In vitro Anticoccidial Study of Oregano and Garlic Essential Oils and Effects on Growth Performance, Fecal Oocyst Output, and Intestinal Microbiota in vivo

This study investigated the in vitro effects of Greek oregano and garlic essential oils on inhibition of Eimeria parasites and their in vivo effects on production performance, intestinal bacteria counts, and oocyst output. An inhibition assay was performed in vitro using Eimeria tenella Wisconsin strain sporozoites and Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells. Intracellular sporozoite invasion was quantified by detection of E. tenella DNA using qPCR from cell monolayers harvested at 2 and 24 h post-infection. Parasite invasion was inhibited by the oregano essential oil at the concentration of 100 μg/ml by 83 or 93% after 2 or 24 h, respectively. Garlic essential oil reached a maximum inhibition of 70% after 24 h with the 50 μg/ml concentration. Normal morphology was observed in MDBK cells exposed to concentrations of 100 μl/ml of garlic or oregano for over 24 h. In the in vivo trial, 180 male broiler chicks (45.3 ± 0.7 g) were allocated into two treatments (6 pens of 15 chicks per treatment). Control treatment was fed commercial diets without antibiotics or anticoccidials. The ORE–GAR treatment was fed the same control diets, further supplemented with a premix (1 g/kg feed) containing the oregano (50 g/kg premix) and garlic (5 g/kg premix) essential oils. At day 37, all birds were slaughtered under commercial conditions, and intestinal samples were collected. ORE-GAR treatment had improved final body weight (1833.9 vs. 1.685.9 g; p < 0.01), improved feed conversion ratio (1.489 vs. 1.569; p < 0.01), and reduced fecal oocyst excretion (day 28: 3.672 vs. 3.989 log oocysts/g, p < 0.01; day 37: 3.475 vs. 4.007 log oocysts/g, p < 0.001). In the caecal digesta, ORE-GAR treatment had lower total anaerobe counts (8.216 vs. 8.824 CFU/g; p < 0.01), whereas in the jejunum digesta the ORE-GAR treatment had higher counts of E. coli (5.030 vs. 3.530 CFU/g; p = 0.01) and Enterobacteriaceae (5.341 vs. 3.829 CFU/g; p < 0.01), and lower counts of Clostridium perfringens (2.555 vs. 2.882 CFU/g; p < 0.01). In conclusion, the combined supplementation of oregano and garlic essential oils had a potent anticoccidial effect in vitro and a growth-promoting effect in broilers reared in the absence of anticoccidial drugs

Biomass production of herbaceous energy crops in the United States: field trial results and yield potential maps from the multiyear regional feedstock partnership

Current knowledge of yield potential and best agronomic management practices for perennial bioenergy grasses is primarily derived from small-scale and short-term studies, yet these studies inform policy at the national scale. In an effort to learn more about how bioenergy grasses perform across multiple locations and years, the U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE)/Sun Grant Initiative Regional Feedstock Partnership was initiated in 2008. The objectives of the Feedstock Partnership were to (1) provide a wide range of information for feedstock selection (species choice) and management practice options for a variety of regions and (2) develop national maps of potential feedstock yield for each of the herbaceous species evaluated. The Feedstock Partnership expands our previous understanding of the bioenergy potential of switchgrass, Miscanthus, sorghum, energycane, and prairie mixtures on Conservation Reserve Program land by conducting long-term, replicated trials of each species at diverse environments in the U.S. Trials were initiated between 2008 and 2010 and completed between 2012 and 2015 depending on species. Field-scale plots were utilized for switchgrass and Conservation Reserve Program trials to use traditional agricultural machinery. This is important as we know that the smaller scale studies often overestimated yield potential of some of these species. Insufficient vegetative propagules of energycane and Miscanthus prohibited farm-scale trials of these species. The Feedstock Partnership studies also confirmed that environmental differences across years and across sites had a large impact on biomass production. Nitrogen application had variable effects across feedstocks, but some nitrogen fertilizer generally had a positive effect. National yield potential maps were developed using PRISM-ELM for each species in the Feedstock Partnership. This manuscript, with the accompanying supplemental data, will be useful in making decisions about feedstock selection as well as agronomic practices across a wide region of the country

Evaluation of Oregano and α-Tocopheryl Acetate on Laying Japanese Quail Diets

In this experiment 108 Coturnix japonica quail, 149 days old, were randomly allocated into four equal groups with three subgroups of 9 birds each (6 females and 3 males). A commercial laying diet was fed to the control group. The remaining three groups were fed the same diet supplemented with ground oregano at 10 g/kg or 20 g/kg or additional 300 mg α-tocopheryl acetate /kg. The birds were offered feed and water ad libitum for a period of 29 days, while being kept under commercial conditions. During the whole experiment, egg production, feed consumption and mortality were recorded daily. Also, at the end of the experiment the egg weight, the weight percentages of egg yolk, albumen and shell, the egg yolk colour (using the L*a*b* colour space) were determined. Moreover, blood serum total cholesterol and triglycerides were determined. The results showed that the α-tocopheryl acetate addition did not affect any of the examined parameters. In contrast, oregano at 10 g/kg increased the a* yolk colour parameter (redness) compared to control, but did not affect the other examined parameters

Evaluation of Oregano and α-Tocopheryl Acetate on Laying Japanese Quail Diets

In this experiment 108 Coturnix japonica quail, 149 days old, were randomly allocated into four equal groups with three subgroups of 9 birds each (6 females and 3 males). A commercial laying diet was fed to the control group. The remaining three groups were fed the same diet supplemented with ground oregano at 10 g/kg or 20 g/kg or additional 300 mg α-tocopheryl acetate /kg. The birds were offered feed and water ad libitum for a period of 29 days, while being kept under commercial conditions. During the whole experiment, egg production, feed consumption and mortality were recorded daily. Also, at the end of the experiment the egg weight, the weight percentages of egg yolk, albumen and shell, the egg yolk colour (using the L*a*b* colour space) were determined. Moreover, blood serum total cholesterol and triglycerides were determined. The results showed that the α-tocopheryl acetate addition did not affect any of the examined parameters. In contrast, oregano at 10 g/kg increased the a* yolk colour parameter (redness) compared to control, but did not affect the other examined parameters

Spirulina as a functional ingredient in broiler chicken diets

In recent years there has been increased interest in the production of novel functional foods by utilizing eco-friendly materials and methods. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to determine the effects of dietary spirulina (Spirulina platensis), a blue-green microalga, on growth performance, meat oxidative stability and fatty acid profile of broiler chickens. One hundred and twenty one-day-old broiler chickens of mixed sex were weighed individually and assigned randomly to three treatment groups with four replications of 10 birds. All birds were housed in floor cages with litter, and conventional breeding and management procedures were applied throughout the 42-day trial period. The treatment groups were as follows: control: 0 g spirulina/kg feed; S05: 5 g spirulina/kg feed; S10: 10 g spirulina/kg feed. The birds were fed with maize and soybean meal-based commercial diets for the starter (1 to 14 days), grower (15 to 28 days) and finisher (29 to 42 days) periods. Feed and drinking water were offered to all birds ad libitum. The results of the experiment showed that bodyweight gain (at 21 d and 42 d), feed conversion ratio and mortality did not differ among the groups, nor did breast and thigh meat lipid oxidation differ among the groups. The fatty acid profile of the thigh meat was enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid after spirulina supplementation. Therefore, spirulina could be a promising functional ingredient in broiler chicken nutrition.Keywords: Poultry, microalgae, performance, meat oxidative stability, fatty acid profil

Miscanthus 3 giganteus productivity: the effects of management in different environments

Miscanthus 9 giganteus is a C4 perennial grass that shows great potential as a high-yielding biomass crop. Scant research has been published that reports M. 9 giganteus growth and biomass yields in different environments in the United States. This study investigated the establishment success, plant growth, and dry biomass yield of M. 9 giganteus during its first three seasons at four locations (Urbana, IL; Lexington, KY; Mead, NE; Adelphia, NJ) in the United States. Three nitrogen rates (0, 60, and 120 kg ha -1) were applied at each location each year. Good survival of M. 9 giganteus during its first winter was observed at KY, NE, and NJ (79–100%), and poor survival at IL (25%), due to late planting and cold winter temperatures. Site soil conditions, and growing-season precipitation and temperature had the greatest impact on dry biomass yield between season 2 (2009) and season 3 (2010). Ideal 2010 weather conditions at NE resulted in significant yield increases (P \u3c 0.0001) of 15.6– 27.4 Mg ha -1 from 2009 to 2010. Small yield increases in KY of 17.1 Mg ha -1 in 2009 to 19.0 Mg ha -1 in 2010 could be attributed to excessive spring rain and hot dry conditions late in the growing season. Average M. 9 giganteus biomass yields in NJ decreased from 16.9 to 9.7 Mg ha -1 between 2009 and 2010 and were related to hot dry weather, and poor soil conditions. Season 3 yields were positively correlated with end-of-season plant height (^q ¼ 0:91) and tiller density (^q ¼ 0:76). Nitrogen fertilization had no significant effect on plant height, tiller density, or dry biomass yield at any of the sites during 2009 or 2010