Semi-extensive Production System Research Articles

A Preliminary Investigation of Salmonella Populations in Indigenous Portuguese Layer Hen Breeds.

The sustainability of agroecological systems, biodiversity protection, animal welfare, and consumer demand for higher quality products from alternative and extensive farming methods have reinforced interest in local breeds that are well adapted to low-input environments. However, food safety needs to be safeguarded to reinforce consumer confidence. The aim of this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation on the occurrence of Salmonella spp. in eggshells, hen's cloaca, and litter materials from autochthonous Portuguese laying hens raised in a semi-extensive system for small-scale production. A total of 279 samples from 31 flocks belonging to 12 farms were obtained, with 63 samples from the "Preta Lusitânica" breed, and 72 samples each from the remaining autochthonous breeds, namely, "Branca", "Amarela", and "Pedrês Portuguesa". None (0%) of the samples analyzed were positive for Salmonella spp. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first results of Salmonella evaluation from hen's cloaca, eggshells, and litter materials in autochthonous Portuguese chickens, suggesting that a semi-extensive production system can contribute to better food security and a lower risk to public health and the environment.

Signatures of Admixture and Genetic Uniqueness in the Autochthonous Greek Black Pig Breed Deduced from Gene Polymorphisms Affecting Domestication-Derived Traits.

The Greek Black Pig (or Greek Pig) is the only recognized autochthonous pig breed raised in Greece, usually in extensive or semi-extensive production systems. According to its name, the characteristic breed coat color is solid black. In this study, with the aim to start a systematic genetic characterization of the Greek Black Pig breed, we investigated polymorphisms in major genes well known to affect exterior and production traits (MC1R, KIT, NR6A1, VRTN and IGF2) and compared these data with population genetic information available in other Mediterranean and Western Balkan pig breeds and wild boars. None of the investigated gene markers were fixed for one allele, suggesting that, in the past, this breed experienced introgression from wild boars and admixture from cosmopolitan pig breeds, enriching the breed genetic pool that should be further investigated to design appropriate conservation genetic strategies. We identified a new MC1R allele, containing two missense mutations already reported in two other independent alleles, but here present in the same haplotype. This allele might be useful to disclose biological information that can lead to better understanding the cascade transmission of signals to produce melanin pigments. This study demonstrated that autochthonous genetic resources can be an interesting reservoir of unexpected genetic variants.

How does soil carbon sequestration affect greenhouse gas emissions from a sheep farming system? Results of a life cycle assessment case study

A life cycle assessment (LCA) study of a transition from semiintensive to semi-extensive Mediterranean dairy sheep farm suggests that the latter has a strong potential for offsetting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the soil C sequestration (Cseq) in permanent grasslands. The extensification process shows clear environmental advantage when emission intensity is referred to the area-based functional unit (FU). Several LCA studies reported that extensive livestock systems have greater GHG emissions per mass of product than intensive one, due to their lower productivity. However, these studies did not account for soil Cseq of temporary and permanent grasslands, that have a strong potential to partly mitigate the GHG balance of ruminant production systems. Our LCA study was carried out considering the transition from a semiintensive (SI) towards a semi-extensive (SE) production system, adopted in a dairy sheep farm located in North-Western Sardinia (Italy). Impact scope included enteric methane emissions, feed production, on-farm energy use and transportation, infrastructures as well as the potential C sink from soil Cseq compared to emission intensity. In order to provide a more comprehensive analysis, we used the following FUs: 1 kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) and 1 ha of utilised agricultural area (UAA). We observed that the extensification of production system determined contrasting environmental effects when using different FUs accounting for soil Cseq. When soil Cseq in emission intensity estimate was included, we observed slightly lower values of GHG emissions per kg of FPCM in the SI production system (from 3.37 to 3.12 kg CO2 equivalents – CO2-eq), whereas a greater variation we observed in the SE one (from 3.54 to 2.90 kg CO2-eq). Considering 1 ha of UAA as FU and including the soil Cseq, the emission intensity in SI moved from 6257 to 5793 kg CO2-eq, whereas values varied from 4020 to 3299 kg CO2-eq in SE. These results indicated that the emission intensity from semi-extensive Mediterranean dairy sheep farms can be considerably reduced through the soil Cseq, although its measurement is influenced by the models used in the estimation. Highlights - Extensification of dairy sheep systems provides an environmental benefit when soil C sequestration is considered. - Extensification of dairy sheep systems determines lower environmental impact per hectare of utilized agricultural area. - Enteric methane emissions are the main source of GHG emissions of the sheep milk life cycle. - Carbon sequestration in permanent grasslands can considerably contribute to climate change mitigation.

Fatty acid composition of lamb meat from Italian and German local breeds

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the quality characteristics, chemical composition and lipid profile of lamb meat from Italian (Biellese and Sambucana) and German (Texel-Merino-Blackhead-Charollais [TMBC]) breeds reared in extensive and semi-extensive production systems. Meat samples from 89 animals were analysed. The meat of the lambs from semi-intensively reared Biellese, and extensively reared Sambucana and TMBC breeds produced lean meat, with slightly higher intramuscular fat content in TMBC. The latter also produced meat of darker colour (P < 0.05) and higher protein content (P < 0.05). The meat of Sambucana lambs presented the lowest total cholesterol content (P < 0.05). The fatty acid profile of the meat showed a clear advantage of both extensively reared breeds, which had substantially lower proportion of saturated but higher of polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly n-3 (P < 0.05). The beneficial effect of the extensive rearing conditions was associated with lower n-6/n3 ratio, and atherogenic and thrombogenic indices, thereby suggesting that production system can be used successfully to modify the fatty acid profile to achieve a positive effect for the human health.

Latent relationships between environmental impacts of cultivation practices and land market: Evidences from a spatial quantile regression analysis in Italy

Several economic approaches can be carried out for managing the environmental impacts in agriculture, i.e. property and bargaining rights, economic incentives, ecological fees, etc. These approaches can be mainly applied to the cultivation phase or to the markets of the agricultural commodities. However, a further ambit in which the regulatory systems could be useful to trigger sustainable cultivation practices is the farmland market. Hence, this study contributes to the setting of market mechanisms based on incentives or fees related to the environmental impacts of farming practices for reducing the pressures of the production processes on the environmental components.The study, through a hedonic pricing method based on a spatial quantile regression and integrated by an environmental analysis, highlights different trends of land value determinants along the quantiles of the selling prices as the intensity of the cultivation system varies. The results show that the most important value determinants of the vineyards cultivated through the semi-extensive production system are related to the quality of grapes. Conversely, in presence of the intensive production system, the most important value determinants are related to the high yields, which also generate high greenhouse gas emissions, in contrast with the “polluter pays” principle.The results allow the assessment of the implicit marginal prices concerning the impact of the environmental indicator on land value per cultivation system, so as to favour the setting of regulatory monetary strategies able to foster farmers towards cleaner agricultural practices.

Carcass Yields and Physiochemical Meat Quality of Semi-extensive and Intensively Farmed Impala (Aepyceros melampus).

The effects of sex and production systems on carcass yield, meat quality and proximate composition of sub-adult impala were evaluated by culling 35 impala from intensive (12 males) and semi-extensive (12 males and 11 females) production systems within the same game farm. While no sexual dimorphism was found for carcass weights, male impala had a higher dressing percentage than females, indicating a higher meat production potential. Few differences were observed for yields between the male impala from the different production systems, but physical meat quality parameters indicated possible stress for those kept intensively. Minor differences existed in physiochemical parameters between various impala muscles for the two sexes and production systems, providing little motivation for these factors to be considered when processing sub-adult impala carcasses. Impala meat from both sexes, all muscles and all production systems produced meat with shear force values below 43 N, and thus may be considered as tender. Furthermore, the proximate composition of all impala meat in this study ranged from 74.7 to 77.0 g/100g moisture, 20.7 to 23.5 g/100g protein, 1.2 to 2.2 g/100g fat and 1.1 to 1.3 g/100g ash content. These values compare favorably to other game species, indicating that impala meat may serve as a lean protein source.

Genome-wide association analyses for several exterior traits in the autochthonous Casertana pig breed

Casertana is an autochthonous pig breed reared in the Central-South of Italy, mainly in extensive or semi-extensive production systems. A small number of animals are registered to the breed herd-book. The population of this breed is not completely fixed for several exterior traits, including ear size (small vs large), ear bearing (forward vs floppy), presence or absence of wattles and coat colour (black vs slate-grey) that we recorded in a total of 101 pigs from six different farms. All these pigs were also genotyped with the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip. Then, with the aim to identify DNA markers associated with these traits, we run four genome-wide association studies (GWAS) comparing pigs having different phenotypes for each of the four external traits. Genome-wide fixation index (FST) analyses were run to confirm the results. GEMMA software was used in the GWAS. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated to the wattle trait were identified on porcine chromosome (SSC) 1 and SSC11. Markers associated to the coat colour trait were located on SSC6, SSC8, SSC14 and SSC15. These chromosome regions were confirmed by the independent FST analyses. FST did not confirm the signals detected for the two ear conformation traits. Candidate genes were identified according to the function of the annotated genes in the detected genome regions. Despite the small number of pigs that could be investigated, this study showed that autochthonous animal genetic resources might be useful to disclose genetic factors affecting traits that are not fixed in a population.

Signatures of de-domestication in autochthonous pig breeds and of domestication in wild boar populations from MC1R and NR6A1 allele distribution.

Autochthonous pig breeds are usually reared in extensive or semi-extensive production systems that might facilitate contact with wild boars and, thus, reciprocal genetic exchanges. In this study, we analysed variants in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene (which cause different coat colour phenotypes) and in the nuclear receptor subfamily 6 group A member 1 (NR6A1) gene (associated with increased vertebral number) in 712 pigs of 12 local pig breeds raised in Italy (Apulo-Calabrese, Casertana, Cinta Senese, Mora Romagnola, Nero Siciliano and Sarda) and south-eastern European countries (Krškopolje from Slovenia, Black Slavonian and Turopolje from Croatia, Mangalitsa and Moravka from Serbia and East Balkan Swine from Bulgaria) and compared the data with the genetic variability at these loci investigated in 229 wild boars from populations spread in the same macro-geographic areas. None of the autochthonous pig breeds or wild boar populations were fixed for one allele at both loci. Domestic and wild-type alleles at these two genes were present in both domestic and wild populations. Findings of the distribution of MC1R alleles might be useful for tracing back the complex genetic history of autochthonous breeds. Altogether, these results indirectly demonstrate that bidirectional introgression of wild and domestic alleles is derived and affected by the human and naturally driven evolutionary forces that are shaping the Sus scrofa genome: autochthonous breeds are experiencing a sort of 'de-domestication' process, and wild resources are challenged by a 'domestication' drift. Both need to be further investigated and managed.

A comparative study of the fatty acid and terpene profiles of ovine and caprine milk from Greek mountain sheep breeds and a local goat breed raised under a semi-extensive production system.

The objective of this study was to compare the fatty acid and terpene profile of ovine and caprine milk from animals raised under a semi-extensive production system in commercial farms located in Northwest Greece. Regarding fatty acid profile, ovine milk had a higher percentage of conjugated linoleic acid (CLAcis-9, trans-11) as well as higher percentages of both n-6 and n-3 fatty acids in relation to caprine milk. Terpene profile analysis showed a high frequency of appearance for α-pinene, d-limonene, β-pinene in both types of milk. β-Caryophyllene was detected in the majority of the examined ovine and caprine milk samples suggesting that its presence could be used as a potential biomarker of grass feeding. The relative frequency of appearance was higher in caprine milk for the majority of identified terpenes. Ovine milk had better nutritional value in comparison to caprine milk that had an enriched terpene profile than ovine milk.

Transition among different production systems in a Sardinian dairy sheep farm: Environmental implications

Sardinia (Italy) plays a relevant role on EU sheep milk production. In Sardinia, as well as in other Mediterranean regions, there is a range of different dairy sheep farming systems and an effective renovation process is needed to tackle the deep structural crisis of the sector. The eco-innovation of production processes and the valorisation of pasture-based livestock systems can be a key strategy to improve the farms competitiveness and to promote the environmental sustainability of the typical Mediterranean dairy sheep products. For these reasons, research studies based on holistic and site-specific approaches are needed to assess the environmental implications of Mediterranean sheep systems. The main objective of this study was to compare the environmental performances of two contrasting sheep milk production systems through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. The LCA was carried out on a farm where changes in land use (from arable and irrigated crops to native and artificial pastures) occurred over a 10-year period, in conjunction with a reduction of total supply of mineral fertilizers. The analysis was performed using IPCC and ReCiPe methodologies, and a functional unit of 1 kg of Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM). The LCA analysis showed that the change from semi-intensive to semi-extensive production system had only a slight effect on the overall environmental performances of 1 kg FPCM, due to the dominant impact of enteric fermentation in both systems. The Carbon Footprint was on average 3.12 kg CO2-eq per kg FPCM and the average score of the ReCiPe Endpoint was 461 mPt per kg FPCM. Methane enteric emissions and the use of imported soybean meal were identified as the main environmental hotspots.

Pasture intake and grazing behaviour of growing European wild boar (Sus scrofaL.) and domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus, Landrace×Large White) in a semi-extensive production system

SUMMARYThe objective of the present study was to determine the pasture intake of European wild boar and domestic pigs throughout their growth period (from 60 to 207 days of age). The proportion of time that each animal type spent grazing was also determined. Twelve 60-day-old pure-bred European wild boar (six castrated males and six females, average live-weight (±s.e.m.) 6·8 ± 0·37 kg) and 12 70-day-old domestic pigs (Large White × Landrace, six castrated males and six females, average live-weight [ ±s.e.m.] 24·1 ± 0·66 kg) were used in the study. Each day during the study, the animals grazed from 08·00 until 16·00 h, after which they hadad-libitumaccess to a supplemental diet for 1 h. Every 14 days throughout the study (a total of ten determinations), the pasture consumption was determined as the difference between the pasture dry matter (DM) availability pre- and post-grazing. The supplemental diet consumption was also determined. Three times during the study (age of animals 85, 140 and 198 days), the behaviour of each animal was observed over four consecutive days while grazing. When considered on a metabolic bodyweight basis, the pasture consumption of the European wild boar was greater than that in the domestic pigs. Approximately 0·20 of the total DM intake by the wild boar was pasture, whereas only 0·10 of the total DM intake by the domestic pigs was pasture. However, domestic pigs consumed a greater quantity of supplemental diet than the wild boar. The wild boar obtained 0·20 of their total daily dietary apparent energy intake from pasture, compared with 0·07 in the domestic pigs. Wild boar were more active during 8-h grazing periods spending 0·54 of their time grazing or moving around, compared with 0·32 of the time in domestic pigs.

Factors influencing Awassi lambs survivorship under fields conditions

The objective of this study was to investigate the pre-weaning survival rates of Awassi lambs and identify the causes of death in extensive and semi-extensive production systems. The study was designed to collect data under field conditions. Data were recorded on 29,290 lambs born alive during lambing seasons from 2011 to 2015. Postmortem autopsy findings were collected from 5448 lambs died during the pre-weaning period. About 63.5% of losses occurred during the first 7 days of life. The overall pre-weaning mortality rates were 19.7% and 16.9% in the extensive and semi-extensive production systems, respectively. Lamb birth weight had a strong effect (P<0.0001) on the pre-weaning mortality rate. The mean mortality rate in lambs weighed <2kg at birth was 45.1%. The proportion of autopsied lambs dying by category was starvation (28.6%), respiratory infections (19.2%), gastrointestinal infections (16.2%), birth injuries (10.2%), hypothermia (8.6%), enterotoxaemia (8.2%), dystocia (4.4%) and predation (2.1%). Explanatory variables best used by Weibull model to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of lambs falling into a certain death category were production system, lamb sex, birth type, and lamb birth weight. Lambs born in extensive production system were more (P<0.0001) likely to die from starvation (HR=4.6), gastrointestinal infections (HR=3.2), and hypothermia (HR=2.2), compared with semi-extensive system. Lambs weighed <2kg at birth were more (P<0.0001) likely to die from starvation (HR=5.5), hypothermia (HR=3.6), gastrointestinal infections (HR=2.4) and respiratory infections (HR=2.2), compared with lambs weighed 3–4kg. Triplet lambs were 4.6 more (P<0.0001) likely to die from hypothermia and 4.3 more (P<0.0001) likely to die from starvation. Survival rates of Awassi lambs can be improved by applying appropriate management practices that target intermediate birth weights and minimize the infectious diseases, starvation and cold stress.

A Survey on the Effect of Livestock Production System and Finishing Diet on Sensory Characteristics of Foal Meat Using Generalized Procrustes Analysis.

The influence of livestock production system [Freedom Extensive System (FES) versus Semi-Extensive System (SES)] and finishing feed (1.5 kg versus 3.0 kg of commercial feed in the finishing period) diet on sensory properties of foal meat using Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA) was studied. For this work, a total of 24 foals (8 from FES and 16 from SES) were used. Samples were evaluated by eight panelists for eight sensory attributes: colour, marbling, odour intensity, sweetness, springiness, hardness, chewiness, and juiciness. Data were analyzed using a GPA to minimize differences among testers. Highly appreciated sensory properties (odour intensity, red colour, marbling, and juiciness) were mostly associated with foals from the Semi-Extensive System. On the other hand, the three groups studied (FES, 1.5SES, and 3SES) were clearly recognized by panelists on the consensus configuration and they were clearly separated on the map. This study concluded that sensory characteristics of foal meat from a Semi-Extensive Production System with a finishing diet of 3 kg concentrate were more preferable than the other ones.

Comparação de modelos não lineares para descrever o crescimento de fêmeas leiteiras mêstiças taurino x zebu no Nordeste do Brasil

Objetivou-se comparar as funções matemáticas de Brody (BD), Von Bertalanffy (VB), Logístico (LG) e Gompertz (GP), identificar a que melhor descreve o crescimento, estimar componentes da curva (peso assintótico: a; índice de maturidade: k) e caracterizar o formato (ponto de inflexão: PI; taxa de crescimento instantâneo: TCI) da curva média de crescimento de fêmeas mestiças (Bos taurus x Bos indicus) em sistema de produção semi-extensivo. Foram utilizados 537 registros de pesagens realizadas em intervalos de 30 dias durante o período de 2010 a 2012, pertencentes a três propriedades. Os valores de a e k foram, respectivamente, 1.982 kg e 0,000286 kg/dia para BD; 550,50 kg e 0,00232 kg/dia para VB; 405,20 kg e 0,006374 kg/dia para LG e 479,70 kg e 0,00353 kg/dia para GP. Baseado nos critérios estatísticos observou-se que os modelos VB, BD e LG apresentaram os maiores (&gt;0,74) coeficientes de determinação ajustados (Ra²), e menor valor do resíduo foi encontrado no modelo GP (4.918,38), indicando que todos os modelos se adequaram estatisticamente aos dados observados. Para os critérios de interpretação biológica, os modelos VB (8,48 meses) e LG (9,4 meses) apresentaram PI mais próximos do observado, o modelo VB (12,04-0,535 kg/mês) foi o único capaz de descrever a TCI, e os demais modelos subestimaram o incremento de peso corporal. O modelo de VB apresentou o melhor ajuste aos dados de crescimento de fêmeas mestiças com alta variabilidade genética em sistema semi-extensivo.

Assessment of exposure to piroplasms in sheep grazing in communal mountain pastures by using a multiplex DNA bead-based suspension array

BackgroundPiroplasms are tick-borne hemoprotozoans with a major impact on extensive management systems. Detection of sub-clinical low-level carriers, which can act as source of infection for vector ticks, is key to protect livestock trade and facilitate preventive control programs. The purpose of this study was to develop a method for the detection of ovine piroplasms and to use it in a field study aimed at investigating piroplasms infection in semi-extensive production systems in the Basque Country (northern Spain).MethodsA DNA bead-based suspension array using the Luminex® xMAP technology that included a generic Theileria-Babesia control probe, 6 species-specific probes, and an internal control probe was developed to detect and identify piroplasms that infect sheep. To monitor piroplasm infection in clinically healthy sheep from 4 flocks that share communal mountain pastures, blood samples were collected during 2 grazing seasons.ResultsPiroplasms were detected in 48% (214/446) of blood samples, nearly half of them (49.1%, 105/214) as mixed infections. Five different piroplasms were identified: Theileria sp. OT3 in 34.8% of the samples, Theileria ovis in 20.9%, and at lower prevalences Babesia motasi (12.3%), Theileria luwenshuni/OT1 (10.5%) and Babesia ovis (6.3%). Despite differences among flocks associated to differences in management, an increasing trend in the incidence of piroplasm infection with increasing age of animals after increased tick exposure was observed. This increment could be attributed to continued re-infection associated with re-exposure to ticks at grazing. Ticks were collected from animals (4 species) and vegetation (8 species), and associations between tick abundance seasonality and risk of infection with the different piroplasms were established.ConclusionThe multiplex Luminex® xMAP procedure is a rapid and high throughput technique that provided highly specific and sensitive identification of single and mixed piroplasm infections in blood of sheep carriers. This study confirmed a situation of endemic stability for piroplasm infection in the region, where infection is present in the absence of clinical signs, and mountain grazing allows for sufficient inoculation rates to maintain such situation.

Definition of the breeding goal and determination of breeding objectives for European wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) in a semi-extensive production system

The objective of this study was to develop the breeding goal for European wild boar under semi-extensive production conditions. The effect of altering production circumstances on economic values was also evaluated. The breeding goal was to improve the production efficiency of the European wild boar in the semi-extensive production system. The traits included in the breeding objective were “protein deposition rate” (PDR), “number born alive” (NBA) and “number of litters per sow per year” (NLY). The bioeconomic model consisted of a breeding herd of 50 sows (produced by the system) and five boars (purchased), with 1.25NLY and five NBA per litter, a maximum number of litters per sow of seven and the boars were kept in the breeding herd for 6.5 years. The live weight at birth was 1.0kg, at weaning 7.0kg and at slaughter 45kg. The average PDR rate was 90gday−1, the proportion of valuable cuts in carcass was 53.8%, and the outputs of the systems consisted of growing animals and culled reproducers. The feeding regime of growing and breeding herds consisted of grazed pasture with a supplemental diet. Alternative scenarios were simulated: an increase or decrease of 20% in the price of the supplemental diet, an increase or decrease of 20% in the final meat price, and the situation of a semi-intensive system. The economic values were 0.0049, 0.0152 and 0.000145 for NBA, NLY and PDR, respectively, expressed as US$ per MJ of digestible energy consumed. The numbers of discounted genetic expressions were 6.062, 6.062 and 2.111, and the economic weights were 0.0298, 0.0924 and 0.00031, for NBA, NLY and PDR, respectively. For all scenarios evaluated, the trend of the economic weights was the same as for the basic situation; NLY had the highest economic value and PDR the lowest. The greatest variations in the basic situation were related to changes in the meat price. The semi-intensive system was most sensitive to the PDR economic weight. Moreover, the determined relative economic weights showed that the most important trait in the semi-intensive system was NBA, followed by PDR, and the lowest value was the relative economic weight for NLY. For all scenarios the most sensitive trait was PDR. The economic values for the three traits were positive. The NLY had the greatest and PDR had the lowest economic weight, whereas NBA represented one-third of NYL economic weight.

Pasture consumption and grazing behaviour of European wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) under continuous and rotational grazing systems

The majority of the European wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) that are farmed for their meat are produced using semi-extensive systems with access to pasture for grazing. Given that the pasture is an economic resource compared with supplemental diets, there is interest in determining strategies to increase pasture consumption. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of the grazing system (continuous grazing vs. rotational grazing) on pasture consumption and grazing behaviour of European wild boar under semi-extensive production system conditions. Sixteen purebred nose-ringed European wild boar (initial average bodyweight of 18.3±0.45kg) were grouped into eight pairs. The pairs were assigned to eight paddocks of 35m2 with a Trifolium repens and Lolium perenne pasture, during summer. Animals grazed from 0830h to 1630h after which each pair entered a feeding station and had free access to a supplemental feed. Supplemental feed consumption was measured. In the “continuous grazing” treatment the animals entered the same pasture area (35m2) daily for five days. In the “rotational grazing” treatment the animals entered a new strip consisting of one-fifth of the surface of the continuous grazing area (7m2) daily, for five days (first grazing period). After these five days of grazing in the experimental area, the animals were moved to other areas of the paddock in which they grazed for 13 days. The animals then returned to the experimental area for another five days (second grazing period), with a change-over of treatments (cross-over design). The animals were individually weighed on the first and final day of every grazing period. Pre- and post-grazing pasture samples were taken to assess pasture consumption, botanical composition and nutritional composition. The behaviour of the animals during the grazing periods was evaluated during each evaluation day. Every 5min the activity of each animal was recorded by an observer as “grazing”, “lying down”, “walking”, “taking a bath”, “drinking water”, “playing” or “other activities”. The average pasture consumption was 242±18gDManimal−1d−1 with no statistical difference between treatments. The animals spent 42.4% of their time “grazing”, being more active the first 3h (62% of their time grazing), and 45.4% “lying down” (especially from 1130h to 1530h), with no significant differences between treatments or periods. Pasture consumption and grazing behaviour of European wild boar does not differ between continuous and rotational grazing systems over a five-day period.

Behavior of grazing European wild boar (Sus scrofa) in a semi-extensive production system

S.M. Hodgkinson, F. Matus, and I.F. Lopez. 2013. Behavior of grazing European wild boar (Sus scrofa) in a semi-extensive production system. Cien. Inv. Agr. 40(1):193-199. In the semi-extensive farming systems that are used to raise European wild boar in countries such as Chile, the behavior of the animals in paddocks has not been studied and is important for managing the system. The objective of the present study was to determine the proportion of time that grazing wild boar spent on different activities and the distribution of these activities during the day. The study was conducted in paddocks containing Cynodon dactylon, Lolium perenne and Poa pratensis. A total of 35 purebred European wild boars with a liveweight (average + SEM) of 37.4 + 1.11 kg with noserings were used in the study. The animals were in the paddocks from 08:30 h until 16:30 h, after which they had free access to a commercial diet for one hour and were kept in a barn until the following day. The activity of each animal was observed every 5 minutes throughout the grazing period, with the activities categorized as grazing, rooting (either with the snout or foot), walking, running, playing, lying down, drinking or other activities. Overall, throughout the grazing time, the animals spent 26% of their time grazing, 17% rooting, 7% walking, 3% playing, 2% drinking and 44% lying down. When the animals entered the paddock in the morning, they grazed intensively, as 74% of observations were of grazing during the first half hour. Gradually the observations of grazing decreased, reaching the lowest number between 12:00 and 12:30 h, when only one animal was observed to graze at one timepoint. The number of animals observed lying down gradually increased over the morning. In the afternoon, the proportion of animals grazing gradually increased, reaching a maximum of 27% of animals grazing at 15:00 h. Over an 8-hour period with access to pasture, European wild boar spent a significant amount of time grazing (26%). The intensity of grazing was high when they first entered the paddock and decreased gradually over the next four hours, increasing slightly again toward the end of the 8-hour period.

Impact of production strategies and animal performance on economic values of dairy sheep traits

The objective of this study was to carry out a sensitivity analysis on the impact of various production strategies and performance levels on the relative economic values (REVs) of traits in dairy sheep. A bio-economic model implemented in the program package ECOWEIGHT was used to simulate the profit function for a semi-extensive production system with the Slovak multi-purpose breed Improved Valachian and to calculate the REV of 14 production and functional traits. The following production strategies were analysed: differing proportions of milk processed to cheese, customary weaning and early weaning of lambs with immediate sale or sale after artificial rearing, seasonal lambing in winter and aseasonal lambing in autumn. Results of the sensitivity analysis are presented in detail for the four economically most important traits: 150 days milk yield, conception rate of ewes, litter size and ewe productive lifetime. Impacts of the differences in the mean value of each of these four traits on REVs of all other traits were also examined. Simulated changes in the production circumstances had a higher impact on the REV for milk yield than on REVs of the other traits investigated. The proportion of milk processed to cheese, weaning management strategy for lambs and level of milk yield were the main factors influencing the REV of milk yield. The REVs for conception rate of ewes were highly sensitive to the current mean level of the trait. The REV of ewe productive lifetime was most sensitive to variation in ewe conception rate, and the REV of litter size was most affected by weaning strategy for lambs. On the basis of the results of sensitivity analyses, it is recommended that economic values of traits for the overall breeding objective for dairy sheep be calculated as the weighted average of the economic values obtained for the most common production strategies of Slovak dairy sheep farms and that economic values be adjusted after substantial changes in performance levels of the traits.

Morphological analysis and subpopulation characterization of Ripollesa sheep breed

The Ripollesa sheep breed is an important Spanish local breed mainly located in the Mediterranean mountains and cultivated plains of Catalonia, exploited under semi-extensive production systems and currently intended for meat production. The morphological characterization of the Ripollesa breed was carried out from the study of eight flocks representative of different subpopulations. A total of 224 Ripollesa ewes and 17 rams were recorded for their live weight and 12 morphological measures, which were used for calculating 12 zootechnical indexes. Differences (P < 0.05) between flocks and sexes were revealed for several measures. A principal component analysis was performed on the morphological measures and revealed two main principal components accounting for 47.6 and 12.3 percent of the inertia, being related to the frame (body size and live weight) and to withers height and ear length, respectively. The cluster analysis allowed differentiating among four subpopulations with relevant implications to be taken into account for the breed conservation programme. The observed differences could be attributable to geographic location, selective history, flock management and genetics. The estimated zootechnical indexes classified the Ripollesa sheep breed as a medium-sized and long-shaped body frame, with a marked orientation to meat production and with signs of adaptation to the environment.