• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.543-555
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• 2010

The objectives of this research were the estimation of genetic parameters and trends for weaning-to-first service interval (WSI), and litter traits in a commercial swine population composed of Landrace (L), Large White (T), LT, and TL animals in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. The dataset contained 4,399 records of WSI, number of piglets born alive (NBA), litter weight of live piglets at birth (LBW), number of piglets at weaning (NPW), and litter weight at weaning (LWW). Variance and covariance components were estimated with REML using 2-trait analyses. An animal model was used for WSI and a sire-dam model for litter traits. Fixed effects were farrowing year-season, breed group of sow, breed group of boar (litter traits), parity, heterosis (litter traits), sow age, and lactation length (NPW and LWW). Random effects were boar (litter traits), sow, permanent environment, and residual. Heritabilities for direct genetic effects were low for WSI (0.04${\pm}$0.02) and litter traits (0.05${\pm}$0.02 to 0.06${\pm}$0.02). Most heritabilities for maternal litter trait effects were 20% to 50% lower than their direct counterparts. Repeatability for WSI was similar to its heritability. Repeatabilities for litter traits ranged from 0.15${\pm}$0.02 to 0.18${\pm}$F0.02. Direct genetic, permanent environment, and phenotypic correlations between WSI and litter traits were near zero. Direct genetic correlations among litter traits ranged from 0.56${\pm}$0.20 to 0.95${\pm}$0.05, except for near zero estimates between NBA and LWW, and LBW and LWW. Maternal, permanent environment, and phenotypic correlations among litter traits had similar patterns of values to direct genetic correlations. Boar genetic trends were small and significant only for NBA (-0.015${\pm}$0.005 piglets/yr, p<0.004). Sow genetic trends were small, negative, and significant (-0.036${\pm}$0.013 d/yr, p<0.01 for WSI; -0.017${\pm}$0.005 piglets/yr, p<0.007, for NBA; -0.015${\pm}$0.005 kg/yr, p<0.01, for LBW; -0.019${\pm}$0.008 piglets/yr, p<0.02, for NPW; and -0.022${\pm}$0.006 kg/yr, p<0.003, for LWW). Permanent environmental correlations were small, negative, and significant only for WSI (-0.028${\pm}$0.011 d/yr, p<0.02). Environmental trends were positive and significant only for litter traits (p<0.01 to p<0.0003). Selection based on predicted genetic values rather than phenotypes could be advantageous in this population. A single trait analysis could be used for WSI and a multiple trait analysis could be implemented for litter traits.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.303-308
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• 2007

In order to investigate the relation of production traits and reproduction traits the data from Gyungnam heugdon(Berkshire) were analyzed. Pearson correlation coefficients of the reproductive traits including days to first farrowing, days to first breeding and no. of breeding for first litter with back fat thickness were ranged -.24 to -.26. Estimates of heritability and genetic correlation for the reproductive traits including days to first farrowing, days to first breeding and no. of breeding for first litter showed frequent and wide fluctuation due to lack of reproductive records. Pearson correlation coefficients of back fat with litter traits were low, but genetic correlation coefficients were relatively high. Genetic correlation coefficients of back fat with total litter size, pigs born alive, litter weight at birth and litter weight at weaning were .21, .24, .11 and .07 respectively. It suggests that thin back fat thickness deteriorates performance of litter traits. Genetic correlation coefficients of days to 90kg with total litter size, pigs born alive, litter weight at birth and litter weight at weaning were .14, .17, .09 and .00 respectively. This result imply that genetic improvement on the production traits reduce the litter trait performance.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.233-237
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• 2008

The objective of this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of poultry litter amendments on pH and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) in poultry litter. Two laboratory studies were conducted for 42 d in Exp. 1 and for 10 d in Exp. 2, respectively. The poultry litter was treated with various amendments which included 4 g fly ash and 4 g $AlCl_3\;(AlCl_36H_2O)/100g$ litter in Exp. 1 and 4 g alum$(Al_2(SO_4){_3}\;14H_2O)$, 8 g alum, 8.66 g liquid alum, and 17.3 g liquid alum/100 g litter in Exp. 2; untreated litter served as controls. There were no differences in pH between control and T1(4 g fly ash) and SRP contents between T1(4 g fly ash) and T2(4 g $AlCl_3$) in Exp. 1. A significant difference in pH and SRP contents in Exp. 2 was observed among all treatments(P< 0.05). In experiment 1, T1(4 g fly ash) and T2(4 g $AlCl_3$) at 42 d decreased SRP in litter by 47.1% and 62.6% of that from litter alone, respectively. In experiment 2, T1(4 g alum), T2(8.66 g liquid alum), T3(8 g alum), and T4(17.3 g liquid alum) treatments at 10 days reduced SRP contents by up to 36.2%, 62.9%, 87.0%, and 83.9%, respectively, when compared with the controls. Decrease in SRP contents was chiefly associated with reduction in litter pH. These results indicate that use of various litter amendments to limit P solubility has potential and should be pursued as a means of reducing soluble reative phosphorus during short term.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2022

This study was conducted to examine litter inputs and litter decomposition rates following thinning, which is among the most important forest management activities that enhance the beneficial functions in Korean forests. Litter inputs and litter decomposition rates following a 2-year elapse from thinning in Pinus densiflora and following a 7-year elapse from thinning in Quercus variabilis stands were measured for 2 years from 16 sites in three regions (Sancheong-gun, Uiryeong-gun, and Jinju-si) in Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. Annual needle litter inputs in P. densiflora stands were significantly decreased following thinning, whereas annual broadleaved leaf litter inputs in Q. variabilis stands were not significantly different between thinned and unthinned treatments. The annual mean total litter inputs in both tree species were significantly lower in the thinned (P. densiflora: 3,653 kg ha^-1 year^-1; Q. variabilis: 4,963 kg ha^-1 year^-1) compared to the unthinned stands (P. densiflora: 5,138 kg ha^-1 year^-1; Q. variabilis: 5,997 kg ha^-1 year^-1) during the study period. The mass loss rates from decomposing needle litter in P. densiflora stands were significantly lower (p<0.05) in the thinned stands than in the unthinned stands for two sampling dates of the eight included in the study, whereas the decomposition rates from decomposing leaf litter in Q. variabilis stands were not affected by thinning. The results indicate that thinning effects on total litter inputs remained clear following a 2-year elapse from thinning in P. densiflora stands and following a 7-year elapse from thinning in Q. variabilis stands.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.273-282
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• 2023

A total of 192 one-day-old Ross 308 broilers (initial body weight: 31.30±0.41 g) were used in this experiment for 28 days. Treatments were as follows: basal rice husk (CON), rice husk + 1% illite (T1), rice husk + 1% zeolite (T2), and rice husk + 0.5% illite + 0.5% zeolite (T3). The percentage of illite and zeolite was calculated on a weight of litter. Each treatment had four replicates, with 12 birds per pen. Each pen was provided with 5 kg of rice husk as litter. Litter moisture content was significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the T1, T2, and T3 groups compared to CON group at week 4. In litter nitrogen, the T1 group showed significantly lower (P<0.05) litter nitrogen content than the other groups at weeks 1, 2, and 3. Also, the T3 group showed a significantly lower (P<0.05) litter nitrogen content than the CON and T2 groups at weeks 2 and 3. The counts of E. coli in the litter were significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the T1 group compared to the CON group at weeks 2 and 3. Moreover, the counts of Salmonella in the litter were significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the T1 group compared to the CON group at week 4. The FPD score significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the T1 group compared to the CON group. In conclusion, spraying illite could be an ideal way to improve litter quality and decrease FPD in broilers.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.517-528
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• 2015

Litter decomposition is an important process in terrestrial ecosystem. However, studies on decomposition are rare, especially in evergreen broadleaf trees. We collected the leaf litter of five evergreen broadleaf trees (Daphniphyllum macropodum, Dendropanax morbifera, Castanopsis cuspidata var. thunbergii, Machilus thunbergii and Quercus acuta), and carried out a decomposition experiment using the litterbag method in Ju-do, Wando-gun, Korea for 731 days from December 25, 2011 to December 25, 2013. Among the five experimental tree species, C. cuspidata var. thunbergii distribution was limited in Jeju Island, and D. macropodum was distributed at the highest latitude at Mt. Baekyang (N 35°40′). About 2% of the initial litter mass of D. macropodum and D. morbifera remained, while 20.9% remained for C. cuspidata var. thunbergii, 30.4% for M. thunbergii, and 31.6% for Q. acuta. D. macropodum litter decayed four times faster (k = 2.02 yr^-1) than the litter of Q. acuta (k = 0.58 yr^-1). The decomposition of litter was positively influenced by thermal climate such as accumulated mean daily air temperature (year day index) and precipitation, as well as by physical characteristics such as thickness (R²=0.939, P = 0.007) and specific leaf area (SLA) (R² = 0.964, P = 0.003). The characteristics of chemical composition such as lignin (R² = 0.939, P = 0.007) and water-soluble materials (R² = 0.898, P = 0.014) showed significant correlations with litter decomposition. However, the nutrients in litter showed complicated species-specific trends. The litter of D. macropodum and D. morbifera had fast decomposition despite their low nitrogen concentration and high C/N ratio. This means that the litter decomposition was more strongly affected by physical characteristics than chemical composition and nutrient content. On the other hand, the litter of Q. acuta which had the slowest decay rate had a high amount of N and low C/N ratio. Thus, the decomposition of Q. acuta litter was more affected by the P content of the litter than the N content, although all litter had similar physical characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.351-366
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• 2014

The aim of this study was to develop software for beach litter detection that includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and uses images taken by a micro-unmanned aerial vehicle. Videos were taken over Doomo pebble beach, Sogye pebble beach, and Heungnam sand beach on the northeast coast of Geojedo (Geoje Island), Korea. Still images of actual beach litter were obtained from the videos. The image processing involved preprocessing, morphological image processing, and image recognition. Comparison with still images showing beach litter demonstrated that the software could generally detect litter larger than 50 cm in size such as Styrofoam buoys and circular fish traps (excluding small pixel-size ropes). Combining the proposed method with the conventional surveying approach is expected to enhance the accuracy of beach litter detection. The new technique will also aid in predicting the amount of beach litter generated along coastlines, which is currently difficult to monitor.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.38-48
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• 2013

Decomposition of plant material is an important component in the study of forest ecosystem because of its critical role in nutrient cycling. Different tree species has different nutrient release patterns, which are related to leaf litter quantitative traits and seasonal environmental factors. The quantitative traits of leaf litter are important predictors of decomposition and decomposition rates increase with greater nutrient availability in the forest ecosystems. At the ecosystem level, litter quantitative traits are most often related to the physical and chemical characteristics of the litter, for example, leaf toughness and leaf mass per unit area, and lignin content tannin and total phenolics. Thus, the analysis of litter quantitative traits and decomposition are highly important for the understanding of nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. By studying the role of litter quantitative traits on decomposition and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems will provide a valuable insight to how quantitative traits influence ecosystem nutrient dynamics. Such knowledge will contribute to future forest management and conservation practices.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.33-43
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• 1997

The production and decomposition rate of litters of major forest trees in Korea, such as Quercus acutissima, Quercus mogolica Robinia pseudoacacia Pinus rigida, Pinus thunbergiana, Abies koreana,Phy'llostackys reticulata, were estimated by Olson model. The amount of mineral nutrients in litters and soil were measured, and the relationships among them were studied. The annual litter production was the most in the forest of broadleaved deciduous trees and the least in the forest of monocotyledonous trees. The decomposition rate of broadleaved deciduous litters was higher than that of coniferous litters and lower than that of R. pseudoacacia litters. The time required for the decomposition of half of the accumulated organic matter of R.pseudoacacia litter, Quercus litter, P. rigida litter, Ph. reticulata litter, P. thunbergiana litter and .4.koreana litter in the forest stands were 1.263 years, 2.290~2.365 years, 2.644 years, 4.660 years,4.750 years, 6.699 years respectively. The amounts of N in litters and the amounts of N returned to the soil in the forests of R. pseudoacacia. Quercus, Pinus were proportional to the decay rate of organic matter. Key words: Annual litter production, Decomposition rate.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 1999

This experiment was conducted to determine the influence of litter type on growing performance of broiler and litter characteristics. Sawdust, wood chips and solid part of cattle manure was used as a litter from 7 to 42 days of broiler age. The body weight was significantly (p<.05) higher in manure solid than those of sawdust and wood chips. The litter production was 2,134, 2,246 and 1,785g per bird on the sawdust, the wood chip and the manure solid during 35 days, respectively. Although the initial moisture contents of the litter materials were different 23.5% for sawdust, 16.26% for wood chips and 61.57% for cattle manure solids, the moisture were different 23.5% for sawdust, 16.26% for wood chips and 61.57% for cattle manure solid, the moisture contents became similar after 28 days of the experimental period. The nitrogen content of manure solid was higher than those of sawdust and wood chips. It was concluded that solid part of cattle manure and wood chips were potentially useful source of litter materials for broiler.