Feeding soy or fish meal to Alaskan reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) – effects on animal performance and meat quality

Fourteen reindeer (8 steers and 6 females) were used to compare the effects of two different reindeer diets (a feed mix based on barley, brome hay and soybean meal (SBM) or fishmeal (WFM) as protein source) on animal growth performance, feed conversion efficiency and ultimate meat quality. Samples from free-ranging reindeer (n=4; 2 steers and 2 females) on the Seward Peninsula were included to provide comparisons with the traditional reindeer meat produced in Alaska. No significant difference was observed in overall weight gain between the WFM and SBM animals or between females and steers; however, the feed conversion efficiency was significantly higher for the reindeer fed the WFM mix. Carcass dressing percentage from the SBM group was higher compared with the WFM animals. No differences were found in live weight, carcass characteristics, meat pH, temperature decline, shear force, meat color or cooking loss when comparing the treatment groups. The meat samples (M. longissimus) from the free-range group had the highest amount of omega-3 fatty acids and also the highest amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Meat from the animals fed SBM was significantly higher in triglyceride content and lower in phospholipid content compared with the two other groups. No significant differences were found when the trained panel compared the sensory attributes of the meat. Off-flavor attributes related to “wild’ or “gamey” flavor was reported by consumers for samples from the WFM and free-range reindeer (15 and 24 per cent of the consumers, respectively). No “fish-related” flavor was reported. In conclusion, no negative effects in either animal performance or meat quality characteristics by using fish meal as opposed to soybean meal as a protein supplement in a milled reindeer diet were found.Abstract in Swedish / Sammandrag:Utfordring av ren med soja- eller fiskmjøl – effekter på tillväxt, foderutnyttjande och köttkvalitet I vår undersökning ingick 14 renar (8 kastrerade sarvar (härkar)och 6 vajor) för att jämföra effekter av två olika renfoder (baserade på korn, hö och soja- (SBM) eller fiskmjöl (WFM) som proteintillskott) med avseende på tillväxt, foderutnyttjande och köttkvalitet. Köttprover från naturbetande renar (n=4; 2 härkar och 2 vajor) från Seward Peninsula inkluderades i studien för att representera kvaliteten på traditionellt producerat renkött från Alaska. Inga signifikanta skillnader i tillväxt observerades, varken mellan SBM- och WFM-grupperna eller mellan härkar och vajor. Foderutnyttjandet var dock signifikant bättre hos WFM-renarna. Slaktutbytet var högst för renarna i SBM-gruppen, däremot rapporterades inga skillnader i levandevikt, slaktkroppsegenskaper, pH-värde och temperatur i ytterfilén, skärmotstånd, färg eller vattenhållande förmåga i köttet när de tre grupperna av renar jämfördes (SBM, WFM och naturbetande djur). Köttet från de naturbetande renarna hade det signifikant högsta innehållet av både omega-3-fettsyror och av fleromättade fettsyror. Kött från SBM-renarna hade det högsta innehållet av triglycerider och det lägsta innehållet av fosfolipider jämfört med de andra två grupperna. Den tränade smakpanelen kunde inte hitta några skillnader i sensoriska egenskaper hos köttet från renarna i de tre olika grupperna. I en konsumentundersökning rapporterades kommentarer om olika ”vilt-relaterade” bismaker i kött från naturbetande renar (24% av konsumenterna) och från WFM-gruppen (15% av konsumenterna), men inga ”fisk-liknande” bismaker i köttet kunde påvisas. Att byta ut sojamjöl mot fiskmjöl som proteintillskott i renfoder hade inga negativa effekter på renarnas tillväxt, foderutnyttjande eller på renköttets kvalitet

Further Investigation Evaluating the Effect of Dietary Chromium Propionate and Yucca schidigera Supplementation in Finishing Pig Diets

A total of 2,430 pigs (PIC 359 × 1050; initial BW = 64.6 lb) were used to evaluate the effects of dietary chromium propionate (Cr; KemTRACE Cr, Kemin Industries, Des Moines, IA) and a Yucca schidigera-based extract (Micro-Aid; DPI Global, Porterville, CA) on growth performance of finishing pigs housed in commercial conditions. Pigs were placed in balanced, mixed-gender pens (27 pigs per pen), blocked by average pen BW, and randomly assigned to treatment. Diets were corn-soybean meal-based and were formulated in 5 dietary phases to meet or exceed NRC6 requirement estimates. Dietary treatments were fed for the full duration of the study and were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial with 14 pens per treatment. Main effects included chromium (0 or 200 ppb added Cr), and Yucca schidigera extract (0, 62.5, or 125 ppm active ingredient). For the overall study, a marginally significant (linear; P ≤ 0.072) Cr × Yucca schidigera interaction was observed for ADG and ADFI. Pigs fed Yucca schidigera without added Cr had similar ADG and ADFI; however, pigs fed added Cr had increased ADG and ADFI as Yucca schidigera increased from 62.5 to 125 ppm. Added Cr had no effect on F/G (P \u3e 0.05). Increasing Yucca schidigera resulted in a marginally significant poorer (quadratic; P = 0.057) F/G. The main effect of added Yucca schidigera on final BW (quadratic; P = 0.012) resulted in pens which were supplemented with 62.5 ppm having the lowest final BW. Carcass characteristics, including HCW, loin depth, backfat, percentage lean, and percentage yield, were not influenced by added Cr (P ≥ 0.278). Added Yucca schidigera did not influence loin depth, backfat, percentage lean, or percentage yield (P ≥ 0.152). In summary, adding Cr propionate along with Yucca schidigera led to modest changes in performance, with the greatest benefit observed with 200 ppb Cr and 125 ppm (active ingredient) Yucca schidigera

Machine Learning Approach for Prescriptive Plant Breeding

We explored the capability of fusing high dimensional phenotypic trait (phenomic) data with a machine learning (ML) approach to provide plant breeders the tools to do both in-season seed yield (SY) prediction and prescriptive cultivar development for targeted agro-management practices (e.g., row spacing and seeding density). We phenotyped 32 SoyNAM parent genotypes in two independent studies each with contrasting agro-management treatments (two row spacing, three seeding densities). Phenotypic trait data (canopy temperature, chlorophyll content, hyperspectral reflectance, leaf area index, and light interception) were generated using an array of sensors at three growth stages during the growing season and seed yield (SY) determined by machine harvest. Random forest (RF) was used to train models for SY prediction using phenotypic traits (predictor variables) to identify the optimal temporal combination of variables to maximize accuracy and resource allocation. RF models were trained using data from both experiments and individually for each agro-management treatment. We report the most important traits agnostic of agro-management practices. Several predictor variables showed conditional importance dependent on the agro-management system. We assembled predictive models to enable in-season SY prediction, enabling the development of a framework to integrate phenomics information with powerful ML for prediction enabled prescriptive plant breeding

Association of CSSM066 and ILSTS011 microsatellite markers and thyroglobulin gene SNP with backfat in Canchim cattle

Canchim, a synthetic breed of cattle derived from the Charolais and Zebu group has been used in the beef-cattle industry in Brazil as an alternative for intensifying production. One of the main concerns with this breed is its poor fat deposition and consequently, there is an effort to increase the performance for this trait. The thyroglobulin gene is located in a QTL region for fat deposition, and reports describe the influence of a polymorphism in the 5´ leader sequence of that gene on marbling and subcutaneous fat thickness. This study analyzed the association of this polymorphism in the thyroglobulin gene, as well as of two flanking microsatellite markers, CSSM066 and ILSTS011, with backfat thickness in 987 Canchim beef cattle. The CSSM066 and ILSTS011 microsatellite markers have a effect on fat thickness in the studied populations. However, this trait did not have association with the polymorphism of the thyroglobulin gene, which suggests that other genes of bovine chromosome 14 may be responsible for the variation in this trait