ABSTRACT Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing concern in both human and animal health, with nutritional strategies playing a key role in its management. This study used a laying hen model to evaluate the effects of two high‐fat diets, one containing margarine (MAR) and the other natural milk cream (NC) on hepatic health, egg production and gut microbiota composition. Both diets were formulated with 8% fat but differed in fatty acid profiles: MAR was rich in lauric and stearic acids, whereas NC contained more palmitic and oleic acids. Compared to NC, MAR‐fed hens showed significantly higher total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐cholesterol), liver fat, relative liver weight, abdominal fat and serum markers of liver damage (aspartate aminotransferase [AST], alkaline phosphatase [ALP], gamma‐glutamyl transferase [GGT] and adiponectin) (p < 0.05). Microbiota analysis revealed that although Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes dominated in both groups, MAR‐fed hens had lower microbial diversity (Shannon index) and altered relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia, Peptostreptococcaceae and Turicibacter (p < 0.05), indicating microbial dysbiosis. These findings demonstrate that the type of dietary fat—independent of total fat content—strongly influences liver function and gut microbial balance in poultry. The novelty of this study lies in showing how different fat sources, despite equal inclusion levels, can distinctly modulate the gut–liver axis. This provides practical feed formulation insights and advances understanding of the gut–liver axis in animal health.
ZENG Wenjuan, ZHU Youpeng, CHEN Jiaxin, LI Hongyu, WANG Shuanghui, GONG Yihui, CHEN Zhiyin
Codon usage bias serves as an important driving force for gene expression regulation and molecular evolution, and is of particular importance in the study of plant organellar genomes. Camellia sinensis cv. ‘Zhuyeqi’, an important tea cultivar in China, has not yet received a systematic report on the codon usage patterns of its organellar genomes. This study was systematic bioinformatic analysis of the 52 chloroplast-encoded genes and 29 mitochondrial-encoded genes of ‘Zhuyeqi’. The results reveal that: (1) both the chloroplast genome (ENC=44.64±3.25) and the mitochondrial genome (ENC=51.98±3.47) exhibit weak codon usage bias, with the chloroplast bias primarily driven by natural selection (GC3s and ENC correlation R2=0.482). While the mitochondrial bias is jointly influenced by natural selection and mutational pressure (R2=0.312). (2) Relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) analysis demonstrates that both organellar genomes significantly prefer synonymous codons ending in A/U, and the highly expressed chloroplast genes (rpoC2, psbA) exhibit stronger codon preferences. (3) a multi-parameter screening approach identified 20 optimal chloroplast codons (GCA, GCU) and 23 optimal mitochondrial codons (GCC, AGG). This study provided elucidation of the codon usage characteristics and evolutionary driving forces in the organellar genomes of Camellia sinensis cv. ‘Zhuyeqi’, offering crucial theoretical guidance for the optimization of the tea molecular breeding system and the efficient expression of exogenous genes.
Francesco Toscano, Costanza Fiorentino, Nicola Capece
et al.
Digital Precision Agriculture (DPA) is a comprehensive approach to agronomic management that utilizes advanced technologies, such as sensor data analysis and automation, to optimize crop productivity, enhance farm income, and minimize environmental impacts. DPA encompasses various agricultural domains, including pest control, pest management, fertilization, irrigation management, sowing, transplanting, crop health monitoring, yield forecasting, harvesting, and post-harvest stages. Among the enabling technologies for DPA, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have gained significant attention and market growth. The advancements in control systems, robotics, electronics, and artificial intelligence have led to the development of sophisticated agricultural drones. UAVs offer advantages such as versatility, quick and accurate remote sensing capabilities, and high-quality imaging at affordable prices. Furthermore, the miniaturization of sensors and advancements in nanotechnology enable UAVs to perform multiple operations simultaneously without compromising flight autonomy. However, various variables, including aircraft mass, payload capacity, size, battery characteristics, flight autonomy, cost, and environmental conditions, impact the performance and applicability of UAV systems in agriculture. The economic considerations involve the purchase of drones, equipment, and the expertise of trained pilots for flight management and data processing. Payload capacity, flight range, and financial factors influence agriculture’s choice and implementation of UAVs. The research and patent trends show the growing interest in UAVs for agricultural applications. This paper provides a general review of UAV types, construction architectures, and their diverse applications in agriculture until 2022.
V. I. Koshevoy, S. V. Naumenko, I. I. Bespalova
et al.
Creating a new drug for animals requires detailed preclinical studies of its active ingredient. The problem of mineral element deficiency in animals and poultry, on the one hand, is due to their nutritional deficiency, and on the other hand, is associated with the low bioavailability of compounds presented on the pharmaceutical market. Nanotechnologically synthesized substances are widely introduced in the world, which not only significantly increase the bioavailability of such compounds, but also reduce their toxicity in the macroform. Among them, the most common is zinc oxide – its nanoparticles (NPs), obtained by various methods, are successfully used as an effective source of zinc in poultry diets, with pronounced antioxidant, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. However, most zinc compounds in nanoform still have a toxic effect on the body, especially with chronic intake. To solve this problem, we developed zinc hydrocarbonate (ZnCN) nanocrystals synthesized by the coprecipitation method, these NPs did not show acute toxicity and were classified as class VI. Further studies are aimed at determining the specific toxicity of ZnCN, including nephrotoxicity, which was the goal of this work. When ZnCN (25–200 mg/kg b. w.) was administered, no signs of intoxication were observed during the experiment. The level of biochemical markers of kidney damage was characterized by a compensatory increase during the administration of the studied compound, and after its cessation in rats of experimental groups 1–3 was at the level of the control group, and in experimental group 4 it had higher values. The urea content and the amount of creatinine in the blood plasma underwent a dose-dependent increase when administering lower doses of 25–50 mg/kg b. w. (experimental groups 1 and 2) these indicators had a slight increase during the study, and at the end of the experiment there were no significant differences from the control group. When administering higher doses of 100–200 mg/kg b. w. in rats of experimental groups 3 and 4 there was an intensification of urea formation and an increase in creatinine levels, which was obviously evidence of the rate of elimination of ZnCN in the animal body. The content of uric acid in the blood of animals of experimental groups 1 and 2 did not show an increase, and in experimental groups 3 and 4 it was higher than the control data throughout the entire period of the study. In general, no signs of pronounced nephrotoxicity of the studied NPs in the studied dosages were noted. Further studies will be aimed at determining the effects of ZnCN on the immune system, antioxidant status, and hormonal balance in animals.
Despite the recent increase in smart farming practices, system uncertainty and difficulties associated with maintaining farming sites hinder their widespread adoption. Agricultural production systems are extremely sensitive to operational downtime caused by malfunctions because it can damage crops. To resolve this problem, the types of abnormal data, the present error determination techniques for each data type, and the accuracy of anomaly data determination based on spatial understanding of the sensed values are classified in this paper. We design and implement a system to detect and predict abnormal data using a recurrent neural network algorithm and diagnose malfunctions using an ontological technique. The proposed system comprises the cloud in charge of the IoT equipment installed in the farm testbed, communication and control, system management, and a common framework based on machine learning and deep learning for fault diagnosis. It exhibits excellent prediction performance, with a root mean square error of 0.073 for the long short-term memory model. Considering the increasing number of agricultural production facilities in recent years, the results of this study are expected to prevent damage to farms due to downtime caused by mistakes, faults, and aging.
Soil salinity is an important environmental problem that seriously affects plant growth and crop productivity. Phytoremediation is a cost-effective solution for reducing soil salinity and potentially converting the soils for crop production. Sesuvium portulacastrum is a typical halophyte which can grow at high salt concentrations. In order to explore the salt tolerance mechanism of S. portulacastrum, rooted cuttings were grown in a hydroponic culture containing ½ Hoagland solution with or without addition of 400 mM Na for 21 days. Root and leaf samples were taken 1 h and 21 days after Na treatment, and RNA-Seq was used to analyze transcript differences in roots and leaves of the Na-treated and control plants. A large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the roots and leaves of plants grown under salt stress. Several key pathways related to salt tolerance were identified through KEGG analysis. Combined with physiological data and expression analysis, it appeared that cyclic nucleotide gated channels (CNGCs) were implicated in Na uptake and Na+/H+ exchangers (NHXs) were responsible for the extrusion and sequestration of Na, which facilitated a balance between Na+ and K+ in S. portulacastrum under salt stress. Soluble sugar and proline were identified as important osmoprotectant in salt-stressed S. portulacastrum plants. Glutathione metabolism played an important role in scavenging reactive oxygen species. Results from this study show that S. portulacastrum as a halophytic species possesses a suite of mechanisms for accumulating and tolerating a high level of Na; thus, it could be a valuable plant species used for phytoremediation of saline soils.
Intercropping achieved through agroforestry is increasingly being recognized as a sustainable form of land use. In agroforestry, the roots of trees and crops are intermingled, and their interactions and the production of exudates alter the soil environment and soil microbial community. Although tree–crop interactions vary depending on the stand age of the trees, how stand age affects beneficial microorganisms, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and whether changes in soil microorganisms feed back on crop growth in agroforestry systems are unknown. We therefore conducted a long-term field study to compare changes in the soil microbial and AMF communities in a jujube/wheat agroforestry system containing trees of different stand ages: 3-year-old jujube, 8-year-old jujube, and 13-year-old jujube. Our results showed that by changing soil moisture and available phosphorus content, the stand age of the trees had a significant effect on the soil microbial and AMF communities. Soil moisture altered the composition of soil bacteria, in particular the proportions of Gram-positive and Gram-negative species, and available phosphorus had significant effects on the AMF community. A network analysis showed that older stands of trees reduced both AMF diversity and network complexity. An ordinary least squares regression analysis indicated that AMF diversity, network complexity, and stability contributed to wheat yield. Finally, structural equation modeling showed that changes in edaphic factors induced by tree age brought about significant variation in the soil microbial and AMF communities, in turn, affecting crop growth. Our study highlights the crucial roles of soil microorganisms, in particular AMF, in supporting plant growth in agroforestry systems as well as the need to consider stand age in the establishment of these systems.
Alessandra Durazzo, Eliana B. Souto, Ginevra Lombardi-Boccia
et al.
Great attention has been given in recent years to the relationships between metrology, agriculture, and food. This study aims at providing an analysis of the literature regarding the relationships between metrology, agriculture, and food. The Scopus online database has been used to extract bibliometric data throughout the search string: TITLE-ABS-KEY (Metrology* AND Agriculture* OR Food*), and the VOSviewer bibliometric software was used to visualize results as bubble maps. The novelty character of this perspective paper is to indicate and point out the main research themes/lines addressing the relationships between metrology, agriculture, and food by analyzing: (i) the authors of the published papers; (ii) the type of paper; (iii) the countries and institutions where the research is developed. Bibliometrics allows one to holistically examine entire scientific areas or sub-fields to get new qualitative and quantitative insights. These results represent a useful tool for identifying emerging research directions, collaboration networks, and suggestions for more in-depth literature searches.
Ahmed Gareh, Amira A. Saleh, Samar M. Moustafa
et al.
Cystic echinococcosis has been considered one of the major parasitic zoonoses which is associated with severe economic losses. The present study was undertaken to investigate the occurrence, organ distribution, cyst fertility, and viability of cystic echinococcosis in slaughtered camels and cattle from various abattoirs in Assiut Governorate, Egypt. The work also involved morphological, morphometric, and molecular identification of the parasite. The occurrence of hydatid cysts was investigated in total number of 100 lungs of camels and 574 liver and lungs of cattle admitted to three slaughterhouses at Assiut Governorate, Egypt. Moreover, several individual variable factors, including organ involvement, age, sex, and hydatid cyst characteristics, were studied to identify their possible association with the occurrence of the disease. Genomic DNA was extracted from the hydatid cysts, followed by molecular identification of the parasite through amplification of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Hydatid cysts were found in 6 camels (6%) out of 100 inspected camels, while 5 hydatid cysts (0.87%) were detected in a total number of 574 cattle examined. The parasite was detected exclusively in lungs of camels, while lungs were the main organ infected by the parasite in cattle and one hydatid cyst was found in the liver (0.17%). In camel, 66.7, 16.65, and 16.65%of detected cysts were fertile, sterile, and calcified, respectively, while in cattle, these percentages were 60, 20, and 20%, respectively. None of the studied variable factors were significantly associated with the occurrence of the disease in camels, with the exception that all cysts were found in the lung. Conversely, we found a significant association (P < 0.05) between the age and sex of the slaughtered cattle and the occurrence of hydatid cysts. In this respect, the rate of infection was higher in female cattle and those cattle more than 5 years (P < 0.05). The morphological, morphometric, and molecular studies confirmed the presence of the parasite. Taken together, our results concluded that camels and cattle play a potential role in maintaining the transmission cycle of this zoonotic parasite.
Nahid Hossain, Alok Kumar Paul, Ishrat Alam
et al.
The experiment was conducted in the farm area of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka during the period of July to November, 2015 to find out the effect of plant growth regulator-flora on the growth and yield of transplanted aman rice (BR 11-Mukta). The experiment comprised of 8 treatments as- T0: Control condition (No chemical fertilizer, no Flora), T1: Recommended Fertilizer Doses-RFD (120, 20, 80, 16 and 2 kg ha-1 of N, P, K, S and Zn, respectively), T2: RFD+1 time spray of Flora, T3: RFD+2 times spray of Flora, T4: ½ RFD+1 time spray of Flora, T5: ½ RFD+2 times spray of Flora, T6: No chemical fertilizer+1 time spray of Flora and T7: No chemical fertilizer+2 times spray of Flora. Data on different yield contributing characters, yield, and characteristics of post-harvest soil was recorded and significant variation was observed for different treatments. At harvest, the tallest plant (117.60 cm) was recorded from T3, while the shortest plant (88.85 cm) in T0 treatment. The highest number of filled grains panicle-1 (86.27) was recorded in T3, whereas the lowest number (68.53) in T0 treatment. The highest grain yield (5.13 t ha-1) was recorded in T3, while the lowest (2.78 t ha-1) in T0 treatment. The highest total nitrogen (0.632%) was recorded from T3, while the lowest (0.369%) in T0 treatment.
In this paper it was achieved a study on the continuity of the Olt corn hybrid cultivated in the Caracal Plane, Olt County, hybrid that is extensively grown in this area being adapted to the conditions of that thermal - hydro stress but also with very good results regarding the production sown in irrigation system combined with the unequal administration of nitrogen and phosphorus doses. For this reason, there were performed biometric measurements in two years as a reference, in two systems for irrigated and non-irrigated crop but also with different administration dose of chemical-based fertilizers of Nitrogen and Phosphorus. These biometric measurements have been made in the support of the production of corn grain in the two systems.
AP2/ERF a plant specific transcription factor plays a crucial role in the expression and regulation of abiotic stress related genes. In this study, we have characterized a rice transcription factor named Os-AP2/ERF-N22. It contains single AP2 domain which spans from 5th to 70th amino acid residue in the protein which is 243 amino acid residue long. The partial sequence of the gene encoding Os-AP2/ERF transcription factor was amplified and cloned into pET29a bacterial expression vector. The histidine-tagged truncated Os-AP2/ERF-N22 protein was expressed in BL21(DE3) strain of E. coli after induction with 0.5mM IPTG. A time course induction study was used to optimize the protein expression and the recombinant Os-AP2/ERF-N22 was purified using Ni-NTA agarose column chromatography. The 26.74 kDa recombinant Os-AP2/ERF-N22 was visualized using SDS-PAGE analysis and its expression was further confirmed by western blot analysis using anti-his primary antibody and alkaline phosphatase conjugated secondary antibody. Antibody against the purified truncated AP2/ERF-N22 was custom synthesized and it was used to quantitate the expression of Os-AP2/ERF-N22 transcription factor in rice at the protein level.
The Ag85 complex functions as the main secretory protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and BCG. This complex is composed of the proteins, Ag85A, Ag85B, and Ag85C, with Ag85A thought to play the largest role within the complex. However, the lack of commercially available monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against Ag85A still hinders the biological and applicative research on this protein. In this study, we developed and identified anti-Ag85A mAbs, and five hybridoma cells were established. Using the indirect immunofluorescence test, we found that two anti-Ag85A mAbs did not cross-react with Ag85B and/or Ag85C. In addition, we showed that all of the mAbs tested in this study are able to react with endogenous Ag85A protein in BCG and rBCG:Ag85A using indirect ELISA and Western blot analyses. A competitive ELISA (cELISA) based on mAb 3B8 was developed, the analyses of clinic serum samples from cattle with bovine tuberculosis (TB) and healthy cattle demonstrated that the sensitivity of the cELISA was 54.2% (26/48) and the specificity was 83.5% (167/200). This study demonstrated that the mAbs against Ag85A will provide useful reagents for further investigation into the function of the Ag85 complex and can be used for serodiagnosis of bovine TB.
Stephan Alexander da Silva Alencar, Charles Kiefer, Karina Márcia Ribeiro de Souza Nascimento
et al.
ABSTRACT: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of net energy levels on the lipid profile of adipose tissue and muscle of swines. A total of 90 animals, with initial weight of 71.94±4.43kg, were used, and distributed in a randomized block design in five net energy levels (2,300, 2,425, 2,550, 2,675, and 2,800Kcal kg-1 feed), with nine replicates and two animals per experimental unit. Lipid profiles of adipose tissue and muscle were analyzed using gas chromatography. Increasing the levels of net energy using soybean oil, improved the lipid profile of adipose tissue and muscle, increased linearly (P<0.05) the concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic and α-linolenic acid, reduced linearly (P<0.05) the monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids and omega 6: omega 3. In adipose tissue was observed linear reduction (P<0.05) of atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes. In conclusion, increasing the level of net energy of the diet using soybean oil improved the lipid profile of adipose tissue and muscle.
Tatiana Borisova, Zhengfei Guan, Ekaterina Vorotnikova
et al.
Florida’s producers use fungicides to manage anthracnose and botrytis fruit rot diseases, which find favorable growth conditions in Florida’s climate and can reduce strawberry yields and profits. The Strawberry Advisory System (SAS) uses information about weather conditions and user-entered information about past fungicide applications to evaluate the potential spread of these diseases in strawberry fields. If the risk of disease spread is low, no fungicide application is recommended, allowing producers to save on fungicide application costs. In this study, we summarize the results of a 2012/2013 survey of strawberry producers, and focus on the questions, How significant is the impact of anthracnose and botrytis on Florida strawberry producers’ yields? What are the typical fungicide application frequencies used by the producers? What percent of strawberry producers use SAS? and Are there any effects of SAS subscription on producers’ fungicide application? This 4-page fact sheet was written by Tatiana Borisova, Zhengfei Guan, Ekaterina Vorotnikova, Natalia Peres, and John VanSickle, and published by the UF Department of Food and Resource Economics, October 2014.
FE957/FE957: Florida Strawberry Producers' Experiences with Anthracose and Botrytis Fruit Rot, and Producers' Use of the Strawberry Advisory System (ufl.edu)
Pablo Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Rodolfo WingChing-Jones
El objetivo del presente trabajo fue determinar la pérdida de peso de bovinos en subasta. Se evaluó además el porcentaje de merma correspondiente al peso del animal según su sexo, el patrón racial, la categoría comercial, el peso vivo de entrada a las instalaciones de la subasta y el tiempo de espera de cada animal desde el ingreso hasta el momento de su remate. Se analizaron un total de 629 animales en la subasta Asociación Cámara de Ganaderos Unidos del Sur, ubicada en Pérez Zeledón, San José, Costa Rica, entre agosto y noviembre del 2011. El sexo del animal y el patrón racial no tuvieron efecto significativo sobre los kilogramos de peso perdidos. Mientras que, según la categoría comercial, el periodo de espera y el peso de ingreso (p<0,05), se pueden perder entre 4,31 y 9,91; entre 6,16 y 7,31; y entre 3,52 y 9,54 kilos por animal, respectiva- mente. Para el porcentaje de merma, las variables patrón racial, categoría comercial y el periodo de espera presentaron efectos significativos, no así el sexo y el peso de ingreso. El porcentaje de merma fluctuó entre 1,57 a 2,54%.