The amount of oil in the diet and its degree of unsaturation are known to exert an important effect on the nature of the fat deposited in the body of the growing pig, foods of high oil content tending to give rise to bacon carcasses containing fat of an undesirably soft and unsaturated character. For this reason, authorities on pig nutrition are agreed on the desirability of excluding from the dietary of the bacon pig all foods containing more than a small percentage of oil. It has been stated that, in order to avoid the danger of producing carcasses with soft fat, the meal ration of the fattening pig should be made up so as to contain no more than about 3% of oil.

This prejudice against the use of feeding stuffs rich in oil has been transferred, somewhat unquestioningly perhaps, to feeding stuffs rich in fat. Feeding meat meal, for example, contains normally from 8 to 10 % of fat, and manufacturers complain of the difficulty of securing sales of this product for pig-feeding on account of the view generally held that its high fat content would occasion the production of soft fat in the resultant bacon or a carcass with an excessive amount of fat. To meet this prejudice, therefore, the meat meal as ordinarily produced is frequently submitted to a process of de-greasing with petroleum benzine at about 200° F. so as to give a meat meal containing about 3% of fat. This procedure, however, not only adds to the cost of the manufacture of meat meal, but may actually lead to a distinct lowering of the digestibility of the product (Woodman & Evans, 1937).

This group, which is concerned with the applications of mathematics to agricultural science, was formed in 1970 and has since met at approximately yearly intervals in London for one-day meetings. The thirty-ninth meeting of the group, chaired by Professor N. Crout of the University of Nottingham, was held in the Kohn Centre at the Royal Society, 6 Carlton House Terrace, London on Friday, 30 March 2007 when the following papers were read.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) is a cell surface receptor, belonging to the tyrosine kinase receptor superfamily. IGF1R plays a role not only in normal cell development but also in malignant transformation, which has become a candidate therapeutic target for the treatment of human cancer. This study aimed to explore insertions and deletions (indels) in IGF1R gene and investigate their association with growth traits in four Chinese cattle breeds (Xianan cattle, Jinnan cattle, Qinchuan cattle and Nanyang cattle). The current paper identified a 28-bp indel by polymerase chain reaction within IGF1R gene. The analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between the locus and the hucklebone width of Nanyang cattle in four periods, in which it was highly correlated at 6, 12 and 18 months. At the age of 6 months, it was also significantly correlated with body height, body weight and body length. Association analysis showed that the locus in Jinnan cattle was extremely significantly correlated with body slanting length and body weight, and significantly correlated with chest circumference. There was no significant correlation between this locus and growth traits of Xianan cattle and Qinchuan cattle. The detected indel in the IGF1R gene was significantly associated with growth traits in Jinnan and Nanyang cattle, and could be used as a molecular marker for growth trait selection.

Cultivar mixtures of winter barley and spring barley, together with their component monocultures, were grown in field trials to assess the effect of cultivar combinations on both straw and grain yield. The overall grain yields for all trials were significantly higher for the cultivar mixtures than for the corresponding component monocultures. Also, significant decreases in rhynchosporium disease severity for cultivar mixtures were recorded for most non-fungicide treatments. The size of these responses was often significantly correlated with the component number of the mixtures. The amount of straw produced in mixtures was sometimes changed significantly, but not always in a positive direction and it was only correlated with increasing mixture component number in two environments. No correlation of straw yield potential of cultivars with performance in mixtures was found. Cultivar × cultivar mixture × environment interactions appeared to affect the relative yield of grain and straw differentially and therefore it was not possible to predict the effect of mixtures on the harvest index.

The control of Campylobacter in poultry is considered a public health priority and some intervention strategies have been implemented in Denmark. Nonetheless, Campylobacter infection in poultry can still be considerable particularly during the summer when the most promising Campylobacter control strategy seems to be the use of fly screens. The use of cost-effective vaccines against Campylobacter is also desirable. In order to control Campylobacter, poultry producers need to make crucial decisions under conditions of uncertainty. With the aim of assisting poultry producers in decision making regarding Campylobacter control strategies, the objective of the present study was to produce a decision support system that integrated knowledge and used a Bayesian approach to handle uncertainty. This decision support system integrated epidemiological data, microbiological considerations, financial information and potential control strategies (the use of fly screens and hypothetical vaccines). In conclusion, results from model and sensitivity analyses indicated that the financial variables (cost–benefit functions) and the effectiveness of the different control strategies drove the results.

Vegetables are widely cultivated in high rainfall and mountainous regions in Sri Lanka with poor soil conservation practices. Accumulation of essential mineral and toxic trace elements in the soils and widely cultivated vegetables of this region are poorly understood. One hundred soil and vegetable (i.e. cabbage, carrot and potato) samples were collected at the time of harvest and analysed for element concentrations. Soils contained high concentrations of essential mineral (N, P, K, Cu, Zn and Mn) and toxic trace elements (As, Cd and Pb). When comparing edible parts, cabbage contained the highest concentrations of mineral and toxic trace elements, and potato contained the lowest. Irrespective of the crop, edible parts contained high concentrations of N, P, K (14–35, 2–6, 15–24 g/kg, respectively), and Cu, Zn, Mn (2.5–6.7, 11–30, 8–147 mg/kg, respectively). Vegetables also contained As, Cd and Pb (0.04–1, 0.02–0.15, 0.02–0.26 mg/kg, respectively), but did not exceed the maximum permissible limits. Irrespective of the crop, 36–64 kg N, 6–11 kg P and 35–45 kg K per ha were removed with the harvest. According to the current rate of vegetable consumption by Sri Lankans (i.e. 240 g fresh weight (FW) per day), per capita consumption of 0.05–0.2 mg Cu, 0.45–0.65 mg Zn and 0.5–2 mg Mn per day through these vegetables was observed, i.e. 5–23% Cu, 7.5–11% Zn and 22–87% Mn of the recommended daily intake. Vegetables grown in the region served as a key source of essential mineral elements. However, agronomic mitigation strategies are needed to improve soil health and sustainability of these cropping systems.

Cultivated pastures in southern China are being used to improve forage productivity and animal performance, but studies on grazing behaviour of goats in these cultivated pastures are still rare. In the current study, the grazing behaviour of Yunling black goats under low (5 goats/ha) and high (15 goats/ha) stocking rates (SRs) was evaluated. Data showed that the proportion of time goats spent on activities was: eating (0.59–0.87), ruminating (0.05–0.35), walking (0.03–0.06) and resting (0.01–0.03). Compared with low SR, goats spent more time eating and walking, and less time ruminating and resting under high SR. Goats had similar diet preferences under both SR and preferred to eat grasses (ryegrass and cocksfoot) more than a legume (white clover). The distribution of eating time on each forage species was more uniform under high v. low SR. Bites/step, bite weight and daily intake were greater under low than high SR. Results suggest that the SR affects grazing behaviour of goats on cultivated pasture, and identifying an optimal SR is critical for increasing bite weight and intake.

Mixed crop–livestock systems, the world's most widespread farming systems, promote farm resilience through diversification and allow for crop–livestock integration (CLI). Intensification and specialization challenge these systems. In Northwest Vietnam, the standard farm model is based on mixed crop–livestock family farms but is shifting towards more specialized farming systems. The aim of the current study was to identify the new balance between livestock and crops on farms in Northwest Vietnam and to examine the effects of specialization on CLI practices and production system intensification by identifying current CLI practices and performing a retrospective analysis of changes in these practices. One hundred farms were surveyed and 24 interviews on farm trajectories were conducted in Dien Bien district (Dien Bien province) between January and April 2022. Based on the level of CLI and farm diversification, seven types of farms were identified and classified into three categories: (B) mixed farms, (A) farms specializing in livestock and (C) farms specializing in crops. The study of farm trajectories revealed three main changes: the conversion of mixed crop–livestock farms into more specialized crop systems, a change from mixed crop–livestock to more specialized family livestock farms and a change in the management of large ruminant herds and their feed system from free grazing to forage-fed systems. Understanding these changes will help identify drivers and potential constraints to the development of new practices for the integration of crop and livestock farming.

The interest in the search for alternatives to antibiotics in poultry production has been increasing, especially with the focus on essential oils due to their remarkable bioactive properties. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of essential oils on the performance and gut morphometry of broilers, by using an approach of systematic review and meta-analysis. In the conduction of the systematic review, three electronic databases (PubMed, Science Direct and Scielo) were consulted in January 2023. Out of an initial amount of 162 papers, only 27 met the requisites to be included in the database. Furthermore, after the use of established criteria for the meta-analysis, only 16 papers were qualified for the evaluation of the aimed parameters. In the meta-analysis, it was observed that the supplementation had significant impact (P < 0.05) of 2.88% in weight gain, in comparison to the basal diet. In addition, the supplementation of essential oils significantly improved (P < 0.05) gut morphometry parameters such as villus height in the ileum (15.66% higher), and 8.26% increase in the villus height to crypt depth ratio in jejunum compared to the basal diet. Dietary essential oils improve the growth performance and gut histomorphometry of broilers, even when combined with antibiotics as growth promoters.

Grain weight and size significantly influence wheat yield and quality. This study aimed to dissect the genetic basis of quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with grain weight and size in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) using the novel wheat-Agropyron germplasm Pubing3228. A population of 210 F8 recombinant inbred lines derived from Pubing3228 and Jing4839 was evaluated across multiple environments for grain length, width, thickness and thousand-grain weight (TGW). Genotyping was conducted using the Illumina Infinium iSelect 55 K SNP chip, followed by QTL mapping with QTL IciMapping software. A total of 114 QTLs were identified across 20 wheat chromosomes, highlighting major QTLs for grain length, width/thickness and TGW. Candidate gene analysis revealed 22 genes expressed in grains, including those specifically associated with TGW, grain width/thickness and grain length. These findings enhance our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying wheat grain traits, providing insights for marker-assisted selection in wheat breeding programmes.

With social network analysis, group structures of animals can be studied. However, underlying behavioural observations face problems of missing events or deviations between observers. The current study analysed the robustness of node-level network parameters based on tail-biting observations in pigs affected by missed events. Real observations of one observer were used as a gold standard to build true networks and to compare two sets of erroneous networks to them. The first set consisted of networks from different observers of the same data basis. The second set consisted of networks with a fixed error rate (random samples of the gold standard). The stability of the ranking order was used as an indication of accuracy (range 0–1; ≥0.49 good accuracy; ≥0.81 very good accuracy). Comparing observers with true networks yielded overall bad accuracy scores. Generally, outgoing network parameters (active: biting) provided better accuracy scores than ingoing network parameters (passive: being bitten). The results of sampled networks showed decreasing accuracy scores with increasing error rates. At the same error rate, longer observation periods yielded better accuracy scores. For sampled networks, differences between outgoing and ingoing network parameters were more distinct and local parameters (direct contacts) provided better accuracy scores than global parameters (direct and indirect contacts). Overall, sampled networks with 3/10 missed events yielded good to very good accuracy. As networks with more observations handle missed events better, studies of behavioural observations always need to evaluate the required accuracy and feasible workload. The current study gives insights in the accurate estimation of behavioural observations.

High yielding ruminant livestock require high nutritive value in forage for maintenance, growth and production. Climate change has been documented as impacting on the nutritive value of forage plants. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of increased temperature in combination with CO2-enhancement on the nutritive value of orchard grass (cocksfoot; Dactylis glomerata L.), as a C3 model plant, widespread in mountainous permanent grassland plant communities. Functional traits and forage quality of orchard grass were investigated both under ambient (C0T0) and under simulated, future climate conditions (C2T2) with increased temperature (+3°C) and enhanced CO2 concentration (+300 ppm) under field conditions. Plant samples were taken from each of the three growths over a period of three consecutive years and numerous functional properties and forage quality parameters were determined. Special attention was paid to the determination of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), crude protein (CP), non-protein N (NPN) and metabolizable energy (ME) as possible indicators for different climatic conditions. It is hypothesized that (i) functional traits and (ii) forage quality of orchard grass are altered by increased temperature and higher CO2 concentration. The results showed a negative impact of C2T2 compared to C0T0 on tiller height (54.4 v. 70.6 cm) and weight (2.42 v. 3.22 g) as average over cuts and years. The NPN content was lower in C2T2 (312 g/kg CP) compared to C0T0 (339 g/kg CP). In contrast, the WSC content was higher in C2T2 (90.3 g/kg DM) compared to C0T0 (82.5 g/kg DM). Both ME content and digestibility were increased in C2T2 (9.18 ME/kg DM and 68.2%) compared to C0T0 (8.86 ME/kg DM and 65.4%). Concluding, under increased temperature and enhanced CO2, both functional traits and certain nutrients and their fractions appear to change in orchard grass.

To investigate the potential application of replacing a proportion of a perennial ryegrass (PRG) silage diet with press cake on productivity and enteric methane (CH4) emissions in late lactation and non-lactating spring-calving dairy cows, a study was undertaken in which control cows (n = 21) were offered PRG silage, while treatment cows (n = 21) were offered a diet consisting of 60% PRG press cake and 40% of the same PRG silage. Although treatment cows had higher group average dry matter intakes (DMI) and produced more enteric CH4, carbon dioxide (CO2), milk solids, protein, fat- and protein-corrected milk yield (FPCM) in late lactation, the magnitude of the difference between treatment and control cows varied from week to week (P < 0.050). When enteric CH4 per kg of milk yield, milk solids and FPCM were considered, there was no significant difference between treatment and control. Absolute enteric CH4 was higher for cows fed press cake during the non-lactating period but this tended to vary from week to week. Similarly, CO2 (P < 0.001) and hydrogen (H2; P = 0.023) differed from week to week for cows offered press cake, and cows offered PRG silage in the non-lactating period. Although there was no significant effect of diet on body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS), when enteric CH4 was expressed on a per kg BW basis, cows offered press cake tended to produce more enteric CH4 in both late lactation and during the dry period.

1. The effect of four different planes of nutrition of lambs until they reach 30 1b. dressed carcass weight on the development of the form of the ribs is studied.

2. The growth in length of the ribs is found to be more influenced by age and less by the plane of nutrition than their growth in thickness, and is not reflected in the weight of the ribs.

The goals of this study are to analyse the impacts of 1.5 and 2.0°C scenarios on UK winter wheat using a combination of Global Climate Models (GCMs), crop models, planting dates and cultivars; to evaluate the impact of increased air temperature on winter wheat phenology and potential yield; to quantify the underlying uncertainties due to the multiple sources of variability introduced by climate scenarios, crop models and agronomic management. The data used to calibrate and evaluate three crop models were obtained from a field experiment with two irrigation amounts and two wheat cultivars that have different phenology and growth habit. After calibration, the model was applied to fifty locations across the wheat-growing area of the UK to cover all the main growing regions, with most points located in the main growing areas. Four GCMs, with two cultivars and five planting dates, were simulated at the end of the century. Results of this study showed that the UK potential wheat yield will increase by 2–8% under projected climate. Farmers will need to close such a gap in the future because it will have implications in terms of food security. Future climatic conditions might increase such a gap. Adaptation measures (e.g. moving the optimal planting time), along with climate-ready varieties bred for future conditions and with precision agriculture techniques can help to reduce this gap and ensure that the future actual UK wheat production will be close to the potential.

Results of a co-ordinated trial carried out at twenty centres indicated that performance of growing pigs (20–90 kg) was not affected by straw bedding in pens, or by small differences in the protein content of barley meal which was used as the main cereal in the diet. Also, no adverse effects were observed when cereals only were fed in the morning and an appropriately balanced compound mixture was fed in the afternoon.