OMD), crude protein content, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF). We also determined correlations among these variables. The fodder of cowpea, groundnut and soybean were stored separately in three locations (rooftop, room and treefork) and with two packaging types (polythene sacks or tied with ropes) for 60, 90 and 120 days. FPS was determined by scoring the perceived quality of GLFs on a scale of 1–10 (1 = bad and 10 = good) based on physical characteristics by a group of farmers. SPS was assessed by a cafeteria feeding trial based on dry matter intake of GLFs by a flock of 12 sheep per village during a 14 hr period. LSR was determined based on the mass of the botanical fractions, i.e. leaf (leaf blade only) and stem (stem and petioles) of 200 g samples separated carefully by the hand. Laboratory analysis was done by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Results showed that all quality assessment methods successfully discriminated GLF quality differences among crops. Only farmers and sheep could distinguish quality differences among all storage conditions and packing types, whereas laboratory analyses methods could not. These findings could be due to the fact that farmers use LSR to evaluate feed quality, though colour, texture and smell of the fodder could also contribute. We also found significant correlations (ranging from 0.35 to 0.88) between all the quality assessment methods across all treatments. There were few within crop correlations between the fodder quality assessment methods, i.e. only FPS and LSR for groundnut and cowpea, FPS and CP for groundnut and all laboratory analyses parameters among each other for all crops. Hence, the differences among crops were the important determinants of the correlations. From this study, we conclude that farmers have experience and knowledge about nutritional quality of feed and livestock preference for feed. Development programmes and projects could benefit from using such knowledge when formulating and implementing interventions.

Microbial Co-occurrence Network and Fermentation Information of Natural Woody-Plant Silage Prepared With Grass and Crop By-Product in Southern Africa.

To facilitate the use of woody plant (WP) as a natural biomass resource to address the shortage of feed for ruminants in the tropics, we use PacBio SMRT sequencing to explore the microbial co-occurrence network and silage fermentation of gliricidia and leucaena prepared with Napier grass (NG) and corn stover (CS) in Southern Africa. Based on dry matter, the crude protein contents of WP are as high as 25%. Compared with NG, the addition of CS speed up the dynamic succession of microorganisms in the silage fermentation process from Gram-negative bacteria to Gram-positive bacteria, and promoted Lactiplantibacillus plantarum to become the dominant community and enhanced the metabolic pathways of lactic acid and citric acid, thus improved the fermentation flavour and quality of WP silage. WP can be mixed with CS to make high-quality silage, which can alleviate the shortage of feed and promote local animal production.

Intake, nutrient metabolism and balance studies in sheep fed Himalayan Elm (Ulmus wallichiana) leaf meal incorporated total mixed ration

With the soaring cost and scarcity of concentrate feeds worldwide, use of un-conventional tree foliages in the animal diets can be effective in curtailing the feeding costs to economise livestock production. The present experiment was conducted with the aim to assess incorporation of Himalayan Elm (Ulmus wallichiana) leaf meal (ELM) as partial replacement to conventional concentrate feed mixture (CFM) in total mixed ration (TMR) of sheep. In Experiment-I (in vitro study), the effect of graded increasing levels (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50%) of ELM inclusion as replacement to CFM constituting 40% in the basal TMR on nutrient degradability was assessed. The results revealed the effective level for optimal nutrient degradability at 30% ELM inclusion. In Experiment-II (in vivo study), a feeding trial was conducted for 30 days on sheep (16) distributed equally into two groups, offered basal TMR as control (Cont) and TMR containing ELM replacing CFM at 30% level as treatment group (ELMG), the level selected based on results of optimum nutrient degradability in in vitro assay. Without affecting dry matter and organic matter intakes, ELM included diet enhanced crude protein and neutral detergent fibre digestibility. Moreover, content and the intakes of digestible nutrients were similar between the two groups, with total digestible nutrients intake being 56.66% and 61.88% more than the recommendation in control and ELMG groups, respectively. Animals of both the groups were in positive balances of N, Ca and P, though N balances (g/d) and live weight gain (g/d) were comparable while Ca and P balances (g/d) were higher in ELMG. Cost of production lowered with 35.84% reduction in feed cost per kg live weight gain in ELMG group compared to control. It was concluded that 30% CFM in TMR for sheep could be replaced with ELM safely as a sustainable strategy to alleviate the conventional feed shortage for profitable sheep rearing.

Husbandry practices and constraints of smallholder dairy production in Dilla Zuriya district, Gedeo Zone, Ethiopia

The study assessed dairy cattle management practices and identified constraints at smallholder dairy farms in Dilla-Zuriya District. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken on 120 purposely selected smallholder dairy farmers from three potential kebeles (Chichu, Andida and Gola). A Structured questionnaire was developed and applied to collect data. Descriptive statistics procedures of SPSS were followed to analyse the collected data. The result showed that most farmers (70.9%) produce milk primarily for income generation under a mixed crop-livestock production system. The herds mean of the local and cross breeds cattle in the study area were 5.23 and 2.41, respectively. Banana and Enset leaves and stems were the primary feed resources of the study area. Besides, farmers use natural grazing pasture and home fruit and vegetable leftovers as animal feed. The watering frequency was twice a day, either from river or pipe. Traditional houses made from locally available construction materials like mud and wood are the typical dairy cattle housing system. Except for calves, all types of dairy cattle were kept together in the same house. Feed shortage, limited access to, and the high purchasing cost of improved dairy heifers were the top two pressing constraints of dairy production in the study area. Therefore, enhancing the quality and accessibility of feed and applying breed improvement technologies are highly recommended to support dairy production.

Opportunities and Challenges for Pastoral Beef Cattle Production in Ethiopia

The beef cattle production sector plays a crucial role in the livelihoods of pastoral farmers in Ethiopia, and it is the main source of beef animals for domestic and foreign markets. As compared to other African countries, Ethiopia has a huge beef cattle population (65.35 million heads). However, the quality and quantity of beef, as well as per capita meat consumption of Ethiopians, are very low (8.4 kg/individual/year). In this sense, the goal of this review was to provide and synthesize the most validated scientific information on the opportunities and challenges for pastoral beef cattle production in Ethiopia. The potential for pastoral beef cattle producers in Ethiopia included population growth, urbanization, literacy, and family income, as well as high demand for beef animals in domestic and foreign markets. In contrast, problems with beef cattle production systems, diseases, shortages of feed and water, lack of veterinary services, droughts, lack of market access and infrastructure, illegal animal trades, and poor genetic potential of indigenous cattle are among the limiting factors that hamper efficient beef production in the country. In Ethiopia, the yield and compositional quality of beef are very low compared to other African countries and the global market in general. Therefore, empowering pastoral beef cattle producers will help us to supply high quality and quantity of beef and will ensure sustainable beef cattle production with an identified market destination and access.

Evaluation of Grain/Seed Yield and Yield Components of Finger Millet and Three Vetch Species Intercropped at Various Seeding Ratios at Bako, Ethiopia

Production of finger millet and vetch species in Ethiopia targets mostly on sole cropping system without considering the relative performance of varieties of varying seeding ratios under finger millet/vetch intercropping. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate grain yield and yield components of three vetch species and finger millet intercropped at different seeding ratios. Factorial combination of three vetch species and five seeding ratios (0 : 100, 25 : 75, 50 : 50, 75 : 25, and 100 : 0% finger millet: vetch) were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Analysis of variance showed that intercropping had a significant (P&lt;0.05) effect on plant height, heads per plant, fingers per head, and grain yield of finger millet. The highest grain yield (2058.75 kg ha−1) of finger millet was harvested from a treatment combination of 75% finger millet + 25% Vicia villosa. Analysis of variance also showed that plant height, leaves per plant, branches per plant, pods per plant, seeds per pod, and seed yield of vetch species had significantly varied (P&lt;0.05) for the tested treatments. Maximum and minimum seed yields (236.19 and 106.45 kg ha−1) of vetch were harvested from 25% finger millet + 75% Vicia sativa and 75% finger millet + 25% Vicia villosa, respectively. LER and RCC were improved due to intercropping different species of vetch with finger millet at various seeding ratios. The highest total LER (1.146) and RCC (3.00) were obtained from 75% finger millet + 25% Vicia villosa. Thus, it can be concluded that in Bako and similar agroecologies, where feed shortage is a critical problem, intercropping of 75% finger millet + 25% Vicia villosa can be used to alleviate the existing feed shortage in smallholder farming system.

Poultry Production and Marketing Systems in Ethiopia: A Review

Chickens are widely kept and make up the largest share in terms of numbers compared to other farm animal genetic resources. The total number of poultry in Ethiopia is estimated to be more than 60.04 million, but its production and productivity are limited. Therefore, this review aims to analyze and summarize data on Ethiopia’s poultry production and marketing system for future improvement. The majority of the Ethiopian poultry farming system was extensive or traditional, with little supplementary feeding practice. Local chickens produce 18 to 60 eggs/year/hen, while exotic breeds produce an average of 250 eggs/year/hen with an average weight of 60 grams of eggs. Chickens and their products are used for income, home expenditure, and consumption. Extension service for the improvement of livestock production in general and poultry production, in particular, found to be weak. There was a higher price of chicken and eggs during the festival than other times. The major problems in poultry production in the country are disease and lack of animal health services, predators, shortage of supplementary feed, and lack of improved poultry housing systems. A better understanding of those constraints and worthy prospects about village chicken production and marketing is an important aspect of improving chicken production.

Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal the Differential Regulatory Mechanisms of Compound Material on the Responses of Brassica campestris to Saline and Alkaline Stresses.

Oilseed rape not only has the function of improve saline and alkaline soils, but also alleviate the local feed shortage. However, medium- and high-degree soil salinization and alkalinization always inhibit the growth of oilseed rape. Studies have shown that compound material can improve the tolerance to saline and alkaline stress of crops, but the difference in the regulation mechanism of compound material on oilseed rape in saline and alkaline soils is not clear. This study explored the difference through determining the leaf ion contents, physiological indexes, transcriptomics, and metabolomics of oilseed rape in salinized soil (NaCl 8 g kg−1) and alkalinized soil (Na2CO3 8 g kg−1) at full flowering stage, respectively after the application of compound material. The results showed that in salinized and alkalinized soil, the compound material upregulated the genes related to the regulation of potassium ion transport, and changed the amino acid metabolic pathway, which reduced the contents of Na+, malondialdehyde (MDA), and relative conductivity (REC) in leaves, and increased the contents of K+ and Mg2+ and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT). However, there were differences in the regulation mechanism of compound material in salinized and alkalinized soil. In salinized soil, the compound material improved the tolerance of oilseed rape to saline stress by upregulating transcription factors mannose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase (GPMM) and Glutamine--fructose-6-phosphate transaminase (GFPT) and downregulating phosphomannomutase (PMM) to change nucleotide metabolism pathway and lipid metabolism pathway. In alkalized soil, the compound material improved the tolerance of oilseed rape to alkaline stress by upregulating transcription factors Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) to change the biosynthesis pathway of other secondary metabolites. Therefore, the compound material can improve the tolerance of oilseed rape to saline and alkaline stress by regulating the genetic adaptability and apparent plasticity, but the mechanisms were different. This study provides a practical method for the ecological environment restoration and the development of animal husbandry.

Resource use Efficiency of Agricultural Farms in Mid Hills of Indian North-Western Himalayas

North-west Himalayas of India has been facing the problems of food and feed shortages and nutritional scarcity during winter months, so watershed has been considered to be an effective approach to raise agricultural productivity, conserve natural resources and reduce poverty particularly in rainfed regions. HP Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project - an integrated multi-sectoral watershed development project has been operative in Mid Hills of Himachal Pradesh in 10 districts of the state since October 2005. This study has been carried out in order to determine resource utilization on beneficiary farms and to analyse the problems faced by beneficiaries. The project has helped the beneficiaries for sustainable utilization of land and labour through different land development programmes, workshops, trainings and exposure visits. Demand for labour required for irrigation increased due to increase in irrigation facility through construction of village ponds, makowal structures, masonry dams, water harvesting structures and earthen run off dams on 16.66, 10.00, 6.67, 25.00 and 2.78 percent of the total number of beneficiaries. Inputs such as seed, plant protection and irrigation man-days underutilised, so recommendations from the study have been made to increase their respective marginal value productivities. In spite, of above benefits of the project, the beneficiaries have encountered some major problems viz. stray/wild animal menace (72.38 %), lack of technical knowledge of input use (63.27 %) and ineffectiveness of working of gram panchayats (60.56 %) which in case solved may lead to enhancement of efficiency levels of different resources.

Feeding Celosia argentea as Fodder Block to Ruminants

Background: Celosia argentea, commonly known as plumed cockscomb, is a herbaceous plant of tropical origin and has 19.78% crude protein and is equal to leguminous fodder. It is highly palatable by animals. The study was designed to find out the chemical composition of the plant at summer and monsoon season and also to conserve it as fodder block for feeding ruminants during feed shortage. Methods: Fodder block was prepared by using paddy straw (60%), Celosia argentea plant (30%), 7.5% refined wheat flour, 2% mineral mixture and 1% salt. The fodder blocks were assessed for physical, chemical and IVDMD tests. Three treatments such as paddy straw and Desmanthus fodder (T1), paddy straw and Celosia argentea fodder (T2), paddy straw and Celosia argentea block (T3) were used for palatability trial in eighteen cross bred heifers. Trial was conducted for a period of one month. Daily feed intake (kg/day), initial and final body weight was measured. Data was analysed by using SPS software. Result: Significant variations (P less than 0.01) were observed in the proximate composition of Celosia argentea fodder between monsoon and summer season. The prepared fodder blocks with Celosia argentea had bulk density of 70.15 kg/m3, relative hardness of 12.36 mm and durability of 89.22%. The chemical composition of fodder blocks (dry matter - 90.3%, crude protein - 10.28%, ether extract - 1.6%, crude fibre - 16.25%, total ash - 13.26%, nitrogen free extract - 58.35%, Ca - 1.05% and P - 0.53%) were found to lie in the normal range. The IVDMD of fodder block is 48.52%. Average daily dry matter intake of heifers fed with T3 was higher (P less than 0.01) compared to heifers fed with T1 and T2. The body weight of heifers fed with all treatments did not change during trial period. Celosia argentea can be utilized as alternate to Desmanthus fodder and can be preserved as fodder block along with paddy straw for use during fodder deficit seasons.

In vitro and in sacco determining the nutritive value of button mushroom stipe and its application in growing lambs diet

Feed shortage is one of the major challenges in livestock production systems in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Hence, wastes of nutritional value from the agro-alimentary industry could be considered as by-product feedstuffs, reducing diet costs in these regions. The current study aimed at determining in vitro and in sacco nutritive value of button mushroom stipe (BMS) and investigating its potential in growing lambs diet. For this purpose, three experiments (Exp.) were conducted. Ruminal degradability characteristics, and gas production kinetics, and energetic value of BMS compared with alfalfa were determined by the nylon bag and gas production techniques in Exp.1 and Exp.2, respectively. In Exp.3, 24 Mehraban growing lambs were assigned randomly to one of the three dietary treatments: (1) the basal ration without BMS (CTRL); (2) and (3) inclusion of 10 and 20% (DM basis) of BMS in the basal ration (BMS10 and BMS20, respectively), to determine their growth performance and the rations digestibility. The soluble (a) and slowly degradable (b) fractions, and degradation rate of ‘b’ fraction of the BMS crude protein (CP) was 43, 59%, and 0.034, respectively. The metabolisable energy (ME) content of BMS was 20.6% lower than that in alfalfa. The inclusion of BMS in the ration of lambs did not affect their growth performance, but reduced diet cost by 7.2 and 14.5% in BMS10 and BMS20, respectively. The BMS tended to increase (p = .089) the blood total protein in lambs fed BMS10 and tended to decrease (p = .07) alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in BMS-based diets. These results reveal that BMS has a slow ruminal degradability and fermentation that can reduce diet cost by partially replacing conventional feedstuffs in the ruminant diet without adversely affecting their health and performance. Highlights The button mushroom stipe (BMS) by-product has relatively high crude protein and acceptable energy contents with a slow ruminal degradability. Including BMS in the diet of growing lambs reduced diet costs, while improving fairly their growth performance, implying that BMS can be considered as a cost-effective by-product feedstuff in a ruminant diet. The inclusion of BMS in the diet of lambs decreased ruminal ammonia production, which can reduce the environmental impact of ruminant production systems.

Alkaline Salt Inhibits Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Canola More Than Neutral Salt.

Salinity is a major constraint to crop growth and productivity, limiting sustainable agriculture production. Planting canola (Brassica napus L.) variety with salinity-alkalinity tolerance as a green manure on the large area of salinity-affected land in Xinjiang could alleviate feed shortage. To investigate the differential effects of neutral and alkaline salt stress on seed germination and seedling growth of canola, we used two salts at varying concentrations, i.e., NaCl (neutral salt at 100, 150, and 200 mM) and Na2CO3 (alkaline salt at 20, 30, and 40 mM). To further explore the effects of Na+ and pH on seed germination, we included combined of NaCl (0, 100, 150, and 200 mM) and pH (7.1, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, and 11.0). Shoot growth was promoted by low concentrations of NaCl and Na2CO3 but inhibited at high salt concentrations. Given the same Na+ concentration, Na2CO3 inhibited seed germination and seedling growth more than NaCl. The results showed that the main factor affecting seed germination and seedling growth is not pH alone, but the interaction between pH and salt ions. Under NaCl stress, canola increased the absorption of K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ in roots and K+ in leaves. However, under Na2CO3 stress, canola maintained a high K+ concentration and K+/Na+ ratio in leaves and increased Ca2+ and Mg2+ in roots. Our study showed that alkaline salts inhibit canola seed germination and seedling growth more significantly than neutral salts and salt species, salt concentration, and pH significantly affected on seed germination and seedling growth. However, pH affected seed germination and seedling growth mainly through an interaction with salt ions.

Contour Ridge Tillage for Improved Crops and Fodder Trees Production in the Villages of Kani and Noumpinesso, Southern- Mali

In rural Mali shortage of livestock feed is a challenging phenomenon worsening day by day, particularly in the villages of Kani and Noumpinesso. The significant decrease in crops yield and livestock are due to persistent and continuous land degradation and over grazing. Soil water erosion and inappropriate or ineffective farming systems led to land degradation over the many years. A purposeful growing of fodder plant (fast growing trees species) and crops in interacting combinations for a range of benefits would be required using a technology that is easily adaptable by the rural farming communities. Contour ridge (CR) technology is a holistic approach that protects farmlands from erosion; increases soil moisture, nutrient availability for crops and associated fast growing trees. The CR technology in combination with forage and improved crop production systems were applied in Kani and Noumpinesso villages of southern Mali and resulted indicated that at the end of rainy season of 2017 and 2018 the application of CR technology significantly increased (p &lt; 0.05) Gliricidia sepium and Leucaena leucocephala growth and development. Similar to 2017, in 2018 CR technology significantly increased (p &lt; 0.05) sorghum, millet, maize, and cotton growth, yield, and economic benefit. At Kani during 2017 and 2018 season soil moisture was always significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) under fodder planted area than non-fodder planted area, and the difference was high with respect to farmlands without CR.

Use of Napier grass and rice straw hay as exogenous additive improves microbial community and fermentation quality of paper mulberry silage

In order to effectively use locally available woody forage and hay resources in tropics, paper mulberry (PM) silages were prepared using Napier grass (NG) and rice straw (RS) hays. The mixing proportion of hays were 10%, 20%, and 30% on fresh matter basis. After 60 days of ensiling, single molecule, real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology was used to analyse the dynamic changes of microbial community and silage fermentation. When PM silages were prepared with both hays, the moisture of PM were adjusted below 67.6%. The dominant microbial community rapidly shifted from Gram-negative to Gram-positive bacteria during ensiling. Before ensiling, aerobic bacteria were dominant in materials, but after ensiling, Lactobacillus plantarum became the main bacterial community and dominated the fermentation process. The result of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis shown that hay-treated PM silages increased the proportion of Global and overview maps and carbohydrate metabolic pathways, while decreasing the proportion of amino acid metabolic pathway. Fatty acid metabolism, glycolysis and proteolysis categories may improve the flavour and quality of the silage. PM silage prepared with 10% hay effectively improved better fermentation quality than PM alone silage. The result confirmed that PM and hay are the ideal combination, they can prepare good-quality silage for ruminant feed to alleviate the shortage of feed in tropics.

Typology and characteristics of indigenous goats and production systems in different agro-ecological zones of Tanzania

Tanzania has a goat population of about 24.8 million most of which belong to the Small East African breed distributed in almost all agro-ecological zones. The different goat populations and the production system in which they are raised are not well characterized depriving animal breeders useful information in designing and running improvement and conservation programs. Therefore, the study was conducted in all agro-ecological zones in Tanzania to characterize the indigenous goats and the production system in which they are raised. Data on animals were collected from 688 randomly selected adult female goats and for production system description; 220 households were interviewed. Analysis of variance and discriminant analysis were used on quantitative data, while frequency analysis was used on qualitative data. Income generation and meat production were the primary goat rearing objectives. More than 55% of respondents grazed their animals freely in communal lands where natural pasture was the chief feed resource. Mating was mainly uncontrolled with apron and castration being used by goat keepers as mating control methods. Common diseases were contagious caprine pleural pneumonia and helminthiasis. Feed shortage, prevalence of diseases, and water scarcity were the major goat production constraints. There were morphological variations between and within these goat populations, and based on quantitative data, the goats were categorized into two groups. High twinning was observed in Ujiji and Lindi goats and low for Sukuma. The dominant coat color was plain white in Pare, Gogo, Maasai, and Tanga. Other coat color patterns were mixed black and white for Sukuma, reddish-brown for Lindi, black and reddish-brown for Ujiji, and white and reddish-brown for Pwani and Maasai. High within population variation is observed which is important as it can be used as a basis for genetic improvement through selection.