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The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of different live weights at slaughter (LWS) of Zwartbles lambs on their daily gain (DG), carcass traits (CT) and chemical and physical characteristics of the quadriceps femoris muscle (QFM). A total of four weight groups of lambs were evaluated: group A, LWS = up to 35 kg; group B, LWS from 35.1 to 40 kg; group C, LWS from 40.1 to 45 kg and group D, LWS from 45.1 to 50 kg. The LWS had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on DG and most CTs, when average DG and most weights of individual CTs increased with increasing LWS. The evaluation of the influence of LWS on the chemical and physical characteristics of QFM primarily shows that this factor had a significant (P < 0.05) effect only on the content of intramuscular fat (IMF) and redness index (RI), when in both cases the values of these traits increased (IMF: from 0.57 to 1.21%; RI: from 8.53 to 9.76) with increasing LWS. In conclusion, it can be stated that most of the monitored traits in all weight groups of Zwartbles lambs were comparable with their levels in specialized meat breeds of sheep.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of selected vegetable oils on the representation of dietary fatty acids in the muscle of broiler cockerels. The experiment included three groups of one-day-old cockerels of ROSS 308 genotype, 15 individuals each. The feed mixture and drinking water were fed to the cockerels, ad libitum. In accordance with the technological instructions for the hybrid combination ROSS 308, BR1 was fed to chickens up to 9 days of age with the same nutrient and oil (soybean) composition for all three groups. From day 10 to day 28 of fattening the chicks were fed BR2 and from day 29 to day 35 BR3. The components and composition of the BR2 and BR3 feeds were identical; feed mixtures differed only in oil, soybean oil was added to Group 1 (SBO), rapeseed oil to Group 2 (RSO) and sunflower oil to Group 3 (SFO). Cockerels were fed until 35 days of age and then slaughtered. Breast and thigh muscles were collected from 10 individuals from each group to determine total fat in which individual fatty acid (FA) analysis was performed. Based on the obtained results, rapeseed oil can be clearly recommended for broiler chickens in feed mixtures, for the reasons that the cockerels from the RSO group showed the highest live weight (35 days of fattening), had the lowest feed conversion ratio, had an increased n-3 FAs content in the intramuscular fat (breast and thigh), and the narrowest n-3 : n-6 FAs ratio in the intramuscular fat (breast and thigh).

The fatty acid (FA) composition of milk fat can be positively influenced by the modification of dairy farming and the possible selection of raw material for processing. The question arises as to whether the benefits of a better FA composition will be maintained even after processing dairy products. Thus, the aim was to obtain a more favourable FA composition by a targeted selection of cow’s milk (grazing vs stabled herds) and then compare FAs of milk and fermented product (yoghurt). Bulk tank milk of grazing herds had significantly better FA composition than milk of stabled herds (for example, C16:0 28.07% vs 32.27%, P < 0.001; C18:3n-3 0.83% vs 0.41%, P < 0.001; C18:2 cis-9, trans-11 (conjugated linoleic acid; CLA) 1.02% vs 0.41%, P < 0.01). The differences between the FAs in milk and yoghurt samples were negligible (in relative values from 0.04% to 5.21%). The correlations between milk and yoghurt for nutritionally important FAs were high, from 0.925 0 (C18:2n-6) to 0.998 8 (CLA; both P < 0.001). The minimal effect of milk fermentation on the original FA composition of milk fat was found. In conclusion, systematic selection of raw cow’s milk or modification of farming conditions can also provide a nutritionally desirable composition of final dairy products.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects and mechanisms of glutamine (Gln) on the repair of acid-induced injury in dairy cow ruminal epithelial cells (RECs) in vitro. Dairy cow RECs were cultured in a medium with pH of 5.5 for 3 h and subsequently treated with various concentrations of Gln (4, 8, 12, 32 mmol/l) for 12 h. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression levels of occludin (OCLN), claudin 1 (CLDN1), toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and genes for inflammatory factors were measured using reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). The results showed that cellular activity and OCLN expression were significantly highest at 8 mmol/l Gln (P < 0.05). CLDN1 expression was significantly higher at 4 mmol/l Gln compared to the other groups (P < 0.05). The relative expression levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin 1B (IL1B), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8), TLR2 and TLR4 in the acid treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05), but they were lower in the Gln-treated groups than in the acid treatment group (P < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that Gln promotes the proliferation of RECs, enhances the expression of epithelial cell junction proteins, and inhibits the expression of inflammatory factors and surface receptors. In conclusion, Gln shows a potential for repairing acid-induced injury in RECs.

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of yeast cell wall parts (YCW) in reducing the severity of coccidiosis in broiler chickens. One-day-old Ross 308 chicks (n = 320) were randomly allocated to 32 floor pens in two rooms with a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments. Factors were (1) challenge: negative or positive by room, (2) feed additive: control (none), anticoccidial (salinomycin at 60 mg/kg), YCW 0.1% or 0.2%. On day 8, none-challenged room was inoculated with saline, and challenged room was inoculated with 5 000 Eimeria tenella oocysts. Performance results showed that in challenged birds, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and weight gain (WG) were poorer than in unchallenged birds on day 24 and 35. Birds given anticoccidial and YCW had improved FCR and WG (P = 0.01) over the control group. Challenge and additive interactions were observed on day 24 and day 35 for FCR and WG (P = 0.01) and for feed intake on day 24 (P = 0.01). Challenged birds fed YCW on days 24 and 35 had higher WG and better FCR compared with both challenged and non-challenged controls and anticoccidial treatment. Coccidial challenge increased crypt depth (CD), villous tip and base width, and villous surface area and decreased villous height to crypt depth ratio (VH : CD) and villous height (VH). Birds fed YCW exhibited significantly decreased CD, villous tip width, villous base width, villous surface area and increased VH, VH : CD in comparison to the control group. Challenged birds fed YCW had significantly lower bursa of Fabricius follicle length compared to birds fed the control diet. Challenged birds had significantly increased serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentrations than non-challenged birds. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the yeast cell wall has the ability to control coccidiosis.

The present experiment studied the effects of egg composition (egg yolk content; Y) of two different chicken genotypes (selected by computed tomography; CT) on hatched chick growth performance, slaughter traits, and meat quality. Three thousand five hundred eggs per genotype were scanned by CT. Then, for each genotype, eggs were selected according to their Y content: low (21.0 ± 0.88 – 350 eggs), medium (24.5 ± 0.15– 350 eggs) and high (28.3 ± 0.98 – 350 eggs). The remaining eggs were excluded from the study. At 11 weeks of age, 15 chickens per group were slaughtered, carcasses were dissected and breast and legs were excised and dedicated to meat quality evaluations. Many parameters were influenced in the meat-type (EE) chickens, including slaughter, breast and leg weights, and abdominal fat content, whereas only the breast incidence on slaughter weight was affected in Tetra-H hybrid. In neither genotype were the meat traits affected by Y content. Two exceptions were represented by leg thawing loss, higher in low Y group compared to medium and high Y group, and by tibia length, longer in high Y content group than in the medium one, both for EE chickens. Similar findings were observed for the meat fatty acid (FA) profile, as only some single FA were influenced by Y content, however, apparently without a specific physiological meaning. The present work demonstrated that the Y content, measured by CT, allowed to select high-quality meat-type animals characterised by the best productive performances in terms of growth rate, live weight, slaughter weight, breast and thigh weights, and with lower abdominal fat content. These findings would bring positive advantages to hatcheries in terms of chick quality and also to farmers in terms of economic revenues: They would rear robust animals that would guarantee a higher probability of survival in the first rearing period and would be characterised by a high slaughter weight at the end of the productive cycle.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of protease supplementation on the behaviour, slaughter performance, meat quality, and immune organ indices of broilers. A total of 240 one-day-old Arbor Acres broiler chickens were randomly allocated to four treatments, with six replicates per treatment and 10 broilers per replicate. Chickens were fed corn-soybean meal basal diets supplemented with 0, 4, 8, and 12 IU/g of protease. Compared with 0 IU/g of protease supplementation, 12 IU/g of protease increased the average and minimum time of feeding and drinking behaviour (P < 0.05); increased the average, maximum, and minimum time of preening behaviour (P < 0.05); and decreased feeding, walking, and stretching frequency (P < 0.05). pH_24h of breast and thigh muscles had improved (P < 0.05). The shear force of the breast muscle and the cooking loss of the thigh muscle had decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with 0 IU/g of protease, 4 IU/g of protease increased the average and minimum time of lying behaviour (P < 0.05) and decreased stretching, scratching, and aggressive frequency (P < 0.05). The shear force of the thigh muscle and spleen index had enhanced (P < 0.05). Protease can be used as an additive in a broiler diet for production.

Indigenous chicken breeds from Fujian Province, China, exhibit unique and distinctive phenotypic characteristics, including morphology, behaviour, integumentary pigmentation, feather colouration, and production performance. However, the underlying genetic basis governing these specific traits remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the population structure of six Fujian local chicken breeds [Bairong chickens (BRCs), Jinhu chickens (JHCs), Minqing chickens (MQCs), Dehua chickens (DHCs), Xiangdong chickens (XDCs), and Hetian chickens (HTCs)] in terms of their genetic resources within the province. The whole-genome resequencing revealed 8 678 612 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a cohort of 36 chickens. The results revealed a partial mismatch between the clustering patterns and geographic distributions of the six populations, with BRC displaying a noticeable genetic divergence from other chickens. Moreover, the genetic distance between XDC and HTC in Longyan County was relatively close and converged with JHC, MQC, and DHC into a subgroup. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the intrinsic characteristics and utilisation prospects of chicken germplasm resources in Fujian Province.

This study determined the effect of tryptophan (Trp) supplementation on the protein abundance of intestinal tight junction and indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO) in weaned pigs. Ninety-six White × Landrace × Duroc piglets (5.31 ± 0.54 kg) were selected in a growth trial and the experiment lasted for 30 days. The basal diet based on corn and soybean contained Trp at 2.4 g/kg. The dietary treatments consisted of a basal diet or a basal diet + 500 mg/kg Trp. On the 31^st day, 12 pigs (1 pig per pen) were randomly selected and slaughtered in order to collect samples for subsequent analysis. Dietary supplementation with Trp improved the villus height and protein abundance of Zonula occludens protein 1 (ZO-1) in the duodenum and the jejunum (P < 0.05), increased the protein abundance of Claudin-1 in the duodenum (P < 0.05) and IDO expression in the ileum (P < 0.05), and reduced the urea nitrogen concentration in the serum and the ZO-1 protein abundance of the ileum in weaned pigs (P < 0.05).

This study investigated the effects of Lycium chinense Miller stem (LCM) and Origanum vulgare Linn (oregano) essential oil on growth, blood biochemistry, and caecal microorganisms in White Roman goose. A total of 96-day-old White Roman geese were randomly allocated to a control group and three treatment groups. The G 0.05 diet was enriched with 0.05% LCM extract, the G 0.5 diet was enriched with 0.5% LCM extract, and the O 0.05 diet was enriched with 0.05% oregano essential oil. Each treatment was allotted to three pens, with four males and four females per pen. Geese were fed for 83 days. Geese in group O 0.05 had greater body weight gain than those in groups G 0.05 and G 0.5 in the first 28 days (P < 0.05), whereas the geese in group O 0.05 also showed greater body weight gain than those in control and G 0.05 groups in total 83 days (P < 0.05). No significant differences in serum creatinine, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, or high-density lipoprotein were observed. Serum glutathione peroxidase concentrations were significantly higher for geese in group G 0.5 (P < 0.05) than for the control group at 83 days of age. At 87days of age, one male and one female per pen were slaughtered, and the caecum contents were collected for gene sequencing by 16S ribosomes. No significant differences in microbial alpha diversity were observed. In conclusion, supplementation with 0.05% oregano essential oil increased body weight gain for 83 days. In addition, supplementation with 0.5% LCM extract increased glutathione peroxidase activity at 83 days of age (P < 0.05). In summary, our study showed that phytogenic feed additives improve growth and have antioxidant and immune properties in geese.

Antibiotics in poultry feed are banned in many countries owing to their side effects, and insects containing antimicrobial peptides are proven to have potential as antibiotic alternatives in such feed. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary housefly maggot extract (HME) as the biofunctional material for antibiotic replacement in laying hens. The biofunctional properties of HME on egg production, egg quality, blood biomarkers of immune function, and microbiota were evaluated over a period of 40 to 50 weeks in laying hens under a digital livestock system. A total of 120 forty-week-old Hyline Brown laying hens were randomly divided into four groups with thirty replicates as follows: no added HME (CON), positive control (PC, 8 ppm of avilamycin), 100 ppm of HME (HME100), and 150 ppm of HME (HME150). Egg production and egg weight increased significantly in the HME150, HME100, PC, and CON groups (P < 0.05), but there were no differences between the HME and PC groups. Egg quality, such as eggshell thickness, eggshell strength, Haugh unit, and albumin height, were significantly improved in the HME and PC groups than in the CON group (P < 0.05). A blood biomarker of immune function, IgG, was significantly higher in the HME and PC groups than the CON group (P < 0.05), but there were no differences between the HME and PC groups. Blood corticosterone and heterophil to lymphocyte ratio were significantly lower in the HME and PC groups than in the CON group (P < 0.05). Microbiota Lactobacillus in the faeces were significantly higher in the HME and PC groups than in the CON group (P < 0.05). The faecal total aerobic bacteria, Escherichia coli, and coliform counts were significantly lower in the HME and PC groups than in the CON group (P < 0.05). Consequently, the HME showed the same significant effects as antibiotics on improving egg production and egg quality in laying hens. These results show that 100 ppm of HME can be used as a biofunctional material for an effective alternative to antibiotics in laying hens under a digital livestock system to improve egg production and quality by stimulating their immune functions and balancing the microbiota populations.

The aim of the study was to examine the rabbit consumption habits and opinions of people living in countries that regularly consume rabbit meat. Snowball sampling of data collection was used, a total of 1 860 error-free questionnaires were evaluated. Most of the completed questionnaires came from Hungary, Italy, Spain, China, Poland, France and Mexico. It is to note that 21.3% of respondents have not yet consumed rabbit meat: China (32.1%), Hungary (24.7%), Poland (22.4%), and France (4.8%). The main reasons for not consuming rabbit meat were emotional reasons (22.3%), it does not fit their dietary habits (15.7%). There are 28.7% of respondents who consume rabbit meat once or twice a year, 18.6% less often and 21.9% monthly. It was most often (weekly and monthly) consumed in Spain (25.3% and 36.8%), in Italy (15.3% and 36.2%), in France (1.6% and 38.7%, respectively). Men, aged 40 to 59, secondary school graduates, and those having a higher income eat rabbit meat more often than other groups. The highest scores (near to 4.5 on a 1-5 scale) were given for the health aspects of rabbit meat, such as high protein, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins, and low fat and cholesterol contents. In order to encourage the consumption of rabbit meat, different marketing campaigns should be carried out in each country, depending on the standard of living, production intensity (large-scale or small-scale) and place of purchase (supermarket or local market). It is paramount to make the younger generation aware of the excellent and health-protective properties of rabbit meat.

The advances in the production traits of Oreochromis niloticus are due to the development of genetically superior broodstock animals. Understanding the genetic variability of fish stocks is crucial to any animal breeding program. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of genetic parameters that considers the variability between studies for economically important traits in the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) production. The final dataset from literature review contained 226 estimates of heritability and 53 estimates of genetic correlation across 37 peer-reviewed articles published between 2002 and 2022. Weighted genetic parameter estimates were obtained by fitting a random effect model for all traits studied. Heterogeneity across studies were assessed using the Q statistic and I² index. Heritability estimates ranged from low to moderate magnitude, indicating that a greater response to selection is expected for body length (0.37), body weight (0.29), body width (0.28), and daily weight gain (0.28), compared to the other traits, body height (0.25) and fillet yield (0.19). Genetic correlations ranged from moderate to high magnitude (0.47 to 0.94), which suggests that part of expression of traits is regulated by the same gene groups. The meta-analysis study provided reliable genetic parameter estimates and these findings may be served as the baseline reference for new Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) breeding programs.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of feed restriction and the combination of feed restriction with pasture on the performance parameters of fast-growing chickens, the proportion of internal organs and the caecum microbiota. In the experiment, one-day-old Ross 308 chickens were divided into three groups. Group 1 was fed ad libitum (AL), group 2 was restricted on feed at a rate of 70% ad libitum (R), group 3 was restricted to the same age and level as group 2, and was restricted to 22 days on pasture (FR). Feed restriction and the combination of feed restriction and pasture significantly reduced body weight beginning at the age of 14 days and at the end of the experiment (at 35 days), mortality, and the European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) but improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR) beginning at the 4^th week of age. Conversely, feed restriction and the combination of feed restriction and pasture significantly increased the proportion of liver, gizzard and Lactobacillus in the caecum. In summary, feed restriction and the combination of feed restriction in the free range had negative effects on growth, feed conversion ratio and economic profit, presumably because of the short realimentation period and because pasture did not have a beneficial effect.

Seaweed has an important role in the mitigation of enteric methane (CH₄) production by ruminant animals. The utilisation and its effectiveness in enteric CH₄ reduction require a preservation process. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of different drying processes on the effectiveness of seaweed Gracilaria spp. in reducing CH₄ production assessed through an in vitro method. Three drying techniques, sun-drying, oven-drying, and freeze-drying, were applied to produce a dried product of Glacilaria spp. Rice straw basal diets combined with concentrate at the 70 : 30% were used to test the inclusion of 4% of three differently dried products of Gracilaria spp. compared to the basal diet without seaweed (control group). Measurements were conducted on in vitro total and CH₄ gas production, nutrient degradability, ammonia (NH₃) and VFA concentration, and microbial population. Results showed that the three dried products of Gracilaria spp. significantly reduced in vitro CH₄ production compared to the control group (P ≤ 0.05). All drying techniques gave a similar effect on in vitro CH₄ reduction, but they did not affect dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) degradability (P ≤ 0.05) and significantly reduced neutral detergent fiber (NDF) degradability (P ≤ 0.05) compared to the control group, with oven-dried treatments having the lowest NDF degradability among the treatments. It is concluded that the three different drying techniques had similar effects on enteric CH₄ reduction.

This study aims to investigate using different ratios of urea-molasses in silage of food in vitro fermentation, feed value and quality production in feed. After being withered a little, the fodder plant was fragmented into 2–3 cm long pieces. 0, 2 and 4% molasses and 0, 0.5 and 1% urea were added. The treatment groups were UM1 (control), UM2, UM3, UM4, UM5, UM6, UM7, UM8 and UM9 supplemented with 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1.5, 1.5, 1.5% urea and 0, 2, 4, 0, 2, 4, 0, 2, 4% molasses respectively, and a total of 54 silage samples, 9 × 6 parallel, were prepared, vacuumed in ready-made silage bags, and stored at 25 ± 2 °C for 60 days. After the silages were opened, pH, nutrient contents, Fleig scores (FS), in vitro digestibility parameters, energy contents, feed value and feed quality were determined, then the data were subjected to analysis of variance. The effects of urea and molasses additives added to the mixed forage plant silage on all parameters were found to be significant (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The crude protein (CP) increased its application by UM7. Cell wall component (insoluble fibre in acid detergent (ADF) and neutral detergent insoluble fibre NDF) reduced its application by UM9. All these applications increased the FS. The addition of molasses increased the in vitro gas production, while the addition of urea decreased the production. True organic matter digestibility increased with the addition of molasses. As a result, it was concluded that UM9 application in silages would be appropriate for increasing feed value and feed quality, and the UM3 application in silage would be appropriate for improving true organic matter digestibility (TOMD).

The high plasticity, or the ability to differentiate into various cell types, and capacity to become both gametes of early-stage germ cells (eGCs) allows them to be used for the long-term storage and recovery of genetic information. In this study, species-specific protocols (isolation period, enzymatic separation solution, incubation period, appropriate cryoprotectant, and cryopreservation protocol) were established for the isolation and long-term preservation of Black Sea trout eGCs. In addition, the difference between the application of cryopreservation to the whole gonad tissue and to the enzymatically separated cells has been shown in terms of viability and the number of cells obtained. According to the cell count made from the histological sections of the testicular tissue throughout the year, the period with the highest concentration of eGCs in the tissue is between May and June. To identify the optimal enzymatic dissociation solution, we subjected testicular tissues to digestion using various combinations of trypsin (T) and collagenase (C) (0.3–0.5% T and 0.1–0.3% C). Our findings revealed that the 0.3% C provided the highest yield of viable cells (90.9%). We cryopreserved the enzymatically dissociated cells (EDCs) using six different cryoprotectants (Dimethyl sulfoxide, Glycerol, and CryoSOfree™, in both L-15 and phosphate-buffered saline – PBS mediums). Additionally, whole tissue exclusively with CryoSOfree™. After storing the samples at –152 °C for two years, the group of EDCs cryopreserved in L15+Glycerol exhibited the highest viability at 93.3%. Meanwhile, the whole tissue group yielded the greatest number of cells per ml after thawing, with a count of 33 210 000 cells. When considering both the viability (91.11%) and the number of cells obtained (33 210 000 cells/ml), the whole tissue cryopreservation group outperformed all the other methods.

Industrial dairy farms boast highly advanced health monitoring and disease diagnosis systems. But without easily accessible, user-friendly web platforms for real-time decision-making, most dairy farmers cannot proactively manage herd health management and optimize treatments based on disease prediction and prevention. To bridge this gap, we have developed a web application of a Decision support system (DSS) for dairy health management based on machine learning. The system architecture combines a Flask backend with a React frontend and scalable cloud data storage and includes preprocessing, data integration, predictive modelling, and cost analysis. DSS forecasts herd diseases with an accuracy 6.66 mean absolute error and 2.35 median absolute deviation across predictions. Its core predictive capabilities rely on long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks to forecast disease progression from historical records and on a linear trend model to project cuts in treatment costs. The system calculates medication dosages and cost per disease, streamlines supplier selection, and simulates various treatment scenarios, thereby identifying high-cost diseases with potential savings. In other words, this DSS application processes disease and treatment data by incorporating veterinary records into advanced data analytics and neural networks, thereby predicting diseases, optimizing disease prevention and treatment strategies, and reducing costs. As such, this DSS application provides dairy farmers with a tool for strategic decision-making, veterinary treatment planning, and cost-effective disease management towards improving animal welfare and increasing milk yield.

In the actual scenario of increasing demand of animal food and the need to develop sustainable production systems, rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and quail (Coturnix japonica) represent animal species of undeniable potential, profoundly linked to human’s eating habits in several parts of the World, yet not fully exploited. Given the remarkable adaptability of quail and rabbit to different farming contexts, they can be successfully farmed both in specialised and technologically advanced production systems targeting market diversification, as well as in such areas of the World where malnutrition is a severe issue and technological limitations are present. Together with the above-mentioned socio-cultural aspects, rabbit and quail possess intrinsic traits that make them meat species of interest to improve the sustainability of the livestock sector, challenge of utmost importance for present and future development strategies. Furthermore, available nutritional data indicate that quail and rabbit provide food (meat) that has the potential to improve the nutritional adequacy of any diet. It also emerged that about 130 g of rabbit and quail meat are sufficient to meet the daily dietary recommendations for essential amino acids provided by the World Health Organization. Despite the dietary quality of the meat obtained from these two animal species, the present review also unveils that, while the factors affecting meat quality have been extensively studied, little focus has been devoted on those specifically affecting the protein content and quality, thus emphasising that this is a key aspect for future researches.

The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of pectin supplemented feeds on the growth, gut morphology and immunology of Labeo rohita. Experimental feeds containing various concentrations of pectin including control (0%), T1 (0.5%), T2 (1.0%), T3 (2.0%), and T4 (4.0%) were administered to L. rohita twice per day at a rate of 3% body weight. There was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in average final weight, weight gain%, net weight gain and specific growth rate observed in treatment groups in order of control > T1 > T2 > T3 > T4 while feed conversion ratio was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in T4 compared to the other groups T3 > T2 > T1 > control. Immunological parameters of peroxidase, protease and antiprotease (trypsin) showed significant (P < 0.05) results between control and treated groups. Peroxidase activity was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in T4 group fish compared to T3 > T2 > T1 > control group. Total protein, protease and antiprotease activity were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the control compared to treatment groups T1 > T2 > T3 > T4. An increased level of the non-starch polysaccharide pectin in feed caused acute effects on gut morphometry. Villus length, villus width, and an increase in mucosal folds were abnormal but no significant (P > 0.05) abnormality was observed in the control group. In the submucosal part of the intestine, hyperplasia was shown in loose connective tissues and in adipose tissue cells in the treated groups. In conclusion, dietary pectin supplementation from 0.5% to 4% had negative effects on the growth, immunological parameters and gut histomorphology of L. rohita.

This research investigates the high prevalence of morphological defects in the sperm of a particular rabbit breed, namely the Zemplin rabbit (ZR). We tried to uncover the possible causes and consequences of the observed abnormalities. Ejaculate samples from ten adult males were divided into two qualitative groups according to the motility parameters revealed by CASA (computer-assisted sperm analysis). Group A contained samples with total motility (TM) above 50% and progressive motility (PM) above 30%. Group B contained samples with TM and PM below these values. Viability (SYBR-14/DRAQ5^TM and SYTOX^TM Green/DRAQ5^TM staining) and apoptosis (YO-PRO ^TM-1/DRAQ5 ^TM stainig) analyses through flow cytometry served as an additional insight into the characteristics of the qualitative groups. In both cases, we noted significant differences (P < 0.05) between groups which corresponded to motility values. Both groups showed an increased incidence of abnormal spermatozoa, and we did not observe any significant differences between them. Simultaneously, we assessed the practical implications of these sperm defects on artificial insemination (AI), and also, we did not notice any significant differences in these parameters. The use of transmission electron microscopy enhanced our understanding of the morphological defects at the ultrastructural level. In summary, the study provides an understanding of the qualitative differences in rabbit semen, highlighting variations in quality parameters. While these differences exist, they may not necessarily translate into significant variations in AI outcomes. Our study shows higher values of cytoplasmic droplets in ZR semen, but it also shows that these conditions do not necessarily mean a fundamental obstacle to fertility in the case of AI.

Regular replacement of old and problematic queen bees is necessary to maintain the strength and productivity of bee colonies. Beekeepers replace queen bees using queen cells, virgin queens, or mated laying queens. In this study, we explored factors influencing the acceptance of the virgin queens. A comprehensive field study was conducted in the summer of 2023, involving the introduction of 754 virgin queens of different age and 194 queen cells into mating nuclei of various states using three different methods. The article aims to provide recommendations to beekeepers for introducing virgin queens, thereby increasing the frequency of successful requeening. The duration of the colony being queenless has a significant impact on the acceptance of queens. If the colony is prepared in advance, at least five days prior, immature and mature virgin queens will be accepted equally well (60‒77%). Conversely, suppose queen replacement is done without preparation for a colony that has been queenless for one day only. In that case, the result will be significantly lower due to the short queenless period (41%), and the age factor of queen bees will come into play. If queen replacement is done with preparation, the chosen timing within the season will play a significant role, as weather conditions can influence acceptance and mating, varying from 48% to 89%. Suppose a bee colony has long lost its queen and has developed laying worker bees. In that case, there is still a 55% chance of successfully introducing a virgin queen into such a colony without using time-consuming methods.

Sheep milk production is a complex process that is influenced by various factors. This study aims to investigate how the litter size (single vs. twins), birth type (male vs. female), age of the ewes and body weight affect the milk composition and fatty acid profile of milk fat. Milk samples were collected from 119 Najdi ewes that were the subject of this study. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MASS) was used to quantify the fatty acids (FAs). The results showed that the twins birth type (female/female) has a significant influence (P < 0.05) on the concentration of linoleic acid (LA), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), behenic acid (C22:0) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). On the other hand, saturated fatty acids (SFA), docosahexaenoic acid (C22:4; DHA), and odd-chain fatty acids (OCFA), such as C15:0-antiso and C19:1-cis 10, increased significantly (P < 0.05) with the increasing age and body weight of the ewes, while the ALA and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a positive association between the age and the OCFA, ALA and small-chain fatty acids (C6:0 and C8:0). In addition, the type of birth showed a positive association with the fat, lactose and palmitoleic acid C16:1 cis9. Conversely, there is a negative association between the UFA, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and PUFA. In addition, the body weight (BW) and litter size were negatively associated with the protein, SFA and medium-chain fatty acids (C10:0, C12:0, C14:0 and C16:0). The physiological factors generally suggested that the milk quality and essential FA, such as ALA, were influenced by the type of the lamb’s birth and the age of the ewes.

A breeding program has been developed for the Latvian warmblood heavy type horses in Latvia, with the aim to preserve this type, because the number of these horses is small and the status of the local endangered breed has been granted. The aim of the study was to analyse the genetic structure, inbreeding and effective population size of the Latvian warmblood heavy type (LSB) horse population. Horses that were living at the time of the study on January 1, 2023 were used for the study. A total of 374 genetic resources live horses were analysed. Population structure analysis, inbreeding and effective population size were investigated. Calculations were done by POPREP (v1.0) software. The effective population size (Ne) decreased, however, since 2018 the decline in the size of the effective population has not been so rapid. In 2000, the Ne was 316 animals, and in 2020, it was 101 animals. Over the years, changes in the average inbreeding level in the LSB population were observed from year to year. In 2000, inbreeding was 1.39%, and in 2020 it was 1.47% with the average inbreeding level of 1.12%. Over the last 20 years, large changes in Ne have been observed, thus, the loss of genetic diversity in the LSB breed should be controlled.

Corrigendum in: Czech J. Anim. Sci. 2024 May 31;69(5):209. doi: 10.17221/83/2024-CJAS

This study was conducted to evaluate the protective impacts of green tea extract (GT) against cypermethrin-induced (CYP) neurotoxicity parameters such as acetylcholinesterase activity, oxidative stress, immune response, histopathology, apoptosis, and DNA damage in the brain tissues of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The trial was divided into four groups (group 1, 2, 3 and 4). Group 1 was the control, while group 2 was treated with 0.1 mg/l of CYP, group 3 was treated with 0.1 mg/l of CYP + 100 mg/l of GT and group 4 was treated with 0.1 mg/l of CYP + 200 mg/l of GT for 14 days. While the level of malondialdehyde increased, the exposure to CYP in group 2 resulted in a reduction in acetylcholinesterase, lysozyme, total immunoglobulin, white blood cell, superoxide dismutase, and catalase levels in the brain tissues, as compared to group 1. Furthermore, CYP exposure in group 2 resulted in severe hyperaemia in meningeal and parenchymal vessels, accompanied by significant degeneration and necrosis. In addition, neurons in group 2 exhibited pronounced cytoplasmic expressions of 8-OHdG and caspase-3. On the contrary, both doses of 100 mg/l and 200 mg/l of GT demonstrated remarkable neuroprotective impacts against CYP toxicity across all parameters as mentioned above. In summary, this study conclusively showed that the administration of 200 mg dose of GT yielded more pronounced neuroprotective impacts, surpassing the impacts observed with the 100 mg dose of GT. The higher dosage effectively reduced CYP-induced oxidative stress, apoptosis and DNA damage, while exhibiting an enhanced immune response.

The study assessed the relationship between rib fat thickness and carcass price among different carcass weight groups in Korean native cattle (Hanwoo), taking into account changes in the beef grading system. Data from 8 926 Hanwoo steers, with an average age of 30.6 ± 1.88 months and slaughtered between 2017 and 2019, were analysed. The variables considered included rib fat thickness, carcass weight, eye muscle area, marbling score, and carcass price. Steers were categorised into eight carcass weight groups ranging from 250 kg to 650 kg in the original system, rib fat thickness consistently had a negative impact on carcass price, with partial coefficients of rib fat thickness on carcass price ranging from –1.96 to –46.5 depending on the carcass weight groups. Conversely, in the revised system, the impact of rib fat thickness varied from negative to positive, turning positive at the 450 kg carcass weight group. These findings may guide decision-making in beef cattle production and feeding strategies under the revised grading system.

The use of genomic data makes it possible to examine genetic variability and calculate the genetic parameters of the population in an efficient and precise way. The aim of this research was to analyse linkage disequilibrium (LD), contemporary effective population size (Ne_c), haplotype block structure, minor allele frequency (MAF), observed (H_O) and expected heterozygosity (H_E), calculate the genomic relationship matrix and perform a principal component analysis (PCA) in the Serbian Holstein-Friesian cattle population using SNP data from the GGP Bovine 100K chip. After quality control (QC), 83 208 SNPs and 1 575 cows were retained for further analysis. LD on autosomes had an average value of ≥ 0.2 up to a distance of 50–60 kb (r² = 0.211), while on BTX r² ≥ 0.2 was represented at distances of 80–90 kb (r² = 0.211). LD differed between chromosomes. The average H_O for autosomes and X chromosome SNPs was 0.412 and 0.422, respectively. 81.30% of SNPs that passed QC had MAF > 0.2. The total number of haplotype blocks in the studied population was 15 642. On average, blocks contained 2.932 SNPs. The average block length was 32.657 kb and ranged from a minimum of 0.019 kb (BTA21 and BTA26) to a maximum of 999.562 kb (BTX). The estimated value of Ne_c in the this cattle population was 142. The results of PCA showed a significant variability of genotypes in the population, but there was no clear stratification of the population. The obtained results will serve as a basis for future genomic analyses such as the detection of QTLs for important economic traits and the implementation of genomic selection.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Lactobacillus zeae LB2 on the gut microbiota in piglets infected with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). Thirty-two healthy 7-day-old piglets were randomly divided into four treatment groups: control group (basal diet), LB2 group (supplemented with 1 × 10⁸ CFU/pig/day L. zeae LB2), ETEC group (infected with 1 × 10¹⁰ CFU/pig/day ETEC) and ETEC+LB2 group (LB2 supplementation + ETEC infection). Intestinal contents were collected for DNA extraction and Illumina sequencing. Significant result was observed for alpha diversity in the four intestinal sections, and both ETEC infection and LB2 supplementation showed a higher Chao1 alpha diversity. At the phylum level, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were dominant in the healthy piglets, while Proteobacteria were dominant in the ETEC-infected piglets. At the genus level, ETEC infection decreased the abundance of Prevotella, Ruminococcaceae, Lactobacillus, Alloprevotella, Flavobacterium, and Sutterella and increased the abundance of Actinobacillus. The LB2 supplementation reduced the abundance of Ruminococcaceae, Actinobacillus, Porphyromonas, and Alloprevotella, and increased the abundance of Prevotella and Lactobacillus. Both ETEC infection and LB2 supplementation affected several functional pathways associated with cellular processes, environmental information processing, genetic information processing, diseases, metabolism, and organismal systems. In summary, ETEC infection induced dysbiosis of the gut microbiome in piglets, while L. zeae supplementation could positively regulate the gut microbiome during ETEC infection. Therefore, L. zeae LB2 may be an ideal probiotic for the prevention or treatment of ETEC infection.

Feed additives belong to a number of climate change mitigation strategies being sought to reduce methane emissions in ruminants. In this study, the effect of biochar or biochar and urea supplementation on dairy cow performance and methane production was assessed. Eighteen cows were used in a 3 × 3 latin square design with three feeding groups: control with no supplementation (CO), biochar supplementation (BC, 200 g/day) and biochar and urea supplementation (BC + U, 200 g/day biochar and 90 g/day urea). All cows were fed a forage mixture ad libitum and 5 kg of concentrates per day on average. Methane emissions were measured in respiration chambers. Biochar as well as biochar and urea supplementation did not affect total dry matter, energy and utilisable protein intake. However, lignin intake was higher in the BC group and crude protein intake was higher in the BC + U group compared to the CO group. Supplementation of feed additives did not affect milk production and milk composition, except for the higher milk urea content in the BC + U group. Feed conversion, diet digestibility and methane production were not affected by feeding strategy. In conclusion, biochar supplementation does not reduce methane emissions, but it does not negatively affect dairy cow performance.

The rise in demand for animal products associated with global population growth has driven the world toward precision livestock farming, where convolutional neural networks (CNN) have gained increasing attention due to their potential to enhance animal health, productivity, and welfare. However, the effectiveness and generalizability of CNN applications in cattle production are limited by several challenges and limitations, which require further research and development to address. This systematic literature review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the applications of CNN in cattle production. It identified some potential applications of CNN in this field and highlighted the challenges and limitations that need to be addressed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of CNN applications in cattle production. It also provides valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in the use of CNN to enhance cattle production practices, animal welfare, and sustainability. Additionally, it also provides the reader with a summary of the literature on the fundamental concepts of convolutional neural networks and their commonly used model architectures in cattle production. This is because agriculture digitalisation is going more multidisciplinary and people from different areas of expertise may find it helpful to learn more from a combined source.