Concentrate supplementation for crossbred bulls to increase profitability of smallholder fattening operations in East Java, Indonesia

Growth rates of bulls in Indonesia raised in smallholder fattening systems are generally low due to inadequate nutrition. This study compared bull growth and farmer profit between two feeding management systems, namely traditional feeding (as control) and intervention feeding by supplementation with a high quality concentrate. Bos taurus-Ongole cross bred bulls (n=46) aged 1.5-2 years, owned by smallholder farmers, from two villages in East Java were used in this study. The bulls were divided into two treatment groups; control and intervention. Farmers in the intervention group were provided with a concentrate containing onggok, copra and palm kernel cake. Farmers were instructed to feed 4 kg DM of concentrate/bull/day in addition to their existing roughage diet for 161 days or until sold. No changes were made to the feeding or management of the bulls in the control group. Mostly control group farmers used local forages and agricultural by product as a feed, without any supplementation. The daily feed cost and the cost of 1 kg of liveweight gain was higher in the intervention group (IDR 8827 and IDR 11990, respectively) than that of the control group (IDR 2606 and IDR 5543, respectively). Moreover, the average daily gain of bulls in the intervention group (0.82 kg/bull/day) was higher than that of bulls in the control group (0.52 kg/bull/day), resulting in a greater profit for the fattening period. Daily income minus feed costs was higher for farmers in the intervention group (IDR 24182/day), compared to farmers in the control group (IDR 15774/day). It is concluded that although there were additional costs for feeding high-quality feeds, but higher growth rates of bulls resulted in greater profits for smallholder farmers

Polarized Diffuse Emission at 2.3 GHz in a High Galactic Latitude Area

Polarized diffuse emission observations at 2.3 GHz in a high Galactic latitude area are presented. The 2\degr X 2\degr field, centred in (\alpha=5^h,\delta=-49\degr), is located in the region observed by the BOOMERanG experiment. Our observations has been carried out with the Parkes Radio telescope and represent the highest frequency detection done to date in low emission areas. Because of a weaker Faraday rotation action, the high frequency allows an estimate of the Galactic synchrotron contamination of the Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization (CMBP) that is more reliable than that done at 1.4 GHz. We find that the angular power spectra of the E- and B-modes have slopes of \beta_E = -1.46 +/- 0.14 and \beta_B = -1.87 +/- 0.22, indicating a flattening with respect to 1.4 GHz. Extrapolated up to 32 GHz, the E-mode spectrum is about 3 orders of magnitude lower than that of the CMBP, allowing a clean detection even at this frequency. The best improvement concerns the B-mode, for which our single-dish observations provide the first estimate of the contamination on angular scales close to the CMBP peak (about 2 degrees). We find that the CMBP B-mode should be stronger than synchrotron contamination at 90 GHz for models with T/S > 0.01. This low level could move down to 60-70 GHz the optimal window for CMBP measures.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter

Partial utilization efficiencies of protein and methionine by barramundi (Lates calcarifer) in response to dietary methionine source and form

An experiment was conducted with barramundi (Lates calcarifer) juveniles (initial weight 10.3 g ± 0.3 g) to examine the partial efficiency of utilization of methionine (Met) from intact protein (fishmeal or lupin protein concentrate) and a crystalline DL‐Met source. Fish were fed at one of three ration levels: Low (0.4 g/fish/day), Moderate (0.8 g/fish/day) and High (1.6 g/fish/day). Those fed the fishmeal‐based diet (Diet FML) at the highest ration level grew to an average weight of 37.3 ± 0.46 g, whereas those fed the Lupin Protein Concentrate (LPC)‐based diet fortified with all EAA (Diet LPCM) at the highest ration level grew to 25.4 ± 2.27 g. The weight of the fish fed the LPC diet with no additional Met (Diet LPC) even at the highest ration level declined over the course of the experiment resulting in a final weight of 9.2 ± 0.88 g, clearly demonstrating the impact of dietary Met deficiency. The partial efficiency of protein utilization was also significantly reduced when Met was limiting (a coefficient of 0.06, compared to 0.39 in the Met‐supplemented LPC diet). The results suggested that the partial efficiencies (coefficients) of both Met and protein utilization in diets where crystalline Met is the primary source of Met (Diet LPCM: 0.26 and 0.39 respectively) were significantly poorer than from an intact protein source (Diet FML: 0.89 and 0.67 respectively) when Met is provided in excess

Nitrogen transactions along the digestive tract of lambs concurrently infected with Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Ostertagia circumcincta

Twelve lambs, paired on the basis of live weight, were cannulated in the abomasum, in the proximal jejunum approximately 4 m distal to the pylorus and in the terminal ileum. Six were infected with 3000 Trichostrongylus colubriformis and 3000 Ostertagia circumcincta larvae each day for 18 weeks and the remainder were pair-fed to individual infected lambs. All animals were offered ryegrass (Lolium perenne)–white clover (Trifolium repens) pasture, cut daily. Dry matter (DM) intake, live weight, faecal egg concentration, plasma pepsinogen and plasma protein concentrations were measured weekly. During weeks 7 and 17 after commencement of infection, the flow of digesta along the gastrointestinal tract was measured together with enteric plasma loss and true digestion and absorption of ¹²⁵I-labelled albumin in the small intestine. DM intake was depressed by parasitism, being 1331, (se 70), 423 (se 32) and 529 (se 52) g/d during weeks 3, 7 and 17 respectively. The flow of nitrogen at the proximal jejunum and in faeces was increased by parasitism during week 7 and at the abomasum and ileum during week 17. Plasma protein-N loss (g/d) into the gastrointestinal tract was 0.68 (se 0.091) and 1.97 (se 0.139) during week 7, and 0.85 (se0.158) and 1.96 (se 0.396) during week 17, in control and infected sheep respectively. True digestion and absorption of albumin in the proximal small intestine, the site of infection, was very low (mean 0.08) and was not affected by parasitism. Between the abomasum and terminal ileum absorption of albumin was high (mean 0.87) and again was not affected by parasitism. It was calculated that of the total increase in endogenous protein passing from the ileum tract as a result of infection, plasma protein comprised only a small percentage (10–36%). The major proportion of digestion and absorption of protein occurred in the distal small intestine beyond the site of infection and was not affected by infection

Strategies to improve local beef cattle industry supply chains during the pandemic of Covid-19

Covid-19 has highlighted the importance of the local fresh-food supply chains especially with respect to food that cannot be stored or where access to overseas sources is closed. Meat is one fresh-food commodity greatly affected. Beef production is one of the most effective commodities for alleviating poverty for smallholders and if they can more directly participate in the supply chain, they can reap good financial rewards. Farmers usually formulate cattle feed rations on cheapest cost inputs, rather than on a least cost basis which still meets metabolisable energy (ME), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) requirements. The ACIAR project, Profitable feeding strategies for smallholder cattle in Indonesia, has investigated rations that promote high live weight gain and low feed conversion (FCE, kg feed/kg gain) and determined that high ME rations are required at high intakes if low FCE and high income over food costs (IOFC) are to be achieved. The prices and availability of ration ingredients vary markedly across Indonesia and so a flexible system of ration formulation is required to take advantage of local price fluctuations. A Least Cost Ration (LCR) formulator and a least cost App (Beefupp) have been developed which can be used by entrepreneurial farmers, co-operatives and small commercial feed companies to formulate and alter rations quickly as circumstances change. The application of these principles has led to two-fold increases in IOFC for farmers. Government support for farmer led initiatives in the grinding, formulating, mixing and/or pelleting will support effective local co-operatives, farmer groups or small commercial feed companies

Strategies to increase growth of weaned Bali calves

Demand for beef in Indonesia is increasing by 4% per annum, which is unable to be met from domestic supply alone under prevailing cattle management systems. Small-holder farmers within the crop-livestock system of eastern Indonesia have the opportunity to capitalise on this increased demand for beef. An Integrated Village Management System (IVMS) established in Nusa Tenggara Barat successfully increased reproductive output by introducing natural mating, early weaning and more appropriate allocation of available feed resources to match nutrient demands of cattle. It is anticipated that wide scale implementation of the IVMS will result in a large population of early weaned calves across eastern Indonesia and that if these calves are retained by small-holder farmers, and growth rates improved, significant increases in cash flow will ensue. The objective of this project was to evaluate a range of feeding strategies to increase growth rates of 6 month old weaned Bali calves at four sites across eastern Indonesia

Ingestive behaviour and forage intake responses of young and mature steers to the vertical differentiation of sugarcane in pen and grazing studies

SUMMARY Sugarcane is an important forage resource in sub-tropical and tropical areas as it is used during the winter or dry season when the growth rate of pastures is significantly reduced. The current research study assessed the effect of four vertical sections of sugarcane in a pen trial and the level of sugarcane utilization in a grazing trial on the ingestive behaviour and forage intake of two age groups of steers (1 and 2 years old). The pen trial was comprised of two simultaneous 4 × 4 balanced Latin square designs (one for each age group of animals) of four periods, four animals and four feeding treatments, which consisted of four equal vertical sections of sugarcane. Dry matter (DM) and digestible DM (DDM) intake per kilogram of metabolic weight declined gradually from top to bottom of the sugarcane, with no significant differences between the age groups of steers. This difference in intake was associated with a decline in intake of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) as a proportion of the liveweight of the animal and an increase of total chewing time per kilogram of DM or NDF from top to bottom of the sugarcane. It was concluded that the toughness of plant material played a significant role regulating intake, which was higher for the top sections of sugarcane. In the grazing trial, steers of both age groups grazed down sugarcane in three plots over 9 days. Steers grazed up to four distinctive grazing strata. Digestible DM intake (DDM intake) was high at low levels of horizontal utilization of the top grazing stratum but DDM intake started to decline sharply when this stratum was removed in 0·92 of paddock area (i.e. equivalent to 0·08 of the pasture area remaining un-grazed). It was concluded that the proportion of un-grazed area of the pasture can be used as a grazing management strategy to control forage intake for sugarcane

Postprandial plasma free amino acid profile and hepatic gene expression in juvenile barramundi (Lates calcarifer) is more responsive to feed consumption than to dietary methionine inclusion

The effects of dietary methionine (Met) supply on the postprandial pattern of plasma free amino acids and the differential expression of several genes associated with a number of sulfur amino acid and protein turnover pathways in the liver of juvenile barramundi (Lates calcarifer) was investigated. At the conclusion of a 49-day growth trial assessing the requirement for dietary Met, three treatments were selected (with deficient (DEF; 8.6 g kg−1), adequate (ADQ; 14.9 g kg−1) and excessive (EXC; 21.4 g kg−1)) levels of dietary Met, based on their respective growth responses. A peak occurred in plasma free Met at 2 h post-feeding in fish fed the DEF and ADQ diets and at 4 h post-feeding in fish in the EXC treatment. Liver samples collected at these timepoints, as well as those taken as a pre-feeding control, were analyzed for expression of genes involved in Met turnover (CGL, MAT-1, MAT-2a) and taurine biosynthetic pathways (CSAD, ADO, CDO), target of rapamycin inhibition (Redd-1), the somatotropic axis (GHR-II, IGFI, IGF-II) and protein turnover pathways (MUL-1, ZFAND-5). Markers of sulfur amino acid turnover were more significantly affected by time after feeding than by dietary Met level, suggesting production of these enzymes may be primarily regulated by the consumption of feed or protein, rather than by the dietary composition. Further, metabolised Met appeared likely to have been directed through S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) dependent pathways, rather than converted to Cys, which may have contributed to the observed growth response. Both genes influencing the conversion of Met to SAM appear to be active at this lifestage in barramundi. Previously described markers of proteolytic pathways appear to be conserved in this species and we have confirmed that ZFAND-5 is a reliable biomarker of this process in barramundi. A number of important genes were investigated for the first time in this species and shown to be nutritionally regulated

Weaning and supplementation increase liveweight gain of Bali (Bos javanicus) cattle of small-holder farmers in Central Lombok, Indonesia

One of the constraints for improving productivity of Bali cattle in west Nusa Tenggara Province is the low growth rate of weaned calves. Results of on-station experiments showed that Sesbania grandiflora (sesbania) supplementation can significantly increase live weight gain of weaned calves. The objective of this experiment was to investigate whether sesbania supplementation can increase live weight gain of weaned calves and improve farmer income. This experiment was carried out in Tandek, Labulia Village (treatment village) and in Kelebuh and Sukaraja villages (control villages) central Lombok District from April to October 2008. A total of 21 calves (9 males and 12 females) aged 237±7 days with initial live weight of 122.3±4.5 kg were monitored in Kelebuh and Sukaraja villages (control villages). During the same period, 25 calves (13 males and 12 females) aged 237±6 days with initial weight of 108.8±4.1 kg were monitored in Tandek Village (treatment village) and fed fresh sesbania at 1% dry matter of live weight. To ensure that sesbania was fed at the recommended level, regular weighing of sesbania offered by each farmer was conducted 2-3 times per week. All calves were weighed every month to determine live weight gain. Farmers from the control villages and other villages were invited to a field day conducted in the treatment village at the end of the experiment. The results showed that sesbania supplementation significantly increased live weight gain (0.36±0.01 kg/day for calves in the treatment village compared to 0.22±0.01 kg/day for those in the control villages), increased body condition and health of the calves and improved farmer income. Weaning management and supplementation with sesbania was very easy to implement so most of the farmers participated in this study stated that they were willing to continue this feeding management

A radio-polarisation and rotation measure study of the Gum Nebula and its environment

The Gum Nebula is 36 degree wide shell-like emission nebula at a distance of only 450 pc. It has been hypothesised to be an old supernova remnant, fossil HII region, wind-blown bubble, or combination of multiple objects. Here we investigate the magneto-ionic properties of the nebula using data from recent surveys: radio-continuum data from the NRAO VLA and S-band Parkes All Sky Surveys, and H-alpha data from the Southern H-Alpha Sky Survey Atlas. We model the upper part of the nebula as a spherical shell of ionised gas expanding into the ambient medium. We perform a maximum-likelihood Markov chain Monte-Carlo fit to the NVSS rotation measure data, using the H-halpha data to constrain average electron density in the shell $n_e$. Assuming a latitudinal background gradient in RM we find $n_e=1.3^{+0.4}_{-0.4} {\rm cm}^{-3}$, angular radius $\phi_{\rm outer}=22.7^{+0.1}_{-0.1} {\rm deg}$, shell thickness $dr=18.5^{+1.5}_{-1.4} {\rm pc}$, ambient magnetic field strength $B_0=3.9^{+4.9}_{-2.2} \mu{\rm G}$ and warm gas filling factor $f=0.3^{+0.3}_{-0.1}$. We constrain the local, small-scale (~260 pc) pitch-angle of the ordered Galactic magnetic field to $+7^{\circ}\lesssim\wp\lesssim+44^{\circ}$, which represents a significant deviation from the median field orientation on kiloparsec scales (~-7.2$^{\circ}$). The moderate compression factor X=6.0\,^{+5.1}_{-2.5} at the edge of the H-alpha shell implies that the 'old supernova remnant' origin is unlikely. Our results support a model of the nebula as a HII region around a wind-blown bubble. Analysis of depolarisation in 2.3 GHz S-PASS data is consistent with this hypothesis and our best-fitting values agree well with previous studies of interstellar bubbles.Comment: 33 pages, 16 figures. Accepted by The Astrophysical Journa