In common property studies,increasing number of users has been considered as a major threat for the long-term sustainability of natural resources. This perception has been true in a few cases. However,the 40-years emp...In common property studies,increasing number of users has been considered as a major threat for the long-term sustainability of natural resources. This perception has been true in a few cases. However,the 40-years empirical research conducted in a variety of environmental settings,reveals that population pressure is not the only factor responsible for the degradation of natural resources. In remote areas,where the local inhabitants highly depend on available natural resources for subsistence livelihood,the economically important resources are kept under different ownership regimes. The local inhabitants have established autochthonous insti-tutions,and formulated rules and regulations for proper management of these resources. In this paper an attempt has been made to explore the response of a small fodder user community to the increasing population. For this purpose a micro-level study has been conducted in a remote mountain environment in the eastern Hindu Kush. For this research,data has been collected through fieldwork and focus group discussion. The results of this study reveal that fodder user communities have responded very well to the problem of population pressure. To maintain equity and long-term sustainability they have adopted a number of strategies including changing the ownership,and a resource kept under private ownership at the time of low population has been changed to a common property with increase in population. Based on this study it can be concluded that in mountainous areas and fragile environment the local inhabitant have both the capacity and capability to change their behaviour with regard to changing resource productivity as well as increasing number of users,and this situation does not always lead to the tragedy of commons.展开更多
Poor palatability is a limiting factor for replacing fishmeal with other protein sources in aquaculture. The water-soluble molecules with low molecular weights are the major determinants of the palatability of diets. ...Poor palatability is a limiting factor for replacing fishmeal with other protein sources in aquaculture. The water-soluble molecules with low molecular weights are the major determinants of the palatability of diets. The present study was conducted to investigate the palatability of water-soluble extracts from single protein source(single extract pellets) and the mixture of these extracts with different proportions(blended extract pellets) in juvenile turbot(Scophthalmus maximus). Then according to the palatability of blended extract pellets, an optimal mixture proportion was selected, and a new protein source made from raw protein materials with the selected proportion was formulated to replace fishmeal. Summarily, the palatability of single extract pellets for turbot was descendent from fishmeal to pet-food grade poultry by-product meal, wheat gluten meal, soybean meal, peanut meal, meat and bone meal, and corn gluten meal. Subsequently, according to the palatability of single extract pellets, 52 kinds of blended extract pellets were designed to test their palatability. The results showed that the pellets presented remarkably different palatability, and the optimal one was diet 52(wheat gluten meal: pet-food grade poultry by-product meal: meat and bone meal: corn gluten meal = 1:6:1:2). The highest ingestion ratio(the number of pellets ingested/the number of pellets fed) was 0.73 ± 0.03, which was observed in Diet 52. Then five isonitrogenous(52% crude protein) and isocaloric(20 k J g^(-1) gross energy) diets were formulated by replacing 0(control), 35%, 50%, 65% and 80% of fishmeal with No.52 blending proportion. After a 10-weeks feeding trial, a consistent feed intake was found among all replacement treatments. Replacement level of fishmeal up to 35% did not significantly influence final body weight, specific growth rate, feed efficiency ratio, and protein efficiency ratio of turbot. Therefore, the water-soluble extracts of protein sources play an important role in improving the palatability of non-fishmeal protein sources in aquafeed.展开更多
The information related with results of a project on germplasm characterization of three Lotus species, important as forage plants, curried out in five environments of the central-southern zone of Chile, was reviewed....The information related with results of a project on germplasm characterization of three Lotus species, important as forage plants, curried out in five environments of the central-southern zone of Chile, was reviewed. An evaluation was made of 12 L. corniculatus cultivars introduced from different parts of the world, as well as germplasm naturalized in Chile, being 11 accessions of L. tenuis and 21 accessions ofL. uliginosus collected from 33°S to 38°S and 38°S to 45°S, respectively. Phenological, morphological, and agronomical characters were evaluated. Nitrogen fixation in field conditions and concentrations of condensed tannins in herbage were also included. It is concluded that there are cultivars of high value in L. corniculatus introduced germplasm which can be recommended for different environments of the central zone of Chile, as well as for local species breeding programmes. Information obtained from L. tenuis and L. uliginosus accessions shows genetic variability within both species. L. tenuis germplasm is adapted to clay, medium-textured, or sandy soils with water restrictions and phosphorous deficiency. Therefore, characterized accessions could be used to breed cultivars for low input production systems in constrained environments. L. uliginosus accessions include genotypes collected in sites with acid soils and variable tannin content in plant tissues that may be promissory genetic materials for breeding programmes with the objective of producing cultivars for animal production systems for the wet and acid soils in the southern zone of the country.展开更多
Country level assessment of feed supply and demand for livestock in Pakistan was conducted for the year 2013. Availability of feed ingredients was calculated from the official crop production statistics using publishe...Country level assessment of feed supply and demand for livestock in Pakistan was conducted for the year 2013. Availability of feed ingredients was calculated from the official crop production statistics using published harvest index and extraction ratios, and their nutrient supply was estimated from local feed composition tables. Feed requirements of livestock species were calculated from the standard tables published by US National Research Council. The results showed that indigenous feed resources were short for livestock and poultry requirements. The supply and demand gap for dry biomass, crude protein (CP) and metabolizable energy (ME) were 19.4%, 37.2% and 38.0%, respectively. Crop residues were the predominant source comprising 58.8% of the total feed supply, while fodder and grazing shared 23.8% and 9.2%, respectively. Grains and by-products contributed 8.2% to the feed supply. In attempt to fill this gap, large quantities of oilseed meals were imported mainly for the poultry sector. Maize was the major feed grain used in poultry and ruminant rations, and they together consumed 79% of the country's total maize produce. Based on the anticipated rapid expansion in poultry, dairy and feedlot farming in Pakistan, the feed gap will further enlarge and this warrants future focus on efficient and intensive utilization of the local conventional and nonconventional feed resources. The data and information presented in this paper provided a sound basis for regular updating in future to attain sustainable growth of livestock sector in the country.展开更多
Cattle may improve their feeding efficiency by altering their ingestive behaviour in response to changes in the quality of their pastoral environments. To test this hypothesis, an experiment was conducted in a native ...Cattle may improve their feeding efficiency by altering their ingestive behaviour in response to changes in the quality of their pastoral environments. To test this hypothesis, an experiment was conducted in a native pasture that has been managed in continuous stocking at different daily forage allowances (4%, 8%, 12%, and 16% of live weight) for twenty two years thus creating different pastoral environments. For the current experiment, the animals were allocated to their respective experimental units on April 27, 2007. Two experiments were conducted; one was performed at the end of winter (experiment 1), and the other was undertaken at the end of spring (experiment 2). Four tester animals were observed per experimental unit (3-5 ha each). The animals increased their daily grazing time when forage allowance decreased. Most of this increased time was devoted to harvesting, whereas searching was reduced to a few minutes per day. Under conditions of ideal range of forage allowance (between 12% and 14%), the grazing time was reduced, and the search activity increased. These results suggest that the monitoring of indicators of ingestive behaviour can be used to determine the attributes of forage resources.展开更多
文摘In common property studies,increasing number of users has been considered as a major threat for the long-term sustainability of natural resources. This perception has been true in a few cases. However,the 40-years empirical research conducted in a variety of environmental settings,reveals that population pressure is not the only factor responsible for the degradation of natural resources. In remote areas,where the local inhabitants highly depend on available natural resources for subsistence livelihood,the economically important resources are kept under different ownership regimes. The local inhabitants have established autochthonous insti-tutions,and formulated rules and regulations for proper management of these resources. In this paper an attempt has been made to explore the response of a small fodder user community to the increasing population. For this purpose a micro-level study has been conducted in a remote mountain environment in the eastern Hindu Kush. For this research,data has been collected through fieldwork and focus group discussion. The results of this study reveal that fodder user communities have responded very well to the problem of population pressure. To maintain equity and long-term sustainability they have adopted a number of strategies including changing the ownership,and a resource kept under private ownership at the time of low population has been changed to a common property with increase in population. Based on this study it can be concluded that in mountainous areas and fragile environment the local inhabitant have both the capacity and capability to change their behaviour with regard to changing resource productivity as well as increasing number of users,and this situation does not always lead to the tragedy of commons.
基金supported by Special Fund for Agroscientific Research in the Public Interest (201303053)Provincial Natural Science Foundation of Shandong (JQ201206) to G.H
文摘Poor palatability is a limiting factor for replacing fishmeal with other protein sources in aquaculture. The water-soluble molecules with low molecular weights are the major determinants of the palatability of diets. The present study was conducted to investigate the palatability of water-soluble extracts from single protein source(single extract pellets) and the mixture of these extracts with different proportions(blended extract pellets) in juvenile turbot(Scophthalmus maximus). Then according to the palatability of blended extract pellets, an optimal mixture proportion was selected, and a new protein source made from raw protein materials with the selected proportion was formulated to replace fishmeal. Summarily, the palatability of single extract pellets for turbot was descendent from fishmeal to pet-food grade poultry by-product meal, wheat gluten meal, soybean meal, peanut meal, meat and bone meal, and corn gluten meal. Subsequently, according to the palatability of single extract pellets, 52 kinds of blended extract pellets were designed to test their palatability. The results showed that the pellets presented remarkably different palatability, and the optimal one was diet 52(wheat gluten meal: pet-food grade poultry by-product meal: meat and bone meal: corn gluten meal = 1:6:1:2). The highest ingestion ratio(the number of pellets ingested/the number of pellets fed) was 0.73 ± 0.03, which was observed in Diet 52. Then five isonitrogenous(52% crude protein) and isocaloric(20 k J g^(-1) gross energy) diets were formulated by replacing 0(control), 35%, 50%, 65% and 80% of fishmeal with No.52 blending proportion. After a 10-weeks feeding trial, a consistent feed intake was found among all replacement treatments. Replacement level of fishmeal up to 35% did not significantly influence final body weight, specific growth rate, feed efficiency ratio, and protein efficiency ratio of turbot. Therefore, the water-soluble extracts of protein sources play an important role in improving the palatability of non-fishmeal protein sources in aquafeed.
文摘The information related with results of a project on germplasm characterization of three Lotus species, important as forage plants, curried out in five environments of the central-southern zone of Chile, was reviewed. An evaluation was made of 12 L. corniculatus cultivars introduced from different parts of the world, as well as germplasm naturalized in Chile, being 11 accessions of L. tenuis and 21 accessions ofL. uliginosus collected from 33°S to 38°S and 38°S to 45°S, respectively. Phenological, morphological, and agronomical characters were evaluated. Nitrogen fixation in field conditions and concentrations of condensed tannins in herbage were also included. It is concluded that there are cultivars of high value in L. corniculatus introduced germplasm which can be recommended for different environments of the central zone of Chile, as well as for local species breeding programmes. Information obtained from L. tenuis and L. uliginosus accessions shows genetic variability within both species. L. tenuis germplasm is adapted to clay, medium-textured, or sandy soils with water restrictions and phosphorous deficiency. Therefore, characterized accessions could be used to breed cultivars for low input production systems in constrained environments. L. uliginosus accessions include genotypes collected in sites with acid soils and variable tannin content in plant tissues that may be promissory genetic materials for breeding programmes with the objective of producing cultivars for animal production systems for the wet and acid soils in the southern zone of the country.
文摘Country level assessment of feed supply and demand for livestock in Pakistan was conducted for the year 2013. Availability of feed ingredients was calculated from the official crop production statistics using published harvest index and extraction ratios, and their nutrient supply was estimated from local feed composition tables. Feed requirements of livestock species were calculated from the standard tables published by US National Research Council. The results showed that indigenous feed resources were short for livestock and poultry requirements. The supply and demand gap for dry biomass, crude protein (CP) and metabolizable energy (ME) were 19.4%, 37.2% and 38.0%, respectively. Crop residues were the predominant source comprising 58.8% of the total feed supply, while fodder and grazing shared 23.8% and 9.2%, respectively. Grains and by-products contributed 8.2% to the feed supply. In attempt to fill this gap, large quantities of oilseed meals were imported mainly for the poultry sector. Maize was the major feed grain used in poultry and ruminant rations, and they together consumed 79% of the country's total maize produce. Based on the anticipated rapid expansion in poultry, dairy and feedlot farming in Pakistan, the feed gap will further enlarge and this warrants future focus on efficient and intensive utilization of the local conventional and nonconventional feed resources. The data and information presented in this paper provided a sound basis for regular updating in future to attain sustainable growth of livestock sector in the country.
文摘Cattle may improve their feeding efficiency by altering their ingestive behaviour in response to changes in the quality of their pastoral environments. To test this hypothesis, an experiment was conducted in a native pasture that has been managed in continuous stocking at different daily forage allowances (4%, 8%, 12%, and 16% of live weight) for twenty two years thus creating different pastoral environments. For the current experiment, the animals were allocated to their respective experimental units on April 27, 2007. Two experiments were conducted; one was performed at the end of winter (experiment 1), and the other was undertaken at the end of spring (experiment 2). Four tester animals were observed per experimental unit (3-5 ha each). The animals increased their daily grazing time when forage allowance decreased. Most of this increased time was devoted to harvesting, whereas searching was reduced to a few minutes per day. Under conditions of ideal range of forage allowance (between 12% and 14%), the grazing time was reduced, and the search activity increased. These results suggest that the monitoring of indicators of ingestive behaviour can be used to determine the attributes of forage resources.