Effect of Humulus scandens for Traditional Fiber Sources on Digestion,Diarrhea,and Performance of Growing Rabbits

This work was to determine which concentration of a mixture of fresh Humulus scandens （HS） and fresh alfalfa could be included in diets for rabbits. The fresh forage of three experimental diets is composed of 100% alfalfa, 50% alfalfa ＋ 50% HS, 100% HS, respectively. 30 rabbits [（1.42 ± 0.056） kg] were used to determine nutrient digestibility. A feeding trial was carried out using 90 weaning rabbits [35 d of age; （512±6.5） g]. Increasing content of HS in the diet did not affect digestibility of DM （dry matter）, CF （crude fiber）, CP （crude protein）, GE （gross energy）, and EE （ether extract）. But diarrhea decreased markedly （P〈0.01） compared with the diets that had no HS. ADF1 （average daily feed intake） increased by 4.3% （P 〈 0.05） and 3.6% （P 〈 0.05） when rabbits fed the diet with 100% HS of fresh forage compared with the diets containing 0 and 50% HS, respectively. Feed efficiency improved significantly （P 〈 0.05） by 2.07 and 5.30% when rabbits fed 0 and 50% HS of fresh forage, respectively, compared with 100% HS. There was no effect on ADG （average daily weight gain）. In conclusion, the mixture （50：50） of HS and alfalfa constitutes an alternative source of fiber for fattening rabbits and prevents diarrhea effectively.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi reduce ammonia emissions under different land-use types in agro-pastoral areas

Ammonia(NH3)emissions,the most important nitrogen(N)loss form,always induce a series of environmental problems such as increased frequency of regional haze pollution,accelerated N deposition,and N eutrophication.Arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM)fungi play key roles in N cycling.However,it is still unclear whether AM fungi can alleviate N losses by reducing NH3emissions.The potential mechanisms by which AM fungi reduce NH_(3)emissions in five land-use types(grazed grassland,mowed grassland,fenced grassland,artificial alfalfa grassland,and cropland)were explored in this study.Results showed that AM fungal inoculation significantly reduced NH3emissions,and the mycorrhizal responses of NH3emissions were determined by land-use type.Structural equation modeling(SEM)showed that AM fungi and land-use type directly affected NH_(3)emissions.In addition,the reduction in NH_(3)emissions was largely driven by the decline in soil NH_(4)^(+)-N and pH and the increases in abundances of ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA)amoA and bacteria(AOB)amoB genes,urease activity,and plant N uptake induced by AM fungal inoculation and land-use type.The present results highlight that reducing the negative influence of agricultural intensification caused by land-use type changes on AM fungi should be considered to reduce N losses in agriculture and grassland ecosystems.