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Selecting beneficial DNA variants is the main goal of animal breeding. However, this process is inherently inefficient because each animal only carries a fraction of all desirable variants. Genome editing technology with its ability to directly introduce beneficial sequence variants offers new opportunities to modernize animal breeding by overcoming this biological limitation and accelerating genetic gains. To realize rapid genetic gain, precise edits need to be introduced into genomically-selected embryos, which minimizes the genetic lag. However, embryo-mediated precision editing by homology-directed repair (HDR) mechanisms is currently an inefficient process that often produces mosaic embryos and greatly limits the numbers of available edited embryos. This review provides a summary of genome editing in bovine embryos and proposes an embryo-mediated accelerated breeding scheme that overcomes the present efficiency limitations of HDR editing in bovine embryos. It integrates embryo-based genomic selection with precise multi-editing and uses embryonic cloning with elite edited blastomeres or embryonic pluripotent stem cells to resolve mosaicism, enable multiplex editing and multiply rare elite genotypes. Such a breeding strategy would enable a more targeted, accelerated approach for livestock improvement that allows stacking of beneficial variants, even including novel traits from outside the breeding population, in the most recent elite genetic background, essentially within a single generation.

The objective of this study was to characterise the peak yield (PY), peak day (PD) and the persistency (P) of the lactation curve of Murciano-Granadina goats by Spline considering the variation factors (region, type of kidding, lactation number and season) and their levels. A total of 1,349,347 test-day records from 180,872 lactations, of 85,404 goats were used. The analysed data with Spline model was considered for adequate fit in lactation curves for others traits in these goats. All factors affected the scale and/or shape of the lactation curve. In the region factor, significant differences (SD, p .05) between regions. The type of kidding presented SD among its levels (evident between double versus single and triple) with the exception of the PY. The lactation number for the variables of PD, PY and TY from second to fifth lactation showed NSD among themselves; but it did in the case of the first. The P of first lactation was longer, with a decrease in subsequent lactations. In the season factor, PD, TY and P presented SD; where the PD was divided into two groups: late group (winter-spring) and early group (fall-winter). The P, PY and PD can be considered as an additional selection criterion and thus modify the lactation curve.Highlights The biomodeling of individualized lactation curves is an important information resource for farmers and their breeding program. A conglomerate of microeffects such us climate, photoperiod, agroecological aspects, affect parameters of the lactation curve and their productions. It is preferable to achieve lactations with more emphasis on persistency in order to provide animal welfare and obtain adequate economic benefits.

Farming suffers from a crisis based on lack of profitability. This situation is more relevant in small farms. Farmers have implemented local breeding programmes that have shown good results in terms of biodiversity preservation, increase of technological innovation and improvements in farm’s viability. The objective of this study is to compare technological characteristics among groups of farms, according to their breeding programmes and the viability of dairy sheep system. Furthermore, the role of technologies by means of a canonical discriminant model was analysed. The information from 157 dairy sheep farms in Castilla La Mancha, Spain was used. Technologies were grouped in six technological areas: Management, animal feeding, animal health and biosecurity, land use, milking equipment and dairy, reproduction and genetic. Four canonical discriminant models have been used to classify farms according to technological indicators [Model 1], structural [Model 2], productive [Model 3] and a global model including all the variables (18) [Model 4], by considering the genetic programme and their viability. Afterwards, the relationship among the discriminated groups was analysed using cluster analysis. The canonical model built according to the set of technologies classified a 69.43% of farms [Model 1]. Therefore, the farms that implement a breeding programme (BP) increase the likelihood of viability. First, BP requires higher levels of technological innovation in management and genetics-reproduction. Then, such advances should be implemented in milking equipment and animal health and biosecurity. To conclude, BP is a key factor in the success of technological adoption.Highlights Technology adoption plays a strategical role in sheep production systems. Breeding program promotes higher global technological level. Likelihood of viability in dairy sheep farms increases with implementation of a breeding program.

Communal cattle farming experience high mortality levels, general low reproduction rates and low calf weaning percentages. This result in a low beef off-take of less than 12% which is much lower in comparison to 25% in the commercial sector. The objective of the study was to assess cattle breeding management and production constraints in a communal farming system towards designing a livestock improvement program. A total of 100 households heads being cattle owners were randomly sampled using a pre-tested structured questionnaire at Nxaxo community in the Eastern Cape. The interviews were conducted using vernacular Xhosa language. The questionnaire included questions related to demographics and farm characteristics such as total land size, ownership, livestock management practices such as feeding, selection traits, the purpose of keeping cattle and constraints. Of the sampled households interviewed (n=100), male to female ratio was 0.69 to 0.31. The mean number of ruminant animals per herd was 1.98±2.63 sheep, 3.59±3.98 goats and 7±4.18 cattle. All of the respondents practice uncontrolled breeding which is attributed to a lack of infrastructure. Breeding parameters such as body size (37.8%) and growth (29.1%) were ranked high for beef production, whereas milk production (18.6%) was the most used parameter for selecting breeding cows. Mothering ability (11.6%) and coat colour (2.9%) were other traits used for selecting breeding animals. Major constraints of cattle production in the study area were lack of infrastructure, tick-borne diseases, feed shortage, stock theft as well as market accessibility. Poor breeding management contributes to low reproduction in the communal areas and more training on animal related aspects are required for farmers to enhance their knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, ruminants rely on introduced pastures or native vegetation for most or all of their nutritional requirements. Recent pasture selection and breeding programs have focused on improving or facilitating the establishment, persistence and growth of plants, with little emphasis on nutritive value or mineral composition. In some cases, such as selection for phosphorus (P) utilisation efficiency, mineral supply from plants may even decrease. Currently, a significant proportion of pasture plants contain less calcium (Ca), P, magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), sulfur, copper, iodine, zinc, selenium or cobalt than is required for growth and reproduction, with significant genetic variation among and within legumes and grasses. Young crops and shrubs are now also an integral part of grazing systems. Many young crops contain concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na and potassium (K) that are low or imbalanced for ruminants. Conversely, many shrubs contain minerals at levels higher than required by livestock. Livestock requirements may have changed in recent years with animals selected for more efficient feed conversion, and flock and herd structures changed to increase productivity. New studies have indicated that higher mineral supply may be beneficial during periods of oxidative stress related to growth, reproduction, and external stresses such as heat and parasites. These results indicate that mineral supply from pastures is not sufficient to support high levels of production for at least part of the year and that designing grazing system to incorporate the complementary benefits of grasses, legumes, crop forage and shrubs may improve the mineral status of grazing ruminants. The low mineral content of many Australian soils means that improvements in pasture and livestock production potential may increase the risk of mineral deficiencies. There is evidence to support this, but there is also wide variation in the mineral concentrations among forage types. This means that innovative grazing-system design using forage diversity offers an opportunity to avoid deficiency or imbalance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CPEB is considered as an RNA-binding protein first identified in Xenopus oocytes. Although CPEB1 was involved in the growth of oocyte, its role in goat follicular granulosa cell has not been fully elucidated. To clarify the functions of this gene in goat follicular granulosa cells, CPEB1-overexpressing vector and interference vector were structured and transfected into follicular granulosa cells from Jiangsu native white goats of Nantong city, Jiangsu Province, China. The expression levels of differentiation-related genes including CDK1, Cyclin B1, and C-mos were determined 24 h after administration of CPEB1 by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting methods. Results: The expression levels of CDK1, Cyclin B1, and C-mos were significantly upregulated after overexpression and significantly downregulated after interference with CPEB1. Conclusions: The CPEB1 gene expression could affect the transcription of genes related to early cleavage divisions, which provided a reference for further research on its role in the growth and maturation of oocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The national beef cattle improvement scheme was introduced by the South African government with the objective of improving the biological and ecological efficiency of beef production through genetic improvement and enhanced cattle management practices. This has been achieved through various structural and technological changes targeted at increasing beef production and promoting sustainable production systems. Despite the technical success of the programme, and the substantial investment made into it, there is limited information on the returns to investment made in the beef improvement scheme in South Africa. Using time series data from 1970-2014, the study uses an econometric approach modelled through the Almon Polynomial Distribution to estimate the lead period and rate of return from investment in beef cattle improvement research. The lag effect and absence of a lead-time suggest that research impacts beef production in the current year of investment. A marginal rate of return of 32 per cent implies that South Africa received R32 for every rand invested towards the scheme. This suggests that the research investment is worthwhile and motivates for continuation of the beef cattle improvement research given significant and positive economic efficiency measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sus scrofa provides a major source of animal protein for humans as well as being an excellent biomedical model. This study was carried out to understand, in detail, the genetic and functional variants of Jeju Native Pigs and miniature pigs through differential expression profiling of the genes controlling their immune response, growth performance, and meat quality. The Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform was used for generating 1.3 billion 90 bp paired-end reads, which were mapped to the S. scrofa genome using TopHat2. A total of 2481 and 2768 genes were differentially expressed with 8-log changes in muscle and liver samples, respectively. Five hundred forty-eight genes in muscle and 642 genes in liver samples had BLAST matches within the non-redundant database. GO process and pathway analyses showed enhanced biological processes related to the extracellular structural organization and skeletal muscle cell differentiation in muscle tissue, whereas the liver tissue shares functions related to the inflammatory response. Herein, we identify inflammatory regulatory genes in miniature pigs and growth response genes in Jeju Native Pigs, information which can provide a stronger base for the selection of breeding stock and facilitate further in vitro and in vivo studies for therapeutic purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farming suffers from a crisis based on lack of profitability. This situation is more relevant in small farms. Farmers have implemented local breeding programmes that have shown good results in terms of biodiversity preservation, increase of technological innovation and improvements in farm's viability. The objective of this study is to compare technological characteristics among groups of farms, according to their breeding programmes and the viability of dairy sheep system. Furthermore, the role of technologies by means of a canonical discriminant model was analysed. The information from 157 dairy sheep farms in Castilla La Mancha, Spain was used. Technologies were grouped in six technological areas: Management, animal feeding, animal health and biosecurity, land use, milking equipment and dairy, reproduction and genetic. Four canonical discriminant models have been used to classify farms according to technological indicators [Model 1], structural [Model 2], productive [Model 3] and a global model including all the variables (18) [Model 4], by considering the genetic programme and their viability. Afterwards, the relationship among the discriminated groups was analysed using cluster analysis. The canonical model built according to the set of technologies classified a 69.43% of farms [Model 1]. Therefore, the farms that implement a breeding programme (BP) increase the likelihood of viability. First, BP requires higher levels of technological innovation in management and genetics-reproduction. Then, such advances should be implemented in milking equipment and animal health and biosecurity. To conclude, BP is a key factor in the success of technological adoption. Technology adoption plays a strategical role in sheep production systems. Breeding program promotes higher global technological level. Likelihood of viability in dairy sheep farms increases with implementation of a breeding program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to characterise the peak yield (PY), peak day (PD) and the persistency (P) of the lactation curve of Murciano-Granadina goats by Spline considering the variation factors (region, type of kidding, lactation number and season) and their levels. A total of 1,349,347 test-day records from 180,872 lactations, of 85,404 goats were used. The analysed data with Spline model was considered for adequate fit in lactation curves for others traits in these goats. All factors affected the scale and/or shape of the lactation curve. In the region factor, significant differences (SD, p <.05) were observed in terms of the total milk yield (TY), final persistency (FP) and total persistency (TP) variables in favour of Almeria versus Cordoba and Granada; the PD variables, PY and initial persistency (IP) did not show SD (NSD, p >.05) between regions. The type of kidding presented SD among its levels (evident between double versus single and triple) with the exception of the PY. The lactation number for the variables of PD, PY and TY from second to fifth lactation showed NSD among themselves; but it did in the case of the first. The P of first lactation was longer, with a decrease in subsequent lactations. In the season factor, PD, TY and P presented SD; where the PD was divided into two groups: late group (winter-spring) and early group (fall-winter). The P, PY and PD can be considered as an additional selection criterion and thus modify the lactation curve. The biomodeling of individualized lactation curves is an important information resource for farmers and their breeding program. A conglomerate of microeffects such us climate, photoperiod, agroecological aspects, affect parameters of the lactation curve and their productions. It is preferable to achieve lactations with more emphasis on persistency in order to provide animal welfare and obtain adequate economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing livestock disturbance in riparian zones in a manner that provides economic returns to ranchers while protecting streams is an important aspect of rangeland management on public lands in the western United States. Attempts to balance economic and ecologic outcomes have been made more difficult due to the presence of several salmonid species that are protected under the Endangered Species Act. One approach to proper management of livestock use near streams has been to define the allowable limits of disturbance using 2 metrics, streambank alteration and stubble height. We evaluated 153 stream reaches within the Interior Columbia Basin to determine if these 2 surrogates of livestock disturbance measured after the vegetative growing season were associated with stream conditions important to salmonids evaluated the following summer. We found that each stream habitat attribute that was evaluated (width-todepth ratio, streambank angle, percent undercut banks, streambank stability, residual pool depth, percent pools, percent pool-tail fine sediments <2 mm, and wood frequency) trended toward lower-quality salmonid habitat as streambank alteration increased or as stubble height decreased. While the strength of these associations were variable, the slopes of the relationships suggest that managing the amount of streambank alteration or stubble height could influence stream conditions within the Interior Columbia Basin. Because improved stream conditions for salmonids corresponded to decreased livestock disturbance, the amount of disturbance allowed in a stream reach will need to reflect management expectations and the environmental setting within the allotment. As a starting point, we suggest the continued application of existing livestock disturbance standards in stream reaches with good habitat conditions, and the specification of more conservative disturbance standards in stream reaches that have degraded habitat conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall efficiency of beef production is considered more highly correlated with cow–calf efficiency, viz. maternal productivity (MP), than the efficiency of other segments of the beef production chain. Recently, concerns have been raised that improvements in feedlot and carcass performance have led to a decline in MP due to the uncertainty that surrounds the relationships between production and MP traits. The Beef Cooperative Research Centre ‘Maternal Productivity’ Project examined the impact of cow genotype and nutrient intake on breeding herd productivity. This experiment demonstrated that cow body composition is influenced by genetic differences in rib fat and residual feed intake, as well as nutrient availability. Genetic differences in rib fat were shown to influence heifer pregnancy rates, observed days to calving, MP when nutrient intake is restricted and ME intake by the cow–calf unit. Weaning rate was found to account for a large portion of the variation in MP, while cow genetic background and pre-weaning nutrient availability influenced the postweaning and carcass performance of progeny. These findings demonstrate that although balancing the requirements of MP with those of other traits is not straight forward, it is of critical importance. Incorporating modelling systems into decision-support systems (DSS) offers the opportunity to integrate fragmented knowledge into decision making. Unfortunately, previous DSS have gained little traction and limited adoption due to their perceived complexity, large input-data requirements, and mismatches between outputs and the decision-making styles of producers. The development of the BeefSpecs fat calculator provides an example of how producer-measurable inputs and simple user interactions can be combined using modelling systems to develop DSS to improve MP. No single model that addressed all issues affecting MP was found in the literature. Thus, it was concluded that previous modelling systems would need to be combined to develop a suite of DSS that target-specific components of MP, such as heifer pregnancy rates and interactions between the cow herd and the nutritional environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The animal selection with favourable phenotypes of the past has been, currently, replaced by the genotype selection on quantitative traits, assisted by the expanding molecular techniques in the context of livestock improvement. In this study, the c.112t>c polymorphism in exon ii of β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) gene was investigated in karagouniko and chios sheep breeds by using polymerase chain reaction -- restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), and possible associations with milk traits were examined. In total, 125 blood dna samples were isolated for PCR-RFLP analysis and the respective 217 milk samples' composition profile was obtained. The goodness of fit test to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) for β-LG genotypes was estimated and associations found between β-LG genotypes and raw milk composition. Two alleles and three genotypes were observed (AA, AB and BB) in both breeds, and Chios breed significantly deviated (P≤0.05) from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). Conclusively, linear mixed model analysis on samples, from both breeds collectively, showed significant effects of β-LG genotype on lactose percentage and somatic cell count (SCC), lactation stage on daily milk yield and protein, while the breed effect was significant only on daily milk yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The semen production traits of bulls from 2 major cattle breeds in Japan, Holstein and Japanese Black, were analyzed comprehensively using genome-wide markers. Weaker genetic correlations were observed between the 2 age groups (1 to 3 yr old and 4 to 6 yr old) regarding semen volume and sperm motility compared with those observed for sperm number and motility after freeze-thawing. The preselection of collected semen for freezing had a limited effect. Given the increasing importance of bull proofs at a young age because of genomic selection and the results from preliminary studies, we used a multipletrait model that included motility after freeze-thawing with records collected at young ages. Based on variations in contemporary group effects, accounting for both seasonal and management factors, Holstein bulls may be more sensitive than Japanese Black bulls to seasonal environmental variations; however, the seasonal variations of contemporary group effects were smaller than those of overall contemporary group effects. The improvement of motilities, recorded immediately after collection and freeze-thawing, was observed in recent years; thus, good management and better freeze-thawing protocol may alleviate seasonal phenotypic differences. The detrimental effects of inbreeding were observed in all traits of both breeds; accordingly, the selection of candidate bulls with high inbreeding coefficients should be avoided per general recommendations. Semen production traits have never been considered for bull selection. However, negative genetic trends were observed. The magnitudes of the estimated h2 were comparable to those of other economically important traits. A single-step genomic BLUP will provide more accurate predictions of breeding values compared with BLUP; thus, marker genotype information is useful for estimating the genetic merits of bulls for semen production traits. The selection of these traits would improve sperm viability, a component related to breeding success, and alleviate negative genetic trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research work was conducted to study the role performance of Field Extension Functionaries (FEFs) from Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (DAH&VS) and Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) and variables influencing the role performance of FEFs. Ex-post facto research design was employed for the study. The study was restricted to 120 FEFs of DAH&VS and KMF from 2 districts i.e. Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru Urban districts of Karnataka state. Study indicated that majority (62.50%) of the FEFs were grouped under medium level of role performance category. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to select the variables suitable for regression model. Extraction method used for EFA was principal axis factoring and finally only 12 variables were picked whose extracted communalities value was >0.40. Testing of regression coefficient revealed that, only six variables viz. job satisfaction marital status, job involvement and information seeking behaviour family occupation and attitude towards work were found to be significant at 1%, 5% and 10% level of significance, respectively. The coefficient of determination value with twelve independent variables indicated that 53.44% of significant variation in the role performance was explained by the independent variables covered under the study which was found to be significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of productive and reproductive performance of livestock is vital to successful dairying, which is influenced by several parameters, viz. age at first calving, service period, calving interval, lactation length, lactation milk yield etc. These parameters are largely influenced by management in scientific manner from proper housing, feeding to preventive health measure is required to ensure proper health of the animal leaving the genetic traits. This study was conducted in adopted villages of NDRI and surrounding non-adopted villages in Karnal district of Haryana. Purpose was to analyse and compare the performance of animals in these villages and thus analyse the effect of long term project intervention by NDRI to introduce improved management practices among dairy farmers in this area. Data of 498 cattle and 488 buffalo were collected at monthly interval for two years starting from 2013 from 12 villages. Study revealed that except in case of lactation length of cross breed and buffalo, adopted villages had outperformed non-adopted villages. But still in both adopted and non-adopted villages' performance need to be improved a lot to reach the desirable level of performance which should be somehow closer to the performance of these animals in model unit maintained by NDRI, Karnal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was conducted to assess the effectiveness of Pasu Sakhi, a woman empowerment model in animal husbandry which is being carried out through Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), a sub-component of National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). The study was conducted in four districts of Rajasthan namely Alwar, Dholpur, Tonk and Dausa where the livestock component is being implemented through Pasu Sakhi (PS) model. The data were collected in the month of April 2016 by focused group discussions, observation and a semi-structured interview schedule to elicit the response from PS and woman farmer clients. The results revealed that the Project Implementing Agency (PIA) in Rajasthan, namely Centre for micro Finance (CmF), Jaipur effectively harnessed the social capital which was built up over a decade in earlier projects and greatly helped to achieve the targets set aside at grass root level through partner organisations in each selected district. The beneficiaries, although belonged to poor households could able to adopt few selected technologies such as deworming, mineral mixture feeding and milk products preparation. This paper discusses the various parameters of effectiveness of Pasu Sakhi model and suggests measures to further strengthen the same as a future demand driven gender sensitive decentralised extension model in the animal husbandry sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation was conducted in western dry region of India utilizing a descriptive research design. Data were collected through personal interview and focus group discussion. The data were analysed using frequency and percentage. The findings of present study show that majority of the dairy farmers were providing feed twice a day followed by feeding their animals at early morning and late evening, less than recommended floor space in animal house, consult veterinarian + ethno-veterinary practices for managing reproductive problems, using natural service for breeding purpose and growing fodder trees (Khejri, Babul, Ber, Jaal, Ardu and Neem etc.) as a coping strategy to meet the shortage of forage under adverse climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation was carried out on 1,629 calving records of 462 Sahiwal cows calved between 1988 and 2013 at National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India to study culling pattern as well as the effect of selection on milk production. Average culling and mortality rate per lactation of Sahiwal cows were 23.82 and 4.54%, respectively. The culling was found due to teat and udder problems (32.47%), followed by reproductive problems (22.73%) and low milk production (10.82%) in the herd. Most of the voluntary culling (based on the low milk yield) was observed during second and third lactations. Stage of lactation and milk yield had significant influence on culling during first lactation whereas, period had significant influence on culling during second lactation. Sahiwal cows yielding more than 8 kg of milk/day were less likely to cull and the probability of culling of cows increased after the completion of 360 days of first lactation. Most probable producing ability of per day milk yield [MPPA (PDMY)] was estimated for selected and culled cows. There is an intense need to minimize the involuntary culling of cows by providing better feeding and management so that more of cows can be saved in herd, which will in turn facilitate in increasing selection intensity and selection differential in the herd and ultimately help in faster genetic improvement of Sahiwal cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews existing methods for assessing livestock water resource use, recognizing that water plays a vital role in global food supply and that livestock production systems consumes a large amount of the available water resources. A number of methods have contributed to the development of water resources use assessments of livestock production. The methods reviewed in this study were classified into three categories: water productivity assessments, water footprint assessments and life cycle assessments. The water productivity approach has been used to assess benefits derived from consumptive water use in livestock production; the water footprint approach has raised awareness of the large amounts of water required for livestock production; and life cycle assessments highlight the important connection between water resource use and local impacts. For each of the methods we distinguish strengths and weaknesses in assessing water resource use in livestock production. As a result, we identify three key areas for improvement: 1) both green and blue water resources should be included in assessments, and presented separately to provide informative results; 2) water quality should not be summarized within quantitative assessments of water resource use; and 3) methods for assessing water use in livestock systems must consider the alternative uses, multiple uses and benefits of a certain resource in a specific location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines state imposed centralisation and soil conservation policies as pursued by the Southern Rhodesian Department of Native Agriculture, and argues that these were at variance with the state's own veterinary policies. It argues that in the 1930s the state failed to deal with the contradictions caused by shifting and competing agendas between the Departments of Native Affairs, Native Development, Entomology and Veterinary Services. This was compounded by the implicit and enduring acceptance by officials that the problems were precipitated almost exclusively by 'primitive' African farming practices. This resulted in the state's resuscitating in the 1940s the ideology of livestock improvement first conceptualised in 1912 and introducing compulsory destocking from 1945. It concludes that these intrusive latter measures had a significant impact on the African rural socio-political and physical landscape in general and livestock management practices in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improvement in animal productivity has been achieved over the years through careful breeding and selection programs. Today, variations in the genome are gaining increasing importance in livestock improvement strategies. Genomic information alone, however, explains only a part of the phenotypic variance in traits. It is likely that a portion of the unaccounted variance is embedded in the epigenome. The epigenome encompasses epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation, histone tail modifications, chromatin remodeling, and other molecules that can transmit epigenetic information such as noncoding RNA species. Epigenetic factors respond to external or internal environmental cues such as nutrition, pathogens, and climate, and have the ability to change gene expression leading to emergence of specific phenotypes. Accumulating evidence shows that epigenetic marks influence gene expression and phenotypic outcome in livestock species. This review examines available evidence of the influence of epigenetic marks on livestock (cattle, sheep, goat, and pig) traits and discusses the potential for consideration of epigenetic markers in livestock improvement programs. However, epigenetic research activities on farm animal species are currently limited partly due to lack of recognition, funding and a global network of researchers. Therefore, considerable less attention has been given to epigenetic research in livestock species in comparison to extensive work in humans and model organisms. Elucidating therefore the epigenetic determinants of animal diseases and complex traits may represent one of the principal challenges to use epigenetic markers for further improvement of animal productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An investigative study was conducted on Surti goat flock maintained under AICRP on goat improvement at Livestock Research Station, NAU, Navsari. A total 24 adult Surti goats (16 males and 8 females) over a period of four years (2010-2013) were presumptively diagnosed as posterior paralysis. Affected goats showed sudden onset of paralytic symptoms in one or both hind limbs or paralysis of lumber region along with incoordinated and swaying back gait, Few fecal samples were found positive for presence of eggs of Strongylus spp. FAMACHA score of clinically affected goats was between 3 and 4 which indicated mild to moderate anaemia. All affected goats were treated with Inj. Ivermectin @0.4mg/kg body weight followed by oral fenbendazole @10 mg/kg daily for 5 days. Goats with both hind limbs/lumbar paralyses were provided slings till sufficient weight bearing on both hind legs. All affected goats were given supportive treatment and oral supplementation of vitamins and minerals for 5-10 days. Except death of one female, all were survived and recovered completely after 10 days. Improvement in FAMACHA score was observed on 11th day of treatment. The present investigation suggested that sufficient dosage of selective anthelmantic along with proper care and management during paralytic phase in cases of parasite caused posterior paralysis result in better clinical recovery within 10 day in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data pertaining to 9,148 lactation records of Frieswal cows sired by 97 bulls from 1991 to 2012 and maintained at Military Farms (Meerut and Ambala) were used in the study. Results of the study clearly indicated that the nongenetic factors like farm, parity, season and period of calving had significant effect on the lactation traits like total lactation milk yield, peak yield and lactation length. So the adjustments have to be taken for accurate estimation of genetic parameters and breeding values. Since the Frieswal cattle is affected by non-genetic factors, proper production strategies should be adopted to improve the performance of Frieswal cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchronization of estrus and ovulation are of paramount importance in modern livestock improvement programs. These methods are critical for assisted reproduction technologies, including artificial insemination and embryo transfer, that can increase productivity. In the current study, subcutaneous implants containing norgestomet were placed for long (14 days), medium (9 days), and short (5 days) periods of time in 70 crossbred ewes undergoing fixed-time artificial insemination. The resulting effects on estrus synchronization and conception rates were subsequently evaluated. Among the synchronized ewes, 85.7% (60/70) underwent estrus over a period of 72 h after progestagen treatment ceased. The shortest mean interval between withdrawal of the device and onset of estrus (34.2 ± 8.9 h) was observed in the G14 days of P4 group (p < 0.05). The conception rate of the G14 days of P4 group was statistically higher than that of the other groups (83.3 % vs. 60.9 % vs. 47.8%; p < 0.05). In conclusion, 14 days of norgestomet treatment produced higher conception rates and a greater number of pregnancies at the beginning of the breeding season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scotland in 1700 was, in European terms, backward in the study of agronomy, but in the course of the eighteenth century the 'improvers' became a leading force in the study and practice of agricultural change. Nevertheless, over the course of the century they changed significantly: the early Honourable Society of Improvers, aristocrat-led and amateurish, gave way to a broader-based movement incorporating the rural middle-class, especially clergy and successful farmers, diffusing information through locally-based reports, magazines and societies. While unable to influence the course of agrarian change in the adverse demand circumstances before 1760, the improvers arguably had a profound impact on the response of the supply side between 1760 and 1820. The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the growth of literature on agricultural improvement in the long eighteenth century, to look at its changing character, to form a judgement as to whom the improvers were, and to assess their impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Future food security poses many challenges and with increasing prosperity and demand for meat, the emerging but largely unregulated trade in livestock and their products from developing countries in South-East Asia and particularly the Mekong region, pose enormous risks of transboundary disease epidemics. However this is a challenge that should be met as substantial improvements in large ruminant production through appropriate knowledge-based interventions can potentially move the largely rural smallholder populations of Lao PDR and Cambodia from subsistence to a productivity focus, offering a new pathway for poverty alleviation. Large development projects have been implemented in the Mekong region to facilitate this process and research is needed to define problems, identify and test solutions, and then suggest the most appropriate delivery mechanisms for promulgating the interventions that are most sustainable. Animal health aid projects are needed to improve livestock productivity, minimize risk to trade and human health and enhance the capacities of countries where there are significant gaps in the provision of veterinary services. Improving large ruminant production, particularly through forages technology and infectious disease risk management including village-level biosecurity, provides a potential driver of foot and mouth disease (FMD) control and eventual eradication in the region. A perspective on issues involved in Australian aid projects addressing regional animal health research and development and a checklist of strategies to consider when designing and managing such projects is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased incidences of abiotic and biotic stresses impacting productivity in principal crops are being witnessed all over the world. Extreme events like prolonged droughts, intense rains and flooding, heat waves and frost damages are likely to further increase in future due to climate change. A wide range of adaptations and mitigation strategies are required to cope with such impacts. Efficient resource management and crop/livestock improvement for evolving better breeds can help to overcome abiotic stresses to some extent. However, such strategies being long drawn and cost intensive, there is a need to develop simple and low cost biological methods for the management of abiotic stress, which can be used on short term basis. Microorganisms could play a significant role in this respect, if we can exploit their unique properties of tolerance to extremities, their ubiquity, genetic diversity, their interaction with crop plants and develop methods for their successful deployment in agriculture production. Besides influencing the physico-chemical properties of rhizospheric soil through production of exopolysaccharides and formation of biofilm, microorganisms can also influence higher plants response to abiotic stresses like drought, chilling injury, salinity, metal toxicity and high temperature, through different mechanisms like induction of osmo-protectants and heat shock proteins etc. in plant cells. Use of these microorganisms per se can alleviate stresses in crop plants thus opening a new and emerging application in agriculture. These microbes also provide excellent models for understanding the stress tolerance, adaptation and response mechanisms that can be subsequently engineered into crop plants to cope with climate change induced stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

total of 312 boars (201 Landrace and 111 Large White) were genotyped with a custom-made low throughput genotyping microarray (called SNiPORK) based on array primer extension (APEX) technology. The results were used to association studies between genotyped SNP markers and daily gains, meat content and selection index. Among the 60 SNP markers analyzed, 14 of them showed statistically significant associations between the genotype and the level of at least one trait. In order to find extremely beneficial or unfavorable intergenic diplotype combinations, 5 SNP markers were selected: CAST A499C, MYF6 T255C, PKLR C384T, SFRS1 C1146T and TNNT3 T153C, which showed statistically significant associations at P ≤ 0.01 within one of the traits and the frequency of homozygotes with a minor allele of at least 0.1. Among 10 possible permutations, statistically significant associations were found only for a combination of SNP markers in TNNT3 × SFRS1 genes and, interestingly, for all combinations with SNP located within the calpastatin ( CAST) gene commonly known as a gene influencing pork quality traits. This study also found that CAST allele A (which is beneficial for pork tenderness) is also favorable for growth rate. This effect is clearly increased with additive alleles C of myogenic factor MYF6 and troponin T3 ( TNNT3) and is decreased with each allele T from serine rich splicing factor 1 ( SFRS1) gene. For meat content, the most favorable genotype of calpastatin gene was AC, the effect of which was generally increased with each C allele of MYF6 and TNNT3 and decreased with each allele T from SFRS1 and PKLR (puruvate kinase) genes, respectively. The calpastatin AC genotype seemed to be beneficial for selection index, although in combination with the CC genotype of troponin T3, calpastatin genotypes AA and CC reached higher values. In the case of the combination of genotypes TNNT3 × SFRS1, the most preferable for all analyzed traits is the CC genotype of TNNT3, especially in combination with CT or CC genotypes in the SFRS1 gene. We conclude that searching for interaction effects between candidate SNPs (even of moderate influence) may lead to interesting and valuable findings enabled better understanding and applications of SNPs in pork yield and quality improvement programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battles over the labelling of genetically modified organisms, the use of hormones in livestock production, and geographic indicators reveal persistent differences between the EU and US within the regulatory domains of environment, agriculture and food safety. Comparative studies have shown that culturally specific accountings of risk have fuelled different approaches to regulatory problems across the two jurisdictions. An analysis of organic regulation suggests that these characterisations remain useful, but should not be oversold. Differences in regulatory culture, as well as differences in explicit goals and mechanisms, set organic food regulation on different paths in the EU and US. However, whereas such differences have led to polarisation in other domains of food regulation, there has been relative convergence with respect to organic standards. Drawing on theories of regulatory convergence, this paper argues that polarisation was averted due to the ability, ultimately, of social movements working within and across borders to influence both sets of regulations, albeit through different channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Livestock provide a wide variety of goods and services that generate income and support the livelihoods of millions of poor people in the developing world. Natural and human selections have shaped existing livestock genotypes throughout the estimated 12,000year history since the first animal domestication. The result, in many production systems in the developing world, is a livestock genotype adapted to its environment and capable of meeting the needs of smallholder farmers. However, this adaptation is unlikely to be optimal and the rapid changes currently affecting the livestock sector, including policy and market changes, movements of germplasm frequently involving the importation of exotic breeds, and the increasing impacts of climate change are affecting the livestock genotype-environment optimum. This is challenging livestock production systems of smallholder farmers. Current challenges include: high rates of loss of the diversity in livestock populations, rapid transformation in smallholder production systems requiring significant changes in genotypes and their management; increased demand for quality and safe foods; increased market competition in a globalizing economy; increased need for complex partnership arrangements in the ever-changing livestock commodity chain; and lack of adaptive capacity to respond to the rapid system changes. Underlying all these is the general lack of strategies for genetic improvement of livestock in smallholder systems and poor livestock infrastructure in developing countries. Opportunities include increased demand for livestock products — and hence potential market opportunities, and new technologies with potential to leap-frog breeding progress in developing countries. This paper analyses options for pro-poor livestock improvement in developing countries, with particular emphasis on the potential role that science – both old and new – will have, from understanding the social underpinnings to innovative technical solutions. It concludes that one of the highest priority interventions for the smallholder systems is the development of innovative approaches for the strategic use of appropriate genotypes from the available range of global breed resources. The analysis strongly suggests that the highest priority ‘breeding intervention’ should be the provision of appropriate genotypes in a sustainable manner, underpinned by a good understanding of what breed resources exist that have demonstrated potential, where else they could be used, and how they would be delivered to smallholders. Efforts to improve/refine breeding skills of smallholders should proceed in parallel. Institutional arrangements and enabling policies are critical for the success in identifying and applying appropriate genetic technologies, improving access to input services and facilitating access to markets in order to translate productivity gains into incomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Social interactions, especially those involving competition among individuals, are important in domesticated livestock and in natural populations. The heritability of traits affected by such interactions has two components, one originating in the individual like that of classical traits (direct effects) and the other originating in other group members (indirect effects). The latter type of trait represents a significant source of 'hidden heritability' and it requires population structure and knowledge from relatives in order to access it for selective breeding. When ignored, competitive interactions may increase as an indirect response to direct selection, resulting in diminished yields. We illustrate how population genetic structure affects the response to selection of traits with indirect genetic effects using population genetic and quantitative genetic theory. Population genetic theory permits us to connect our results to the existing body of theory on kin and group selection in natural populations. The quantitative genetic perspective allows us to see how breeders have used knowledge from relatives and family selection in the domestication of plants and animals to improve the welfare and production of livestock by incorporating social genetic effects in the breeding program. We illustrate the central features of these models by reviewing empirical studies from domesticated chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper assesses the viability of small scale, specialised livestock farming led by the local government, to alleviate rural household poverty. In so doing, it reflects upon the prospect of niche livestock farming in an age where, ironically, demand for meat is ever-rising. It also highlights the ambiguous role that local government plays in poverty alleviation. The specific case study is on the Jinuo ethnic minority in Xishuangbanna autonomous region, located in Southwestern province of Yunnan, China. It is argued that thus far the Jinuo minority have had modest success in rearing indigenous pigs due to a confluence of factors. Nonetheless, a growing market will likely result in some degree of intensification in the production process that goes beyond the means of the upland farmers but will be eagerly exploited by the local government. If the pig rearing scheme is to remain an effective income diversification strategy in select marginalised mountainous communities, the march towards commodification, expansion and intensification, as well as the unchecked ambition of the local government, have to be carefully moderated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current selection schemes for livestock improvement use a wide variety of phenotypic traits. Some of them, such as sensory, type, or carcass traits, obtain their records from subjective grading performed by trained technicians. Data from this subjective evaluation usually involve classification under a categorical and arbitrary predefined scale, whose output may lead to strong departures from the Gaussian distribution. In addition, the scale of grading may be different according to different technicians. To study this phenomenon, we have analyzed subjective conformation (CON) and fat cover (FAT) scores in the Pirenaica beef cattle breed from data provided by 12 different slaughterhouses. Three statistical models were used: 1) a Gaussian linear model; 2) an ordered category threshold model; and 3) a specific slaughterhouse ordered category threshold model. These models were analyzed through a Bayesian analysis via a Gibbs sampler with a data augmentation step. Posterior mean estimates of heritability ranged from 0.23 to 0.26 for CON, and from 0.13 to 0.16 for FAT. Statistical models were compared by the deviance information criteria, and the slaughterhouse-specific ordered category threshold model was selected as the most plausible. This result was confirmed by the fact that the threshold estimates differed noticeably between slaughterhouses. Finally, the proposed model for genetic evaluation increased the expected selection response by up to 7.6% for CON and 11.2% for FAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By 2050, global livestock production is expected to double—growing faster than any other agricultural sub-sector—with most of this increase taking place in the developing world. As the United Nation’s four-hundred-page report, Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, documents, livestock production is now one of three most significant contributors to environmental problems, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation, water pollution, and increased health problems. The paper draws on the UN report as well as a flurry of other recently published studies in order to demonstrate the effect of intensive livestock production on global warming and on people’s health. The paper’s goal is to outline the problems caused by intensive livestock farming and analyze a number of possible solutions, including legislative changes and stricter regulations, community mobilizing, and consumers choosing to decrease their demand for animal products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. grass-fed beef sector has expanded rapidly in recent years, with the rise of consumer and producer interest in alternatives to conventional beef, with its associated environmental, health, and social costs. A nationwide study of grass-fed beef producer groups focused on scaling-up operations reveals that there are significant obstacles along the supply chain—including on-farm inputs, processing and marketing, and finance capital—to expanding individual operations and the sector overall. Entrepreneurial innovations, discussed here, can meet these challenges to some degree, yet broader, systemic approaches need more attention. Further, the benefits of scale must be weighed against potential drawbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development for Africa's mobile pastoralists is slowly becoming a reality. Success depends to a large extent on understanding the dynamics of drylands environments, accepting the logic of customary mobile livestock keeping, and enabling effective governance. Appropriate investment in pastoralism requires a clear understanding of the values that are attached to it and innovative approaches to marketing of the goods and services that emanate from the system. To make development truly sustainable it is imperative that the environmental services of pastoralism are recognised, rewarded and promoted. Constraints to sustainable pastoral development include low and misdirected public and private investment, weak security of resource rights, low human capital, weak pastoral voice and poor governance. Successful and sustainable development is observed in pastoral regions where customary governance has been legitimized, resource rights secured and economic development of the pastoral sector, as opposed to transformation of livestock keeping, has prevailed. This article presents state-of-the-art knowledge on sustainable pastoralism, gathered through the GEF/UNDP/IUCN World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism (WISP), with data and case studies taken from three recently published WISP reports: “Global Economic Review of Pastoralism”, “Pastoralism as Conservation in the Horn of Africa”, and “Policy Impacts on Pastoral Environments”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper zooarchaeological evidence from Iron Age and Roman sites in South-East Britain is presented and the results are applied to the continuing debate over culture contact and change following the Roman invasion. Evidence from Heybridge in Essex indicates that there were two stages of livestock development. These may reflect the import of new breeding stock into Britain. Differences between the rate of livestock development at this rural site and the nearby urban centre of Colchester indicate differing mechanisms of animal supply between the two sites. The appearance of very large cattle in Late Roman contexts at Boreham in Essex suggests that improvement of animals continued throughout the Roman occupation and was not merely an initial response to new economic and administrative demands. The biometrical evidence from these three sites is compared with evidence from elsewhere in Europe and the development of livestock during the Roman Period is shown to be complex and varied. The impetus and ideology behind the changes in animal husbandry following the Roman invasion in Britain are explored. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The commemoration of the Veterinary Education Centenary in Cuba has motivated to characterize the different periods that the professional training of such specialists has suffered depending on the social assignment given in each stage. Three periods are defined: the first, from 1907 to 1962, had a highly clinical approach; the second, from 1962 to 1990, regarding livestock development plans of the Revolution had a highly preemptive approach, keeping the clinical formation and the zoo-technical contents; and the third period, from 1990 until nowadays, in accordance with the changes that have occurred in the Higher Education, seeking the training of a professional with a wide range of performance, for which a comprehensive syllabus that balances the three profiles (clinical, preventive and zoo-technical) has been developed. All in all, these aspects have allowed to conclude that nowadays a more qualified and competent graduate is prepared to solve the professional problems of our livestock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock wastewater has been a major contributor to Chinese cultural eutrophication of surface waters. Constructed wetlands are under study as a best management practice to treat wastewater from dairy and swine operations, but the removal efficiency of pollutants is relatively low. Enhancing the treatment efficiency of livestock wastewater by effluent recirculation was investigated in a pilot-scale vertical-flow constructed wetland. The wetland system was composed of downflow and upflow stages, on which narrow-leaf Phragmites communis and common reed Phragmites Typhia are planted, respectively; each stage has a dimension of 4 m^2 (2 m × 2 m). Wastewater from facultative pond was fed into the system intermittently at a flow rate of 0.4 m^3/d. Recirculation rates of 0, 25%, 50%, 100% and 150% were adopted to evaluate the effect of the recirculation rate on pollutants removal. It shows that with effluent recirculation the average removal efficiencies of NH_4-N, biological oxygen demand (BOD_5) and suspended solids (SS) obviously increase to 61.7%, 81.3%, and 77.1%, respectively, in comparison with the values of 35.6%, 50.2%, and 49.3% without effluent recirculation. But the improvement of TP removal is slight, only from 42.3% to 48.9%. The variations of NH_4-N, dissolved oxygen (DO) and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of inflow and outflow reveal that the adoption of effluent recirculation is beneficial to the formation of oxide environment in wetland. The exponential relationships with excellent correlation coefficients (R^2>0.93) are found between the removal rates of NH_4-N and BOD_5 and the recirculation rates. With recirculation the pH value of the outflow decreases as the alkalinity is consumed by gradually enhanced nitrification process. When recirculation rate is kept constant 100%, the ambient temperature appears to affect NH_4-N removal, but does not have significant influence on BOD_5 removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union (EU) strategy with respect to sheep and goat brucellosis aims to eradicate the infection and achieve officially brucellosis-free (OBF) status in all EU holdings and territories. Council Directive 91/68/EEC of 28 January 1991 states that to maintain OBF status of ovine or caprine holdings located outside an OBF territory, only a representative number of animals need to be tested annually. However, depending on the number of animals in a holding, this testing method risks non-detection of the infection, thereby reducing the efficacy of the brucellosis control plan. The recommended sampling procedure has a low sensitivity for detecting infection in medium-sized flocks; furthermore, the risk of not detecting re-infection in OBF flocks, particularly in territories that have not yet gained OBF status, is also not acceptable. Moreover, in large-sized flocks, the Directive sampling procedure entails taking an excessive number of samples, which can be very expensive. The authors evaluated, by using statistical analyses and a simulation model based on field data, the possible consequences of the current EU strategy. It is suggested that the sampling criteria for the maintenance of OBF status in the EU should be modified and that a statistically based sampling method should be applied instead of the fixed percentage method that is currently in use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]