• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• 제60권5호
• /
• pp.13.1-13.7
• /
• 2018

Background: The objective of this study was to underline that litter size as a key trait of sows needs new parameters to be evaluated and to target an individual optimum. Large individual variation in litter size affects both production and piglet's survival and health negatively. Therefore, two new traits were suggested and analyzed. Two data sets on 5509 purebred German Landrace sows and 3926 Large White and crossing sows including at least two parental generations and at least five parities were subjected to variance components analysis. Results: The new traits for evaluating litter size were derived from the individual numbers of total born piglets (TBP) per parity: In most cases, sows reach their maximum litter size in their fourth parity. Therefore, data from at least five parities were included. The first observable maximum and minimum of TBP, and the individual variation expressed by the range were targeted. Maximum of TBP being an observable trait in pig breeding and management yielded clearly higher heritability estimates ($h^2{\sim}0.3$) than those estimates predominantly reported so far. Maximum TBP gets closer to the genetic capacity for litter size than other litter traits. Minimum of TBP is positively correlated with the range of TBP ($r_p=0.48$, $r_g$ > 0.6). The correlation between maximum of TBP and its individually reached frequency was negative in both data sets ($r_p=-0.28$ and - 0.22, respectively). Estimated heritability coefficients for the range of TBP comprised a span of $h^2=0.06$ to 0.10. Conclusion: An optimum both for maximum and range of total born piglets in selecting sows is a way contributing to homogenous litters in order to improving the animal-related conditions both for piglets' welfare and economic management in pig.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• 제34권1호
• /
• pp.20-25
• /
• 2021

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the possibility of utilizing an early litter size trait as an indirect selection trait for longevity and to estimate genetic parameters between sow stayability and litter size at different parities using a linear-threshold model for longevity in Thai Large White (LW) and Landrace (LR) populations. Methods: The data included litter size at first, second, and third parities (NBA1, NBA2, and NBA3) and sow stayability from first to fourth farrowings (STAY14). The data was obtained from 10,794 LR and 9,475 LW sows. Genetic parameters were estimated using the multiple-trait animal model. A linear-threshold model was used in which NBA1, NBA2, and NBA3 were continuous traits, while STAY14 was considered a binary trait. Results: Heritabilities for litter size were low and ranged from 0.01 to 0.06 for both LR and LW breeds. Similarly, heritabilities for stayability were low for both breeds. Genetic associations between litter size and stayability ranged from 0.43 to 0.65 for LR populations and 0.12 to 0.55 for LW populations. The genetic correlation between NBA1 and STAY14 was moderate and in a favorable direction for both LR and LW breeds (0.65 and 0.55, respectively). Conclusion: A linear-threshold model could be utilized to analyze litter size and sow stayability traits. Furthermore, selection for litter size at first parity, which was the genetic trait correlated with longevity, is possible when one attempts to improve lifetime productivity in Thai swine populations.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• 제38권4호
• /
• pp.425-436
• /
• 2015

The carbon cycle came into the spotlight due to the climate change and forests are well-known for their capacity to store carbon amongst other terrestrial ecosystems. The annual organic carbon of litter production, forest floor litter layer, soil, aboveground and belowground part of plant, standing biomass, net primary production, uptake of organic carbon, soil respiration, etc. were measured in Mt. Worak in order to understand the production and carbon budget of Quercus serrata forest that are widely spread in the central and southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The total amount of organic carbon of Q. serrata forest during the study period (2010-2013) was 130.745 ton C ha^-1. The aboveground part of plant, belowground part of plant, forest floor litter layer, and organic carbon in soil was 50.041, 12.510, 4.075, and 64.119 ton C ha^-1, respectively. The total average of carbon fixation in plants from photosynthesis was 4.935 ton C ha^-1 yr^-1 and organic carbon released from soil respiration to microbial respiration was 3.972 ton C ha^-1 yr^-1. As a result, the net ecosystem production of Q. serrata forest estimated from carbon fixation and soil respiration was 0.963 ton C ha^-1 yr^-1. Therefore, it seems that Q. serrata forest can act as a sink that absorbs carbon from the atmosphere. The carbon uptake of Q. serrata forest was highest in stem of the plant and the research site had young forest which had many trees with small diameter at breast height (DBH). Consequentially, it seems that active matter production and vigorous carbon dioxide assimilation occurred in Q. serrata forest and these results have proven to be effective for Q. serrata forest to play a role as carbon storage and NEP.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
• /
• 제9권4호
• /
• pp.185-192
• /
• 1986

The production and decomposition rate of litters from the three different locations, Quercus acutissium forest at 630 m, Q. mongolica forests at 1, 005m and 1, 490 m of Mt. Dokyoo, were estimated by Olson model. The contents of N, P, K, Ca and Na in soils were measured and the relationships among them were elucidated. The amounts of litter production in Q. mangolica were the lowest, 378.96g/$m^2$ at 1, 490 m and the highest, 876.12g/$m^2$ at 1, 005 m. And the amounts of litter production in Q. acutissima at 630 m was 686.16 g/$m^2$. The decay rate of litters in Q. mongolica was the smallest, 0.123 at 1, 490 m, and the largest, 0.222 at 1, 005 m. And that in Q. acutissima was 0.169 at 630 m which was the medium rate. The production and decay rate of litters decreased with the ascending altitude. The values at 630 m were maller than those at 1, 005 m. This might be due to the fact that the tree species at 630 m was Q. acutissima was 0.169 at 630 m which was the medium rate. The production and decay rate of litters decreased with the ascending altitude. The values at 630 m was Q. acutissima which was different from Q. mongolica at 1, 005 m and 1, 490 m. The half-0life of litter decay in Q. monglica was 5, 634 years at 1, 490 m and 3.134 years at 1, 005 m. And that in Q. acutissima was 4.132 years at 630 m. The decay rates of litters were tend to be inversely proportional to the ascending altitude. The annual standing stocks of mineral and their amounts returned to the soil were proportional to the decay rate of organic matters.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제30권2호
• /
• pp.275-283
• /
• 2017

Objective: An experiment was conducted to investigate the environment of the deep litter system and provided theoretical basis for production. Methods: The bedding samples were obtained from a pig breeding farm and series measurements associated with gases concentrations and the bacterial diversity as well as the quantity of Escherichia coli, Lactobacilli, Methanogens were performed in this paper. Results: The concentrations of $CO_2$, $CH_4$, and $NH_3$ in the deep litter system increased with the increasing of depth while the $N_2O$ concentrations increased fiercely from the 0 cm to the -10 cm depth but then decreased beneath the -10 cm depth. Meanwhile, the Shannon index, the dominance index as well as the evenness index at the -20 cm layer was significantly different from the other layers (p<0.05). On the other hand, the quantity of Escherichia coli reached the highest value at the surface beddings and there was a significant drop at the -20 cm layer with the increasing depth. The Lactobacilli numbers increased with the depth from 0 cm to -15 cm and then decreased significantly under the -20 cm depth. The expression of Methanogens reached its largest value at the depth of -35 cm. Conclusion: The upper layers (0 cm to -5 cm) of this system were aerobic, the middle layers (-10 cm to -20 cm) were micro-aerobic, while that the bottom layers (below -20 cm depth) were anaerobic. In addition, from a standpoint of increasing the nitrification pathway and inhibiting the denitrification pathway, it should be advised that the deep litter system should be kept aerobic.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제17권11호
• /
• pp.1509-1517
• /
• 2004

A study was conducted to determine the safety of feeding processed broiler litter (BL) to beef cattle. The litter was processed by deepstacking, ensiling and composting. The health issues addressed relevant to the safety of feeding litter included pathogenic bacteria, mycotoxins, heavy metals, medicinal drugs and pesticide residues. Exp. 1 evaluated the feed hygiene of processed rice hulls-bedded BL. The presence of pathogenic bacteria in BL was determined before and after deepstacking. A total of 21 BL samples were collected over a 3-year period of commercial and experimental production of BL for beef cattle. Exp. 2 evaluated the safety of meat of cattle fed deepstacked BL. In Exp. 1, there were no pathogenic bacteria, such as coliform, E. coli, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria and Proteus, in deepstacked BL. Levels of heavy metals (Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) and toxic heavy metals (As, Pb, Cd and Hg) were lower than the commercial feed tolerances. Aflatoxin, medicinal drug and pesticide residues were detected at extremely low levels. In Exp. 2, the meat of the BL-fed animals exhibited few differences in all analyzed items from that of the control group, showing safety from pathogenic microorganisms and heavy metals. When BL was withdrawn for 14 days prior to slaughtering the BLfed cattle, no medicinal drug residues were detected in the meat. Pesticides in the tissues of either group of animals were much lower than the tolerances. In conclusion, processed rice hulls-bedded BL and the meat of cattle fed BL were safe from the potential hazards of pathogenic bacteria, heavy metals, aflatoxin, medicinal drugs and pesticide residues.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제12권1호
• /
• pp.61-67
• /
• 1999

Data from 22837 lambings of Lohi and Kajli ewes from 1962 through 1994 were used to analyse productive and reproductive traits and wool production, Overall litter size at birth averaged 1.33 being 1.45 for Lohi and 1.21 for Kajli ewes. The corresponding values at weaning were 1.23, 1.32 and 1.14, respectively. Litter size was consistently lowest for one year old, with a substantial increase at two, three and four years of ewe age and marginal increase thereafter, Ewes lambing in spring weaned 0.08 more lambs per parturition than ewes lambed in Autumn (p<0,01). Lamb birth weights were affected by ewe breed (p<0.01) and increased with ewe age. Overall lamb weaning weight (120 d) of 17993 lambs was 20.3 kg. Weaning weight was affected by breed, sire, year of birth, sex, rearing rank and weaning age (p<0.01). The highest mean weaning weight was 21.9 kg for Lohi lambs followed by Kajli lambs (18.8 kg), Lambs from Kajli ewes were 9% heavier at birth but 14% lighter at weaning. Twin born lambs were 18% lighter at birth and 13% at weaning than single born lambs. Male lambs were 3% heavier at birth and 4.5% heavier at weaning than female lambs. Overall annual mean wool production was 2,64 kg, Kajli ewes were heavier at breeding than Lohi ewes (i.e. 46.2 vs 44.8 kg). Lohi ewes being 3% less body weight produced 38% more wool and 18% more litter weaning weight than Kajli ewes, When average weight of lamb weaned per ewe weaning lambs was adjusted for ewe average metabolic body size, Lohi ewes were most efficient (i.e. arbitrary assigned value of 100) compared to Kajli ewes achieving only 83% of Lohi level.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• 제37권8호
• /
• pp.1333-1344
• /
• 2024

Objective: Litter size and piglet loss at birth significantly impact piglet production and are closely associated with sow parity. Understanding how these traits vary across different parities is crucial for effective herd management. This study investigates the patterns of the number of born alive piglets (NBA), number of piglet losses (NPL), and the proportion of piglet losses (PPL) at birth in Landrace sows under tropical conditions. Additionally, it aims to identify the most suitable model for describing these patterns. Methods: A dataset comprising 2,322 consecutive reproductive records from 258 Landrace sows, spanning parities from 1 to 9, was analyzed. Modeling approaches including 2nd and 3rd degree polynomial models, the Wood gamma function, and a longitudinal model were applied at the individual level to predict NBA, NPL, and PPL. The choice of the best-fitting model was determined based on the lowest mean and standard deviation of the difference between predicted and actual values, Akaike information criterion (AIC), and Bayesian information criterion (BIC). Results: Sow parity significantly influenced NBA, NPL, and PPL (p<0.0001). NBA increased until the 4th parity and then declined. In contrast, NPL and PPL decreased until the 2nd parity and then steadily increased until the 8th parity. The 2nd and 3rd degree polynomials, and longitudinal models showed no significant differences in predicting NBA, NPL, and PPL (p>0.05). The 3rd degree polynomial model had the lowest prediction standard deviation and yielded the smallest AIC and BIC. Conclusion: The 3rd degree polynomial model offers the most suitable description of NBA, NPL, and PPL patterns. It holds promise for applications in genetic evaluations to enhance litter size and reduce piglet loss at birth in sows. These findings highlight the importance of accounting for sow parity effects in swine breeding programs, particularly in tropical conditions, to optimize piglet production and sow performance.

• 한국환경과학회지
• /
• 제18권12호
• /
• pp.1437-1442
• /
• 2009

Recent studies have shown that alum addition to litter results in many environmental and economic advantages, such as reductions in metal runoff, lower ammonia emission and improved poultry performance. However, no research has been conducted to evaluate the effects of different types of alum on soluble metals in poultry litter. The objective of this study was conducted to investigate changes in soluble metal from poultry litter with different types of aluminum sulfate (alum) under laboratory condition. The treatments used in this study, which were mixed in the upper 1 cm of litter or sprayed onto the litter surface, were 4 g alum, 8 g alum, 8.66 g liquid alum, 17.3 g liquid alum, 11.2 g A7 (high acid alum), and 22.4 g A7 (high acid alum)/100 g litter. Applying different types of alum to poultry litter reduced (P<0.05) concentrations of soluble Fe (9 to 54%), Cu (9 to 49%) and Zn (11 to 40%), relative to untreated litter, whereas it increased Ca and Mg (P<0.05). Mean soluble Fe and Cu levels in poultry litter from different types of alum decreased in the order: 22.4 g A7 (54% and 49%) > 17.3 g liquid alum (48% and 42%) > 8 g alum (48% and 31%) > 4 g alum (28% and 10%) > 8.6 g liquid alum (10% and 9%) > 11.2 g A7 (8.6% and 9%). Additionally, the high reduction in soluble Zn concentration was 4 g alum (40%), followed by 8 g alum (26%), 22.4 g A7 (25%), 17.3 g liquid alum (23%), 8.66 g liquid alum (18%), and 11.2 g A7 (11%), respectively. In conclusion, the current studies suggest that treating poultry litter with different types of alum can be applied to reduce soluble metal (Fe, Cu, and Zn) and to develop a production to merchandise for poultry litter that would result in reduction in pollutants from these materials. Furthermore, in order to improve environmental management in the poultry industry, the use of alum, liquid alum and high acid alum all should be provided a valid means of reducing negative environmental impact.

• 한국가금학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국가금학회 2001년도 제18차 정기총회 및 학술발표 PROCEEDINGS
• /
• pp.86-88
• /
• 2001

본 시험은 broiler performance, litter N농도가 어떻게 유지되며, NH3 gas 농도가 사료에 ammino acid와 Vitamin D를 보충하여 litter에 Alum을 첨가하여 저수준 단백질 수준을 감소시키는지 결정하기 위해 실시하였다. 이 실험은 각각 처리마다 3반복 90마리를 세가지의 다른 단백질 수준을 가지고서 starter period(1-214)와 grower period(22-420)로 나누었다. 단백질처리는 각기 starter에는 평균 23.0(control 71), 20.4(W)와 18.0(73)%로 grower에서는 21.0(control 71), l9.3(n) and 17.o(73)%로 구성된다. control과 비교하면 ammino acid 수준은 비슷하다. Alum은 rice bran kg당 2009에 Control을 제외하고 각 처리구에 혼합했다. 결과는 3wks와 6wks 동안 급여한 사료에서 Control이하인 저수준 단백질은 feed gain은 증가하였으며, feed intake와 weight gain은 감소하였다. 그러나 처리간에는 유의차(P<0.05)가 없었으며 Alum을 litter에 혼합할 때(P<0.05) 저수준 단백질은 NH3 gas농도가 74.8-80.9% 감소되었다. litter에 Alum을 첨가하는 조작은 NH3 gas농도를 감소시킨다는 것을 보여준다.