Treatment 1 Research Articles

Artificial Propagation of Pomadasys hasta (Bloch, 1790): A Key to Reach Sustainable Aquaculture

Reproduction of Pomadasys hasta was studied in captivity to establish an induced breeding protocol and larvae rearing tactics. Three distinct hormones viz., human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogues (LHRHa) and salmon gonadotropin hormone-releasing hormone (S-GnRHa) were injected to matured brooders in treatment 1 (T1), treatment 2 (T2) and treatment 3 (T3) but only 0.9% NaCl used in T4 as a control. In each treatment, three experimental trails, E1 (♀40:♂20 µg.kg-1), E2 (♀50:♂25 µg.kg-1) and E3 (♀60:♂30 µg.kg-1) were conducted along with three replications of each trail in order to optimize the hormone dose for the target species. The obtained results have aroused much attention as this is the first breakthrough on induced breeding of a grunter in the Indian subcontinent. Variation in fertilization rate, latency period, egg output and hatching rate in response to different treatments and trails were revealed here. Spawning was occurred between 33-48 h of injection in all the experiments at 17-25°C water temperature. Above all, the highest fertilization (95.45±2.34) and hatching (75.45±4.07) rates were observed in E2 of T2. After 22-26 h of fertilization, the larvae emerged from the egg membrane and the newly hatched larvae were 1.6-1.8 mm in length. Turning larvae into juveniles was noticed by 40–45 days post-hatch (dph) with scales on the entire body surface. The total length was recorded as 43.5±2.1 mm and average body weight as 0.7±0.2 g at 95 dph. This investigation unlocked a track for producing seed of P. hasta in a commercial hatchery for a sustainable aquaculture without hampering their wild stock.

Conversion of energy and protein rich food waste as an alternative feed ingredient in broiler feed formulation.

A series of experiments were performed to find out the impact of food waste on growth attributes and performance of broilers in a tropical climate. Two hundred and fifty-one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly separated into 5 groups, where each group comprised 50 animals. The broilers were fed with five different dietary treatments. Treatment 1 (T1), the diet consisted of food waste ingredients such as sprat heads, fish offal (protein), scraped coconut, and swill cooked rice as energy supplements; dietary treatment II (T2) diet was formulated with protein rich food waste; treatment III (T3) diet formulated with energy-rich food waste; treatment IV (T4) without any food waste materials, but a diet formulated with commercially available feed ingredients; and treatment V (T5), a 100% commercially-available broiler diet. Total feed intake per week and total weight gain were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the commercial diet (T5) contrary to the formulated diets. The highest feed conversion ratio (FCR) was recorded in T3. The average dressing percentage was not significantly different (p > 0.05) in T1, T3, and T5. Average DM % in litter and DM % in feces were higher in T5, but average nitrogen % in droppings were lower in T4 and T5 compared to other diets. The study shows the potential application of food waste as an alternative feed in the broiler industry and its abundance and easy collection makes it a promising feeding regime in urban and suburban areas.

Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) on Health Status of Young Pigs During Pre and Post Weaning Periods

The present research programme was conducted to study the effect of turmeric (Curcuma longa) powder supplementation on the growth performance and health status of Large White Yorkshire young pigs. A total number of 128 (12 litters) young pigs weaned at 28 days old were taken for the study period of 56 days. The young pigs in their respective litters were randomly divided into three groups viz., Control (C) fed basal diet, Treatment-1 (T1) fed basal diet+0.5% turmeric powder and Treatment-2 (T2) fed basal diet+1% turmeric powder in such a way that there were 4 replicates in each group with 1 litter as one replicate. Parameters recorded were general appearance, occurrence rate of diarrhea and faecal consistency. Statistical analysis revealed significant (p&lt;0.05) differences in general appearance score during the post-weaning periods. Statistical analysis also revealed significant (p&lt;0.05) differences in occurrence rate of diarrhoea (%) on 5th week under three different groups and significant (p&lt;0.05) differences between the different groups during the post weaning (5th to 8th week) period, highly significant (p&lt;0.01) differences in faecal consistency score between the groups during post weaning (5th to 8th week) and overall (1st to 8th week) periods. It may be concluded that dietary inclusion of dry turmeric powder at 1.0% level in pre and post weaning diets is beneficial - for growth performance of LWY young pigs especially during post weaning period.

Role of Differential Nutrient Management on Growth and Yield Attributes of Cashew (Anacardium occidetale L.) in Maidan Tracts of Karnataka

The research on Nutrient Management for yield maximization in Cashew was conducted under Crop management, All India Co-ordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Cashew at Horticulture Research and Extension Centre, Hogalagere, Kolar district, Karnataka state, India during the period of 2020–21. There were six treatments imposed in the experiment, among the treatments, treatment-5 (T5) i.e ., cashew trees imposed with 100% RDF (500:250:250 g)+10 kg FYM along with foliar spray of major nutrients (3% Urea+0.5% MAP+1% K2SO4), secondary and micronutrients (0.5% ZnSo4+0.1% solubor as boron+0.5% MgSo4) was found significantly superior over remaining treatments in terms of growth parameters like Stem girth (17.91 cm), Canopy height (2.66 m), Canopy spread (E-W : 7.08 m except T4 and N-S : 7.12 m), Mean canopy diameter (7.10 m), Canopy surface area (158.55 m2 ) and ground area covered by plant canopy (61.99%). Whereas, T5 was also recorded significantly superior over other treatments and followed similar trend as in growth attributing parameters, such as Nut yield per tree (14.50 kg), Yield per hectare ( 18.87 q), Cumulative nut yield for six years of harvest (56.82 kg) and Cumulative yield per hectare (88.64 q). However the treatment-5 was also numerically elevated higher values in remaining all parameters and the lowest observation values were found in T6 (control). When look at the overall performance, treatment-5 (T5) was found to be best treatment.

Comparative evaluation of microbial activity in the decomposition of organic matter from solid household waste in Guayaquil

The escalating global population and subsequent rise in consumerism underscore the critical need for proper solid waste management, with a specific focus on the daily disposal of organic waste. Inadequate waste management poses direct threats to public health, as uncontrolled fermentation provides a fertile ground for bacterial growth. This study explores the efficacy of employing Microorganisms, specifically comparing Trichoderma to a Microbial Biocatalyst, for the treatment of daily solid organic waste (D.S.O.W.). Following Falconi's (2013a) methodology for the capture, multiplication, and conidial count of microorganisms, a pilot study utilizing a Bioreactor was conducted. The statistical analysis of parameters such as Humidity, Weight, pH leachates, Temperature, Time, and Volume, with corresponding ANOVA significance levels, resulted in the rejection of null hypotheses for most parameters, except pH m.o. The capture and multiplication of Trichoderma spp. microorganisms reached a count 7.6×109 /ml. Treatment 6 (T6) emerged as more effective and efficient in decomposing organic matter (OM), exhibiting distinct stages of psychrophilic, mesophilic (3 days), thermophilic (6 days), psychrophilic (3 days), and cooling (3 days), culminating in the decomposition of OM in 15 days within the bioreactor. The results validate the working hypothesis, affirming the potential of Microorganisms, especially Trichoderma, in enhancing the treatment of daily solid organic waste.

Dietary Arginine as a Growth Promoter for Broiler Chickens

Background: Animals require amino acid (arginine) to maintain optimal body growth and nitrogen balance. The intent of the present study was to understand the impact of arginine on broiler chick productivity. Materials and Methods: A 35-days study was conducted at the Veterinary Science Faculty's research farm in Nangarhar, Afghanistan. 60 chicks of one-day-old were purchased from a local hatchery and were divided into four equal groups: control, treatment 1 (T1), treatment 2 (T2), and treatment 3 (T3). The arginine supplementation provided to these groups was 0% (control), 0.1% (T1), 0.2% (T2), and 0.3% (T3), respectively. Findings: The treatment groups had better weight gain and feed efficiency in the third, fourth and fifth weeks compared to the control group (p&lt;0.05). Dietary arginine supplementation also contributed to an increase in body weight gain (BWG) during the majority of the experiment's period. All arginine-supplemented groups had significantly (p&lt;0.05) better FCR in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th weeks of age compared to the control group. Conclusion: Supplementation of arginine to the diet of broiler chickens significantly increased their live body weight, weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio. These results indicate that arginine might be used as a useful supplementation to increase their productivity.

Investigating the Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Essential Oil on Hemato-biochemical Indices, Immune Response, and Oxidative Stress of Weaned Rabbits

Abstract Aims: The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of Eucalyptus camaldulensis essential oil on haemato-biochemical indices, immune response and oxidative stress of weaned rabbits. Methods: Sixty healthy weanling crossbred male rabbits (4 weeks old) with an initial body weight (BW) of 460.1 ± 0.25 g were grouped based on their BW into four treatments containing treatment 1 (T1) of a base diet without E. camaldulensis oil (ECO), T2, T3, and T4 were fed basal diets with 200 mg, 400 mg, and 600 mg/kg, respectively, in a completely randomized design. Feed and clean water was supplied ad libitum throughout the experiment which lasted for 56 days. Results: All haematological parameters (pack cell volume, red blood cell, haemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentrations, white blood cells and its differentials) were higher (P&lt;0.05) in T2, T3 and T4 relative to T1. Total protein, albumin, globulin, albumin/globulin ratio, cholesterol, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and alanine phosphatase values were greater in ECO supplemented diets whereas urea nitrogen, creatinine, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and bicarbonate were influenced by the treatments. Conclusion: However, all values were within the optimal range for healthy rabbits. Immunoglobulins, melanodialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase and total antioxidant capacity were higher (P&lt;0.05) in T2, T3 and T4 than in other diet. Result revealed that ECO can be supplemented up to 600 mg/kg without negatively affecting the performance and health status of rabbits.

Anthelmintic usage on the Reproductive Parameters in Captive reared Agoutis (Dasyprocta leporina) in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies.

The agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) is a rodent that is found in the Neo-tropical region. This animal is hunted for its meat but has recently been reared in captivity as a source of meat protein in rural communities. A 20-month experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of an anthelmintic on the reproductive performance of the agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) reared in captivity. This experiment was conducted in the humid tropics of Trinidad and Tobago. Sixteen animals (15 females, 1 male) placed in each of the two treatment groups in a completely randomized study design. In treatment 1 (T1) animals were given subcutaneous injections of Endovet Ces® (Ivermectin/Praziquantel) at 0.2 mg/kg every three months. Treatment 2 (T2) was the negative control group where animals were not exposed to an anthelmintic. Reproductive data were collected at parturition which included birth weight, litter weight, litter size and gender of offspring. The results showed that there was no statistical difference (p > 0.05) between the treatment groups with respect to birth weight, litter weight, litter size and gender. However, agoutis that were dewormed had a higher birth weight (220.24 g vs 209.1 g) and litter weight (369.8 g vs 343 g). The same values were obtained for the litter size (1.7 vs 1.7) and animals that were dewormed had a higher female offspring to male offspring (2.41:1 vs 1.11:1). This experiment demonstrated that the use of an anthelmintic strategically in the management of captive reared agoutis had no statistical effect (p > 0.05) on the reproductive parameters. Therefore, these animals can be kept in captive conditions without being dewormed and produce efficiently with proper feeding and housing management.

Potential Use of Live Mealworm as A Sustainable Feed to Improve Productivity of the Giant Freshwater Prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii

A 63 days feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of live mealworm feeding on the productivity of giant freshwater prawn (GFP), Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Three dietary treatments were used in this study: Treatment 1 (T1), commercial prawn feed (control); Treatment 2 (T2), combination of commercial prawn feed and live mealworm; Treatment 3 (T3), live mealworm, were fed to randomly assigned duplicate groups of the GFP. Results showed that GFP in T3 recorded the highest body weight gain (295%), followed by those with T2 and the lowest in T1, despite not significantly different (p&gt;0.05). GFP fed with T1 (88%) showed lower survival rate than those fed with T2 and T3 which may be ascribed to the inferior water quality. Besides, T3 resulted in better feed conversion ratio (1.66) despite no significant difference was observed. Noteworthy, the feeding cost of T1 (RM0.018 g of prawn-1) was significantly lower as compared to T2 and T3, but live mealworm feeding could be more cost-effective for longer culture period. Therefore, live mealworm could be a potential alternative to commercial prawn feed for GFP farming.

Performance of Mixed-Microbial Culture from Civet Fecal Suspensions on Physicochemical Composition of Wet Fermented Arabica Coffee

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of mixed microbial culture from civet fecal suspension used as the inoculum for the fermentation of Arabica coffee. The type of Arabica coffee used for the research was the unpeeled coffee or the Arabica coffee cherries. Different proportion of inoculum introduced was thoroughly evaluated to assess the appropriate concentration of inoculum (0-40% inoculums represented in treatment 0-4 or T0 to T4) that would be applied to the fermentation of Arabica coffee cherries. Results revealed that treatment 4 (T4) containing 40% of the inoculum could degrade the sugar of the coffee beans faster than that of the other treatments in which within 24 hours of the incubation approximately 84% of the sugar was converted. T4 also reached the lowest caffeine content (1.8%) of the fermented coffee beans among other that of other treatments while the control had higher caffeine content (2.2%).This was substantially significant as the Arabica coffee cherries fermented with mixed microbial civet fecal suspensions can remarkably reduce the sugar and caffeine content of the Arabica coffee beans.

Effect of Trichilia monadelpha stem bark extract on the fatty acid composition of rabbit’s thigh meat

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Trichilia monadelpha stem bark extract on the fatty acid composition of rabbit’s thigh meat. A total of 40, 6-7 weeks New Zealand white × Chinchilla crossbred rabbits with an average weight of 490 ± 4.40 were randomly divided to 4 groups with 5 replications consisting of 2 animals each in a completely randomized design. Rabbits in treatment 1 (T1) was fed basal diet with no Trichilia monadelpha stem bark extract (TMSB), T2, T3 and T4 were fed basal diet with 3mL, 6mL and 9mL TMSB per rabbit/day. Phytochemical analysis of TMSB revealed the presence of tannins (10.95 mg/g), alkaloids (9.22 mg/g), saponins (4.75 mg/g), oxalates (3.10 mg/g), flavonoids (15.88 mg/g), phenols (18.46 mg/g), terpenoids (8.62 mg/g), glycosides (7.11 mg/g) and 2-diphenyl 1-piccrlhydrazyhydrate (430.8 mg/g). Concentrations of vitamins identified in the extract are; vitamin A (2.190 mg/100g), vitamin B1 (0.567 mg/100g), vitamin B2 (0.301 mg/100g), vitamin B3 (0.227 mg/100g), vitamin B9 (0.080 mg/100g), vitamin B12 (0.209 mg/100g) and vitamin C (5.680 mg/100g). Composition of saturated fatty acid (TSFA) decrease with a significant increase in monosaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) (P˂0.05) across the treatments. It was found that TMSB significantly (P˂0.05) influenced the concentration of total unsaturated fatty acid (TSFA). Therefore, it can be concluded that TMSB is capable of modulating the fatty acid and improving the quality of meat from rabbit without causing any deleterious effect on the performance of the animal.

Effect of Trichilia monadelpha Stem Bark Extract on the Fatty Acid Composition of Rabbit’s Thigh Meat

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Trichilia monadelpha stem bark extract on the fatty acid composition of rabbit’s thigh meat. A total of 40, 6-7 weeks New Zealand white × Chinchilla crossbred rabbits with an average weight of 490 ± 4.40 were randomly divided to 4 groups with 5 replications consisting of 2 animals each in a completely randomized design. Rabbits in treatment 1 (T1) was fed basal diet with no Trichilia monadelpha stem bark extract (TMSB), T2, T3 and T4 were fed basal diet with 3mL, 6mL and 9mL TMSB per rabbit/day. Phytochemical analysis of TMSB revealed the presence of tannins (10.95 mg/g), alkaloids (9.22 mg/g), saponins (4.75 mg/g), oxalates (3.10 mg/g), flavonoids (15.88 mg/g), phenols (18.46 mg/g), terpenoids (8.62 mg/g), glycosides (7.11 mg/g) and 2-diphenyl 1-piccrlhydrazyhydrate (430.8 mg/g). Concentrations of vitamins identified in the extract are; vitamin A (2.190 mg/100g), vitamin B1 (0.567 mg/100g), vitamin B2 (0.301 mg/100g), vitamin B3 (0.227 mg/100g), vitamin B9 (0.080 mg/100g), vitamin B12 (0.209 mg/100g) and vitamin C (5.680 mg/100g). Composition of saturated fatty acid (TSFA) decrease with a significant increase in monosaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) (P˂0.05) across the treatments. It was found that TMSB significantly (P˂0.05) influenced the concentration of total unsaturated fatty acid (TSFA). Therefore, it can be concluded that TMSB is capable of modulating the fatty acid and improving the quality of meat from rabbit without causing any deleterious effect on the performance of the animal.

A Study on Bio-efficacy of Dinotefuran 20% SG against Brown Plant Hopper Nilaparvatha lugens (Stall) on Paddy Oryza sativa L

In rice cultivation, the Brown plant hopper causes damage to growth of plants by sucking cell sap and it causes in drying of plants and crop fields this effects on plant growth and turns into yellow color later brown. In order to overcome this kind of damage particularly in rice cultivation, a field trial was conducted during kharif 2017 at Agricul Research Station Gangavathi to the assess the bio-efficacy of Dinotefuran 20% SG against brown plant hopper Nilaparvatha lugens (Stall) on paddy. The results revealed that, the new insecticide Dinotefuran 20% SG 40 g a.i./ha showed lowest population of 0.86 and 0.73, 0.67 and 0.57 BPH/hill at 3, 7,10 and 15 days after spray (DAS) respectively and this treatment was significantly superior over rest of the treatments. Further, it was on par with lower dose of Dinotefuran 20% SG @ 30 g a.i./ha which is recorded 1.63, 1.60, 1.49 and 1.42 BPH/hill at 3, 7, 10 days and 15 DAS respectively, followed by standard check buprofezin @187.5g a.i./ha recorded 1.63, 1.90, 2.05and 2.15 and BPH/hill at 3, 7,10 and 15 DAS respectively. Another insecticide imidacloprid @ 22.5g a.i./ ha was found inferior to all other treatments by harbouring4.43,4.53, 4.76 and 4.87 BPH/hill, where as the untreated control recorded highest BPH population of 21.70 to 25.64 BPH/hill through out the observational period from one day before to 15 DAS respectively. The maximum additional yield was 22.37% was recorded over control (64.28 q/ha) was found in case of Treatment 4 (T4) with an incremental benefit cost ratio of 3.72.

PERBANDINGAN KHASIAT KOMBINASI OBAT TERHADAP GEJALA KLINIS PENYAKIT PERNAPASAN BABI STARTER

The high occurrence of respiratory disease in pigs has led to the innovation of fixed-dose drugcombinations (FDCs). A study was conducted to determine the efficacy of two FDCs on 15 starter pigsshowing clinical signs of respiratory disease to determine its effect on their respiratory health and growth.Treatment 1 (T1) was the control group and did not receive any medication. Treatment 2 (T2) contains 90g of Doxycycline, 40 g of Tylosin, 30 g of Paracetamol, 5 g of Bromhexine, and 500 mg of Prednisolone asactive ingredients per kilogram. Treatment 3 (T3) contains 150 g of Amoxicillin Trihydrate, 100 g ofTylosin Tartrate, and 5 g of Bromhexine Hydrochloride as active ingredients per kilogram. The treatmentgives at a therapeutic dose of 10 g/gallon of water twice a day for 7 days.The effects of FDCs were measuredthrough clinical sign evaluation, gross pathologic lung lesion scoring, histopathologic examination, andevaluation of the production performance of the starter pigs using analysis of variance (ANOVA) for aCompletely Randomized Design.. Pigs treated with Treatment 2 had better clinical evaluation scores andproduction performance than Treatment 3. Histopathologic examination demonstrated minimal tissuerepair in all FDCs studied. Improvement denotes that the treatment produces a positive effect.

59 Effects of Feeding Nutragen on Clinical Signs and Leukocytes in Calves Following Natural Exposure to Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus and Subsequent Mannheimia Haemolytica Infection

Abstract Two experiments (EXP1 and EXP2) evaluated the effects of NutraGen (NG) on calf health following exposure to bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) on d -3 and Mannheimia haemolytica (Mh) infection on d 0. For each EXP, steers (BW = 251 ± 38.2 kg) were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 treatments (TRT). Treatments included a placebo (CON; EXP1 n = 5; EXP2 n = 5), a placebo fed from d -18 to d -3 followed by NG fed from d -3 to d 28 (CHLG; EXP1 n = 5; EXP2 n = 6), and NG fed from d -18 to d 28 (PREC; EXP1 n = 6; EXP2 n = 5). There was no treatment by time interaction (TRT×TME) or TRT effect for rectal temperatures (RT) or clinical scores (CS) in EXP1 or CS in EXP2 (P ≥ 0.26). There was a TRT×TME for respiration rates (RR) during the first 24 h following Mh infection (P = 0.04), and a tendency for a TRT effect from d -3 to d 14, and overall in EXP1 (P ≤ 0.10). There was a tendency for a TRT×TME for RT from d -3 to d 14 in EXP2 (P = 0.04). There was a TRT effect for RR from d -3 to d 14 and overall in EXP2 (P ≤ 0.05). There was a TRT×TME for leukocytes during the first 24 h following Mh infection in EXP1 (P = 0.03) and overall in both EXP (P ≤ 0.001). There was no TRT×TME or TRT effect for neutrophils (NEU), lymphocytes (LYM), or NEU:LYM in EXP1 (P ≥ 0.19); however, there were multiple TRT×TME and TRT effects for NEU, LYM, and NEU:LYM in EXP2 (P ≤ 0.05). These experiments suggest that NG has the potential to alter clinical and cellular responses during a bovine respiratory disease challenge.

EFFECT OF COMMERCIAL INORGANIC FERTILIZER ON ABUNDANCE OF PLANKTON IN POND POLYCULTURE SYSTEM

The experiment was conducted to assess and compare the effect of micronutrient enrich commercial inorganic fertilizer and macronutrient enrich traditional inorganic fertilizer on plankton abundance in the manmade earthen ponds of Khulna University pond complex II for a period of three months from August to October 2017. There were three treatments each with three replications. Macro fertilizers (Urea 2.45 g m-1 week-1, TSP 2.45 g m-1 week-1 and molasses–yeast mixture 3.09 g m-1 week-1) were applied in treatment-1 (T1) while commercial inorganic fertilizer (4.5 g m-1 week-1) was applied in treatment-2 (T2) while no fertilizer was applied in treatment-3 (T3). Four different classes of phytoplankton namely Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, and Euglenophycaea were found in this experiment in which Chlorophyceae (5304.25±223.78 cells L-1) was the dominant class in respect of abundance and number of genera. Additionally, four classes of zooplankton such as Copepoda, Cladocera, Rotifera, Ostracoda were observed in which Copepoda (1559.84±70.48 cells L-1) was the most dominant class in treatment T2 than other treatments. Mean abundance of different phytoplanktons were 8864.77±52.78, 11489.04±295.76, 5983.04±272.88 (cells L-1) in T1, T2 and T3 and mean abundance of zooplankton under treatments T1, T2 and T3 were 3997.65±126.78, 4621.64±45.67, 3017.66 ±137.67 (cells L-1) respectively. The results indicated that mean abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton were significantly higher (P&lt;0.05) in treatment T2 compared to other treatments. The total mean abundance of plankton was observed significantly higher (P&lt;0.05) in treatment T2 than other treatments. Therefore, it is concluded that micro nutrient rich commercial inorganic fertilizer Bluemix was more effective on the primary production in polyculture ponds as well as increase the production of fish than traditional inorganic fertilizer.

Growth performance: A comparative analysis of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus fingerlings reared in a cage, concrete pond and earthen pond systems

A comparative study between fingerlings reared in a cage, concrete pond, and earthen pond systems was conducted between March and August 2019. The fish net cage was constructed with ½ netting materials (210 D/9), nylon twine (210 D/9 and 210 D/8), and ropes (10mm PE and 4mm PE, as a house in which the fish fingerlings were stocked. The stocked fish were held captive in the fishnet while water flows through it. This is Treatment 1 (T1). A concrete pond of 10 m x 10 m x 15 m was constructed, as Treatment II (T11). Simultaneously an earthen pond measuring 10m x 10mx 15m was constructed entirely from soil materials both manually and mechanically in a site with excess water retention potential near Otamiri River beside the Fisheries Department of the University of Agriculture. This is Treatment III (T111). Each of the treatments was stocked with 1,500 Clarias gariepinus fingerlings of 10gms average weight and managed simultaneously for the 6 months. Data were analysed by simple descriptive statistics. The result showed 83.3%, 93.3%, and 96.7% survival rates in a cage, concrete pond, and earthen pond systems. Average weight at harvest (gm) and total weight at harvest (gm) of 332.6 gm and 415.7 gm for cage fish farming, 250.6gm and 350.8gm for concrete pond systems, and 250.6 gm and 280.65 gm for earthen pond system. The survival rate in cage culture (83.3%) was low due to high water depth, as the cage was floated; hence fingerlings could not maximize feed intake at the initial stage. The 96.7% suggest that the earthen point system has the highest production rate. Adequate care should be taken to ensure maximal utilization of feed given to the fish in cage floater in water.

Toxic Effects of Arsenic in Commercially Important Fish Rohu Carp, Labeo rohita of Bangladesh

This study was designed to elucidate the effects of arsenic (As) on the morpho-behavior, growth development and molecular mechanisms of a commercially important fish, rohu carp, Labeo rohita, in Bangladesh. Fish fry with an average weight of 387.5 ± 169.25 mg and an average length of 3.35 ± 0.37 cm were collected from a local hatchery in Mymensingh, Bangladesh and acclimatized for a week in the Department of Fisheries, University of Dhaka before starting the exposure with arsenic. Fishes were exposed for a period of 14 days with three treatments of NaAsO2, namely treatment 1(T1)—2.5 mg/L; treatment 2 (T2)—15 mg/L; and treatment 3 (T3)—30 mg/L, along with a control (C)—0.0 mg/L, with three replicates. These concentrations were determined based on the LC50 value for 96 h measured for this experiment. This study revealed remarkable morphological abnormalities and deformities in arsenic-exposed rohu carp. In fish exposed to 30 mg/L, caudal fin erosion was a frequent deformity. There was no significant difference in RNA:DNA ratio among the treatments. The overall weight of fish was decreased as the concentration of arsenic was increased. The T3 fish had a statistically significant negative weight gain (−0.05 ± 0.07 g), but the other treatments (T1 and T2) and control fish had no significant weight gain. Different types of histopathological changes were observed in the gills and intestines of arsenic-treated fish. Necrosis and severe damages were found in the secondary lamellae of gills at the highest arsenic concentration (30 mg/L). Epithelial lifting, irregular shape and damages in the gill raker were also observed in the primary lamellae of the gills for the same treatment. In this study, the expression of heat shock protein (HSP 60) and metallothionein (MT) genes was assessed by qPCR, and these genes were upregulated in different treatments compared to controls. The findings of the present study suggest that arsenic pollution significantly changes the morphology, behavior, growth, development, histopathology and molecular mechanisms of this economically important fish, rohu carp, in Bangladesh.

Performance of blackhead Ogaden sheep fed different grasses (Chloris gayana, Pennisetum purpureum, Panicum maximum and Cynodon dactylon) basal diets and the same concentrate mixture

A study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding Rhodes grass (RG; Chloris gayana) as treatment 1 (T1), elephant grass (EG; Pennisetum purpureum as T2), guinea grass (GG; Panicum maximum as T3) and bermuda grass (BG; Cynodon dactylon as T4) supplemented with a similar amount of concentrate mixture (CM; wheat bran (WB) and Noug seed cake (NSC) at 67:33 ratio) on performance and economy of fattening of Blackhead Ogaden sheep. The study consisted of a feeding and digestibility trials of 90 and 7 days long, respectively. Twenty-four intact yearling Blackhead Ogaden sheep with an initial body weight (BW) of 15.83±0.04 kg (mean±SD) were used in a randomized complete block design based on their initial BW with four treatments and six replications. All animals received 300 g dry matter (DM) of CM. Nutrient concentration of RG, EG, GG, BG, NSC and WB were 5.5, 8.8, 7.6, 7.9, 24.3 and 14.0% crude protein (CP), and 83.3, 74.5, 75.4, 81.5, 39.0 and 45% neutral detergent fiber, respectively on DM basis. Intake of DM was 696, 700, 719 and 716 g/day (SEM = 0.004) for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively and was lowest for T1 and highest for T3. The CP intake was also lowest for T1 (89 g/day), and similar among the other 3 treatments (99-103 g/day). Digestibility of CP and organic matter were highest for T2, intermediate for T3 and T4 and lowest for T1. Average daily gain was in the order of T2 &gt; T3 = T4 &gt; T1 (27, 63, 50 and 45 g/day (SEM = 13.1) for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively); whereas hot carcass weight did not significantly differ among treatments (5.7, 6.4, 6.1 and 6.3 kg (SEM = 0.36) for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively). Total return, net income and marginal rate of return were all in the order of T2 &gt; T4 &gt; T3 &gt; T1. Therefore, based on biological performance as well as economic return, sheep fed elephant grass perform better. However, variations in performance and economic return among the four grass species needs to be taken cautiously as part of the difference might have attributed to differences in the stage of maturity of the grasses up on harvest for feeding the lambs. Keywords: Blackhead Ogaden sheep, Digestibility, Feed intake, Performance, Weight gain.

Right Frontal Theta: Is It a Response Biomarker for Ketamine's Therapeutic Action in Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders in the world, creating huge economic burdens on health systems and impairing the quality of life for those affected. Recently, ketamine has emerged as an effective anxiolytic even in cases resistant to conventional treatments (TR); but its therapeutic mechanism is unknown. Previous data suggest that ketamine anxiety therapy is mediated by reduced right frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) theta power measured during relaxation. Here we test for a similar theta reduction between population-sample, presumed treatment-sensitive, (TS) anxiety patients and healthy controls. Patients with TS DSM-5 anxiety disorder and healthy controls provided EEG during 10 min of relaxation and completed anxiety-related questionnaires. Frontal delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta, and gamma power, Higuchi’s fractal dimension (HFD) and frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) values were extracted to match ketamine testing; and we predicted that the controls would have less theta power at F4, relative to the TS anxious patients, and no differences in HFD or FAA. We provide graphical comparisons of our frontal band power patient-control differences with previously published post-pre ketamine TR differences. As predicted, theta power at F4 was significantly lower in controls than patients and FAA was not significantly different. However, HFD was unexpectedly reduced at lateral sites. Gamma power did not increase between controls and patients suggesting that the increased gamma produced by ketamine relates to dissociation rather than therapy. Although preliminary, and indirect, our results suggest that the anxiolytic action of ketamine is mediated through reduced right frontal theta power.