Effect of concentrate supplementation on fattening performance and carcass composition of finished meat-goat kids

ArticleA study on the effective usage of the concentrated feed supplement to Boer meat goat kids was carried out within the framework of the project ‘Zootechnical and economic efficiency of feeding of fodder pulses to ruminant’s meat production’. Since the Boer goat breed in Latvia is still very rare, there is a lack of experience in the feeding and production of meat goat for better carcass traits and meat quality. This study was arranged in autumn period, using the Boer cross breed male kids born in 2018. In control group (OG) four kids were kept together with mothers till finishing and were fed by oats as concentrated feed supplement. In research group (BG) four goat kids were weaned from mothers and placed in shed to explain influence of mix of 85% of oats and 15% of fodder beans as protein supplement to the fattening outcomes. In the trial kids were weighed at the starting and ending of the trial. Carcass quality is assessed according to the European standard for the classification of carcasses of sheep, where EUROP letter designations have been used to denote musculature development, and the fat deposition level is indicated by numbers 1–5. The length of the carcass and the circumference of the hips were measured using the tape measure. The carcasses were analyzed by type of tissue: muscle, bone, fat. The fastest growing rate during the fattening period of 72 days was given to BG kids with a mean daily live weight gain of 72 g, while the OG kids achieved 69 g. After slaughter, the carcass yield of OG kids was from 42.5% to 51.4%, but for BG kids was 38.5% to 42.5%. The quality of the obtained carcasses was an average, and score for musculature was from R to P class, but the average score for fat deposition was from 2.25 to 2.75 points and higher fat cover was observed in BG kids. Higher proportion of lean meat (59.1%) and fat tissues (16.3%) were observed to OG kids, but higher proportion of bone (25.9%) was in BG kid’s carcasses. The consumption of concentrated feed for 1 kg of live weight gain indicates the conversion of feed nutrients. The consumption of oats per kilogram of live weight gain was 3.21 kg for OG kids, but the consumption of the feed mix of oats and beans for BG kids was 2.83 kg. Based on physical parameters of goat kid carcass and high level of lean meat, fattening of Boer cross breed goat kids by using of oats or feed mix can be an ideal choice for farmers, which try to find new products and free market for consumers

The influence of dietary inclusion of peas, faba bean and lupin as a replacement for soybean meal on pig performance and carcass traits

ArticleThe effect of peas, faba bean and lupin seed inclusion in growing and finishing pig diets was evaluated. The control diet included soybean meal at 15%, but in the trial groups diets peas were 15 or 28%, faba bean 20 or 25%, lupin seed 12 or 15%, completely replacing soybean meal. Diets formulated to be isoenergetic for ME and with the same crude protein content. The faba bean and, especially, lupin seed meal inclusion in pig diets for growing per iod significantly reduced ADG P = 0.02 and 0.01 ), and G : F was also signi fi cantly influ enced ( P = 0.02 ) for pigs in lupin seed meal groups. There were no effects on finisher pigs average daily gain, inclusion peas or faba bean, daily gain were, respectively 892 ± 19 and 915 ± 11, 867 ± 12 and 828 ± 11, except lupin seed meal ( P = 0.04 ) inclu sion. There were no significantly effects on carcass quality and to pork chemical content, but pigs fed the diets with peas 28% and faba bean 25% had less of lean meat content, greater backfat thickness and internal fat than other groups which have a simil ar results. The muscle chemical content show that inclusi o n of pulses increased the total fat content in pork. In conclusion, results from this experiment suggest that pigs fed peas and faba bean have equal or slightly lower growth performance and carcass traits than pigs fed soybean meal, except lupin seed meal

Effect of replacement of coated barley grain with hulless barley in diet on growth, carcass and meat quality traits of fattening pigs

Received: January 31st, 2021 ; Accepted: May 27th, 2021 ; Published: June 1st, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] amount of experimental pigs were 40 crossbred pigs (Yorkshire × Landrace). The initial body weight of pigs were average 27.0 kg. The goal of research was to assess the effect of replacement of coated barley grain with hulless barley in diet on pig growth, carcass and pork quality indices. Experimental groups of pigs on the holding were conducted according to age and sex. For trial group of pigs, a compound feed with hulless barley (38.9–45.4%) was prepared, for the control with coated barley (39.3–43.3%). The feed recipes made according the pigs age. The other feed ingredients were not changed and were wheat, soybean meal and oil, premivit, and from 20 till 70 kg liveweight also fish meal. Diets were formulated with the same of metabolizable energy and crude protein content. During the study the live weight of pigs was monitored and the feed consumption was counted. At the end of the study all pigs slaughtered, determined carcasses traits and took samples of loin muscle for chemical analyses. The results showed that pig fattening indices (daily liveweight gain were in control pig group 0.686 ± 0.183 and trial 0.716 ± 0.174) did not differ significantly between groups (P > 0.05), although its were slightly lower in the control group pigs by 4.37%. Feed consumption for live weight gain in both groups ranged from 3.14 to 3.25 kg. Carcasses scores showed significant differences in lean meat and chops (P < 0.05). There were also differences in the backfat thickness. The thickness of backfat was 2.62 mm less in the control pig group, which indicates that when feeding coated barley to fattening pigs, the carcasses have a higher proportion of lean meat (62.1 ± 0.7%). Pigs were slaughtered reaching a live weight of 110 to 114 kg. The meat yield 71.7% and moisture level (70.2–75.2%), as well as protein (22.3–22.9%) indicators showed that fattening pigs are sold at the optimal age. In conclusion, results from this study suggest that feeding hulless barley to fattening pigs results in higher live weight gain. Carcass indicators showed a significantly higher proportion of lean meat and weight of chops when pigs eating coated barley. Chemical composition of pork in groups without significant differences

Influence of local extruded soybean cake and imported soybean meal on fattening pig productivity and pork quality

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of feeding local and imported soybean protein feeds to fattening pigs and examining it impact on the quality of pork. The trial was created with 40 pigs divided in two groups (20 in each). Pigs in the control group received imported soybean meal, in the trial group local farm grown in Latvia extruded soybean cake mixed in the compound feed. The diets were designed to be nutritionally equivalent. For fattening pigs each diet were available on an ad libitum basis to pens. During the study pigs were weighed three times at 84, 140 and 190 days at age. Feed consumption, pig carcass traits and meat chemical composition were determined. The final live weight in control group was 108.33 ± 2.904 kg and in trial group was 111.88 ± 2.793 kg there were no significant difference (P > 0.05). Average daily live weight gain in the all experimental period in control group was 0.779 ± 0.096 kg and in trial group was 0.822 ± 0.103 kg, there were no significant difference (P > 0.05). Feed consumption per kg of live weight in control group was 2.39 kg in trial group was 2.24 kg. Pig carcass traits and meat chemical composition were similar for both groups without significant differences (P > 0.05). Soybeans grown and processed in Latvia were equivalent to imported soybeans and gives good rates of pig growth and quality of pork

The nutrition value of soybeans grown in Latvia for pig feeding

ArticleSoybean products are excellent sources of protein for pigs because their amino acid profiles complement those of cereal grains. Soy protein is rich in the limiting amino acids lysine, threonine, and tryptophan that are present in relatively low concentrations in the most commonly fed cereal grains. Amino acids in soy protein are more digestible than amino acids in most other plants proteins, which results in less nitrogen being excreted in the manure from pigs fed diets containing soybean meal than if other protein sources are used. The phosphorus in soy products is bound to phytic acid, which has a low digestibility to pigs, but the digestibility of phosphorus in soy products may be increased to more than 60% if diets are supplemented with microbial phytase. There are no much results about nutrition value of soybean growing in Latvia. Therefore the aim of study was determined chemical composition of soybeans growing in Latvia and evaluates their potential in pig feeding. Research object were soybeans growing in Latvia. In the studied samples content of protein, fat, ash, fibre, composition of amino acids were determined and metabolizable energy were calculated. Evaluated that protein content varied from 32.7 till 40.7%, fat content was from 18.4–21.4% and significantly differed (p < 0.05) among growing places, but the sum of essential amino acids in the soy beans determined 115–125 g kg-1 , and were not differed significantly by varieties. The content of lysine in protein were determined 5.1–5.5 g 100 g -1 . Concluded that soy bean growing in Latvia provides equilibrium high metabolizable energy for pigs – from 13.2 to 17.6 MJ kg-1 and could be used in feed

Bryophytes: how to conquer an alien planet and live happily (ever after)

There are many push and pull factors that commonly drive individuals to leave their homeland. For example, escaping competition and occupying a novel habitat undoubtedly offer the advantage of new opportunities to pilgrims, but the absence of unfavorable biotic interactions can be counterbalanced by other antagonistic abiotic forces. After all, conquering an alien planet is not now nor ever was an easy task. We cannot know how many attempts and failures have punctuated the journey that led ancestral, photosynthetic organisms to leave the aquatic world and successfully establish on dry land. However, some traits developed by the ancestors of modern bryophytes that allowed them to adapt their life cycle to such a different habitat and persist there, have been undoubtedly identified

Trends in milk yield productivity and emissions from the dairy sector in Latvia

Received: January 31st, 2023 ; Accepted: May 8th, 2023 ; Published: May 26th, 2023 ; Correspondence: [email protected] cow productivity continuously increased in Latvia in recent years. Despite decreasing numbers of dairy cow population dairy farms have been identified as an important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Dairy sector emissions create the largest share of enteric fermentation emissions as well as emissions from manure in housing facilities, during long-term storage and field application within agriculture sector total emissions. The main objective of this study is to present the results of trend analysis in the productivity of the dairy sector and corresponding emission in Latvia. Research is focused on analysis of dairy cow productivity and feeding strategies to quantify the effect of increasing milk yield on GHG emissions. In the framework of this research, emissions were calculated and evaluated for low and high productivity dairy cows according to the methodology of ‘2019 Refinement to the 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories’. During the last decade dairy cow productivity in Latvia has increased and the average milk yield in standard lactation was 8,320 kg per year in 2021. It was observed that 60% of the total number of dairy cows met the requirements of a high-productivity system, while 40% of the dairy cows belonged to low-productivity systems in Latvia. Research results show that total GHG emissions for high-productivity system can reach 5.3 kt CO2 eq. per 1,000 cows per year, however, for low-productivity system the total amount of emissions does not exceed 3.1 kt CO2 eq. per 1,000 cows

Correlation between hormonal homeostasis and morphogenic responses in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings growing in a Cd/Cu/Zn multi-pollution context

To date, almost no information is available in roots and shoots of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana about the hierarchic relationship between metal accumulation, phytohormone levels, and glutathione/phytochelatin content, and how this relation affects root development. For this purpose, specific concentrations of cadmium, copper and zinc, alone or in triple combination, were supplied for 12 days to in vitro growing seedlings. The accumulation of these metals was measured in roots and shoots, and a significant competition in metal uptake was observed. Microscopic analyses revealed that root morphology was affected by metal exposure, and that the levels of trans-zeatin riboside, dihydrozeatin riboside, indole-3-acetic acid, and the auxin/cytokinin ratio varied accordingly. By contrast, under metal treatments, minor modifications in gibberellic acid and abscisic acid levels occurred. RT-PCR analysis of some genes involved in auxin and cytokinin synthesis (e.g., AtNIT in roots and AtIPT in shoots) showed on average a metal up-regulated transcription. The production of thiol-peptides was induced by all the metals, alone or in combination, and the expression of the genes involved in thiol-peptide synthesis (AtGSH1, AtGSH2, AtPCS1 and AtPCS2) was not stimulated by the metals, suggesting a full post-transcriptional control. Results show that the Cd/Cu/Zn-induced changes in root morphology are caused by a hormonal unbalance, mainly governed by the auxin/cytokinin ratio

Double gamers—can modified natural regulators of higher plants act as antagonists against phytopathogens? The case of jasmonic acid derivatives

As key players in biotic stress response of plants, jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivatives cover a specific and prominent role in pathogens-mediated signaling and hence are promising candidates for a sustainable management of phytopathogenic fungi. Recently, JA directed antimicrobial effects on plant pathogens has been suggested, supporting the theory of oxylipins as double gamers in plant-pathogen interaction. Based on these premises, six derivatives (dihydrojasmone and cis-jasmone, two thiosemicarbazonic derivatives and their corresponding complexes with copper) have been evaluated against 13 fungal species affecting various economically important herbaceous and woody crops, such as cereals, grapes and horticultural crops: Phaeoacremonium minimum, Neofusicoccum parvum, Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, Fomitiporia mediterranea, Fusarium poae, F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. oxysporum f. sp. lactucae, F. sporotrichioides, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotinia spp. and Verticillium dahliae. The biological activity of these compounds was assessed in terms of growth inhibition and, for the two mycotoxigenic species A. flavus and F. sporotrichioides, also in terms of toxin containment. As expected, the inhibitory effect of molecules greatly varied amongst both genera and species; cis-jasmone thiosemicarbazone in particular has shown the wider range of effectiveness. However, our results show that thiosemicarbazones derivatives are more effective than the parent ketones in limiting fungal growth and mycotoxins production, supporting possible applications for the control of pathogenic fungi

The aflatox® project: Approaching the development of new generation, natural‐based compounds for the containment of the mycotoxigenic phytopathogen Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin contamination

The control of the fungal contamination on crops is considered a priority by the sanitary authorities of an increasing number of countries, and this is also due to the fact that the geographic areas interested in mycotoxin outbreaks are widening. Among the different pre‐ and post‐harvest strategies that may be applied to prevent fungal and/or aflatoxin contamination, fungicides still play a prominent role; however, despite of countless efforts, to date the problem of food and feed contamination remains unsolved, since the essential factors that affect aflatoxins production are various and hardly to handle as a whole. In this scenario, the exploitation of bioactive natural sources to obtain new agents presenting novel mechanisms of action may represent a successful strategy to minimize, at the same time, aflatoxin contamination and the use of toxic pesticides. The Aflatox® Project was aimed at the development of new‐generation inhibitors of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus spp. proliferation and toxin production, through the modification of naturally occurring molecules: a panel of 177 compounds, belonging to the thiosemicarbazones class, have been synthesized and screened for their antifungal and anti‐aflatoxigenic potential. The most effective compounds, selected as the best candidates as aflatoxin containment agents, were also evaluated in terms of cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and epi‐genotoxicity to exclude potential harmful effect on the human health, the plants on which fungi grow and the whole ecosystem