High quality cassava PEEL® mash supplemented with direct fed microbial as an alternate source of energy supplement: effect on performance and economic analysis of weaned pig

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Direct fed microbial (DFM) on High quality cassava peel® (HQCP) utilization when HQCP is used to replace maize up to 15% out of total 40% maize in the diet of weaned pigs for weaner phase(1-8week), early growing phase(9-14week) and total trial period (1-14week). A total number of ninety (90) crossbred (Large White × Landrace) weaned pigs with an average initial weight of 11.10 ± 0.4 kg (± SE) were used for the study. The experimental animals were assigned to five dietary treatments (T) in a 2 × 2 +1 factorial design of eighteen weaned pigs per treatment. Pigs on T1 were given 40% maize- based diet without HQCP, while T2 had 7.5kg (18.75%) of the total maize replaced with HQCP and T3 had 15kg (37.5%) of total maize replaced with HQCP. The pigs on T4 were given same diet as in T2 with the addition of multi-strain DFM and pigs on T5 were given the same diet with those on T3 with addition of multi-strain DFM. Experimental diets had no significant effects (p>0.05) on the body weight gain, final live weight, average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio were not adversely affected by the inclusion of HQCP and DFM supplementation in the diets for weaner phase and total trial period. For weaner phase the least final weight (24.42kg) was recorded in treatment 3 while the highest final (26.97kg) weight was recorded in treatment 2. Treatment 2 also recorded the highest final weight (40.25kg) for total trial period, but it was treatment 5 that has the least weight gain (36.77kg) for total trial period. Treatment 4 recorded the lowest daily weight gain (236.57g) for weaner phase while the highest daily weight gain (285.87g) for this phase was recorded in treatment 2. The same trend goes for the total trial period for the daily weight gain for total trial period. There was no significant (P>0.05) effect of DFM on the performance of the pigs for neither weaner phase nor for total trial period, as the treatments (T4&T5) with DFM inclusion did not give improved performance over the treatment(T2&T3) without the DFM. The feed conversion ratios range of 2.60 to 3.10 was obtained for weaner phase in this study. Treatment 2 recorded the least feed conversion ratio (2.60) while treatment 4 feed conversion ratio (3.10) was the highest. There was neither significant (P>0.05) effect of HQCP level nor DFM inclusion on all the performance parameters. The interaction between HQCP levels and DFM was likewise not significant (P>0.05). The cost of feeding per unit weight gain (₦/kg) was comparable among the groups mainly due to the savings on account of the lower cost of HQCP for both phases. It was therefore concluded that weaned pig can utilized HQCP up to 15% without any deleterious effect on their performance while addition of DFM may not be necessary in order to reduce cost of production

High quality cassava peel mash supplemented with direct fed microbial as an alternate source of energy supplement: Effects on performance and blood parameters in growing pig

The feeding trial was carried out to determine the effect of feeding high quality cassava peel mash (HQCP) with or without multi-strain direct fed microbials (DFM) as replacement for maize in the diet of growing pigs on growth, cost benefit, haematology and serum biochemical indices. A total of 90 growing pigs with an initial weight of 25.36±0.87 kg were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments in a 2×2+1 factorial arrangement in a completely randomised design. The factors were 2 levels of HQCP (7.5% and 15%), two DFMinclusions and a control diet with neitherHQCPnorDFM. Pigs on T1 were given corn (40%) based diet without HQCP, T2 had 18.75% of Maize (7.5kg) replaced by HQCP and T3 had 37.5% of total Maize (15kg) replaced byHQCP. The pigs in T4were given same diet as in T2 with addition of multi-strain DFMand animals on T5 were given the same diet with those on T3 with addition of multi-strain DFM microbial. Each treatment group had three replicates with six animals per replicate. No significant (P>0.05) difference was observed in the performance characteristics of the growing pigs among the diets. The body weight gain ranged between 10.97 and 13.56 Kg in T5 and T3, respectively. The least feed conversion ratio of 3.98 was observed in T3 while the highest feed conversion ratio (4.77) was observed in T5.All the haematological and serum biochemical indices examined were not significantly (P>0.05) different among the treatments. There was no significant (P>0.05) effect ofHQCP, DFM or their interaction on all the haematological parameters analysed. There was significant effect of HQCP and DFM interaction on the serum cholesterol (p=0.0062), high density lipoprotein (p=0.05) and low density lipoprotein (p=0.0018). It can be concluded from this study that growing pigs can utilize HQCP up to 15% in their diet without any adverse effect

Target capture sequencing for the first Nigerian genotype I ASFV genome

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease that affects domestic pigs and wild boars, causing significant economic losses globally. After the first Nigerian outbreak in 1997, there have been frequent reports of ASF in pig-producing regions in the country. To facilitate control, it is important to understand the genotype and phylogenetic relationship of ASF viruses (ASFVs). Recent genetic analysis of Nigerian ASFV isolates has revealed the presence of both genotypes I and II; this is based on analysis of a few selected genes. Phylogenetic analysis of ASFV whole genomes highlights virus origins and evolution in greater depth. However, there is currently no information on the ASFV genome from Nigerian isolates. Two ASFV-positive samples were detected during a random survey of 150 Nigerian indigenous pig samples collected in 2016. We assembled near-complete genomes of the two ASFV-positive samples using in-solution hybrid capture sequencing. The genome-wide phylogenetic tree assigned these two genomes into p72 genotype I, particularly close to the virulent Benin 97/1 strain. The two ASFVs share 99.94 and 99.92 % genomic sequence identity to Benin97/1. This provides insight into the origin and relationship of ASFV strains from Nigeria and Italy. The study reports for the first time the determination of near-complete genomes of ASFV using in-solution hybrid capture sequencing, which represents an important advance in understanding the global evolutionary landscape of ASFVs