Season Research Articles

Length of astronomical seasons, total and average insolation over seasons

Daily insolation at a given latitude is often used in the explanation of the long-term variations of paleoclimate records. However, the length of astronomical seasons, which has been paid less attention, could also be important. This paper provides an original calculation of the length of these seasons using the eccentric anomaly. The past and future long-term variations as well as the spectral characteristics of the length of astronomical seasons, of the total and average insolation over the astronomical seasons and of the caloric insolation are shown and compared. The length of astronomical seasons is only a function of climatic precession. The total irradiation for a given latitude and an astronomical season is mainly a function of obliquity except that it is mainly a function of eccentricity in a latitudinal band that is season dependent and from where the phase between obliquity and total irradiation reverses (e.g. ∼11.5°N for the astronomical northern hemisphere summer half-year). The spectral characteristic of the mean insolation over the astronomical summer half-year varies in latitude and time. It contains stronger obliquity signal in high latitudes than in low latitudes, but the obliquity signal already gets very weak at 45°N/S leaving the dominance of climatic precession between 45°N and 45°S. The variation of the mean summer half-year insolation over the last 1 Ma is characterized by a Mid-Brunhes transition at ∼450 ka BP, with a dominant role of climatic precession at all latitudes before ∼450 ka BP but significantly enhanced role of obliquity in high latitudes after this time. The simultaneous weakening of the variations of climatic precession and obliquity around 800 ka ago, a time corresponding to the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, leads to weak variations in both total and mean seasonal insolation. The insolation of a specific case, the Holocene, is finally discussed. Depending on the sensitivity to different types of insolation, different climate variables and regions could show different evolution and trend during the Holocene.

Monsoon Flora of Bombay and Salsette Islands

The information regarding the vegetation and in particular the monsoon flora of the present area seems to be scant. The author gives a complete account of the monsoon vegetation of Bombay and Salsette Islands, in this paper. During the rainy season, about 218 dicotyledons and about 50 monocotyledons were collected either in flowers, fruits or both Among the monocotyledons, the cyperaceae and gramineac have not been included ; they will be accounted for separately.

Productivity of remote pastures depending on the season in conditions of vertical soil regionality

The development, grovth and productivity of livestock depend primarily on providing it with a variety of nutritious feeds. Daily feeds should consist of microbiologically synthesized protein, as well as a variety of seeds, mineral and vitamin supplements of animal and vegetable origin. Indeed, the maximum disclosure of the genetic potential of livestock largely depends on both the quantity and quality of feed. One of the stages of feed quality assessment is the measurement of their chemical composition. The chemical composition is not always constant and depends on many factors, including the species composition of plants, fertilizer application rates, climatic conditions and storage methods. The least accumulation of moisture in the soil was observed in areas where pasture grasses were regularly treated with wormwood. Pacture productivity was also the lowest in the control plots, where the average phyto-chemical composition over three years showed that the dynamics of protein content was the same in all pastures – the protein content reached a maximum at the beginning of the growing sea son and decreased from spring to autumn, while the lowest content of crude protein during harvesting in summer was in control plants of varieties.

Expanding success in the isolation of abundant marine bacteria after reduction in grazing and viral pressure and increase in nutrient availability.

Isolation of microorganisms is a useful approach to gathering knowledge about their genomic properties, physiology, and ecology, in addition to allowing the characterization of novel taxa. We performed an extensive isolation effort on samples from seawater manipulation experiments that were carried out during the four astronomical seasons in a coastal site of the northwest Mediterranean to evaluate the impact of grazing, viral mortality, resource competition reduction, and light presence/absence on bacterioplankton growth. Isolates were retrieved using two growth media, and their full 16S rRNA gene was sequenced to assess their identity and calculate their culturability across seasons and experimental conditions. A total of 1,643 isolates were obtained, mainly affiliated to the classes Gammaproteobacteria (44%), Alphaproteobacteria (26%), and Bacteroidia (17%). Isolates pertaining to class Gammaproteobacteria were the most abundant in all experiments, while Bacteroidia were preferentially enriched in the treatments with reduced grazing. Sixty-one isolates had a similarity below 97% to cultured taxa and are thus putatively novel. Comparison of isolate sequences with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequences from the same samples showed that the percentage of reads corresponding to isolates was 21.4% within the whole data set, with dramatic increases in the summer virus-reduced (71%) and diluted (47%) treatments. In fact, we were able to isolate the top 10 abundant taxa in several experiments and from the whole data set. We also show that top-down and bottom-up controls differentially affect taxa in terms of culturability. Our results indicate that culturing marine bacteria using agar plates can be successful in certain ecological situations. IMPORTANCE Bottom-up and top-down controls greatly influence marine microbial community composition and dynamics, which in turn have effects on their culturability. We isolated a high amount of heterotrophic bacterial strains from experiments where seawater environmental conditions had been manipulated and found that decreasing grazing and viral pressure as well as rising nutrient availability are key factors increasing the success in culturing marine bacteria. Our data hint at factors influencing culturability and underpin bacterial cultures as a powerful way to discover new taxa.

Influence of age and seasonality on boar seminal plasma steroids quantification: A preliminary study.

Seasonal changes, especially temperature and photoperiod, are well-known determining factors of swine reproductive capacity, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of age and seasonal variations on boar seminal plasma steroids (dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA], cortisol [CORT], and testosterone [TEST]) over 1 year. Four commercial hybrid adult boars (Large White × Duroc), aged between 12 and 44 months, were repeatedly evaluated at the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences of the University of Bologna. Daily temperature and light hours relating to the collection date were considered for each observation within the four astronomical seasons: Winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Hormones were quantified using radioimmunoassay. The association between seasonal factors and hormone concentrations was evaluated using linear regression models. Univariate models were estimated for each hormone to assess the influence of the independent variables; two multivariate models were assessed to evaluate the effect of temperature and daylight hours, including boar and season factors. Age significantly affected all analyzed hormones (CORT p < 0.0001; DHEA p < 0.0001; and TEST p < 0.0001). The highest average levels were found for each hormone during summertime, suggesting a positive correlation between steroid concentrations with temperature and light hours. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the increase in external temperature and light hours is somehow associated with higher levels of steroid concentrations in the seminal plasma of in-housed boars. These findings may help further investigate seasonal fluctuations in reproductive outcomes, which are well-known for porcine species.

Inferential implications of normalizing binomial proportions in a structural equation model: A simulation study motivated by feedlot data.

Most commercial software for implementation of structural equation models (SEM) cannot explicitly accommodate outcome variables of binomial nature. As a result, SEM modeling strategies of binomial outcomes are often based on normal approximations of empirical proportions. Inferential implications of these approximations are particularly relevant to health-related outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess the inferential implications of specifying a binomial variable as an empirical proportion (%) in predictor and outcome roles in a SEM. We addressed this objective first by a simulation study, and second by a proof-of-concept data application on beef feedlot morbidity to bovine respiratory disease (BRD). We simulated data on body weight at feedlot arrival (AW), morbidity count for BRD (Mb), and average daily gain (ADG). Alternative SEMs were fitted to the simulated data. Model 1 specified a directed acyclic causal diagram with morbidity fitted as a binomial outcome (Mb) and as a proportion (Mb_p) predictor. Model 2 specified a similar causal diagram with morbidity fitted as a proportion for both outcome and predictor roles within the network. Structural parameters for Model 1 were accurately estimated based on the nominal coverage probability of 95 % confidence intervals. In turn, there was poor coverage for most morbidity-related parameters under Model 2. Both SEM models showed adequate empirical power (>80 %) to detect parameters not equal to zero. Model 1 and Model 2 produced predictions that were reasonable from a management standpoint, as determined by calculating the root mean squared error (RMSE) through cross-validation. However, interpretability of parameter estimates in Model 2 was impaired due to the model misspecification relative to the data generation. The data application fitted SEM extensions, Model 1*and Model 2*, to a dataset from a group of feedlots in the Midwestern US. Models 1*and 2*included explanatory covariates, specifically percent shrink (PS), backgrounding type (BG), and season (SEA). Lastly, we tested if AW exerted both direct and BRD-mediated indirect effects on ADG using Model 2*. In Model 1*, mediation was not testable due to the incomplete path from morbidity as a binomial outcome through Mb_p as a predictor to ADG. Model 2*supported a minor morbidity-mediated mechanism between AW and ADG, though parameter estimates were not directly interpretable. Our results indicate normal approximation to a binomial disease outcome in a SEM may be a viable option for inference on mediation hypotheses and for predictive purposes, despite limitations in interpretability due to inherent model misspecification.

Providing baseline data for conservation-Heart rate monitoring in captive scimitar-horned oryx.

Heart rate biologging has been successfully used to study wildlife responses to natural and human-caused stressors (e.g., hunting, landscape of fear). Although rarely deployed to inform conservation, heart rate biologging may be particularly valuable for assessing success in wildlife reintroductions. We conducted a case study for testing and validating the use of subcutaneous heart rate monitors in eight captive scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah), a once-extinct species that is currently being restored to the wild. We evaluated biologger safety and accuracy while collecting long-term baseline data and assessing factors explaining variation in heart rate. None of the biologgers were rejected after implantation, with successful data capture for 16-21months. Heart rate detection accuracy was high (83%-99%) for six of the individuals with left lateral placement of the biologgers. We excluded data from two individuals with a right lateral placement because accuracies were below 60%. Average heart rate for the six scimitar-horned oryx was 60.3 ± 12.7bpm, and varied by about 12bpm between individuals, with a minimum of 31bpm and a maximum of 188bpm across individuals. Scimitar-horned oryx displayed distinct circadian rhythms in heart rate and activity. Heart rate and activity were low early in the morning and peaked near dusk. Circadian rhythm in heart rate and activity were relatively unchanged across season, but hourly averages for heart rate and activity were higher in spring and summer, respectively. Variation in hourly heart rate averages was best explained by a combination of activity, hour, astronomical season, ambient temperature, and an interaction term for hour and season. Increases in activity appeared to result in the largest changes in heart rate. We concluded that biologgers are safe and accurate and can be deployed in free-ranging and reintroduced scimitar-horned oryx. In addition to current monitoring practices of reintroduced scimitar-horned oryx, the resulting biologging data could significantly aid in 1) evaluating care and management action prior to release, 2) characterizing different animal personalities and how these might affect reintroduction outcomes for individual animals, and 3) identifying stressors after release to determine their timing, duration, and impact on released animals. Heart rate monitoring in released scimitar-horned oryx may also aid in advancing our knowledge about how desert ungulates adapt to extreme environmental variation in their habitats (e.g., heat, drought).

Historical spatiotemporal changes in fire danger potential across biomes

This study 1) identifies the seasons and biomes that exhibit significant (1980–2019) changes in fire danger potential, as quantified by the Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI); 2) explores what types of fire behavior potentials may be contributing to changes in fire danger potential, as quantified by the United States Energy Release Component (ERC) and the Ignition Component (IC); 3) provides spatiotemporal insight on how fire danger potential and fire behavior potential are responding in relation to changes in seasonal precipitation totals and seasonal mean air temperature across biomes. Time series of these fire potentials, as well as seasonal mean temperature, and seasonal precipitation totals are generated using data from the 0.25° ECMWF spatial resolution Reanalysis 5th Generation (ERA5) and the Climatic Research Unit gridded Time Series (CRU TS). The Mann-Kendall test is then applied to identify significant spatiotemporal trends across each biome. Results indicate that the September–November season (SON) exhibits the greatest rate of increase in fire danger potential, followed by the June–August season (JJA), December, January–February season (DJF), and March–May season (MAM), and this is predominant over the Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forest Biome, as well as all vegetation types of the temperate biomes. Similarly, the temperate biomes experience the greatest rate of increase in fire intensity potential and ignition potential, but prevalent during the DJF and MAM seasons. Furthermore, there is a significant positive correlation between fire danger potential and seasonal mean air temperature during JJA in the Northern Hemisphere for the temperate biomes in North America and Europe, as well as the Tropical and Subtropical biomes in Africa. Our analysis provides quantitative insight as to how fire danger potential and fire behavior potential have been responding to changes in seasonal mean temperature and seasonal precipitation totals across different ecoregions around the world.

Exploring the use of astronomical seasons in municipal solid waste disposal rates modeling

This study quantifies seasonal variations of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal rates in a mid-sized Canadian city with respect to both meteorological and astronomical seasons using RNN – LSTM models with a single LSTM layer and 128 units. Meteorological seasons are related to the annual temperature cycle, whereas the astronomical seasons are based on the position of Earth in relation to the Sun. It is hypothesized that the number of hours of natural daylight could also affect MSW generation rates. The use of both meteorological and astronomical seasons in waste modeling is original. During the study period, considerably higher rates in summer (417.8-418.2 tonne/day) than in winter (289.0-290.0 tonne/day) were observed. Waste disposal behaviors in winter are however more consistent, with standard deviations about 138.5-139.8 tonnes/day. The astronomical models appear to better handle extreme situations in the winter and summer. The results indicate that the astronomical models may be more appropriate in some cases. Overall, the predictive accuracy of all models are acceptable, with R2 ranging from 0.70 to 0.86. In general, meteorological models outperformed astronomical models slightly, with RMSE ranged from 72-95 tonne/day. The RMSE of the winter sets are lower, probably due to the lower disposal rates in winter. The results generally support the use of astronomical data to supplement meteorological data in waste seasonal variation studies.

Mortality during Transport of Pigs Subjected to Long Journeys: A Study in a Large European Abattoir.

To date, especially in Europe, few studies have analysed the implications of long journeys on pig welfare and economic losses, expressed in terms of transport mortality. This study retrospectively analysed data collected from slaughtering registers and travel journals in a large Italian abattoir. We focused on pig transports coming from abroad and arriving at the slaughter plant after long journeys (a total of 59,982 pigs over 370 journeys). We explored the relationship between mortality and the following variables: country of origin, journey duration, astronomical season, stocking density on the truck, number of stops, and prolonged stops during the journey (lasting more than 60 min, likely due to traffic jams or truck problems). Overall, the low mortality rate observed (0.09%) was in line with European estimates. The factors with a significant or tendential effect on mortality during transport were the astronomical season (p = 0.0472, with higher mortality in spring) and the presence of prolonged stops during the journey (p = 0.069, tendential effect). Journey duration, stocking density, country of origin, and the number of stops were not statistically significant. In conclusion, based on this case study, using transport mortality combined with data collected during the common routine activity by the Public Veterinary Services in slaughterhouses could be a simple screening method for identifying problematic journeys or transport conditions.

Stimulation of economic growth in agro-industrial complex of the Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan

Issues of government support for agricultural sector, types of subsidies and procedure for their distribution are considered, as well as the role of subsidies in the development of agroindustrial complex of Kazakhstan. The goal is to develop theoretical and practical provisions for improving organizational and economic mechanism for financing agriculture in the Zhambyl region by the State. Methods – comparative, logical, statistical, analysis of structure and dyna-mics, tabular and graphical interpretation of information. Results – based on the analysis of the state of the main branches of agro-industrial complex, assessment of State assistance measures, factors hindering the growth in the volume of products produced by agricultural producers of the repu blic (concentration of production in households; unsatisfactory quality of raw materials; seasonal ity, low level of investment incentives; insufficient scientific and technical support). Conclusions – taking into account the existing problems of the small-scale nature of agro-industrial production, the need for cooperation of small forms of management is substantiated in order to bring together the efforts of all economic entities in one commodity flow, the availability of marketing agricultural products, providing consumers with quality goods, while large and small producers will have equal conditions for increasing their own, joint and State income. The article identifies such priority areas as the possibility of creating retail outlets in the markets and in trading houses for domestic food products, organization of scientific and industrial schools in order to improve the competence of individual entrepreneurs in agribusiness. The authors note that State regulation and support of agricultural economy is one of the strategic goals of the policy of effective protectionism and ensuring free competition in the agri-food market.

Seasonal differences in nutritional status of patients hospitalized with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background/Introduction Heart failure (HF) is increasing steadily while the prognosis still stays poor despite improvements in care and availability of new therapies. The nutritional status. is important in management of HF, as an part of multidisciplinary approach. It is known that the diet depends on the availability of nutritional products and therefore also on the season. The seasonal differences of the nutritional status in HF to our knowledge has not been studied before. Purpose The assessment of variability in nutritional status among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in different seasons of the year. Methods We enrolled 240 consecutive patients hospitalized at the department of cardiology, due to HFrEF with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) &amp;lt;=40%. Patients were interviewed with MNA form to assess their nutritional status. Detailed medical history was collected. Patients were divided according to the astronomical season of the year (spring summer fall winter), depending on the time of the admission to the hospital. We compared MNA scores between mentioned groups of patients using U Mann Whitney test. Due to the possible influence of HF exacerbations on nutritional status, the second analysis was done after exclusion of patients with HF decompensation. Results Mean age was 56.4±11.3 years, 15.8 % patients were women, mean BMI – 28.8±5.5 kg/m2, mean LVEF – 23.9±7.7%, mean MNA score – 23.0±2.9 points. MNA score was higher (the sign of better nutritional status) in patients interviewed during spring compared to those assessed in summer (p=0.0094) or fall (p=0.014). The same situation was observed after the exclusion of patients with decompensation of HF: MNA score measured in patients admitted in spring was better than those hospitalized in summer (p=0.042) or fall (p=0.0064). The difference between spring and winter lacked statistical significance (p=0.058). Mean MNA scores and more important data for every season are presented in Figure 1 and 2. Conclusion(s) The differences in nutrition state in stable patients with HFrEF suggest that the seasonality of the diet might result from veritable modification in nutrition associated with availability and price of fruit and vegetables or the respondents mood, unrelated to the real nutritional status, impacts the score in the MNA questionnaire. This requires further analyses.

Understanding how diel and seasonal rhythms affect the movements of a small non‐migratory bird

AbstractDiel and seasonal rhythms affect an animal's environment and life history. Understanding how these rhythms influence movement increases our knowledge on how animals adjust to changing resources, environmental conditions, and risk to their survival. To better understand how diel and seasonal rhythms affect animals, we evaluated movements of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus, hereafter bobwhite). Because bobwhite are a small non‐migratory species that must cope with daily and seasonal changes in their environment year‐around, they are a model species to study how diel and seasonal rhythms influence animal movement of a non‐migratory species. GPS data from transmitters attached to bobwhite at four wildlife management sites across Oklahoma were collected during 2019–2021. We parsed the diel data as daytime (7:00 AM–7:00 PM Central Daylight Savings Time [CDT]) and nighttime (7:00 PM–7:00 AM CDT), and diurnal (sunrise–sunset) and nocturnal (sunset–sunrise), as well as by astronomical season. We calculated three movement metrics: net displacement (Euclidean distance from the starting fix to the ending fix of a path, which encompasses consecutive relocations in a time series of geographic fixes); cumulative distance (sum of all Euclidean distances between each consecutive fix along the path); and hourly movement. We modeled the data using a generalized linear mixed modeling approach. Across season, model predictions showed that net displacement was highest during spring, and daytime cumulative distance slowly increased as the year progressed. Bobwhite had two movement peaks during the diurnal period, one during 9:00 AM–10:00 AM and the other during 5:00 PM–8:00 PM depending on the season. Despite being diurnal, bobwhite occasionally made nocturnal movements, likely in response to a disturbance by a predator, inclement weather, or energetic demands. Movement peaks during the diurnal period may reflect changes in behavior in response to energy requirements, predator risk, and changes in air temperature. Life history events likely cause seasonal differences in movement. This study furthers our understanding of how animals move daily and seasonally, suggesting the importance of analyzing movement across the entire year because animals move differently across the day and year.

Pollution and Environmental Factors Effect on Calcification and Morphology of Mytilus galloprovincialis Shell from El Jadida Coast (Atlantic Coast, Morocco)

The originality of the present work is to study, for the 1st time, the existence of shell shape deformation in Mytilus galloprovincialis mussel from Morocco Atlantic coasts, in relation with local environmental parameters. A slight difference is noted in the average calcium concentrations between the 2 sites, with values of 10.02⸱10–2 ± 0.15 mM and 10.3⸱10–2 ± 0.15 mM respectively at Haouzia and Jorf-Lasfar sites. A significant season al variation was observed in both sites, with the existence of 2 concentration peaks during the months of April and September. These results are correlated with the physicochemical records with the existence of a salinity gradient. Shell deformation was observed in 25.9 % of all individuals from Jorf-Lasfar site. These individuals (group 2) show a higher concentration of calcium ions in their shells, a reduced width and increased thickness.&#x0D; HIGHLIGHTS&#x0D; Due to increasing pressure of pollution and environmental factors on mussels from morocco coastal line, our research team investigated disturbance on shell shape by carrying out morphometric and calcium ions titration study:&#x0D; &#x0D; At a morphometric level, we found that individuals with shell deformity lose width and gain thickness&#x0D; At a physiological level, these individuals have an increased amount of calcium ions in the shell compared to mussels with no shell deformation&#x0D; Suspected effect of environmental parameters on Mytilus galloprovincialis physiology&#x0D; &#x0D; GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Смертность от гриппа среди населения Украины в эпидемическом сезоне 2015–2016 гг.

Грипп и острые респираторные вирусные инфекции (ОРВИ) являются одной из наиболее актуальных медицинских и социально-экономических проблем страны. Это обусловлено значительной распространенностью заболеваний, высоким риском смертности и возникновением тяжелых осложнений. Авторами проведен статистический анализ заболеваемости и смертности от гриппа и ОРВИ в эпидемическом сезоне 2015–2016 гг., предоставлена этиологическая расшифровка летальных случаев, определены уязвимые группы населения (по возрасту, полу или наличию факторов риска), оценен вакцинальный статус умерших. Обоснованы вопросы вакцинопрофилактики как наиболее эффективного средства предотвращения тяжелого течения болезни, осложнений и смерти от гриппа.

Характеристика и особенности течения осложнений кори у взрослых в сезоне 2018-2019 годов

Цель исследования: изучение особенностей течения и частоты развития осложнений кори у взрослых в сезоне 2018-2019 годов. Материалы и методы. Исследования проводились в клинике инфекционных болезней Национальной медицинской академии последипломного образования имени П. Л. Шупика в период с сентября 2018 г. по март 2019 г. Обследовано и пролечено 368 больных с диагнозом корь, в возрасте от 18 до 65 лет. Результаты. В статье приведены современные научные данные и результаты наших исследований относительно особенностей течения и частоты возникновения различных осложнений кори у взрослых. Выводы. Осложнения кори у взрослых могут развиться в любом периоде болезни. Установлено, что чаще регистрировались острый гнойный трахеобронхит – у 41,04 % больных, негоспитальная пневмония – у 24,86 %. В сезоне 2018-2019 годов отмечено увеличение больных реактивными гепатитами, которые наблюдались у 28,29 % больных корью.

Effect of wind velocity and flare height parameters on pollution dispersion from one flare with zonal method

With increasing growth of industrial units in developing countries and pollutants produced by these units, nowadays distribution and dispersion modelling of atmosphere pollutants especially in urban areas is an inevitable importance. Dispersion modelling of atmosphere pollutants is a methodology to estimate focus and concentration values of pollutants related to emission source in different seasons. In current study, using numerical analysis, a thermal diffusion of flare and focus values of industrial pollutants simulation using air zonal methodology has been presented. After studying pollutants emission in open area, validation has been done using laboratory data results and computational fluid dynamics method. The results of this study indicate the ability of presented air zonal methodology to predict thermal diffusion of flare and distribution concentration of pollutant source and information gained from this analysis. Then an exploration of effective parameters in pollution emission such as wind velocity, flare height, and pollution emission rate in downstream has been done. As the results show, when wind velocity rises by 130%, pollution will reach far away from production source and with increase in flare height by 25%, the pollution concentration values on the ground has been reduced by 44%. Also with addition of barrier in pollution dispersion path, pollution level will increase by 60%.

Processing and Quality Analysis of Seasoned Low-salt Fermented Styela clava Supplemented with Fermentation Alcohol for Extended Shelf-life

Processing and Quality Analysis of Seasoned Low-salt Fermented Styela clava Supplemented with Fermentation Alcohol for Extended Shelf-life

Effects of seeding rate and hybrid relative maturity on yield, nutrient composition, ruminal in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility, and predicted milk yield of dairy cows in whole-plant corn forage in subtropical conditions

We aimed to evaluate the effects of season (SEA), relative maturity (RM), and seeding rate (SR) on yield, nutrient composition, ruminal in vitro NDF digestibility at 30 h, and predicted milk yield in whole-plant corn forage grown in subtropical regions. During the summer of 2016 and spring of 2017, 3 hybrids varying in RM [118 (RM118); 124 (RM124); and 130 (RM130) d] were planted at 2 different SR [63,000 (63K) or 73,000 (73K) plants/ha] in a randomized complete block design with 4 blocks. Data were analyzed as a 2 (SEA) × 3 (hybrid RM) × 2 (SR) factorial using linear mixed model procedures, where hybrid RM, SR, SEA, and all their interactions were fixed effects, and block was the sole random effect. A 3-way interaction was observed for DM yield, which was greatest (18.0 Mg/ha) for RM130 planted at 63K for summer and RM130 planted at 73K (27.0 Mg/ha) for spring. Later RM hybrids had lower starch concentration and yield, but both were also influenced by season. The NDF concentration was lowest for hybrid RM118. The NDF and TDN yield were both greater for the spring season compared with the summer, but both were influenced by SR. Predicted milk yield per megagram of forage (kg/Mg) and starch yield were both lowest when planted at 63K for hybrid RM130. Greater NDF and lower undigested NDF concentrations were observed in 63K compared with 73K for SR. Seeding rate can be used to increase DM yield, but yield is also affected by hybrid RM and season. Hybrid RM can also be used to increase DM yield with later RM or improve nutrient composition with an earlier RM hybrid by increasing starch concentration and decreasing NDF concentration. Additionally, the greater starch concentration combined with the greater DM yield observed for treatments in the spring season suggest producers should focus their efforts on growing the bulk of corn silage during the spring. Last, different levels of SR and different hybrid RM combinations can be used during different seasons to maximize corn silage productivity.

Seasonal patterns in habitat use by the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) and other small mammals.

Seasonal patterns in habitat use by the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) and other small mammals.