Imprinting at the KBTBD6 locus involves species-specific m ternal methylation and monoallelic expression in livestock animals

Background The primary differentially methylated regions(DMRs) which are maternally hypermethylated serve as imprinting control regions(ICRs) that drive monoallelic gene expression, and these ICRs have been investigated due to their implications in mammalian development. Although a subset of genes has been identified as imprinted, in-depth comparative approach needs to be developed for identification of species-specific imprinted genes. Here, we examined DNA methylation status and allelic expression at the KBTBD6 locus across species and tissues and explored potential mechanisms of imprinting.Results Using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and RNA-sequencing on parthenogenetic and normal porcine embryos, we identified a maternally hypermethylated DMR between the embryos at the KBTBD6 promoter Cp G island and paternal monoallelic expression of KBTBD6. Also, in analyzed domesticated mammals but not in humans, non-human primates and mice, the KBTBD6 promoter Cp G islands were methylated in oocytes and/or allelically methyl-ated in tissues, and monoallelic KBTBD6 expression was observed, indicating livestock-specific imprinting. Further analysis revealed that these Cp G islands were embedded within transcripts in porcine and bovine oocytes which coexisted with an active transcription mark and DNA methylation, implying the presence of transcription-dependent imprinting.Conclusions In this study, our comparative approach revealed an imprinted expression of the KBTBD6 gene in domesticated mammals, but not in humans, non-human primates, and mice which implicates species-specific evolution of genomic imprinting.

Effects of Serum Concentration, Synchronization Time and Confluence on the Cell-Cycle Synchronization Efficiency of Goat Fibroblasts

This study aims to evaluate the effect of serum concentration, synchronization time, and confluence degree on the synchronisation efficiency of goat fibroblast cycle. The results indicated that there was no difference in the percentage of nucleated fibroblasts in the G0/G1 stage between serum concentrations of 0.3% and 0.4% (83.89% and 82.69%, respectively, P > 0.05) as well as between serum concentrations of 0.2% and 0.5% (76.95% and 75.46%, respectively, P > 0.05). The percentage of nucleated fibroblasts in the G0/G1 stage was highest at the concentration of 0.3% and lowest in the control group (83.89% vs. 62.67%, P 0.05). The beneficial effect of high confluence was confirmed by the large percentage of nucleated fibroblasts at the G0/G1 stage. The 60% confluency was significantly lower than the 80% and 100% confluency (73.44%, 86.63%, and 87.17%, respectively, P < 0.05). The results indicate that the goat fibroblast cycle synchronization is the most effective at the serum concentration of 0.3%, 72 hours of synchronization and 100% confluency.

Seed Priming and Foliar Supplementation withβ-aminobutyric Acid Alleviates Drought Stress through Mitigation of Oxidative Stress and Enhancement of Antioxidant Defense in Linseed(Linum usitatissimum L.)

Drought is one of the critical limitations to agricultural soils and crop plants.Scarcity of water is increasing due to climate change that lead to increasing threats to global food security.Therefore,ecofriendly and cost effective strategies are highly desirable for mitigating drought stress along with sustainable and smart agricultural production.The aim of the study was to mitigate DS using seed priming and exogenous supplementation ofβ-aminobutyric acid(BABA)in linseed(Linum usitatissimum L.).Different doses(0,50,100 and 150μM)of BABA were used for seed priming agent and foliar spraying under three soil moisture levels viz.,25%(SM25),45%(SM45)and 65%(SM65).The response variables of both experiments included different agro-botanical traits and oxidative stress indicators such as melondialdehyde content,free proline accumulation,and antioxidant defense in plants.The linseed plants showed water stress at SM25 that reduced plant height,number of branches per plant,time taken to flower initiation and heading,and root and shoot dry weights.Additionally,the number of capsules and seeds per capsule showed a significant decline at SM25,which led to a drastic reduction in 100-seed weight yield in linseed plants in both experiments.However,seed priming and foliar supplementation with of BABA(50–100μM)significantly improved these morpho-agronomical attributes in linseed plants under DS.The results revealed that the BABA was fully active in linseed plants at SM25.Interestingly,the combination of SM25 with BABA significantly improved the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT),ascorbate peroxidase(APX),and peroxidase(POD)activity,which significantly enhanced DS tolerance in linseed plants.These findings might be useful to oil seed breeders and farmers linseed for breeding program in linseed plants as well as sustainable agricultural production of oil seed crop plants.

Drought Tolerance in Mung Bean is Associated with the Genotypic Divergence, Regulation of Proline, Photosynthetic Pigment and Water Relation

Drought is one of the critical conditions for the growth and productivity of many crops including mung bean(Vigna radiata L.Wilczek).Screening of genotypes for variations is one of the suitable strategies for evaluating crop adaptability and global food security.In this context,the study investigated the physiological and biochemical responses of four drought tolerant(BARI Mung-8,BMX-08010-2,BMX-010015,BMX-08009-7),and four drought sensitive(BARI Mung-1,BARI Mung-3,BU Mung-4,BMX-05001)mung bean genotypes under wellwatered(WW)and water deficit(WD)conditions.The WW treatment maintained sufficient soil moisture(22%±0.5%,i.e.,30%deficit of available water)by regularly supplying water.Whereas,the WD treatment was maintained throughout the growing period,and water was applied when the wilting symptom appeared.The drought tolerant(DT)genotypes BARI Mung-8,BMX-08010-2,BMX-010015,BMX-08009-7 showed a high level of proline accumulation(2.52–5.99 mg g^(−1) FW),photosynthetic pigment(total chlorophyll 2.96–3.27 mg g^(−1) FW at flowering stage,and 1.62–2.38 mg g^(−1) FW at pod developing stage),plant water relation attributes including relative water content(RWC)(82%–84%),water retention capacity(WRC)(12–14)as well as lower water saturation deficit(WSD)(19%–23%),and water uptake capacity(WUC)(2.58–2.89)under WD condition,which provided consequently higher relative seed yield.These indicate that the tolerant genotypes gained better physiobiochemical attributes and adaptability in response to drought conditions.Furthermore,the genotype BMX-08010-2 showed superiority in terms of those physio-biochemical traits,susceptibility index(SSI)and stress tolerance index(STI)to other genotypes.Based on the physiological and biochemical responses,the BMX-08010-2 was found to be a suitable genotype for sustaining yield under drought stress,and subsequently,it could be recommended for crop improvement through hybridization programs.In addition,the identified traits can be used as markers to identify tolerant genotypes for drought-prone areas.

Effects of dietary supplementation of bacteriophage cocktail on health status of weanling pigs in a non-sanitary environment

Background The study evaluated the effects of bacteriophage cocktail(BP)and ZnO administered during weaning time for piglets exposed to a non-sanitary environment.The bacteriophages were designed to eliminate Escherichia coli(K88,K99 and F41),Salmonella(typhimurium and enteritidis),and Clostridium perfreingens(types A and C).Forty 21-day-old crossbreed piglets were assigned to four treatments,including the PC(sanitary environment),NC(nonsanitary environment),BP(NC plus 108 pfu/kg BP),and ZO(NC plus 2,500 mg/kg ZnO).Piglets in the NC,BP and ZO were kept in a non-sanitary environment for 14 d,which was contaminated with the feces of infected pigs.Results Pigs in the BP and ZO treatments had a higher final body weight compared with the NC.The NC treatment showed the highest concentration of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-αin the plasma.The administration of BP and ZO showed lower myeloperoxidase concentrations compared with the NC.The NC treatment showed a lower concentration of superoxide dismutase in serum compared with the PC.Among the treatments in non-sanitary environment,the NC treatment showed a higher concentration of malondialdehyde compared with the ZO.The PC treatment showed a lower concentration of butyric acid in the feces compared with the BP treatment.Among non-sanitary treatments,the villus height in the duodenum was greater in the BP and ZO compared with the NC.The lower abundance of Proteobacteria phylum was observed in the BP and PC treatments compared with the NC.The highest relative abundance of Eubacterium was recorded in the BP treatment.The abundance of Megasphaera and Schwartzia was higher in the NC pigs compared with the BP piglets.The abundance of Desulfovibrio was lower in the supplemented treatments(BP and ZO)compared with non-supplemented(NC and PC).The abundance of Cellulosilyticum genera was higher in the BP and ZO treatments rather than in the NC.The piglets in the NC treatment had the highest abundance of Escherichia-Shigella,followed by the PC and ZO treatments.Conclusion In conclusion,these results suggest that the supplementation of bacteriophage cocktail could effectively control Proteobacteria phylum,Clostridium spp.and coliforms population and mitigated the adverse influences of weaning stress in piglets.

Estimation of Genetic Divergence and Character Association Studies in Local and Exotic Diversity Panels of Soybean(Glycine max L.)Genotypes

The availability of favorable genetic diversity is a thriving vitality for the success of a breeding program.It provides a firm basis of selecting superior breeding lines for the development of high yielding crop genotypes.In this context,present investigation aimed to generate information on genetic divergence and character association in a diversity panel of 123 local and exotic soybean genotypes.Analysis of variance revealed significant response of the evaluated genotypes based on studied attributes.It depicted the probability of selecting desirable soybean genotypes by focusing on character association studies and genetic diversity analysis.Correlation analysis revealed that seed yield per plant showed high positive correlation with 100-seed weight followed by pods per plant and plant height.Furthermore,path coefficient analysis exposed that pods per plant had maximum direct contribution in seed yield per plant followed by 100-seed weight,days to flowering and SPAD measurement.Genotype named“G-10”showed maximum yield per plant followed by 24607,G-52,24593,Arisoy,24566,17426,A-3127,24570 and 24567.Genetic diversity analysis grouped the evaluated germplasm into 17 clusters.All clusters showed zero intra-cluster variability;while inter-cluster divergence ranged from 9.00 to 91.11.Cluster V showed maximum inter-cluster distance with cluster XII followed by that of between V and VIII.Moreover,cluster IV with superior genotypes(G-10,24607,24593 and 24566),VI(17426 and 24567),XIII(24570)and X(Arisoy and G-52)showed above mean values for most of the studied characters.Overall,the results of hybridization between the superior genotypes of these cluster pairs might be useful for soybean breeding with improving agronomic traits and adaptability.

Assessment of the Quality of Frozen-Thawed Semen or Epididymal Sperm in Three Native Vietnamese Pig Breeds

Our aim was to evaluate the quality of ejaculated and epididymal frozen-thawed pig sperm of endangered Vietnam native pig breeds. Ejaculated sperm was collected from live boars and epididymal sperm was collected from slaughtered boars of the MuongTe, Kieng Sat and Co BinhThuan breeds and frozen in 0.25 ml straws using a protocol established earlier for modern pig breeds. We evaluated the sperm quality after thawing in terms of motility and rates of viable and abnormal spermatozoa. Our results revealed that the sperm motility and rates of viable and abnormal frozen-thawed sperm were >30%, >44%, and <14%, respectively. The origin of sperm had an effect on the production of pig embryos in vitro. In the Co BinhThuan breed, ejaculated sperm generated higher cleavage, blastocyst and hatching rates than did the epididymal sperm (60.11% vs 56.02%, 17.23% vs 14.31%, 3.78% vs 2.34%, respectively, P < 0.05). Although no difference in cleavage rate, blastocyst formation rate and the average number of cells/blastocysts, the hatching blastocyst rate was different between the breeds (P > 0.05). In the Co BinhThuan breed, the rate of pregnancy of ejaculated groups was similar to that of the epididymal group. In conclusion, the ejaculated and epididymal sperm of native Vietnamese pigs were successfully frozen. We succeeded in creating embryos in vitro and pregnant pigs after artificial insemination from frozen-thawed semen in three native Vietnamese pig breeds for the first time. The use of the ejaculated sperm improved the production of native pig embryos in vitro efficiency.

Trehalose:A sugar molecule involved in temperature stress management in plants

Trehalose(Tre)is a non-reducing disaccharide found in many species,including bacteria,fungi,invertebrates,yeast,and even plants,where it acts as an osmoprotectant,energy source,or protein/membrane protector.Despite relatively small amounts in plants,Tre concentrations increase following exposure to abiotic stressors.Trehalose-6-phosphate,a precursor of Tre,has regulatory functions in sugar metabolism,crop production,and stress tolerance.Among the various abiotic stresses,temperature extremes(heat or cold stress)are anticipated to impact crop production worldwide due to ongoing climate changes.Applying small amounts of Tre can mitigate negative physiological,metabolic,and molecular responses triggered by temperature stress.Trehalose also interacts with other sugars,osmoprotectants,amino acids,and phytohormones to regulate metabolic reprogramming that underpins temperature stress adaptation.Transformed plants expressing Tre-synthesis genes accumulate Tre and show improved stress tolerance.Genome-wide studies of Tre-encoding genes suggest roles in plant growth,development,and stress tolerance.This review discusses the functions of Tre in mitigating temperature stress—highlighting genetic engineering approaches to modify Tre metabolism,crosstalk,and interactions with other molecules—and in-silico approaches for identifying novel Tre-encoding genes in diverse plant species.We consider how this knowledge can be used to develop temperature-resilient crops essential for sustainable agriculture.

The dynamics of the piglet gut microbiome during the weaning transition in association with health and nutrition

Background: Understanding the composition of the microbial community and its functional capacity during weaning is important for pig production as bacteria play important roles in the pig’s health and growth performance. However,limited information is available regarding the composition and function of the gut microbiome of piglets in early-life.Therefore, we performed 16 S rRNA gene and whole metagenome shotgun sequencing of DNA from fecal samples from healthy piglets during weaning to measure microbiome shifts, and to identify the potential contribution of the early-life microbiota in shaping piglet health with a focus on microbial stress responses, carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism.Results: The analysis of 16 S rR NA genes and whole metagenome shotgun sequencing revealed significant compositional and functional differences between the fecal microbiome in nursing and weaned piglets. The fecal microbiome of the nursing piglets showed higher relative abundance of bacteria in the genus Bacteroides with abundant gene families related to the utilization of lactose and galactose. Prevotel a and Lactobacil us were enriched in weaned piglets with an enrichment for the gene families associated with carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. In addition, an analysis of the functional capacity of the fecal microbiome showed higher abundances of genes associated with heat shock and oxidative stress in the metagenome of weaned piglets compared to nursing piglets.Conclusions: Overal, our data show that microbial shifts and changes in functional capacities of the piglet fecal microbiome resulted in potential reductions in the effects of stress, including dietary changes that occur during weaning.These results provide us with new insights into the piglet gut microbiome that contributes to the growth of the animal.

Prevalence of coronavirus from diarrheic calves in the Republic of Korea

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of bovine coronavirus(BCo V), bovine rotavirus, and bovine viral diarrhea virus in the feces of normal and diarrheic Korean native calves aged 1-81 days between April and October of 2016 in the Republic of Korea. Methods: Samples were obtained from 50 normal and 93 diarrheic(56 semi-formed, 28 loose, and 9 watery feces) calves in six different regions of northern and southern Korea. These fecal samples were tested for BCo V, bovine rotavirus, and bovine viral diarrhea virus by RT-PCR. Results: Among the three pathogens examined, infection with BCo V was especially prominent in relation to diarrhea among calves aged 1-21 days [odds ratio(OR)=9.3, 95% confidence interval(CI): 1.1-78.9; P=0.02). Infection with BCo V alone(OR=2.9; 95% CI: 1.1-7.6; P=0.03) or coinfection of BCo V with bovine viral diarrhea virus(OR=3.6; 95% CI: 1.0-12.4; P=0.04) was significantly associated with the development of loose feces. Grazing and colostrum intake strongly reduced the occurrence of diarrhea as compared to housed calves(OR=0.2; 95% CI: 0.1-0.4; P=0.00) and calves that had not been fed colostrum(OR=0.2; 95% CI: 0.1-0.7; P=0.02), respectively. Conclusions: The present study suggests that BCo V is involved in calf diarrhea in the Republic of Korea. Therefore, grazing and colostrum intake is recommended for preventing and controlling calf diarrhea caused by BCoV.

Models to quantify excretion of dry matter,nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon in growing pigs fed regional diets

Modern pig production contributes to many environmental problems that relate to manure, especially in areas with highly intensive production systems and in regions like Asia where the regulative control is not effective. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use three different pig diets varying in dietary protein, fibre and fat as representative for Danish （DK）, Thai （TH） and Vietnamese （VN） pig production to develop and evaluate different approaches to predict/calculate excretion from growing pigs in comparison with the experimentally determined values. Nine female growing pigs were used in a digestibility and balance experiment. Excretion of dry matter （DM）, nitrogen （N）, phosphorus （P） and carbon （C） of the experimental diets were determined. Due to the highest dietary fibre content, VN had the lowest digestibility of N, P and C （73, 49, and 73%, respectively） compared with the DK and TH pig diets. From the known diet composition using standard table values on chemical and nutrient digestibly, high accuracy （bias） and low variation was found and the results could be used for prediction on chemical composition and excretion in faeces and urine in growing pigs. Calculation based on standard values regarding nutrient retention in the pig body as used in the Danish manure normative system （DMNS） showed likewise to be quite useful for quantifying the total excretion of N and P. Overall, the results demonstrate that simple models that require cheap and normally available information on dietary nutrients can give useful information on nutrient excretion in growing pigs.

Genetic characterization of Northeast Asian cattle based on sequence polymorphisms in the complete mitochondrial genome

In this study, we analyzed complete mtDNA sequences variation and genetic relationship among taurine, indicine and Bison groups. In total, 107 sequences from different breeds, 45 European (45 Italian), 16 Middle East Asian (seven Iranian and nine Iraqi), 41 Northeast Asian (34 Korean and seven Japanese), two Nellore (Bos indicus) and two American Bison bison (Ame. bison) were obtained from Gen-Bank database. One Korean Hanwoo (Bos taurus) sequence was generated using the SOLiDTM System. In total, 1370 polymorphic sites, representing 8.39% of the complete 107 mtDNA sequences (16,338 bp) were detected and of these, 1186 parsimony informative polymorphic sites were identified. Neighbor-joining tree indicated that Korean, Japanese, Iranian, Iraqi, and Italian cattle were closely related to one another, but are separated from B. Bison. The B. taurus mtDNA polymorphism was greater in the D-loop than in the other regions. The ATP8, ND3, ND5, and ND6 regions were also quite parsimony informative, similar to Cyt b. In addition, this study revealed a distinct genetic difference between Korean cattle and B. indicus.

Associations of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Bovine <i>FADS</i>6 Gene with Fatty Acid Composition in Hanwoo (Korean Cattle)

The bovine fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene cluster consists of FADS1, FADS2, FADS3, and FADS6, which acts as key enzymes in fatty acid metabolism. Of these, the genetics effects of variants in FADS1, FADS2 and FADS3 have been previously studied. However, the genetic effects of variants of FADS6 gene have not been studied. The aim of this study was to identify genetic variants in the bovine fatty acid desaturase 6 (FADS6) gene and study their association with fatty acid composition in Hanwoo cattle. Six genetic variants were observed, three each in intron 2 and exon 6 by DNA sequencing analyses. The association of genetic variants with fatty acid composition was evaluated in 90 Hanwoo steers. The variants were confirmed and the animals were genotyped by RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) and AS-PCR (Allele Specific PCR) analyses. The analysis revealed that palmitoleic acid (C16:1n7) was associated with g.3391G > A, g.3660A > C and g.15657C > T, and stearic acid (C18:0) showed highly significant association with g.3660A > C segments. Both g.3391G > A, g.3660A > C also had strong additive and dominance effect for Palmitoleic acid, while g.3660A > C also had a strong dominance effect for stearic acid. These results could be useful for modulating fatty acid composition in beef and produce meat with higher monounsaturated fatty acid to saturated fatty acid ratio (MUFA/SFA), which had been shown to have positive health effect in humans.

Growth Performance, Carcass Yield and Meat Quality of Korean Native Duck

This study was carried out to investigate the growth performance, carcass yield and meat quality of large-type Korean native ducks （KND）. A total of 420 day-old ducklings were divided into four treatments （seven replicates/treatment, 15 birds/replicate） by strains （A and B） and gender （male and female） in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement under complete randomized design. The body weight （BW） of female KND was higher at week 2 and for male it was higher in week 8 （P 〈 0.05）. BW gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio of male KND were higher than those of female KND （P 〈 0.05） during week 0 to week 8. The carcass yield of both strains increased from 6 weeks to 8 weeks （P 〈 0.05）. The breast meat ratio was the highest at week 8 whereas the leg meat ratio was the highest at 6 weeks of age in both strains （P 〈 0.01）. Lightness （L＊）, yellowness （b＊） and juiciness of meat were the highest at 6 weeks （P 〈 0.05）. Moisture, ash and fat contents of meat were the highest at 7 weeks （P 〈 0.05） and protein content was the highest at 8 weeks （P 〈 0.01）. These results may provide the basic data on growth performance and meat quality of large-type KND, which can be used for genetic improvements and rearing at commercial scale.

Phylogenetic analysis and characterization of mitochondrial DNA for Korean native cattle

This study was aimed to preserve mitochondria from liver tissues of Korean native cattle (KNC) as genetic resources and to analyze phylogenetic relationships among cattle breeds using the whole sequences of mtDNA. Mitochondria of KNC has been isolated with the alkaline lysis procedure using1 gof liver tissues, and measurements showed numbers of cells (2.64 × 1010), concentration (114.6 ug/ml), proteins (0.278 ug/ml), and absorbance (0.029) in 260 nm. Mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNA) were extracted from the isolated mitochondria to determine whole sequences that can be used to estimate genetic distances among cattle breeds. Designing of primers based on the bovine mtDNA sequence was resulted in 16 primer sets covering the whole mtDNA regions. The analysis of 40 KNC mtDNA sequences revealed 69 polymorphic sites that were less than the average number of SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) for other populations (82 sites) in this study. As expected, the highest observation of SNPs was found in the D-loop region, and a total of 29 SNPs were shared between cattle populations. The haplotype analysis, which used 13 SNPs located in D-loop, COX2, ND5, CYTB, and non coding regions, revealed that KNC showed clearly different haplotypes that may be used to distinguish KNC from other breeds as well as to characterize individual identifications. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that KNC showed a relatively close genetic distance with Japanese black cattle (JBC) comparing with other breeds. Estimations of the average nucleotide diversity (0.0008) and the ratio of transition/ transversion (0.1050) of KNC were placed somewhere in the middle of genetic diversity among cattle breeds. The identified genetic variants and results of phylogenetic analysis will help understanding the phylogenetic relationships of KNC and provide useful genetic information for further studies regarding SNPs in mtDNA regions.

Growth and Haematological Responses of Growing Broiler Chickens （3-6 weeks） to Phosphorus and Phytase Supplementation in Low Nutrient Diet

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the low phosphorus diets supplemented with different sources of phytase in low metabolizable energy （ME） and crude protein （CP） diets in broilers. Four levels of non-phytate phosphorus （NPP） （0.33%, 0.36%, 0.39% and 0.42% of the diet） were employed in six dietary treatments in such a way that the least level of NPP （0.33%） was supplemented with two phytase enzymes namely 6-phytase （Natuphos-5,000） and 3-phytase （Sunphase） along with low nutrient composition viz. 2750 kcal ME/kg and CP 18% in growing phase （21 d-42 d）. A total of 1,400 birds were exposed to six treatments in three replicates except for the phytase supplemented diets which were replicated four times each. Non-significant results are obtained from all performance parameters （body weight gain, feed intake and feed gain） and serum minerals （calcium and phosphorus） between 21 days to 42 days. Non-significant results are seen among all treatments; even supplementation of both types of enzymes did not affect the overall results. The results of the present study demonstrate 0.33% P level without phytase are sufficient in low ME and CP diets.

Genotypic Divergence, Photosynthetic Efficiency, Sodium Extrusion, and Osmoprotectant Regulation Conferred Salt Tolerance in Sorghum

Salt stress is one of the major limitations to modern agriculture that negatively influences plant growth and productivity.Salt tolerant cultivar can provide excellent solution to enhance stress tolerance with plantfitness to unfavorable environments.Therefore,this study was aimed to screen salt tolerant sorghum genotypes through evaluating of different morphological,biochemical,and physiological attributes in response to salinity stress.In this study,we have been evaluated total six sorghum genotypes including Hybrid sorgo,Debgiri,BD-703,BD-706,BD-707,and BD-725 under salt stress(12 dS m^(-1) NaCl).The response variables included length and weight of root and shoot,root:shoot ratio(RSR),photosynthesis(A),transpiration rate(E),elemental concen-trations(K^(+),Na^(+) and K^(+)/Na^(+)),photochemical efficiency of photosystem II(F_(v)/F_(m)),water use efficiency(WUE)and pigment content(chlorophyll a,and b).The results revealed that saline environment significantly reduced all response variables under study of sorghum genotypes,however,Hybrid sorgo remained unmatched by recording the maximum root and shoot traits.The same genotype recorded higher photosynthetic efficiency which was attributed to Na^(+) extrusion,K^(+) uptake and higher K^(+)/Na^(+) ratio(1.8 at stress),while these mechanisms were not fully active in rest of genotypes.Moreover,this study also implies the involvement of proline in imparting tolerance against saline environment in Hybrid sorgo genotype.Overall,BD-703 remained the most salt sensitive genotype as evident from the minimum morphological growth traits and the least biosynthesis of osmoprotectants.Thesefindings open new research avenues for salt stress alleviation by identifying elite salt-to-lerant genotypes of sorghum for breeding programs.

Importance of dietary supplementation of soluble and insoluble fibers to sows subjected to high ambient temperatures during late gestation and effects on lactation performance

Heat stress adversely affects sows'performance,which can be improved by applying proper nutritional strategies.This study was conducted to investigate the interactive effects of dietary fiber levels and sources on sows'reproductive performance,metabolic response during gestation,and the carry-over influence on litter performance in the lactation period during heat stress(average room temperature of 27.1°C).Fifty-four multiparous sows(Landrace×Yorkshire;initial body weight of 236.3±16 kg;2,3and 4 parities)at d 90 of gestation were assigned to a 2×3 factorial arrangement(9 sows/treatment),involving 2 dietary fiber levels(4.5%and 6%crude fiber)and 3 dietary fiber sources(wheat bran[WB],palm kernel meal[PK],and beet pulp[BP]).Sows fed the BP diet had highest(P<0.01)feed intake and constipation index and lowest(P<0.01)farrowing duration.Piglet weight(P=0.041)and litter weight(P<0.01)at weaning were higher in sows in the BP treatment compared to PK treatment.Sows in the BP treatment showed the greatest(P<0.01)digestibility of crude protein and neutral detergent fiber.The fecal concentration of acetate was the lowest(P<0.01)in the PK treatment.Total short-chain fatty acid production was increased in the WB and BP treatments compared with the PK.Sows in the BP treatment showed the lowest(P=0.036)hair cortisol.The blood insulin concentration of sows was higher(P=0.026)in the high fiber(6%)treatment compared with the low fiber(4.5%)treatment at 90 min and120 min after the meal.The concentration of phthalic acid,succinic acid,phenylethylamine,hydrocinnamic acid,iron,linoleic acid,glycerol,ketone,and formamide were increased(P<0.05)in the BP treatment compared with the WB.The BP treatment with high soluble fiber content improved the constipation index,farrowing duration,and litter performance,while high insoluble fibers increased sows comfort and reduced stress factors including respiratory rate and rectal temperature.Therefore,both soluble and insoluble sources of fiber are necessary to be added to the diet of gestating sows.

日粮纤维素和环境温度对实验大白鼠的影响——Ⅲ 实验大白鼠的能量代谢

环境温度和日粮纤维素水平都可影响大白鼠的产热量及产热量占代谢能(HE/MEI)的比例,其在高纤维素日粮组较低纤维素日粮组高,环境温度为16℃和32℃时较24℃时高。环境温度和高纤维日粮还可增加大白鼠的绝食代谢产热量和生长价。维持代谢能(MEm)并不受日根纤维素的影响,但随环境温度的降低而增加。低纤维日粮和适中的环境温度可使沉积能中脂肪的比例增加。

日粮纤维素和环境温度对实验大白鼠的影响——Ⅰ.对实验大白鼠增重、体成分和消化道发育的影响

为探索日粮纤维素水平和环境温度对实验大白鼠日增重、消化道和体成分的影响,选择60只实验大白鼠,用高纤维素日粮非淀粉碳水化合物(NSP占24.6％)和低纤维素日粮(NSP占4.8％),在3种环境温度下(16℃,24℃,32℃)进行了试验。结果表明,冷应激(16℃)可降低实验大白鼠的生长效率和体脂肪。在3个水平环境温度下,高纤维素日粮可使大白鼠的日增重分别降低19.76％、13.01％和12.36％;饲料报酬分别降低21.05％、16.00％和10.71％。日粮纤维素和环境温度均可影响大白鼠的消化道的相对重量和长度,再对内脏器官(肝、心、肾脏)的相对重量没有明显的影响。