Milk Maturity Stage Research Articles

A Pathway Analysis of Evapotranspiration Variation Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Summer Maize in the Haihe Plain

The Haihe Plain in China is situated in the world’s largest groundwater funnel area, with per capita water resources far below the internationally recognized “extremely water-scarce” standard. To address the issue of water shortage in summer maize-planting areas of the Haihe Plain, we conducted research on the variation of summer maize evapotranspiration using a medium-sized lysimeter. This study aims to provide technical support for water-saving irrigation in summer maize fields. Through path analysis, direct and indirect influencing factors affecting the evapotranspiration of summer maize fields were determined. The results showed that the cumulative evapotranspiration of bare ground and farmland during the entire growth period of summer maize was 173.57 mm and 382.97 mm, respectively, with evapotranspiration intensities of 1.52 mm/d and 3.36 mm/d, respectively. Evapotranspiration during the maturity stage of summer maize was the least, accounting for only 1.82% of total evapotranspiration during the entire growth period. The period from the jointing to milk-ripening stage is when evapotranspiration in maize fields is at its highest. During this period, evapotranspiration in maize fields amounted to 265.58 mm, accounting for 69.35% of total evapotranspiration. The evapotranspiration intensity was 3.59 mm/day, which is 1.34 times higher than that of bare soil. The evapotranspiration intensities during each growth stage were ranked as jointing stage > tasseling-silking stage > seedling stage > milk maturity stage > maturity stage. The daily evapotranspiration of summer maize fields showed a “unimodal” curve with low values in the morning and evening, and high values at noon. Path analysis indicated that daily radiation and maximum daily temperature had the greatest impact on the evapotranspiration of maize fields, with the direct effect of maximum daily temperature being restrictive and the indirect effect being promotive, resulting in an overall promotive effect.

Physicochemical characteristics and microbial community succession during oat silage prepared without or with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum or Lentilactobacillus buchneri

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ( L. plantarum ) or Lentilactobacillus buchneri ( L. buchneri ) on the fermentation characteristics and microbial community of oat silages in response to additives. The oat was harvested at the milk stage of maturity and was chopped into 30 mm in size. Then, the oat was treated with distilled water (control, CON treatment), L. buchneri , and L. plantarum ; the addition of L. buchneri and L. plantarum was in 1 × 106 colony-forming units/g of fresh matter and stored at room temperature (25°C). Results showed that the addition of L. plantarum inoculations could increase the lactic acid concentrations of oat silages compared with the control, and the addition of L. buchneri could increase the acetic acid concentrations, whereas the addition of L. plantarum could decrease the fiber contents and increase the crude protein content. The Shannon index of bacterial community was markedly ( P < 0.05) lower in the L. buchneri - and L. plantarum -treated oat silages, and the Shannon index of fungal community was significantly ( P < 0.05) higher in L. buchneri - and L. plantarum -treated oat silages compared with the CON treatment for 7 and 10 days of ensiling. From 7 to 90 days of ensiling, Lactobacillus was the dominant genus during the whole fermentation process in the three treatments. The homofermentative L. plantarum regulated the fermentation quality and microbial community by enhancing the Emden–Meyerhoff pathway, phosphoketolase pathway, and pentosephosphate pathway, and the heterofermentative L. buchneri modulated the ensiling performance and microbial community via improving the pentosephosphate pathway. These results suggested that the addition of lactic acid bacteria could improve the ensiling performance by regulating the microbial community in oat silage, and L. plantarum was more beneficial than L. buchneri for enhancing the fermentation quality. IMPORTANCE Ensiled whole-plant oats are an important feedstuff for ruminants in large parts of the world. Oat silage is rich in dietary fibers, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals beneficial to animal health. The fermentation of oat silage is a complex biochemical process that includes interactions between various microorganisms. The activity of many microbes in silage may cause an extensive breakdown of nutrition and lead to undesirable fermentation. Moreover, it is difficult to make high-quality oat silage because the number of epiphytic lactic acid bacterium microflora was lower than the requirement. Understanding the complex microbial community during the fermentation process and its relationship with community functions is therefore important in the context of developing improved fermentation biotechnology systems. These results suggested that the addition of Lactobacillus plantarum or Lactobacillus buchneri regulated the ensiling performance and microbial community in oat silage by shaping the metabolic pathways.

The Effects of Hazelnut Husk Supplementation on Silage Quality, Deterioration, and In Vitro Digestion Parameters in Second Crop Maize

The focus of this research was to investigate the effects of hazelnut husk on the low dry matter maize silage quality, microbial profile, deterioration, fiber components, and digestion parameters. Second crop maize was harvested at the milk stage of maturity (26,61% DM) and ensiled in laboratory silos with or without ground hazelnut husk. A total of 18 jars of silage were made utilizing two treatments (control silage and 15% hazelnut-contained silage), three different opening dates, and three replicates. All silage analyses were completed during all of the opening periods. Hazelnut husk increased (P

Ground Hyper-Spectral Remote-Sensing Monitoring of Wheat Water Stress during Different Growing Stages

Monitoring agricultural drought via ground hyper-spectral remote sensing has always been a hot topic in the fields of agriculture and meteorology. In this study, a greenhouse experiment was conducted on wheat subjected to water stress during its different growth stages, namely tillering, jointing, and milk maturity. An instrument (HOBO ware PRO) used to continuously measure soil moisture was employed to measure the soil water content (SWC). An analytical spectral device (ASD) was utilized to obtain the spectral curve of wheat subject to different water treatment methods. The canopy temperature was obtained using thermal infrared sensors (METER SI-400). The relationships between the SWC, wheat drought stage, canopy temperature, and spectral response characteristics were elucidated. The results showed that the significant differences in spectral characteristics were due to water stress during the different growth stages of wheat. Red-edge parameters of red-valley position (RVP) and red-edge position (REP) both changed by 21 nm for the tillering-stage drought and the jointing-stage drought; however, the RVP and REP values for the milk maturity stage drought and the treatment under no water stress changed by 2 nm. Further, it was proved that the red-edge blue-shift phenomenon was affected not only by the different wheat growth processes, but also by the water stress at different growth stages. Red-edge reflectance clearly reflects wheat water stress at different growth stages. From SWC and canopy temperature analysis results, SWC and canopy temperature had a significant difference between wheat drought at different growth stages, and the canopy temperature at the jointing stage drought had the strongest change. The water index (WI) based on eleven vegetation water indexes exhibited a good performance for distinguishing wheat water stress at different growth stages. In conclusion, ground-based hyperspectral remote sensing can provide a large amount of high temporal and spectral resolution data on vegetation and its surrounding environment, making it an important technical tool for wheat drought monitoring, which has a great significance on the monitoring and early warning of wheat drought, reducing drought-related yield losses, and ensuring food security.

Integrating an attention-based deep learning framework and the SAFY-V model for winter wheat yield estimation using time series SAR and optical data

Information on the spatial distribution of yields can be obtained over a large area by using remote sensing (RS) data. Combining Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), being sensitive to above ground biomass and soil moisture in all weather conditions, and optical data can improve the usability of RS data and provide a basis for pixel-based crop yield estimation (YE). In this study, an Upscaled Convolutional Gated Recurrent Unit model incorporated an attention mechanism (UpSc-AConvGRU model) was proposed to improve the estimation accuracy of the winter wheat growth parameter, Leaf Area Index (LAI). Gap filling the time series of optical data was done with backscatter coefficients, local incidence angles and polarimetric decomposition information from Sentinel-1 SAR imagery. The time series LAI estimated by the UpSc-AConvGRU model and Vegetation Temperature Condition Index (VTCI) retrieved from Sentinel-3 optical imagery were then used as state variables of the SAFY-V model to estimate winter wheat yield. The results showed that the proposed UpSc-AConvGRU model incorporated the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) can effectively improve the accuracy of LAI estimation, with RMSEs ranging from 0.413 to 0.699 m2 m2 for LAI estimated within main growth stages (MGSs) of winter wheat. The correlation between estimated LAI and Sentinel-3 retrieved LAI was generally higher at irrigated farmland compared to rain-fed farmland. The estimated LAI was closest to Sentinel-3 retrieved LAI at the green-up and late heading-filling stage of winter wheat, followed by the jointing and early heading-filling stage, and finally the milk maturity stage. There was good agreement between the SAFY-V model estimated and field measured winter wheat yields (R2 = 0.546, RMSE = 0.757 t ha−1), and the estimated yields at the pixel scale in the Guanzhong Plain, PR China were satisfactory. This study combined deep learning and crop growth modeling, proposed a new pixel scale winter wheat YE method.

Effect of Sowing Rate and Maturity on the Yield and Nutritive Value of Triticale–Field Pea Forage Crops

Experiments were conducted over three years at Murrumburrah, in southern NSW, Australia to assess the yield and nutritive value of triticale–pea forage crops. Field pea (Pisum sativum L. cvv. Parafield and Morgan) were sown at 40 or 80 kg ha−1 in mixtures with triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack cv. Tobruk) at 15, 30 or 45 kg ha−1 and sampled when the triticale was at the boot, anthesis, and milk stage of maturity, though lodging forced the third harvest at Murrumburrah to be abandoned. The yield, botanical composition, and forage nutritive value was determined. The yield was dependent on seasonal rainfall conditions ranging from an average of 58,326 kg ha−1 dry matter (DM) in 2009 to 19,914 kg ha−1 in 2010. The pea content was higher in Morgan compared to Parafield crops (486.4 vs. 384.8 g kg−1), and those sown at 80 kg ha−1 compared to 40 kg ha−1 (485.3 vs. 385.8 g kg−1). The crude protein (CP) content was higher when pea were sown at 80 kg ha−1 compared to 40 kg ha−1 (124.9 vs. 114.4 g kg−1 DM). Digestibility declined from 704.3 to 639.9 g kg−1 between the boot and milk harvests. Some yield, digestibility, and crude protein differences occurred due to pea variety, or due to triticale or pea sowing rates; however, these were infrequent, and the effect was minor.

Combining Sentinel-1 and -3 Imagery for Retrievals of Regional Multitemporal Biophysical Parameters Under a Deep Learning Framework

Regions with excessive cloud cover lead to limited feasibility of applying optical images to monitor crop growth. In this study, we built an upsampling moving window network for regional crop growth monitoring (UMRCGM) model to estimate the two key biophysical parameters (BPs), leaf area index (LAI) and canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) during the main growth period of winter wheat by using Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Sentinel-3 optical images. Sentinel-1 imagery is unaffected by cloudy weather and Sentinel-3 imagery has a wide width and short revisit period, the organic combination of the two will greatly improve the ability to monitor crop growth at a regional scale. The impact of two different types of SAR information (intensity and polarization) on the estimation of the two BPs was further analyzed. The UMRCGM model optimized the correspondence between inputs and outputs, it had more accurate LAI and CCC estimates compared with the three classical machine learning models, and had the highest accuracy at the green-up stage of winter wheat, followed by the jointing stage and the heading-filling stage, and the lowest accuracy was found at the milk maturity stage. The estimation accuracies of CCC were slightly higher than that of LAI for the first three growth stages of winter wheat, while lower than that of LAI for the milk maturity stage. This study proposes a new method for regional BPs (especially for CCC) estimation by combining SAR and optical imagery with large differences in spatial resolution under a deep learning framework.

Effects of waterlogging at different stages and durations on maize growth and grain yields

Lysimeter experiments were conducted under a rain shelter to investigate the effects of waterlogging imposing at different stages and with different durations on maize growth, grain yield and yield components in 2017–2019 seasons. The waterlogging treatments were implemented for different durations (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days respectively) at the seedling (V3), jointing (V6), tasseling (VT) and milk maturity (R3) stages, with non-waterlogging treatment as control (CK). Results shown that waterlogging stage, duration, and the interaction of stage and duration have significant affects (P < 0.01) on all growth index, all yield index, and nearly all yield components indexes in the three seasons. The waterlogging stress decreased plant height, leaf area index, chlorophyll content index, ear length, ear diameter, grain row number per ear, 100-grain weight, grain number per ear, aboveground biomass and harvest index, and increased the bald tip length, and eventually a significant reduction in the grain yield of summer maize. In addition, the severity of the adverse effects increased generally with the lengthening of waterlogging duration. The results of dominant influencing factors indicated that waterlogging occurred at V6 stage have the greatest effects on maize growth and grain yield, followed by V3, VT, and R3 stages, and that the 100-grain weight and grains per ear had the largest effect on grain yield, and other indexes affected maize yield by affecting the 100-grain weight and grains per ear.

YIELD AND FIBRE CONTENT OF MAIZE PLANTS CULTIVATED FOR GREEN MATTER IN POLAND

Background. This work presents the findings of research conducted in 2009–2011 aimed at an assessment of the suitability for cultivation in Poland of selected maize cultivars included in the Common Catalogue of Varieties of Agricultural Plant Species (CCA). Production-related value of the examined cultivars and fibre content determining the quality of feed produced from maize stover harvested at various development stages were assessed. Material and methods. The following two factors were examined in the experiment: A − the harvest date of maize green matter (I − tasseling stage (75% of plants at this stage), II − milk maturity stage (after three weeks), III − wax maturity stage (after another three weeks); B − cultivars with different maturity (Pyroxenia – very early, FAO 130, Codimi – early, FAO 200, Moschus – early, FAO 220, Alombo – medium early, FAO 230, Celive – medium early, FAO 245).Results. The results demonstrated that the highest fresh matter yields were obtained for cv. Alombo harvested at the stage of milk maturity and at the stage of wax maturity, and for cv. Celive harvested at the wax maturity stage. Conclusion. All of the maize cultivars had their lowest content of crude fibre and its fractions when they were harvested at the wax maturity stage.

The effect of soil fertility and harvesting stage on maize seed quality under rain-fed conditions

Management practices during seed development are crucial for boosting seed quality and establishment. This study determined the interactive effect of soil fertility and maturity stage on maize seed quality. The cultivar SC701 were harvested at milk, dent, and physiological maturity stages and dried to <12% moisture content. Field trials were split plots replicated four times. Seed quality was evaluated using standard germination test, vigor indices and electrical conductivity test. Highly significant interactions (p < .001) occurred for most of the seedling germination and vigor parameters measured. The interactions had strong impact on the germination characteristics and vigor of seeds at dent and physiological maturity. Seeds at dent stage under optimal fertilization gave higher seed quality. Optimal fertilizer application and harvesting at physiological maturity leads to maximum acquisition of seed vigor. However, in the presence of adverse weather conditions seeds from late dent stage under optimally fertilized conditions still give high seed quality.

Prospects Of Using Walnut In Technologies Of Drinks

Abstract The results of studies in the field of beverage functionality using walnut are presented. The main components such as celery, Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, pumpkin and rhubarb, as a dietary supplement - extracts from walnut of milk-maturity stage are offered for creating blends. The basic physical and chemical properties of fruit and vegetable raw materials and semi-finished products created on the base of them have been studied, and their nutritional and biological value has been proved. Rational technologies of fruit and vegetable blends with nut additives have been identified. Their biological value has been confirmed. Drinks are recommended for use in the daily diet of human beings to satisfy thirst and enrich the body by biologically valuable components.

Lectin-based analysis of fucosylated glycoproteins of human skim milk during 47 days of lactation.

Glycoproteins of human milk are multifunctional molecules, and their fucosylated variants are potentially active molecules in immunological events ensuring breastfed infants optimal development and protection against infection diseases. The expression of fucosylated glycotopes may correspond to milk maturation stages. The relative amounts of fucosylated glycotopes of human skim milk glycoproteins over the course of lactation from the 2nd day to the 47th day were analyzed in colostrums, transitional and mature milk samples of 43 healthy mothers by lectin-blotting using α1-2-, α1-6-, and α1-3-fucose specific biotinylated Ulex europaeus (UEA), Lens culinaris (LCA), and Lotus tetragonolobus (LTA) lectins, respectively. The reactivities of UEA and LCA with the milk glycoproteins showed the highest expression of α1-2- and α1-6-fucosylated glycotopes on colostrum glycoproteins. The level of UEA-reactive glycoproteins from the beginning of lactation to the 14th day was high and relatively stable in contrast to LCA-reactive glycoproteins, the level of which significantly decreased from 2–3 to 7–8 days then remained almost unchanged until the 12th–14th days. Next, during the progression of lactation the reactivities with both lectins declined significantly. Eighty percent of α1-2- and/or α1-6-fucosylated glycoproteins showed a high negative correlation with milk maturation. In contrast, most of the analyzed milk glycoproteins were not recognized or weakly recognized by LTA and remained at a low unchanged level over lactation. Only a 30-kDa milk glycoprotein was evidently LTA-reactive, showing a negative correlation with milk maturation. The gradual decline of high expression of α1-2- and α1-6-, but not α1-3-, fucoses on human milk glycoproteins of healthy mothers over lactation was associated with milk maturation.

Infection of Corn Ears by Fusarium spp. Induces the Emission of Volatile Sesquiterpenes

Infection of corn (Zea mays L.) ears with fungal pathogens of the Fusarium genus might result in yield losses and in the accumulation of mycotoxins. The aim of this study was to investigate whether volatile profiles could be used to identify Fusarium-infected corn ears. The volatiles released by corn ears infected by Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium verticillioides, and Fusarium subglutinans were studied. Volatile emission was recorded at 24 days postinoculation (dpi) and in a time series (from 4 to 24 dpi). Twenty-two volatiles were differentially emitted from Fusarium-infected versus healthy corn ears. These included C6-C8 compounds and sesquiterpenoids. All volatiles indicative of Fusarium infection were detectable as early as 4-8 dpi and continued to be produced to the final sampling time (early milk maturity stage). The induced emission of β-macrocarpene and β-bisabolene correlated with an increased transcript accumulation of corn terpene synthase 6/11 (tps6/11). Additionally, the modification of volatile profiles after Fusarium infection was accompanied by the induction of plant defense compounds such as zealexins and oxylipins. Together, these results reveal a broad metabolic response of the plant to pathogen attack. Volatile biomarkers of Fusarium infection are promising indicators for the early detection of fungal infection before disease symptoms become visible.

Influence of blanching, freezing and frozen storage on physicochemical properties of broad beans (Vicia faba L)

We evaluated the effects of blanching, freezing and frozen storage (5 months at −18 °C) on the physicochemical properties of broad beans at milk maturity stage. Times for minimal blanching (120 s) and over-blanching (180 s) were determined in a preliminary experiment. Frozen storage for five months caused 31% and 34% total chlorophyll degradation in minimally blanched and overblanched beans, respectively. Color differed greatly between fresh and blanched then frozen beans. Blanched then frozen samples showed increased firmness compared with fresh beans and decreased firmness following frozen storage, regardless of the blanching time. In sensory evaluation of cooked beans, a significant reduction in texture was found in overblanched beans compared with unblanched beans. These findings demonstrate that blanching adversely affects this vegetable and that deterioration reactions do not cease during frozen storage.

BIOACTIVE FACTORS OF COLOSTRUM AND HUMAN MILK EXHIBITS A DAY-NIGHT VARIATION

The aim of this study was to determine the chronobiological variations of cytokines (IFN-γ, TGF-β) and hormones (melatonin and cortisol). The sample was collected from 42 mothers at three stages of maturity-day 3 (colostrum), day 10 (transitional milk) and day 30 (mature milk) postpartum, at two times of day: diurnal (12:00 h) and nocturnal (24:00 h), resulting a total of 252 samples. Melatonin concentration was increased in the nocturnal period from all milk maturation stages. This hormone concentration was lower in the mature milk. Cortisol concentration was higher in the mature milk during the diurnal period and it was lower in the nocturnal period when compared to colostrum and transitional milk. IFN-γ concentration did not vary between all periods. The transitional milk displayed higher concentrations of this cytokine in the nocturnal period whereas the concentration of IFN-γ decreased in the nocturnal period from the mature milk. When comparing the types of milk, it was observed lower concentrations of IFN-γ in mature milk in both periods. No significant variation in TGF-β concentration was detected between types of milk or at either time of day. These data support the hypothesis that there is a fluctuation in the production of hormone and cytokines and this leads to a need that adequate time of breastfeeding being crucial to ensure passive transfer of immunity, as well as for establishment of synchronization of newborn.

The Role of the Preceding Crop and Weed Control in the Transmission of Rhizoctonia Cerealis and R. Solani to Winter Cereals

Winter cereals (wheat, triticale, rye, barley) grown in experimental fields were assessed for sharp eyespot. Preceding crops (spring cereals and fallow) and weed control (herbicides application, no control) were taken into account. The health status evaluation was carried out at the stem elongation phase and at the milk maturity stage. The macroscopic estimation was accompanied by the analysis of fungal species identified on stem bases and roots, which showed various disease symptoms. The analysis of fungal species from the genus Rhizoctonia were especially noted. Mycological analysis of roots was carried out at the seedling growth and stem elongation phase, and stem bases at the seedling growth and milk maturity stage. Infection caused by Rhizoctonia spp. was confirmed by polymeraze chain reaction (PCR) assay. The highest infection was noted on wheat followed by triticale, rye and barley. Occurrence of sharp eyespot depended more on weed control than on what the preceding crop had been. At the milk maturity stage, lower severity of sharp eyespot of triticale, rye and barley was noted on plots not treated with herbicides, and on wheat with herbicide application. The research showed a significant effect of the preceding crop only on the health status of wheat. At the milk maturity stage, the highest infection was noted after spring triticale and the lowest after oats. Stems of cereals with sharp eyespot symptoms and healthy stems were settled mainly by Rhizoctonia cerealis (wheat – 25.6%, triticale – 12.0%, rye – 22.2%, barley – 11.3%), rarely by R. solani (respectively 6.0, 4.0, 2.9 and 1.8%). Rhizoctonia solani was isolated more often from roots with true eyespot and Fusarium foot rot symptoms. It may suggest that R. cerealis was the main causal agent of sharp eyespot on all tested cereals. The preceding crop did not affect the composition of Rhizoctonia species.

The effects of fungicides on Fusarium spp. and their associated mycotoxins in naturally infected winter wheat grain

The effects of fungicides on Fusarium spp. and their associated mycotoxins in naturally infected winter wheat grain Field trials conducted at the Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (central part of Lithuania) in 2009 were aimed to evaluate the effect of fungicides on Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) in a naturally infected field. A single application of dimoxystrobin + epoxiconazole (Swing Gold), prothioconazole (Proline), metconazole (Juventus), tebuconazole (Folicur), prothioconazole + tebuconazole (Prosaro) was applied to winter wheat cv. ‘Zentos’ at the manufacturer's recommended doses at anthesis (BBCH 65). The FHB incidence and severity were assessed at milk and hard maturity stages. The percentage of Fusarium infected grain and deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN) and T-2 toxin (T-2) concentrations in harvested grain were determined. In all fungicide treated plots a significant reduction of FHB incidence and severity was determined; however the fungicides did not exert any effect on the amount of Fusarium-infected grain as compared with the untreated control. A reduction of DON, ZEN and T-2 contents in grain was determined in tebuconazole treatments. Fusarium avenaceum (Fr.) Sacc, F. culmorum (W. G. Sm.) Sacc., F. poae (Peck) Wollenw, F. sporotrichioides Sherb. and F. tricinctum (Corda) Sacc were identified in wheat grain, F. poae was prevalent.

Inoculants for ensiling low-dry matter corn crop: a midlactation cow perspective

In many regions, optimum dry matter (DM) content of corn crop pre-ensilage cannot be ensured for management, agronomical and climatic reasons. Under such conditions, corn crops are harvested at low DM, and are easily exposed to unfavourable fermentation pathways and plant spoilage and wastage. Thus, it is a major question for dairy agriculturists whether certain microbial inoculants application to low-DM corn crop pre-ensilage affects silage quality and cow performance. The objective was to determine effects of adding microbial inoculants to low-DM corn crop at ensiling on silage quality, rumen fermentation and milk production of eight Holstein cows fed the treated silages. Whole corn plant was harvested at milk stage of maturity with 204 g DM/kg of fresh crop, cut to a theoretical particle length of 2 cm, filled in 60 t bunker silos, and treated layer by layer with either no inoculant (control), inoculant 'E' (100 000 cfu/g of fresh crop) containing mainly Lactobacillus plantarum, inoculant 'B' (100 000 cfu) containing mainly Pediococcus pentosanus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Propionibacter freudenreichii or a mixture of inoculants 'E' and 'B' (200,000 cfu). Inoculants were mixed with water and sprayed on thin layers of corn chops layer by layer followed by rolling to ensure proper oxygen outage and even microbial distribution throughout the plants. Eight multiparous lactating Holstein cows at 100 ± 20.5 days in milk were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with four 20-day periods including 14 days of adaptation and 6 days of sampling. Dietary treatments were mixed rations containing corn silages with or without the inoculants. The basal diet contained 32.9% corn silage, 14.3% alfalfa hay and 52.8% concentrate on a DM basis. Inoculants did not affect silage pH or content of DM, CP, lactate, acetate, ash and total volatile fatty acids (VFA). Applying 'B' to corn crop resulted in higher water soluble carbohydrates (47.7 g/kg vs 29.8 g/kg) and lower neutral detergent fibre (494.1 g/kg vs 464.0 g/kg) compared with control. The combined inoculants increased silage butyrate relative to other treatments. The mixture of 'E + B' and 'B' moderately decreased rumen pH, when compared to 'E'. The 'E + B' increased rumen VFA concentrations relative to 'E' and control silage. Dry matter intake increased when corn crop was ensiled with 'E' than with control and 'E + B', but this had little impact on milk production or its energy concentrations. Milk energy yield tended to decrease when 'B' but not 'E' was applied alone, compared with control and 'E + B'. The estimated proportion of the consumed energy secreted in milk increased when inoculants were applied together compared with when they were used separately. Results suggest positive effects of Lactobacillus plantarum containing inoculant on feed intake, some effects on corn silage water soluble carbohydrates, fibre and butyrate contents, rumen pH and VFA concentrations; but no significant effects on total tract nutrient digestibility or productivity of Holstein cows fed diets with 329 g corn silage/kg of diet DM.

Time-dependent alterations of soluble and cellular components in human milk

This study sought to determine the chronobiological variations in soluble and cellular components of human breast milk. The material was collected from 36 mothers at three stages of maturity – 3 days (colostrum), 10 days (transitional milk) and 30 days (mature milk) postpartum – and at two times of day – diurnal (12:00 h) and nocturnal (24:00 h) – making a total of 216 samples. Fat and calorie content, antibody concentration, C3 and C4 proteins of the complement system, superoxide anion release by milk mononuclear (MN) and polymorphonuclear (PMN) phagocytes, and concentration of the superoxide dismutase enzyme (CuZn-SOD) were determined. No difference in fat concentration was found between milk collected at the different times or between milk maturation stages but in the transitional milk the calorie concentration was higher in the nocturnal period. IgA was higher in milk collected in the diurnal period regardless of milk maturation. IgG and IgM were at higher concentrations in the diurnal period for both transitional and mature milk. The C3 protein increased significantly in the diurnal period regardless of milk maturation, and the C4 protein increased significantly during the diurnal period in the colostrum and transitional milk stages. Mature milk MN phagocytes had the highest superoxide during the diurnal period. Superoxide release by PMN phagocytes was higher in colostrum and mature milk collected in the diurnal period. CuZn-SOD increased significantly in diurnal and nocturnal colostrum. This chronobiological variation during the first month postpartum may represent an additional breastfeeding mechanism to improve adaptation to environmental changes and establish biological rhythms in the temporal synchronization process.

Effects of stage of maturity at harvest, wilting and LAB inoculant on aerobic stability of wheat silages

The objective was to study effects of cultivar, stage of maturity at harvest, wilting, and addition of lactic acid bacterial (LAB) inoculant at ensiling, and their interactions, on the aerobic stability of wheat silages. Wheat of two cultivars, harvested at the flowering or the milk stage of maturity were ensiled in mini-silos, either directly after cutting (DC) or after wilting (W). After 2–7 months of storage, silages were subjected to a 7-day aerobic stability test during which changes in chemical composition, dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (aNDF) digestibility, and temperature, as well as DM losses and CO 2 production, were measured. Silages from wheat cultivar BH were relatively dry (DM between 287 and 430 g/kg) and were mostly stable upon aerobic exposure. The flowering wheat of cultivar Galil was moister (DM of 199 g/kg), and the DC silages were stable upon aerobic exposure. Silages of the wilted flowering wheat (DM of 370 g/kg) spoiled and after 4 and 7 days, produced 15 and 76 g/kg DM CO 2, respectively. Silages from the milk stage of this cultivar, both DC and W were unstable, and a homofermentative LAB enhanced aerobic spoilage. Factorial analysis of variance was applied to the results with cultivar, stage of maturity, wilting and inoculant as main effects, as well as their interactions. Cultivar and LAB inoculant had effects on silage composition and aerobic stability, with stage of maturity having an effect on aerobic losses, whereas wilting did not have effects on aerobic spoilage indicators. The inoculant enhanced CO 2 production in the silages prepared from the DC wheat of the flowering and milk stages, as compared with the respective non-inoculated control silages which contained high concentrations of VFA. However, in the wilted silages which contained less VFA, both control and inoculated silages deteriorated similarly with time of exposure to air.