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Copyright of MESO is the property of Zadruzna Stampa D.D. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To solve the problem of manure pollution and the supply of safe and comfortable bedding materials in large-scale dairy farms, this study explored the evolution of mastitis pathogens and harmful gas emissions during the production and application of dairy bedding by membrane-covered aerobic fermentation. Two semi-permeable membranes with different pore sizes (group A: ZT1 membrane; group B: ZT2 membrane) were used for the fermentation test. During fermentation, E. coli , Streptococcus , and Klebsiella were not detected on day 7. The total greenhouse gases emissions and NH 3 emissions were 37,426.27–45,697.97 g·CO 2 -eq·m−2 and 0.46–0.75 g·m−2, respectively. During the application process, the physicochemical properties and mastitis pathogens remained relatively stable, and the gas emissions were lower than those in the fermentation process. The results show that both groups effectively inhibited mastitis pathogens and reduced harmful gas emissions during the production and application of bedding materials. Therefore, membrane-covered aerobic fermentation could be a novel strategy for producing bedding materials. [Display omitted] • Producing dairy bedding using membrane-covered technology had good prospects. • Membrane-covered aerobic fermentation process could kill mastitis pathogens. • Dairy bedding produced using membrane-covered technology exhibited high safety. • Physicochemical properties of dairy bedding remained stable during application. • Dairy bedding had low GHGs and NH 3 emissions during application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which evaluates the effect of using paddy straw and pine leaves as bedding material on broiler chicks' live performance. The study conducted in Jammu, India collected data including body weights, feed consumption, and carcass characteristics of commercial broiler chicks which kept in different deep litter system. Results determined that paddy straw and pine leaves help the chicks in gaining body weight and promote economical intensive poultry production system.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of horse manure added to different bedding materials on the generation of gases (ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor) from deep litter bedding under standardized laboratory conditions. Two different types of straw (wheat and rye) and wood shavings were analyzed. The deep litter (substrate) was made of 25 kg of the respective bedding material, 60 kg horse feces, and 60 L ammonium chloride solution (urea), and spread out in identical chambers over 19 days (n = 3). On days 1, 8, 15, and 19, total nitrogen, total carbon, and dry matter content of the substrate, as well as the pH in 500-g samples, were measured along with. At the end of each test period, the nitrite nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and ammonium nitrogen contents of the leachate were analyzed. The wheat straw substrate emitted the highest concentration of NH3 (4.31 mg/m3; P < .0001) and the wood shavings substrate emitted the lowest (1.73 mg/m3; P < .0001); the rye straw substrate generated 3.05 mg/m3. In addition, significant differences occurred during days 1 to 3 with respect to the generation of the gases NH3, methane, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and water vapor, and after the opening of the chamber on day 15. The nitrogen losses through the leachate occurred mainly in the form of nitrate, where the leachate from the wheat straw substrate had a significantly higher amount of nitrate nitrogen (44.56 mg) as compared with the leachates of the rye straw (14.49 mg; P ≤ .0001) and the wood shaving substrates (22.62 mg; P = .0010). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The effects of three different bedding materials (straw, wood shavings, and straw pellets) on the behavior of six warmblood horses (four mares, two of them with foals) housed in single stalls were analyzed. Each material was used for 2 weeks in three consecutive runs. The behavior of the horses was videotaped and analyzed on the first and last 3 days for each bedding alternative in the last of the three runs. The time budgets for the behaviors including standing, eating, lying, occupation with bedding material, and other were generated. Compared with straw pellets and wood shavings, the application of straw bedding led to a significantly higher frequency and longer duration of occupation with bedding material and in turn, shorter fractions of standing and other behaviors. The total duration of lying was significantly longer on straw than on straw pellets. Straw pellets resulted in the least mean recumbency duration per occurrence of this behavior. Because occupation is one of the important functions that bedding material is supposed to fulfill, we concluded that in regard to horse behavior, straw bedding was the best among the three materials analyzed. Further investigations with a more homogeneous group of probands are necessary to verify the observed behavioral reactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Among other factors (eg, feed), bedding material has an important effect on stable air quality with respect to airborne particle formation. This study was designed to establish which material is suited to create an improved stable environment for horses. First, the following materials were analyzed under standardized conditions in a laboratory experiment: wheat straw, dry wood shavings, hemp shives, linen shives, wheat straw pellets, paper cuttings (unprinted newspaper). The second investigation was carried out under in situ conditions in which three of these bedding materials (wheat straw, wood shavings, and straw pellets) were analyzed under practical conditions. In both experiments, airborne particle concentrations were detected online with the gravimetrically measuring analyzer TEOM 1400a (Rupprecht & Patashnick Co., Franklin, MA). In the laboratory experiment, the TEOM was equipped successively with different inlets to measure the particle fractions PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and PM20. During the in situ experiment, only the fraction PM10 was detected. In the laboratory experiment, hemp and linen had the highest generation of airborne particles in all fractions. The lowest particle generation was detected with straw pellets. Results of the in situ investigation supported results of the laboratory experiment with respect to mean particle generation of straw pellets. With an average of 111.2 ± 149.2 μg/m3, it was significantly lower than the mean particle generation of wheat straw with 227.5 ± 280.8 μg/m3. The particle generation of wood shavings had an average of 140.9 ± 141.9 μg/m3 and also was significantly lower than the generation by wheat straw. An activity-correlated variation of particle concentrations was found. In conclusion, taking both experiments into consideration, straw pellets seemed to be suitable for horse stables, to promote an improvement in the stable climate in relation to airborne particle formation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bedding material is an important factor in determining stable air quality in terms of ammonia formation. The objective of this study was to analyze different bedding materials used for horse stables under standardized conditions, to determine which material is best suited for improving the climate of a stable. The particular concern was a reduction in gaseous ammonia concentrations. Therefore, the following materials were examined: wheat straw, wood shavings, hemp shives, linen shives, wheat straw pellets, and paper cuttings. Twelve containers were constructed in an environmentally controlled room, and the same material was placed into two containers, with the amount of material used being determined by its carbon content. A defined ratio of horse manure/urine mixture was added daily to each container over a period of 14 days. The concentrations of gaseous ammonia, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and water vapor were measured continuously above the bedding within the containers. Means of gaseous ammonia were found to be 178.0 mg/m3 for wheat straw, 155.2 mg/m3 for wood shavings, 144.6 mg/m3 for hemp, 133.7 mg/m3 for linen, 60.3 mg/m3 for straw pellets, and 162.6 mg/m3 for paper cuttings. In conclusion, the results of this study have shown that straw pellets are suitable for horse stables, not only to improve air quality but also, first and foremost, in relation to ammonia binding and ammonia transformation within the bedding material, respectively. However, straw pellets may also have disadvantages. The high substrate temperatures that were measured in straw pellets could favor the growth of pathologic germs that can adversely affect animals'' health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Extended-spectrum β-lactam antibiotics are critically important antibiotics for humans, but their use in food-animals poses a potential threat for public health. This paper addressed the occurrence of high-risk β-lactamase genes (bla genes) in intensive dairy farms, and assessed the effects of different waste treatment technologies at dairies on the propagation and dissemination of bla genes. Results showed that ESBL genes (bla TEM-1 , bla OXA-1), ampC β-lactamase genes (bla ampC) and carbapenemase genes (bla GES-1 , bla NDM) were prevalent in dairy cow waste, and even prevailed through each processing stage of solid manure and dairy wastewater. Significant levels of bla genes were present in the final lagoon (from 104 to 106 copies/mL, representing from 10% to 151%, of raw influent levels), raising the possibility of dissemination to the receiving environment. This concern was validated by the investigation on farmland that had long-term undergone wastewater irrigation, where causing an increase in bla gene levels in soils (approximately 1–3 orders of magnitude). More troublesomely, considerable levels of certain bla genes were still observed in the bedding material (up to 105 and 107 copies/g), which would directly threaten the dairy cow health. Otherwise, correlation analysis showed that both bacterial community and environmental factors played important roles in the bla genes abundances in dairy farms. This study demonstrated the prevalence of high-risk bla genes in dairy farms, and also underscored that dairy waste was a non-ignored great source of multidrug resistance for their surroundings. Image 1 • Pollution and transfer of β-lactamase (bla) genes in dairy farms were addressed. • This paper demonstrated the prevalence of high-risk bla genes in dairy cow waste. • Bedding recovery unit effectively reduced the levels of bla genes in dairy manure. • The wastewater treatment systems had poor removal efficiency on bla genes. • Irrigation with wastewater from dairy farms spread high-risk bla genes. This paper first focused on the pollution status of high-risk β-lactamase genes in intensive dairy farms, and tracked their transfers in full-scale dairy cow waste management systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]