The effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation on intake, nutrient digestibility, and rumen fluid pH in Awassi female lambs

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding low (LO)- or high (HI)-fiber diets supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) on nutrient intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance, rumen fluid pH, and serum concentrations of glucose and urea nitrogen in Awassi female lambs in a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Materials and Methods: Experimental diets were as follows: (1) LO-fiber diet with no SC supplementation (-LO), (2) LO-fiber diet supplemented with SC (+LO), (3) HI-fiber diet with no SC supplementation (-HI), or (4) HI-fiber diet supplemented with SC (+HI). Eight female lambs were used in a replicated 4×4 Latin square design with 15-day experimental periods (10-day adaptation period and 5-day collection period). Results: A fiber×SC interaction (p≤0.05) was detected for dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) intake among diets showing greater DM and CP intake for +LO diet compared to +HI group supplemented with SC, whereas -LO and -HI were intermediate. A fiber×SC interaction (p=0.05) was also detected for the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) intake among diets. Intake of NDF was greater for the -HI diet compared with +LO and -LO diets. Similarly, NDF intake was greater for +HI diet than -LO diet. A tendency (p=0.07) for a fiber×SC interaction was detected for acid detergent fiber (ADF) intake among diets as well. ADF intake tended to be greater for HI-fiber diets. No difference was observed in the rumen fluid pH for lambs fed with the different diets. No fiber×SC interactions were detected for the digestibility of DM, CP, NDF, and ADF among dietary treatments. Digestibility of DM was greater (72.9 g/100 g vs. 67.1 g/100 g; p=0.0002) for LO versus HI fiber. However, NDF and ADF digestibilities were greater (60.8 and 61.9 g/100 g vs. 55.8 and 52.7 g/100 g for NDF and ADF digestibility, respectively; p≤0.01) for the HI-fiber than the LO-fiber diets. Conclusion: Results obtained in the current study indicate that SC supplementation has a minimal effect on the performance of Awassi female lambs fed with varying fiber levels

Influence of polymorphisms in candidate genes on carcass and meat quality traits in rabbits.

Candidate gene is a powerful approach to study gene-trait association and offers valuable information for genetic improvement using marker-assisted selection. The current work aimed to study the polymorphisms of four single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) at located growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II), fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO), and insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) genes, and their association with the carcass, and meat quality traits in rabbits. The SNPs were genotyped using RFLP-PCR in New Zealand White and local Baladi rabbits. The results revealed that the heterozygous genotype was the most frequent in all cases, except for the FTO SNP in LB rabbits. There was a significant effect for GH genotypes on meat lightness after slaughter and hind-part weight. While, IGF-II mutation significantly affected slaughter, hot carcass, commercial carcass, and hind-part weights. The FTO SNP was associated with cooking loss and intramuscular fat weight, and the IRS-1 SNP was significantly associated with drip loss and intramuscular fat. Specific-breed effects were obtained for IGF-II SNP on cooking loss, and for the intramuscular fat. Although the results suggested that these mutations are useful candidate genes for selection, more research for detecting more variants associated with carcass and meat quality traits in rabbits are recommended

View of Saudi Arabia Strategy for Water Resources Management at Bishah, Aseer Southern Region Water Assessment

Water quality management is critical for the preservation of freshwater resources in semi-arid and arid areas, which are necessary for long-term development. Local authorities and water resource managers can allocate resources for potable or agricultural needs based on the quality of water in various places. A total of 14 water samples were collected and examined in this study. Microbiological, chemical and physical analyses were considered as important indicators for assessing water quality. Physical, chemical, and microbiological data were measured and evaluated as essential markers for determining water quality. A comparison was made between these characteristics and the King Saudi Water Standard (GSO149/2014). According to the findings, results of infiltration pond and Tabla Dam manifest the anthropogenic activities and natural influences of the greatest impact on water quality. Therefore, a reliable assessment approach for assessing water quality is very important for decision makers and for constructing sustainable development plans

Oxidation Ditches for Recycling and Reusing Wastewater Are Critical for Long-Term Sustainability—A Case Study

Because the cost of operation and maintenance is lower than those of chemical treatments, the aerobic biological oxidation method used to treat wastewater is very effective. An oxidation ditch can be classified as progressive aeration-activated sludge capable of removing organic pollutants and also nitrogen and phosphorus. The overall goal of this research is to analyse influent, effluent, and operating data over a seven-year period (2014–2020) to better understand process performance, identify knowledge gaps, and suggest potential improvements for the operating efficiency of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Bishah Governorate, which works with oxidation ditch technology. An examination of historical influent, effluent, and operational data shows that the Bishah WWTP has consistently met the national and international guidelines for wastewater reuse in restricted and unrestricted irrigation. The effluent ratio of the biodegradable organic material (BOD5)/chemical oxygen demand (COD) values ranged from 0.3 to 0.51 with an average of 0.41. Significant Pearson correlation coefficients (bivariate) between physico-chemicals merit, especially in total coliforms form, BOD5 and ammonia. It could be concluded that the operational performance of a wastewater treatment plant with an oxidation ditch in Bishah is working well according to national and international standards

Oxidation Ditches for Recycling and Reusing Wastewater Are Critical for Long-Term Sustainability—A Case Study

Because the cost of operation and maintenance is lower than those of chemical treatments, the aerobic biological oxidation method used to treat wastewater is very effective. An oxidation ditch can be classified as progressive aeration-activated sludge capable of removing organic pollutants and also nitrogen and phosphorus. The overall goal of this research is to analyse influent, effluent, and operating data over a seven-year period (2014–2020) to better understand process performance, identify knowledge gaps, and suggest potential improvements for the operating efficiency of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Bishah Governorate, which works with oxidation ditch technology. An examination of historical influent, effluent, and operational data shows that the Bishah WWTP has consistently met the national and international guidelines for wastewater reuse in restricted and unrestricted irrigation. The effluent ratio of the biodegradable organic material (BOD5)/chemical oxygen demand (COD) values ranged from 0.3 to 0.51 with an average of 0.41. Significant Pearson correlation coefficients (bivariate) between physico-chemicals merit, especially in total coliforms form, BOD5 and ammonia. It could be concluded that the operational performance of a wastewater treatment plant with an oxidation ditch in Bishah is working well according to national and international standards

The importance of propolis in alleviating the negative physiological effects of heat stress in quail chicks

<div><p>Heat stress is one of the most detrimental confrontations in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, causing considerable economic losses in poultry production. Propolis, a resinous product of worker honeybees, possesses several biological activities that could be used to alleviate the deleterious effects of high environmental temperature on poultry production. The current study was aimed at evaluating the effects of propolis supplementation to Japanese quail (<i>Coturnix coturnix japonica</i>) diets on the production performance, intestinal histomorphology, relative physiological and immunological parameters, and selected gene expression under heat stress conditions. Three hundred one-day-old Japanese quail chicks were randomly distributed into 20 wired-cages. At 28 d of age, the birds were divided into 2 temperature treatment groups; a normal at 24°C (C group) and a heat stress at 35°C (HS group). The birds in each group were further assigned to 2 subgroups; one of them was fed on a basal diet without propolis supplementation (-Pr subgroup) while the other was supplemented with propolis (+Pr subgroup). Production performance including body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were measured. The intestinal histomorphological measurements were also performed for all treatment groups. Relative physiological parameters including body temperature, corticosterone hormone level, malondialdehyde (MDA) and free triiodothyronine hormone (fT3), as well as the relative immunological parameters including the total white blood cells count (TWBC’s), heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and lymphocyte proliferation index, were also measured. Furthermore, the mRNA expression for toll like receptor 5 (TLR5), cysteine-aspartic protease-6 (CASP6) and heat shock proteins 70 and 90 (Hsp70 and Hsp90) genes was quantified in this study. The quail production performance was significantly (P<0.05) impaired by HS treatment, while Pr treatment significantly improved the quail production performance. The villus width and area were significantly (P<0.05) lower in the HS compared to the C group, while Pr treatment significantly increased crypts depth of quail. A negative impact of HS treatment was observed on the physiological status of quail; however, propolis significantly alleviated this negative effect. Moreover, quail of the HS group expressed lower immunological parameters than C group, while propolis enhanced the immune status of the quail. The relative mRNA expression of TLR5 gene was down-regulated by HS treatment while it was up-regulated by the Pr treatment. Furthermore, the positive effects of propolis in HS-quail were evidenced by normalizing the high expressions of CASP6 and Hsp70 genes when compared to the C group. Based on these results, the addition of propolis to quail diets as a potential nutritional strategy in order to improve their performance, especially under heat stress conditions, is recommended.</p></div

Least square means for the production performance traits as affected by heat stress and dietary propolis supplementation in Japanese quail.

<p>Least square means for the production performance traits as affected by heat stress and dietary propolis supplementation in Japanese quail.</p

The hepatic relative expression of TLR5, CASP6, Hsp70 and Hsp90 genes as affected by heat stress and dietary propolis supplementation in Japanese quail.

<p>Bars express the means ± standard error of means (n = 10). C: control groups that were exposed to 24°C; HS: heat stress groups that were exposed to 35°C; -Pr: subgroups without dietary propolis supplementation; +Pr: subgroups with dietary propolis supplementation. ^a-b Means within the same gene with different superscripts are significantly different (P<0.05). The main effects of heat stress (HS), propolis (Pr) and their interaction (HSxPr) are provided for each gene in the table (S: significant; NS: non-significant).</p

Least square means for the histomorphological measurements of small intestines as affected by heat stress and dietary propolis supplementation in Japanese quail.

<p>Least square means for the histomorphological measurements of small intestines as affected by heat stress and dietary propolis supplementation in Japanese quail.</p