Reclamation status of a degraded pasture based on soil health indicators

Pasture degradation is a concern, especially in susceptible sandy soils for which strategies to recover them must be developed. Microbiological and biochemical soil health indicators are useful in the guindace of soil management practices and sustainable soil use. We assessed the success of threePanicum maximum Jacq. cultivars in the reclamation of a pasture in a sandy Typic Acrudox in the northwest of the state of Paraná, Brazil, based on soil health indicators. On a formerly degraded pasture withUrochloa brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) R.D. Webster, a trial with threeP. maximum (cv. Massai, Tanzânia, or Mombaça) was conducted. Lime and phosphate were applied at set-up, and mineral N and K as topdressing. A remnant of degraded pasture adjacent to the trial was used as control. Twenty-three chemical, physical, microbiological and biochemical attributes were assessed for the 0-10 cm topsoil. The procedures for reclamation improved most of the indicators of soil health in relation to the degraded pasture, such as soil P, mineral N, microbial biomass C, ammonification rate, dehydrogenase activity and acid phosphatase. CO2 evolution decreased, whereas microbial biomass C increased in the pasture under reclamation, resulting in a lower metabolic quotient (qCO2) that points to a decrease in metabolic stress of the microbial community. The reclamation of the pasture withP. maximum, especially cv. Mombaça, were evidenced by improvements in the microbiological and biochemical soil health indicators, showing a recovery of processes related to C, N and P cycling in the soil

Exigência nutricional de lisina para galinhas poedeiras de ovos brancos e ovos marrons, no segundo ciclo de produção: 2. características produtivas

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estabelecer as exigências de lisina para galinhas poedeiras de ovos brancos (Lohmann Selected Leghorn [LSL]) e ovos marrons (Lohmann Brown [LB]), no segundo ciclo de produção, da 83ª à 98ª semana de idade. Foi usado delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, com seis repetições e oito aves por unidade experimental. Os tratamentos foram constituídos de um fatorial 2 x 6 (duas linhagens x seis níveis de lisina). As aves foram alimentadas com rações contendo 2860 kcal EMkg de ração, 14,37% PB e 0,50% lisina e suplementadas com seis níveis de L-lisina HCl 98% (0,00; 0,08; 0,16; 0,24; 0,32; e 0,40%). Foram avaliados consumo de ração (g/ave.dia), produção de ovos (%), massa de ovo (g/ave.dia), peso de ovo (g) e conversão alimentar. As poedeiras LSL apresentaram maior produção de ovos e as LB, maior peso médio dos ovos. Produção de ovos, peso de ovo, massa de ovo, conversão alimentar (g/g e kg/dz) foram influenciados pelos níveis de lisina. As exigências nutricionais de lisina para poedeiras LSL e LB foram estimadas, por meio do modelo quadrático, em 0,76 e 0,80%, respectivamente, correspondendo a um consumo de 836 e 880 mg de lisina por ave/dia.This work aimed to establish lysine requirements for white-egg (Lohmann Selected Leghorn) and brown-egg (Lohmann Brown) layers hens in the second producing cycle, from 83 to 98 weeks of age. A completely randomized design with six replicates and eight birds per experimental unit was used. The treatments consisted in a 2 x 6 factorial involving two commercial lines and six lysine levels. The birds were fed diets containing 2860 kcal of ME/kg, 14.37% CP, and .50% lysine, supplemented with six levels of L-lysine HCl 98% (0, .00, .08, .16, .24, .32, and .40%). Feed intake (g/bird/day), egg production (%), egg mass (g/bird.day), egg weight (g), and feed:egg ratio were evaluated. The white-egg layer hens presented high egg production however and the brown-egg layer lenspresented better results for average egg weight. Egg production, egg weight, egg mass and feed:egg ratio (g/g and kg/dz) were influenced by the lysine level. The nutritional requirements of lysine for eight and brown-egg layer lens were obtained by the quadratic model and estimated in .76 and .80% for eight and semi white-egg layer hens, respectively, corresponding to 836 and 880 mg of lysine intake by bird/day