Effects of nursery management practices on morphological quality attributes of tree seedlings at planting: The case of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

Even though oil palm production is associated with forest clearance and environmental degradation, it is also considered a potential carbon sink. For oil palm to fulfil its potential role in environmental sustainability, high quality seedlings are required. Nursery managers in Benin who produce oil palm seedlings for owners of small farms ignored recommended practices and developed their own. To evaluate the efficacy of their nursery management practices in terms of seedling growth, 2 experiments were conducted. Three polybag sizes (5 L, 8 L, and 15 L) in combination with 4 types of soil substrates and 3 fertiliser treatments were implemented in both experiments in a factorial design. Biomass (shoot, root, shoot-to-root ratio) and allometric (seedling height, number of leaves, length of most developed leaf, root-collar diameter) variables were measured 8 or 6 months after transplanting. Polybag size was the main factor determining oil palm seedling growth in both experiments. Applying 10 g fertiliser once a month was harmful to seedling survival with lethal effects in 5 L polybags. Arable soil with animal manure in 8 L polybags without any fertiliser supply sustained seedling growth well; this practice seemed to be the best balance between quality and production cost although 15 L polybags produced the best seedlings. Growth variables were highly correlated. Height and root-collar diameter constitute good candidates to estimate seedling biomass production non-destructively. The treatment effects on total biomass produced were similar for the 2 experiments. Given the observed large effects of polybag size on seedling growth, our findings suggest that fertiliser addition or substrate selection cannot overrule container size effects; the latter should be considered carefully for (forest and crop) tree seedling production in nurseries

High-yield dairy cattle breeds improve farmer incomes, curtail greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dairy import dependency in Tanzania

Tanzania’s dairy sector is poorly developed, creating reliance on imports for processed, value-added dairy products and threatening food security, particularly when supply chains are disrupted due to market volatility or armed conflicts. The Tanzanian Dairy Development Roadmap is a domestic development initiative that aims to achieve dairy self-sufficiency by 2030. Here, we model different outcomes of the roadmap, finding that adoption of high-yield cattle breeds is essential for reducing dairy import dependency. Avoided land use change resulting from fewer, higher yielding dairy cattle would lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Dairy producers’ average incomes could increase despite capital expenditure and land allocation required for the adoption of high-yield breeds. Our findings demonstrate the importance of bottom-up development policies for sustainable food system transformations, which also support food sovereignty, increase incomes for smallholder farmers and contribute towards Tanzania’s commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Perfil microbiológico, celular e fatores de risco associados à mastite subclínica em cabras no semiárido da Paraíba Cellular and microbiological profiles and risk factors for subclinical mastitis in goats in the semi-arid region of Paraíba

Foi realizado um estudo da mastite subclínica em nove rebanhos de cabras leiteiras no semiárido paraibano com o objetivo de determinar a ocorrência da infecção, avaliar o perfil microbiológico e celular do leite, testar a sensibilidade dos microorganismos isolados frente a antimicrobianos além de identificar os fatores de risco. Foram utilizadas 131 cabras leiteiras das quais foram colhidas 261 amostras de leite para exame microbiológico e 131 para contagem de células somáticas (CCS). Na ocasião das colheitas foi realizado o California Mastitis Test (CMT) e aplicado um questionário epidemiológico por propriedade. Houve crescimento bacteriano em 30 amostras (11,49%) com 25 (83,33%) dos isolados identificados como Staphylococcus coagulase negativa e cinco (16,66%) Staphylococcus aureus. A média de CCS foi de 1,39x10(6) células/ml. O CMT apresentou baixa sensibilidade (46,7%) e baixa especificidade (60,6%) quando comparado ao exame microbiológico. A gentamicina e a associação da neomicina, bacitracina e tetraciclina foram os antimicrobianos contra os quais os microrganismos isolados apresentaram 100% de sensibilidade. Penicilina e ampicilina foram os de maiores índices de resistência (66,67% e 63,89%, respectivamente). A caprinocultura não ser a atividade principal da propriedade e o não isolamento de animais doentes, foram identificados como fatores de risco para a mastite subclínica caprina nas propriedades estudadas. Programas de controle e profilaxia da mastite devem ser implementados enfocando as medidas de higiene na ordenha e correção dos fatores de risco identificados nesse estudo.<br>A subclinical mastitis study was conducted in nine dairy goat herds in the semi-arid region of Paraíba state, Northeastern Brazil, to determine the occurrence of infection, to evaluate microbiological and cellular profiles of the milk, to test the sensitivity of isolated microorganisms to antimicrobials, and to identify risk factors. One hundred thirty-one dairy goats were used, 261 samples were collected for microbiological culture and 131 samples for somatic cells count (SCC). During collection, the California Mastitis Test (CMT) was conducted and an epidemiological questionnaire was applied for each herd. There was bacterial growth in 30 samples (11.49%), with 25 (83.33%) coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and five (16.66%) Staphylococcus aureus isolated. The SCC mean was 1.39x10(6) cells/ml. CMT presented low sensitivity (46.7%) and low specificity (60.6%) compared with microbiological culture. Gentamicin and the association of neomycin, bacitracin and tetracyclin were the antimicrobials against which the microorganisms isolated showed 100% sensitivity. Penicillin and ampicillin had the greatest resistance rates (66.67% and 63.89%, respectively). Goat breeding is not the main activity on the farms and do not isolate diseased animals were identified as risk factors for caprine subclinical mastitis. Program for the control and prophylaxis of mastitis must be implemented focusing primarily on hygiene cares at milking and correction of the risk factors identified in this study