Landrace Research Articles

Trend Analysis of Poultry production, population growth and distribution in Ethiopia

Ethiopia's poultry sector plays a vital role in agricultural development, food security, and rural livelihoods. Despite its importance, there remains limited understanding of the trends in poultry production, population growth, and distribution across the country. Hence, this manuscript presents a comprehensive trend analysis of poultry production, population dynamics, and distribution patterns in Ethiopia from 2004 to 2022. Data from the Central Statistical Agency (CSA) and FAOSTAT were analyzed using non-parametric statistical methods to assess trends in poultry production and population growth. The analysis reveals a consistent upward trend in the poultry population across various regions of Ethiopia except for a slight decrease observed in Addis Ababa during 2004-2007, with indigenous breeds dominating the landscape. Despite challenges such as disease outbreaks and limited commercialization, the poultry sector has experienced significant growth, driven by factors like population increase and shifting dietary preferences. The study also highlights increasing trends in egg and meat production, indicating the sector's potential for further expansion. Recommendations are provided for policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders to promote sustainable growth, enhance food security, and improve the livelihoods of poultry farmers in Ethiopia. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of continued investment and innovation in the poultry sector to realize its full potential in contributing to Ethiopia's agricultural development and economic prosperity.

The Adaptive Alternation of Intestinal Microbiota and Regulation of Host Genes Jointly Promote Pigs to Digest Appropriate High-Fiber Diets.

Although studies have revealed the significant impact of dietary fiber on growth performance and nutrient digestibility, the specific characteristics of the intestinal microbiota and gene regulation in pigs capable of digesting high-fiber diets remained unclear. To investigate the traits associated with roughage tolerance in the Chinese indigenous pig breed, we conducted comparative analysis of growth performance, apparent fiber digestibility, intestinal microbiota, SCFA concentrations and intestinal transcriptome in Tunchang pigs, feeding them diets with different wheat bran levels. The results indicated that the growth performance of Tunchang pigs was not significantly impacted, and the apparent total tract digestibility of crude fiber was significantly improved with increasing dietary fiber content. High-fiber diets altered the diversity of intestinal microbiota, and increased the relative abundance of Prevotella, CF231, as well as the concentrations of isobutyrate, valerate and isovalerate. The LDA analysis identified potential microbial biomarkers that could be associated with roughage tolerance, such as Prevotella stercorea, and Eubacterium biforme. In addition, appropriate high-fiber diets containing 4.34% crude fiber upregulated the mRNA expressions of PYY, AQP8, and SLC5A8, while downregulating the mRNA expressions of CKM and CNN1.This indicated that appropriate high-fiber diets may inhibit intestine motility and increase the absorption of water and SCFAs.

Physico-chemical basis of insect-resistance of traditional rice varieties against Sitophilus oryzae (L.)

Physico-chemical basis of insect-resistance of traditional rice varieties against Sitophilus oryzae (L.)

Genetic Variations of MSTN and Callipyge in Tibetan Sheep: Implications for Early Growth Traits.

Tibetan sheep are vital to the ecosystem and livelihood of the Tibetan Plateau; however, traditional breeding methods limit their production and growth. Modern molecular breeding techniques are required to improve these traits. This study identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in myostatin (MSTN) and Callipyge in Tibetan sheep. The findings indicated notable associations between MSTN genotypes and growth traits including birth weight (BW), body length (BL), chest width (ChW), and chest circumference (ChC), as well as a particularly strong association with cannon circumference (CaC) at 2 months of age. Conversely, Callipyge polymorphisms did not have a significant impact on Tibetan sheep. Moreover, the analyses revealed a significant association between sex and BW or hip width (HW) at 2 months of age and ChW, ChC, and CaC at 4 months of age. Furthermore, the study's results suggested that the genotype of MSTN as a GA was associated with a notable sex effect on BW, while the genotype of Callipyge (CC) showed a significant impact of sex on CaC at 2 months of age. These results indicated that the SNP of MSTN could potentially serve as a molecular marker for early growth traits in Tibetan sheep.

Body Weight and Morphometric Characteristics of KUB Chicken at 60 Days of Age

Kampung Unggul Balitnak Chicken (KUB) is a highly favored Indonesian native chicken breed among breeders because of its rapid development rate and ability to thrive in many situations. This study aimed to investigate KUB chickens' growth performance and morphometric parameters at 60 days of age, a crucial phase for determining their suitability as commercial broilers. Using an intensive rearing system, 100 KUB chickens were reared for 60 days in group cages. Body weight measurements were recorded weekly, and morphometric traits were measured after the study period. The study's findings indicated that the mean body weight of KUB chickens at 60 days of age was 710.53±16.76 grams, suggesting a favorable growth rate. In addition, the morphometric analysis revealed favorable physical characteristics, including an average chest length of 100.55±3.70 mm, chest width of 47.47±3.12 mm, wing length of 165.93±4.34 mm, back length of 164.9±4.26 mm, back height of 205.51±3.99 mm, shank length of 63.23±3.69 mm, and shank circumference of 35.76±1.48 mm. The results indicate that KUB chickens exhibit desirable body weight and morphometric traits at 60 days old, proving their suitability in commercial broiler farming. To summarize, this study offers significant information regarding the growth performance and physical characteristics of KUB chickens during a critical phase of their development. The findings highlight the breed's capacity to serve as a practical choice for commercial broiler production, enhancing the variety and long-term viability of the poultry sector in Indonesia.

Molecular characterization and evaluation of different irrigation regimens on yield and other agronomic traits of some Egyptian wheat cultivars

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine the optimal irrigation needs of six popular Egyptian bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars and to establish baseline effect of reduced irrigation on yield. The varieties included were Sids1, Sids14, Sakha94, Sakha95, Gemmiza12, and Shandawee1. The experiment was conducted at two different locations, Nubaria and Sids Agricultural Research Stations, Egypt over two consecutive seasons, 2020–2021 and 2021–2022. There was a reduction in yield with the decrease in the number of irrigations. However, several cultivars performed better for yield and other traits with one less irrigation than the current irrigation practices in the region. Therefore, the study may help revise irrigation recommendations. Overall, the cultivars Sakha95, Sids1, and Sids14 were taller and had more kernels per spike, higher seed index, and greater grain yield under reduced irrigations and showed the best drought tolerance index. The tested bread wheat cultivars were genotyped using Inter-Retrotransposon Amplified Polymorphism (IRAP) and Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers which showed relation among the cultivars. Among the two types of markers, IRAP was better than SCoT markers for reliability and robustness. Among the six cultivars, 58% of the IRAP markers detected polymorphism as compared to 38% with SCoT markers. The two wheat cultivars Sids1 and Sids14, which performed better for important agronomic traits under water stress conditions, could be used as donors for the national wheat breeding program for drought tolerance.

Assessment of performance and egg quality in laying hens of Spanish indigenous breed Black Castellana as compared with a selected white egg-layer strain

Indigenous animal genetic resources should be preserved because of their well adaptation to the environment, their tolerance to low food availability and their sociocultural importance. The characterization of the quality of the products generated by heritage breeds may bring more arguments to encourage the raising of these animals. This study aimed at evaluating the egg performance and quality of Spanish indigenous Black Castellana (BC) breed as compared with a selected strain (Lohmann LSL-Classic). Four groups of 30 hens were arranged: 1) Lohmann hens fed a control diet; 2) BC hens fed the control diet; 3) Lohmann hens fed a diet including linseed at 70 g/kg (omega-3 diet); 4) BC hens fed the omega-3 diet. Egg production was higher by 12.3% for Lohmann hens but, since BC eggs were heavier by 15.4%, no effect of genetics was found on daily egg mass. Feed intake was higher by 5.0% for BC hens. Nonetheless, no difference was detected for feed conversion ratio. Eggshell was thicker by 6.78% in Lohmann eggs. Haugh units did not differ among freshly laid and stored eggs in Lohmann hens, whereas Haugh units decreased in stored BC eggs (80.5 vs. 76.7 vs. 72.3 at 0, 14, and 30 d of storage). Yolks of BC eggs contained less fat (57.5 vs. 60.8% DM), more protein (32.8 vs. 31.9% DM) and more cholecalciferol (1.25 vs. 1.22 μg/g DM), and showed lower proportion of saturated fatty acids (29.0 vs. 37.0%) and higher proportions of monounsaturated (45.7 vs. 39.6%) and polyunsaturated (25.2 vs. 23.4%) fatty acids. Feeding the omega-3 diet reduced the yolk proportions of saturated (32.5 vs. 33.5%) and monounsaturated (42.0 vs. 43.3%) fatty acids and increased those of polyunsaturated (25.4 vs. 23.2%) and ω-3 (7.05 vs. 2.42%) fatty acids. No effect due to genetics or diet was found on yolk color score or on yolk content in cholesterol, cobalamin, retinol and γ-tocopherol. This study represents the first exhaustive characterization of eggs from Spanish indigenous Black Castellana breed.

Bakanae Disease Resistance in Rice: Current Status and Future Considerations

Bakanae disease is mainly caused by Fusarium fujikuroi and is a significant fungal disease with a number of disastrous consequences. It causes great losses in rice production. However, few studies have focused on the details of bakanae disease resistance in rice. Here, we summarize and discuss the progress of bakanae disease resistance in rice. Besides rice germplasm screening and resistance-related gene/quantitative trait locus (QTL) exploration, the route of pathogen invasion in rice plants was determined. We further discussed the regulation of phytohormone-related genes and changes in endogenous phytohormones in rice plants that are induced by the pathogen. To achieve better control of bakanae disease, the use of natural fungicides was assessed in this review. During rice—F. fujikuroi interactions, the infection processes and spatial distribution of F. fujikuroi in infected seedlings and adult plants exhibit different trends. Fungal growth normally occurs both in resistant and susceptible cultivars, with less abundance in the former. Generally, bakanae disease is seed-borne, and seed disinfection using effective fungicides should always be the first and main option to better control the disease. Besides the friendly and effective measure of using natural fungicides, breeding and utilization of resistant rice cultivars is also an effective control method. To some extent, rice cultivars with low grain quality, indica subspecies, and some dwarf or semi-dwarf rice germplasms are more resistant to bakanae disease. Although no highly resistant germplasms were obtained, 37 QTLs were located, with almost half of the QTLs being located on chromosome 1. Using omics methods, WRKYs and MAPKs were usually found to be regulated during rice—F. fujikuroi interactions. The regulation of certain phytohormone-related genes and changes in some endogenous phytohormones induced by the pathogen were clear, i.e., it downregulated gibberellin-related genes and repressed endogenous gibberellins in resistant genotypes, but the opposite results were noted in susceptible rice genotypes. Overall, exploring resistant germplasms or resistance-related genes/QTLs for the breeding of rice with bakanae disease resistance, expanding research on the complex mechanism of rice—F. fujikuroi interactions, and using cost-effective and eco-friendly innovative control methods against the disease are necessary for present and future bakanae disease management.

Diversity and relative abundance of immature mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Hohenbergia catingae Ule bromeliads and larvitraps in the Nísia Floresta National Forest, northeast Brazil.

The Nísia Floresta National Forest, located in Rio Grande do Norte (RN), is an important remnant of the Atlantic Forest biome in Brazil. Bromeliad tanks in this forest offer suitable breeding sites for mosquito species that may act as viral vectors, thus posing an epidemiological concern. However, studies investigating the presence of immature Culicidae in natural breeding sites in RN have thus far been restricted to Caatinga vegetation. This study investigated mosquitoes and their natural breeding sites in bromeliads growing in the Nísia Floresta National Forest. From March 2013 to February 2014, monthly samples were collected from the tanks of five randomly selected bromeliads and larvitraps placed in each of the three forest management areas. Hohenbergia catingae Ule (Hohenbergia bromeliad) is an important shelter for immature mosquitoes. Culex (Microculex) was the predominant species, representing 86% of the immature mosquitoes collected. A rare occurrence of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) (generally associated with urban areas under high anthropogenic influence) was observed, highlighting the importance of investigating the presence of mosquitoes in different natural habitats. An analysis of species diversity revealed that species such as Culex imitator Theobald, 1903 and Culex davisi Kumm, 1933, have a strong association with bromeliads. In tire traps (larvitraps) Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus Skuse, 1894 was predominant. Environmental changes, such as deforestation, removal of bromeliads, and climate change in the area, can influence the migration of species and adaptation to new habitats in a peridomiciliary environment around the forest, consequently the possibility of transmission of virus and other pathogens.

A Review on the Status of Genetic Characterization of Indigenous Goat Breeds in India

A Review on the Status of Genetic Characterization of Indigenous Goat Breeds in India

Using high-density SNP data to unravel the origin of the Franches-Montagnes horse breed

BackgroundThe Franches-Montagnes (FM) is the last native horse breed of Switzerland, established at the end of the 19th century by cross-breeding local mares with Anglo-Norman stallions. We collected high-density SNP genotype data (Axiom™ 670 K Equine genotyping array) from 522 FM horses, including 44 old-type horses (OF), 514 European Warmblood horses (WB) from Sweden and Switzerland (including a stallion used for cross-breeding in 1990), 136 purebred Arabians (AR), 32 Shagya Arabians (SA), and 64 Thoroughbred (TB) horses, as introgressed WB stallions showed TB origin in their pedigrees. The aim of the study was to ascertain fine-scale population structures of the FM breed, including estimation of individual admixture levels and genomic inbreeding (FROH) by means of Runs of Homozygosity.ResultsTo assess fine-scale population structures within the FM breed, we applied a three-step approach, which combined admixture, genetic contribution, and FROH of individuals into a high-resolution network visualization. Based on this approach, we were able to demonstrate that population substructures, as detected by model-based clustering, can be either associated with a different genetic origin or with the progeny of most influential sires. Within the FM breed, admixed horses explained most of the genetic variance of the current breeding population, while OF horses only accounted for a small proportion of the variance. Furthermore, we illustrated that FM horses showed high TB admixture levels and we identified inconsistencies in the origin of FM horses descending from the Arabian stallion Doktryner. With the exception of WB, FM horses were less inbred compared to the other breeds. However, the relatively few but long ROH segments suggested diversity loss in both FM subpopulations. Genes located in FM- and OF-specific ROH islands had known functions involved in conformation and behaviour, two traits that are highly valued by breeders.ConclusionsThe FM remains the last native Swiss breed, clearly distinguishable from other historically introgressed breeds, but it suffered bottlenecks due to intensive selection of stallions, restrictive mating choices based on arbitrary definitions of pure breeding, and selection of rare coat colours. To preserve the genetic diversity of FM horses, future conservation managements strategies should involve a well-balanced selection of stallions (e.g., by integrating OF stallions in the FM breeding population) and avoid selection for rare coat colours.

Identifying the boundaries of the sensory space of red Bordeaux wines using an innovative machine learning approach. Application to the identification of new varieties adapted to climate change.

Climate change is likely to impact wine typicity across the globe, raising concerns in wine regions historically renowned for the quality of their terroir. Among potential changes, modifying plant material (i.e., clones, rootstocks and varieties) is considered to be one of the most promising potential levers for adaption to climate change. However, changing varieties raises the issue of how to protect the region’s wine typicity. In Bordeaux (France), extensive studies focus on the identification of varieties that would be more suitable for a warmer and drier climate, but less research has been done concerning their impacts on Bordeaux wine typicity. The present study, conducted on 26 red varieties - including traditional-Bordeaux varieties and non-Bordeaux varieties - over five vintages, aimed to characterise Bordeaux wine typicity and to identify non-Bordeaux varieties that could fit into this sensorial space. Through a random forest analysis of the results of a Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) sensorial analysis and a typicity profiling with an exceptionally large panel of experts (approximately 40 judges), the typical red Bordeaux sensory space was clearly defined with consensus among the judges. Interestingly, one non-Bordeaux variety was found to produce wines with high Bordeaux typicity. Finally, via hierarchical clustering analyses based on multiple correspondence analysis, five non-Bordeaux varieties that produce wines with similar sensorial spaces to the traditional Bordeaux varieties were identified. These results indicate that these cultivars could be introduced to the Bordeaux grape-mix without profoundly altering Bordeaux wine typicity in a context of climate change, if found to be suitable for a warmer climate than the current climate of the Bordeaux region.

Resistance of zebu cattle (Bos indicus) to colonization by major ruminant hoof pathogens

Zebu cattle (Bos indicus) is reported to be more resistant towards harmful environmental factors than taurine cattle (Bos taurus). A few hundred zebu cattle are kept in Switzerland and in contrast to the Swiss indigenous breeds, infectious hoof disease in zebu is not observed. Therefore, we compared the prevalence of three ruminant hoof pathogens in zebu and taurine cattle. These included Treponema spp., Fusobacterium necrophorum and Dichelobacter nodosus which are associated with bovine digital dermatitis (BDD), different bovine hoof diseases and ovine footrot, respectively. Interdigital swabs and punch biopsies from hind feet of slaughter animals were tested for the three pathogens by PCR. Sixty zebu from eight farms were compared to a convenience sample of 20 taurine cattle from 17 farms. Treponema spp. associated with BDD were not detected in zebu while 23 % of animals and 50 % of farms were positive for benign D. nodosus, with results indicating environmental contamination rather than colonization. Taurine cattle showed 35 % of animals and 41 % of farms positive for T. phagedenis while 90 % of animals and 94 % of farms were colonized by D. nodosus as indicated by a 500-fold higher bacterial load than in zebu. The difference in prevalence of the two pathogens between zebu and taurine cattle was highly significant. F. necrophorum was as well only detected in taurine cattle with values of 15 % of animals and 17.7 % of farms, being significantly different at the animal level. Furthermore, genetic analysis of Swiss zebu indicates high genomic diversity and clear separation from taurine cattle. This is the first evidence that zebu show resistance towards colonization by bacterial hoof pathogens in contrast to taurine cattle.

Population structure and selection signal analysis of indigenous sheep from the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert

Analyzing the genetic diversity and selection characteristics of sheep (Ovis aries) holds significant value in understanding their environmental adaptability, enhancing breeding efficiency, and achieving effective conservation and rational utilization of genetic resources. In this study, we utilized Illumina Ovine SNP 50 K BeadChip data from four indigenous sheep breeds from the southern margin of the Taklamakan Desert (Duolang sheep: n = 36, Hetian sheep: n = 74, Kunlun sheep: n = 27, Qira black sheep: n = 178) and three foreign meat sheep breeds (Poll Dorset sheep: n = 105, Suffolk sheep: n = 153, Texel sheep: n = 150) to investigate the population structure, genetic diversity, and genomic signals of positive selection within the indigenous sheep. According to the Principal component analysis (PCA), the Neighbor-Joining tree (NJ tree), and Admixture, we revealed distinct clustering patterns of these seven sheep breeds based on their geographical distribution. Then used Cross Population Extended Haplotype Homozygosity (XP-EHH), Fixation Index (FST), and Integrated Haplotype Score (iHS), we identified a collective set of 32 overlapping genes under positive selection across four indigenous sheep breeds. These genes are associated with wool follicle development and wool traits, desert environmental adaptability, disease resistance, reproduction, and high-altitude adaptability. This study reveals the population structure and genomic selection characteristics in the extreme desert environments of native sheep breeds from the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, providing new insights into the conservation and sustainable use of indigenous sheep genetic resources in extreme environments. Additionally, these findings offer valuable genetic resources for sheep and other mammals to adapt to global climate change.

CRISPR/Cas-Mediated Genome Engineering in Plants: Application and Prospectives.

Genetic engineering has become an essential element in developing climate-resilient crops and environmentally sustainable solutions to respond to the increasing need for global food security. Genome editing using CRISPR/Cas [Clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-associated protein (Cas)] technology is being applied to a variety of organisms, including plants. This technique has become popular because of its high specificity, effectiveness, and low production cost. Therefore, this technology has the potential to revolutionize agriculture and contribute to global food security. Over the past few years, increasing efforts have been seen in its application in developing higher-yielding, nutrition-rich, disease-resistant, and stress-tolerant "crops", fruits, and vegetables. Cas proteins such as Cas9, Cas12, Cas13, and Cas14, among others, have distinct architectures and have been used to create new genetic tools that improve features that are important for agriculture. The versatility of Cas has accelerated genomic analysis and facilitated the use of CRISPR/Cas to manipulate and alter nucleic acid sequences in cells of different organisms. This review provides the evolution of CRISPR technology exploring its mechanisms and contrasting it with traditional breeding and transgenic approaches to improve different aspects of stress tolerance. We have also discussed the CRISPR/Cas system and explored three Cas proteins that are currently known to exist: Cas12, Cas13, and Cas14 and their potential to generate foreign-DNA-free or non-transgenic crops that could be easily regulated for commercialization in most countries.

Unravelling the biochemical traits of traditional rice landraces of Kerala

Biochemical characterisatics of 70 traditional landraces of rice (Oryza sativa L.) of Kerala including various micronutrients, rice bran oil and oryzanol content were analyzed. Traditional varieties have demonstrated their potential as valuable reservoirs of nutrients, indicating their suitability for incorporation into future breeding programmes aimed to develop nutritionally enriched rice varieties. Among the genotypes studied Oorkayama and Thekkan were identified with highest rice bran oil content and γ oryzanol content respectively. Fe, Zn, Na, K, carotene and anthocyanin content showed a wide range of variation among the genotypes. The GCV estimates were high for rice bran oil content and oryzanol content indicating higher magnitude of variability due to genotypes for these characters. The investigation suggests preponderance of additive gene effects for all the biochemical constituents under study as indicated by the high heritability coupled with high genetic advance.

Characterizing the Phan Rang Sheep: A First Look at the Y Chromosome, Mitochondrial DNA, and Morphometrics.

The Phan Rang sheep, considered the sole indigenous breed of Vietnam, are primarily concentrated in the two central provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, with Ninh Thuan accounting for more than 90% of the country's sheep population. These provinces are known for their high temperatures and frequent droughts. The long-standing presence of the Phan Rang sheep in these regions suggests their potential resilience to heat stress-a trait of increasing interest in the face of global climate change. Despite the breed's significance, a critical knowledge gap hinders conservation and breeding programs. To address this, our study employed a two-pronged approach. First, we collected body conformational data to aid in breed identification. Second, we analyzed mitochondrial DNA (D-loop) and Y chromosome markers (SRY and SRYM18) to elucidate the maternal and paternal lineages. Among the 68 Phan Rang sheep analyzed for their D-loop, 19 belonged to mitochondrial haplogroup A, while 49 belonged to haplogroup B. The haplogroups can be subdivided into 16 unique haplotypes. All 19 rams surveyed for their paternal lineages belonged to haplotypes H5 and H6. These findings strongly support the hypothesis of dual origins for the Phan Rang sheep. This study presents the first genetic data for the Phan Rang breed, providing crucial insights for future research and conservation efforts.

Isolation and functional analysis of R2R3-MYB transcription factor PlMYB42 associated with stem strength in herbaceous peony

Lodging resistance is a vital agronomic trait of plants, which affects plant architecture, yield and quality. Herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) is considered a high-end cut flowers due to its unique color, pattern, and aroma of flowers, but the traditional cultivated varieties of P. lactiflora have stem lodging. Although several regulatory factors participated in stem development have been identified in other plants, few involved in P. lactiflora have been reported. Here, PlMYB42, a transcription factor isolated from P. lactiflora, was found associated with stem strength and belonged to R2R3-MYB subfamily. PlMYB42 was highly expressed in stems, and showed a rise trend along with stem development. PlMYB42 protein was located in the nucleus and exhibited transcriptional activation activity. Silence of PlMYB42 in P. lactiflora suppressed lignin accumulation and weakened stem strength, while overexpression of PlMYB42 in tobacco promoted stem lignification and increased stem strength. Expression levels of lignin biosynthesis related genes were significantly decreased in PlMYB42 silence lines. These results indicated that PlMYB42 might promote stem strength through lignin accumulation. This work would reveal the genetic basis of lignin accumulation and stem development in P. lactiflora, and provide new insights into plant stem development.

Dehydrated and live black soldier fly larvae as environmental enrichment in indigenous slow-growing chickens: performance, gut health, and chitinolytic enzyme activity

The demand for sustainable and ethically farmed animal products is on the rise as consumers become more environmentally and animal welfare conscious. The need to diminish the consumption of soybean meal is urgent, and companies are looking for ways to respond to this necessity by looking for alternatives to soybean meal. This study assessed the impact of introducing whole dehydrated and live black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) into the diet of an indigenous chicken breed as environmental enrichment. A total of 144 39-day-old male Bianca di Saluzzo chickens were distributed among 18 pens and assigned to three different experimental groups. The control group received a diet where soybean meal was entirely replaced by alternative ingredients. The two experimental groups were given the same diet supplemented with 5% of the expected daily feed intake of whole dehydrated BSFL or whole live BSFL. Throughout the trial period (from the bird age of 39–174 days of age), live weight was recorded every 21 days, and the average daily gain, daily feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were calculated. The time required for the birds to consume the larvae was recorded three times a week. At age 147 and 174 days, 12 birds per treatment were selected based on mean live weight and slaughtered. Measurements included hot and chilled carcass weights, organ weights (spleen, liver, heart, stomach), breast and thigh muscle weights, and the corresponding yields were calculated. Acid protease activity was measured in proventriculus extract, and chitinase and chitosanase activity was calculated based on the release of reducing sugars from chitin or chitosan. The results showed little improvement in final live weights and daily feed intakes of the animals fed the insect larvae compared with control birds. Larva supplementation had no negative impact on the overall well-being of the animals assessed by blood analysis and histopathological assessment of the intestinal tract, spleen, and liver. No differences were found between the dehydrated vs live insect larvae consumption times, with all larvae being eaten up very rapidly (< 3 min). The birds fed BSFL showed an increase in chitinase activity. These findings support the potential use of whole BSFL as a form of environmental enrichment, particularly in their dehydrated form, being more convenient to use and store, which would also encourage the uptake of this practice by farmers.

Antioxidants Characteristics of Traditional Cultivars of Rainfed rice (oryza glaberrima) from Goh-Djiboua and Mountains Districts in Côte D’ivoire

The antioxidant compounds in foodstuffs are of great interests for the nutritional and health safety of consumers, given the preponderant role of food in the overall health. The current work focusses the main antioxidant compounds and activities from 27 traditional varieties of rainfed rice. Qualitative tests were performed to check the presence of the antioxidant compounds, namely total polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, sterols and terpenes, probed and measured from raw brown rice or whole grains using standard methods. In addition, the antioxidant activity was investigated using standard ABTS and DPPH methods. Only total polyphenols and, to a lesser degree, flavonoids, were qualitatively found from the studied rice samples. The total polyphenols contents (43.83 to 194.60 mg GAE/100g) and flavonoids contents (16.08 to 124.83 mg QE/100g) displayed significant differences from the traditional rainfed rice cultivars investigated (P&lt;0.05), recording higher values in the grains of coloured pericarp rice compared to the other varieties. The greatest ABTS content is found in the varieties Sipricri (357.51 µM Trolox Eq/g) and Jbröko (137.85 µM Trolox Eq/g) which respective percentages of degradation of ABTS radicals are 52.95% and 20.09%. Regarding DPPH assay, the lowest EC50 is found from the variety Sipricri (36.07 µM Trolox Eq/g) and the highest with the rice Glawlon (3445.84 µM Trolox Eq/g). The antioxidant trend of the rainfed rice is nutritionally favorable to support a safety food diet using rice as common local food stuff for populations.