Czech Journal of Animal Science, 2005 (vol. 50), issue 11
Genetic evaluation of the length of productive life in Holstein cattle in the Czech Republic
E. Páchová, L. Zavadilová, J. Sölkner
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2005, 50(11):493-498 | DOI: 10.17221/4253-CJAS 
Survival Kit V3.12 was used to analyse the length of productive life of cattle in theCzechRepublic. The data set consisted of 230 028 registeredHolstein cows. The model included the time-dependent effects parity × stage of lactation interaction, herd × year × season interaction, class of milk production within herd and year, breed within years and the time-independent effect of age at first calving and the random effect of sire. The highest risk of culling was found for cows at the beginning and at the end of the first lactation and at the end of any other lactation. The risk of culling decreased with parity. The risk of culling of cows assigned to...
Implications for the use of horse hair roots as a DNA source for microsatellite typing
T. Ząbek, A. Radko, E. Słota
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2005, 50(11):499-502 | DOI: 10.17221/4254-CJAS
Hair roots are a very attractive source of DNA for microsatellite-based parentage control of breeding animals. However, unlike blood samples, irregular DNA typing results have been observed in assays utilizing hair follicles. The amount of starting material and DNA preparation method are the crucial factors. In order to improve DNA typing results for horse hair roots, two quick preparation methods and additional purification steps were evaluated. PCR efficiency for each approach was expressed as percentage of samples with complete DNA profiles for 12 horse microsatellites. The lowest percentage (22%) of complete DNA profiles was obtained for samples...
The effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on ruminal fermentation in dairy cows
P. Doležal, J. Doležal, J. Třináctý
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2005, 50(11):503-510 | DOI: 10.17221/4255-CJAS
This study presents the results of an experiment in which the effect of addition of a yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Strain 47) on rumen fermentation was studied in thirty-six dairy cows of Holstein breed.The animals were divided into one control and five experimental groups. Each group involved 6 individuals. The animals received a diet consisting of good maize silage with a higher dry matter content (16 kg), clover-grass haylage (l6 kg), meadow hay (3 kg) and supplementary feed mixture (7.5 kg). The rations were fed to cows as total mixed ration (TMR).In experimental groups, the yeast culture was added into the feed mixture in...
The effect of phenological stage and season on nutritive value, chemical composition and nutrient digestibility of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) green forage in the alimentary tract of cattle
B. Niwińska, J.A. Strzetelski, J. Kowalczyk, F. Borowiec, P. Domański
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2005, 50(11):511-518 | DOI: 10.17221/4256-CJAS
Green forage of fourteen lucerne varieties grown at four Experimental Stations of the Research Centre for Cultivar Testing in Słupia Wielka was harvested in these stages: the first growth in the budding stage (cut I), re-growths in the pre-bloom stage of maturity (cut II) 35 days after the first cut, and the next cut, 42 days later (cut III). Three bulls equipped with rumen and duodenal cannulas were used to study rumen degradability by the nylon bag technique and intestinal digestibility by the mobile bag method. The nutritive value of lucerne green forage was estimated according to IZ-INRA (2001) feed evaluation system. The composition of the lucerne...
Reduction in the content of antinutritional substances in pea seeds (Pisum sativum L.) by different treatments
R. Dvořák, A. Pechová, L. Pavlata, J. Filípek, J. Dostálová, Z. Réblová, B. Klejdus, K. Kovařčík, J. Poul
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2005, 50(11):519-527 | DOI: 10.17221/4257-CJAS
The goal of the trial was to reduce the content of antinutritional substances in pea (Pisum sativum L.) seeds in order to enhance its use in livestock nutrition. A variety of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) with a high content of antinutritional substances and favourable production traits (Gotik) was chosen. Native and heat-treated pea seeds were used to collect representative samples (n = 6) for analytical purposes. The technology (V-0 technology, Czech patent No. 285745) was further modified by adjusting the reactor temperature, the duration of exposure to that temperature, and the duration of ageing of the material treated...
Mercury content in the muscle of fish from the Elbe River and its tributaries
V. Žlábek, Z. Svobodová, T. Randák, O. Valentová
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2005, 50(11):528-534 | DOI: 10.17221/4258-CJAS
The main aim of the present study was to assess the mercury contamination of the Elbe River and its tributary the Vltava River. Mercury concentrations in fresh fish muscles were used for the contamination assessment. The samples were collected in 1999, 2002 and 2003 at 7, 2 and 1 collection sites from the Elbe River, Vltava River and Blanice River (tributary of the Vltava River), respectively. Samples of bream (Abramis brama L.), perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) and chub (Leuciscus cephalus L.) muscle were collected at the monitored sites. A single-purpose mercury analyser AMA 254 was used to determine the total mercury content...