Methane Emissions of Differently Fed Dairy Cows and Corresponding Methane and Nitrogen Emissions from their Manure during Storage

This study investigated the effects of supplementing 40 g lauric acid (C12) kg-1 dry matter (DM) in feed on methane emissions from early-lactating dairy cows and the associated effects on methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia release from the manure during storage. Stearic acid (C18), a fatty acid without assumed methane-suppressing potential in the digestive tract of ruminants, was added at 40 g kg-1 DM to a control diet. The complete feed consisted of forage and concentrate in a ratio of 1.5:1 (DM basis). The manure was stored for 14 weeks either as complete slurry or, separately, as urine-rich slurry and farmyard manure representing two common storage systems. Methane release of the cows, as measured in respiratory chambers, was lower with C12 by about 20%, but this was mostly resulting from a reduced feed intake and, partly, from a lower rate of fibre digestion. As milk yield declined less than feed intake, methane emission per kg of milk was significantly lower with C12 (11.4 g) than with C18 (14.0 g). Faeces of C12-fed cows had a higher proportion of undigested fibre and accordingly methane release from their manure was higher compared with the manure obtained from the C18-fed cows. Overall, manure-derived methane accounted for8.2% and 15.4% of total methane after 7 and 14 weeks of storage, respectively. The evolution of methane widely differed between manure types and dietary treatments, with a retarded onset of release in complete slurry particularly in the C12 treatment. Emissions of nitrous oxide were lower in the manures from the C12 treatment. This partially compensated for the higher methane release from the C12 manure with respect to the greenhouse gas potential. The total greenhouse gas potential (cow and manure together) accounted for 8.7 and 10.5 kg equivalents of CO2 cow-1 d-1with C12 and C18, respectively. At unaffected urine-N proportion ammonia and total nitrogen losses from stored manure were lower with C12 than with C18 corresponding to the differences in feed and nitrogen intake. The present results suggest that manure storage significantly contributes to total methane emission from dairy husbandry, and that the identification of effective dietary mitigation strategies has to consider both the digestive tract of the animals and the corresponding manur

The establishment and rapid spread of Sagittaria Platyphylla in South Africa:

Sagittaria platyphylla Engelm. (Alismataceae) is a freshwater aquatic macrophyte that has become an important invasive weed in freshwater systems in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and recently China. In South Africa, due to its rapid increase in distribution and ineffective control options, it is recognised as one of the country’s worst invasive aquatic alien plants. In this paper, we investigate the spread of the plant since its first detection in 2008, and the management strategies currently carried out against it. Despite early detection and rapid response programmes, which included chemical and mechanical control measures, the plant was able to spread both within and between sites, increasing from just one site in 2008 to 72 by 2019. Once introduced into a lotic system, the plant was able to spread rapidly, in some cases up to 120 km within 6 years, with an average of 10 km per year. The plant was successfully extirpated at some sites, however, due to the failure of chemical and mechanical control, biological control is currently being considered as a potential control option

Nitrogen and sulphur management: challenges for organic sources in temperate agricultural systems

A current global trend towards intensification or specialization of agricultural enterprises has been accompanied by increasing public awareness of associated environmental consequences. Air and water pollution from losses of nutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S), are a major concern. Governments have initiated extensive regulatory frameworks, including various land use policies, in an attempt to control or reduce the losses. This paper presents an overview of critical input and loss processes affecting N and S for temperate climates, and provides some background to the discussion in subsequent papers evaluating specific farming systems. Management effects on potential gaseous and leaching losses, the lack of synchrony between supply of nutrients and plant demand, and options for optimizing the efficiency of N and S use are reviewed. Integration of inorganic and organic fertilizer inputs and the equitable re-distribution of nutrients from manure are discussed. The paper concludes by highlighting a need for innovative research that is also targeted to practical approaches for reducing N and S losses, and improving the overall synchrony between supply and demand

International consensus definition of low anterior resection syndrome

Aim: Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is pragmatically defined as disordered bowel function after rectal resection leading to a detriment in quality of life. This broad characterization does not allow for precise estimates of prevalence. The LARS score was designed as a simple tool for clinical evaluation of LARS. Although the LARS score has good clinical utility, it may not capture all important aspects that patients may experience. The aim of this collaboration was to develop an international consensus definition of LARS that encompasses all aspects of the condition and is informed by all stakeholders. Method: This international patient–provider initiative used an online Delphi survey, regional patient consultation meetings, and an international consensus meeting. Three expert groups participated: patients, surgeons and other health professionals from five regions (Australasia, Denmark, Spain, Great Britain and Ireland, and North America) and in three languages (English, Spanish, and Danish). The primary outcome measured was the priorities for the definition of LARS. Results: Three hundred twenty-five participants (156 patients) registered. The response rates for successive rounds of the Delphi survey were 86%, 96% and 99%. Eighteen priorities emerged from the Delphi survey. Patient consultation and consensus meetings refined these priorities to eight symptoms and eight consequences that capture essential aspects of the syndrome. Sampling bias may have been present, in particular, in the patient panel because social media was used extensively in recruitment. There was also dominance of the surgical panel at the final consensus meeting despite attempts to mitigate this. Conclusion: This is the first definition of LARS developed with direct input from a large international patient panel. The involvement of patients in all phases has ensured that the definition presented encompasses the vital aspects of the patient experience of LARS. The novel separation of symptoms and consequences may enable greater sensitivity to detect changes in LARS over time and with intervention

International consensus definition of low anterior resection syndrome

Aim: Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is pragmatically defined as disordered bowel function after rectal resection leading to a detriment in quality of life. This broad characterization does not allow for precise estimates of prevalence. The LARS score was designed as a simple tool for clinical evaluation of LARS. Although the LARS score has good clinical utility, it may not capture all important aspects that patients may experience. The aim of this collaboration was to develop an international consensus definition of LARS that encompasses all aspects of the condition and is informed by all stakeholders. Method: This international patient–provider initiative used an online Delphi survey, regional patient consultation meetings, and an international consensus meeting. Three expert groups participated: patients, surgeons and other health professionals from five regions (Australasia, Denmark, Spain, Great Britain and Ireland, and North America) and in three languages (English, Spanish, and Danish). The primary outcome measured was the priorities for the definition of LARS. Results: Three hundred twenty-five participants (156 patients) registered. The response rates for successive rounds of the Delphi survey were 86%, 96% and 99%. Eighteen priorities emerged from the Delphi survey. Patient consultation and consensus meetings refined these priorities to eight symptoms and eight consequences that capture essential aspects of the syndrome. Sampling bias may have been present, in particular, in the patient panel because social media was used extensively in recruitment. There was also dominance of the surgical panel at the final consensus meeting despite attempts to mitigate this. Conclusion: This is the first definition of LARS developed with direct input from a large international patient panel. The involvement of patients in all phases has ensured that the definition presented encompasses the vital aspects of the patient experience of LARS. The novel separation of symptoms and consequences may enable greater sensitivity to detect changes in LARS over time and with intervention

Methane Emissions of Differently Fed Dairy Cows and Corresponding Methane and Nitrogen Emissions from their Manure during Storage

ISSN:0167-6369ISSN:1573-295

I bovini svizzeri Holstein grigi, ricci e a pelo corto presentano tracce genetiche della razza Simmental

Vereinzelt treten in der Schweiz schwarz-weiss gescheckte Kälber auf, die im pigmentierten Bereich ein besonderes Fell aufweisen. Ansonsten sind diese Tiere normal entwickelt. Die weissen Haare sind normal, sie erscheinen jedoch verhältnismässig lang und glatt. Dagegen sind die pigmentierten Haare kraus und verkürzt. Zudem weisen die betroffenen Tiere eine variable Intensität der Fellfarbe im pigmentierten Bereich auf. Betroffene Kälber erscheinen bei Geburt eher schwarz, wobei mit zunehmendem Alter unterschiedlich aufgehellte Farben von rotbräunlich bis grau auftreten. Bei adulten Rindern erscheinen die farbigen Haare eher glatt, jedoch deutlich verkürzt. Damit verbunden ist eine sich während des Wachstums verstärkende, variable und auf den pigmentierten Bereich des Fells beschränkte Minderbehaarung. Dieses Phänomen der farbassoziierten Hypotrichose ist zuvor international in verschiedenen Fleischrinderpopulationen beschrieben worden. Diese Rinder sind oftmals einfarbig schwarz mit nur wenigen kleinen weissen Abzeichen. Auf Grund des Haarverlusts im pigmentierten Fell und insbesondere am pigmentierten Schwanz ist neben dem Begriff der kreuzungsbedingten kongenitalen Hypotrichose auch vom rat-tail syndrome gesprochen worden. Molekulargenetische Untersuchungen haben gezeigt, dass die betroffenen Tiere jeweils heterozygote Träger für zwei mit der Pigmentierung assoziierten Varianten in zwei verschiedenen Genen gewesen sind. Dieselbe Genotyp-Konstellation weisen auch die hier vorgestellten 33 ähnlich betroffenen Rinder aus der Schweiz auf. Einerseits tragen sie jeweils eine Kopie der MC1R Genvariante für die dominant vererbte schwarze Fellfarbe, sowie eine Kopie der rezessiv vererbten Rotfaktorvariante im MC1R Gen. Andererseits sind alle Fälle heterozygote Anlageträger für eine Variante im PMEL Gen, die mit einer semidominant vererbten Form der Farbverdünnung (falb) bei Simmental, Hereford und Highland Cattle assoziiert ist. Die seit Jahrzehnten praktizierte Einkreuzung der Rasse Holstein ins Original Simmental erklärt das gelegentliche Vorkommen dieses Phänomens in der Schweizer Rinderzucht.Occasionally black-and-white spotted calves appear in Switzerland, which show a special fur only in the pigmented area. Otherwise these animals are normally developed. The white hairs are normal, but they appear relatively long and smooth, because the pigmented hairs are curly and thus appear shortened. In addition, the affected animals show a variable intensity of coat colour in the pigmented area. At birth affected calves often appear black, whereas older cattle show bright colours from reddish brown to grey. This is associated with a variable hair loss that increases during growth and is limited to the pigmented area of the coat. In adult cattle the coloured hairs appear rather smooth, but they are considerably shorter. This phenomenon of pigmentation-associated hypotrichosis was previously described internationally in various beef cattle populations. The affected cattle are often solid black and show only small white spots. Therefore, the loss of hair at the pigmented fur and most visibly at the pigmented tail is called rat-tail syndrome. Another name used is also crossbreeding-related congenital hypotrichosis. Molecular genetic investigations showed that the affected animals are heterozygous carriers for two variants in two different genes associated with pigmentation. The same genotype constellation was found in the 33 similarly affected cattle from Switzerland presented here. On one hand, they each carry a copy of the MC1R gene gain-of-function variant causing dominant black, as well as a copy of the recessively inherited red factor loss-of-function variant in the MC1R gene. On the other hand, all cases are heterozygous carriers for a variant in the PMEL gene that is associated with a semi-dominantly inherited form of colour dilution (dun or silver) in Simmental, Hereford and Highland Cattle. The introgression of Holstein cattle into the Original Simmental breed, which has been practised for decades, explains the occasional occurrence of this phenomenon in Swiss cattle breeding.En Suisse, on peut parfois observer des veaux tachetés noirs et blancs présentant un pelage spécial uniquement dans la zone pigmentée des poils. Ces animaux sont normalement développés; les poils blancs sont normaux mais semblent relativement longs et lisses, alors que les poils pigmentés sont bouclés et raccourcis. En outre, les animaux atteints présentent une intensité variable de la couleur du pelage dans la zone pigmentée. À la naissance, ces veaux apparaissent souvent noirs, alors qu’en grandissant ils présentent une couleur plus claire allant du brun rougeâtre au gris. Chez les bovins adultes, les poils colorés semblent plutôt lisses mais sont nettement raccourcis. Ceci est associé à une diminution de la pilosité variable augmentant pendant la croissance et se limitant à la zone pigmentée du pelage. Ce phénomène d’hypotrichose associée à la pigmentation a déjà été décrit au niveau international dans diverses races à viande bovines. Ces bovins sont souvent d’un noir uniforme et ne présentent que de petites taches blanches. En raison de la perte de poils dans le pelage pigmenté et plus visiblement au niveau de la queue pigmentée, on appelle ce syndrome syndrome de la queue de rat (rat-tail syndrom), également appelé hypotrichose congénitale liée au croisement. Les études de génétique moléculaire ont montré que les animaux affectés sont porteurs hétérozygotes de deux variantes de deux gènes différents associés à la pigmentation. La même constellation génotypique a été retrouvée chez les 33 bovins suisses présentés ici. D’une part, ces derniers portent chacun une copie de la variante du gène dominant MC1R causant le noir, ainsi qu’une copie de la variante récessive du facteur rouge dans le gène MC1R. D’autre part, tous les cas sont porteurs hétérozygotes d’une variante du gène PMEL associée à une forme de dilution de couleur semi-dominante héréditaire (dun ou argent) chez les races Simmental, Hereford et Highland Cattle. Le croisement des bovins Holstein avec la race Simmental originale, pratiquée depuis des décennies, explique la présence occasionnelle de ce phénomène dans l’élevage bovin suisse.Di tanto in tanto, in Svizzera nascono vitelli maculati di bianco e nero, che hanno un pelo particolare solo nella zona pigmentata. Altrimenti questi animali hanno uno sviluppo normale. I peli bianchi sono normali, ma appaiono relativamente lunghi e lisci mentre i peli pigmentati sono ricci e corti. Inoltre, gli animali in questione mostrano un’intensità variabile del colore del mantello nella zona pigmentata. I vitelli coinvolti tendono ad apparire neri alla nascita, ma con l’età cambiano con vari gradi di schiarimento dal bruno rossastro al grigio. Nei bovini adulti, i peli colorati appaiono piuttosto lisci, ma notevolmente accorciati. Questo viene associato durante la crescita a un incremento della pelosità ridotta che è variabile e limitata alla zona pigmentata del mantello. Questo fenomeno di ipotricosi associata ai colori è stato già precedentemente descritto a livello internazionale in varie popolazioni di bovini da carne. Questi bovini sono spesso di colore nero monocromatico con solo poche e piccole macchie bianche. A causa della perdita dei peli del mantello pigmentato e soprattutto sulla coda pigmentata, è stato usato il termine rat-tail syndrome in aggiunta al termine ipotricosi congenita causata dall’incrocio. Studi di genetica molecolare hanno dimostrato che gli animali colpiti erano portatori eterozigoti per due varianti associate alla pigmentazione in due geni diversi. La stessa costellazione di genotipi si è rilevata anche nei 33 bovini qui presentati provenienti dalla Svizzera, che sono stati colpiti in modo molto simile. Da un lato, ognuno di essi porta una copia della variante del gene MC1R per il colore del mantello nero ereditato dominante, così come una copia della variante del fattore rosso ereditato recessivamente nel gene MC1R. D’altra parte, tutti i casi sono portatori eterozigoti per una variante del gene PMEL associata a una forma semidominante di dispersione del colore (giallo pallido) nelle razze Simmental, Hereford e ­Highland Cattle. L’incrocio della razza Holstein con la razza Original Simmental, praticato da decenni, spiega il verificarsi occasionale di questo fenomeno nell’allevamento bovino svizzero