Kazato Oishi

Prediction of carcass composition and individual carcass cuts of Japanese Black steers

The objective of this study was to develop equations to predict carcass tissue weights and percentages and boneless carcass non-trimmed cut weights by using the cold carcass weight (CCW) and three other traits at the 6-7th rib section, which are routinely collected in carcass markets in Japan. Carcasses from 94 Japanese Black steers were used for the multiple regression analysis with a stepwise procedure and a novel Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO). The accuracies of prediction (R(2)) and RMSEs for the carcass tissue and cut weights were similar between the two procedures. In contrast, LASSO appeared to be the better procedure for predicting carcass tissue percentages. The longissimus muscle area and subcutaneous fat thickness were the important predictors for the lean percentage in the stepwise procedure, and CCW was additionally selected when the LASSO procedure was used.

Effects of adding food by-products mainly including noodle waste to total mixed ration silage on fermentation quality, feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen utilization and ruminal fermentation in wethers.

Four wethers were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment to evaluate the applicability of two types of total mixed ration (TMR) silage with food by-products. Four food by-products (i.e., potato waste, soy sauce cake, soybean curd residue and noodle waste) were obtained and mixed with commercial concentrate (CC) as TMR silage. The two types of TMR silage, T1 and T2, each contained CC, in addition to all by-products for T1 (TRE1), and soy sauce cake and noodle waste for T2 (TRE2) on a dry matter (DM) basis. The silage was well-fermented with low pH values and high lactic acid concentration. As the experimental treatments, T1, T2 and CC (CTL) were fed with a basal diet. The result showed that the digestibility of DM and organic matter (OM) were higher for T1 than for CC (P < 0.05), while crude protein digestibility was not significantly different among T1, T2 and CC. The retained nitrogen was not affected by inclusion of food by-products. Ruminal pH in TRE1 and TRE2 immediately decreased compared to that in CTL. The study suggested that the two types of TMR silage, including food by-products, might be used as a substitute for commercial concentrate.

Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium utilization and their cycling in a beef-forage production system.

The objective of this study was to quantify nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) utilization and their cycling in a beef-forage production system. A survey was conducted at the Kyoto University experimental farm in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, and included 9.5 ha of meadow and about 160 head of beef cattle. Forages cultivated on the meadow were ensiled and offered to breeding cows. The whole farm was regarded as a beef-forage production system. The system consisted of three components: animals, manure and soil/crop. Nutrient inputs, flows through the soil-plant-animal pathway and outputs were quantified for 2 periods for the whole farm. Nutrient utilization was evaluated by nutrient balances, utilization efficiencies (ratio of nutrient export to nutrient input) and cycling index. The average nutrient balances of N, P and K for the whole farm (kg/year/ha) were 435.7, 136.3, and 262.8, and the average nutrient utilization efficiencies were 0.08, 0.06, and 0.01, respectively. The characteristics of nutrient balances and utilization efficiencies for each component differed among the nutrients. The average cycling indices for N, P and K were 0.19, 0.17 and 0.49, respectively. This study illustrates the importance of internal nutrient cycling for improving nutrient utilization in beef production systems.

Effect of parental genotypes and paternal heterosis on litter traits in crossbred goats

The effect of parental genotype and paternal heterosis on litter size (LS), total litter birth weight (TLW) and average litter birth weight (ALW) was analysed utilizing data from a crossbreeding programme involving the exotic German Fawn goats and local Katjang goats in Malaysia. In this study, these traits were regarded as traits of the litter to consider the effect of service sire genotype. The results revealed that LS was significantly influenced by the genotype of sire. The genotypes of sire and dam had significant effects on TLW and ALW. Estimates of crossbreeding parameter showed significant and negative influence of paternal heterosis on TLW and ALW while there was no significant effect of paternal heterosis on LS. The results of this study stress the need to reconsider the use of local males in the tropics.

Application of overall dynamic body acceleration as a proxy for estimating the energy expenditure of grazing farm animals: relationship with heart rate.

Estimating the energy expenditure of farm animals at pasture is important for efficient animal management. In recent years, an alternative technique for estimating energy expenditure by measuring body acceleration has been widely performed in wildlife and human studies, but the availability of the technique in farm animals has not yet been examined. In the present study, we tested the potential use of an acceleration index, overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA), as a new proxy for estimating the energy expenditure of grazing farm animals (cattle, goats and sheep) at pasture with the simultaneous evaluation of a conventional proxy, heart rate. Body accelerations in three axes and heart rate for cows (n = 8, two breeds), goats (n = 6) and sheep (n = 5) were recorded, and the effect of ODBA calculated from the body accelerations on heart rate was analyzed. In addition, the effects of the two other activity indices, the number of steps and vectorial dynamic body acceleration (VeDBA), on heart rate were also investigated. The results of the comparison among three activity indices indicated that ODBA was the best predictor for heart rate. Although the relationship between ODBA and heart rate was different between the groups of species and breeds and between individuals (P<0.01), the difference could be explained by different body weights; a common equation could be established by correcting the body weights (M: kg): heart rate (beats/min) = 147.263∙M -0.141 + 889.640∙M -0.179∙ODBA (g). Combining this equation with the previously reported energy expenditure per heartbeat, we estimated the energy expenditure of the tested animals, and the results indicated that ODBA is a good proxy for estimating the energy expenditure of grazing farm animals across species and breeds. The utility and simplicity of the procedure with acceleration loggers could make the accelerometry technique a worthwhile option in field research and commercial farm use.

Feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen utilization, ruminal condition and blood metabolites in wethers fed ground bamboo pellets cultured with white-rot fungus (Ceriporiopsis subvermispora) and mixed with soybean curd residue and soy sauce cake.

Three types of bamboo pellets as a ruminant feed: P1 (ground bamboo (GB) cultured with the fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora (CGB) : soybean curd residue (T) : soy sauce cake (S) in a 5:4:1 ratio on a dry matter (DM) basis); P2 (GB : T : S = 5:4:1 on a DM basis); and P3 (CGB : T : S = 5.5:0.8:3.7 on a DM basis) were prepared. Four wethers were assigned in a 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment to evaluate the applicability of the bamboo pellets. The experimental treatments were C (control): fed alfalfa hay cubes (AC) only, and T1, T2 and T3: fed P1, P2, and P3 with AC by 1:1 on a DM basis, respectively. The digestibility of the DM, organic matter and acid detergent fiber of P1 were significantly higher than those of P2 and P3 (P < 0.05). The total digestible nutrient (TDN) contents of AC, P1, P2 and P3 were 56.5%, 60.2%, 53.2% and 47.0%, respectively. No significant differences in nitrogen retention or ruminal pH and NH₃ were observed among the treatment groups. The results indicate that bamboo pellets cultured with C. subvermispora and mainly mixed with soybean curd residue improved nutritional quality of ground bamboo because of its high digestibility and TDN content.

Estimation of nitrogen and phosphorus flows in livestock production in Dianchi Lake basin, China.

We assessed the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) flows in intensified livestock production systems by investigating nutrient budgets and cycling in the basin of Dianchi Lake, one of the most eutrophic lakes in China. We conducted field surveys based on feed samplings and interviews of livestock farmers. The N and P in local and external feeds, animal body retentions, animal products and excretions were calculated at the individual level for dairy cattle, fattening pigs, breeding sows, broilers and laying hens. The N and P flows in the total livestock production system in the area were estimated by multiplying the individual N and P budgets by the number of animals. For the dairy and fattening pig productions, N and P supplied from local crops or by-products accounted for large parts of the inputs. For the other livestock categories, most of the N and P inputs depended on external resources. The N and P outputs through animal manure into the cropland were 287 and 66 kg/ha/year, respectively, which were higher than the N and P inputs into the livestock production systems from the cropland. The N and P loads from manure should be reduced for the establishment of sustainable agricultural production systems.

A new vegetation index derived from the pattern decomposition method applied to Landsat-7/ETM+ images in Mongolia

The goal of this study was to estimate vegetation coverage and map the land‐cover in an experimental field (60×60 km) near Mandalgobi, Mongolia using Landsat‐7/ETM+ data for ground truthing in the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite II (ADEOS‐II) Mongolian Plateau Experiment (AMPEX). We measured soil moisture, vegetation coverage, and vegetation moisture in the field at 49 grid points around the time that the Aqua satellite passed over the area. We also surveyed the land‐cover in the field. Using ground‐based data and characteristics of spectral reflectance, we attempted to extract vegetation information from satellite data using the pattern decomposition method, which is a type of spectral mixture analysis. This method uses normalized spectral shapes as endmembers, which do not change between scenes. We defined an index using the pattern decomposition coefficients to analyse sparsely vegetated areas. The index showed a linear relationship with vegetation coverage. The vegetation coverage was estimated for the study site, and the average coverage at the site was 21.4%. Land‐cover types were classified using the index and the pattern decomposition coefficients; the kappa coefficient was 0.75. The index was useful for estimating vegetation coverage and land‐cover mapping for semiarid areas.

Estimation of the energy expenditure of grazing ruminants by incorporating dynamic body acceleration into a conventional energy requirement system

The estimation of energy expenditure (EE) of grazing animals is of great importance for efficient animal management on pasture. In the present study, a method is proposed to estimate EE in grazing animals based on measurements of body acceleration of animals in combination with the conventional Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) energy requirement system. Three-dimensional body acceleration and heart rate were recorded for tested animals under both grazing and housing management. An acceleration index, vectorial dynamic body acceleration (VeDBA), was used to calculate activity allowance (AC) during grazing and then incorporate it into the AFRC system to estimate the EE (EE derived from VeDBA [EE]) of the grazing animals. The method was applied to 3 farm ruminant species (7 cattle, 6 goats, and 4 sheep). Energy expenditure based on heart rate (EE) was also estimated as a reference. The result showed that larger VeDBA and heart rate values were obtained under grazing management, resulting in greater EE and EE under grazing management than under housing management. There were large differences between the EE estimated from the 2 methods, where EE values were greater than EE (averages of 163.4 and 142.5% for housing and grazing management, respectively); the EE was lower than the EE, whereas the increase in EE under grazing in comparison with housing conditions was larger than that in EE. These differences may have been due to the use of an equation for estimating EE derived under laboratory conditions and due to the presence of the effects of physiological, psychological, and environmental factors in addition to physical activity being included in measurements for the heart rate method. The present method allowed us to separate activity-specific EE (i.e., AC) from overall EE, and, in fact, AC under grazing management were about twice times as large as those under housing management for farm ruminant animals. There is evidence that the conventional energy system can predict fasting metabolism and the AC of housed animals based on accumulated research on energy metabolism and that VeDBA can quantify physical activity separately from other factors in animals on pasture. Therefore, the use of the VeDBA appears to be a precise way to predict activity-specific EE under grazing conditions, and the method incorporating acceleration index data with a conventional energy system can be a simple and useful method for estimation of EE in farm ruminants on pastures.

Effect of feeding tamarind kernel powder extract residue on digestibility, nitrogen availability and ruminal fermentation in wethers

Objective This study was to examine in vivo digestibility, nitrogen balance and ruminal fermentation of tamarind (Tamarind indica) kernel powder extract residue (TKPER) compared to soybean products and by-products in wethers. Methods Four wethers with initial body weight (BW) of 51.6±5.5 kg were assigned in a 4×4 Latin square design to investigate nutritional characteristics of TKPER, dry heat soybean (SB), dry soybean curd residue (SBCR) and soybean meal (SBM) feeding with ryegrass straw (R) at a ratio of 1:1 at 2% of BW in dry matter (DM) on a daily basis. Results The digestibility of DM, crude protein, and ether extract (EE) of TKPER-R diet were 57.0%, 87.0%, and 86.0%, respectively. Higher non-fiber carbohydrates digestibility was observed in TKPER-R diet (83.2%) than in SB-R diet (73.9%, p<0.05). Wethers fed the TKPER-R diet had lower retention of nitrogen (N) and ruminal ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) contents at 4 h after feeding than those fed the SBM-R diet (p<0.05), which had values similar to the SB-R or SBCR-R diet. The TKPER feeding had higher propionate (C3) and lower butyrate content, as well as lower acetate to propionate ratio (C2:C3) in rumen fluid than SBM feeding at 4 h after feeding (p<0.05). Conclusion TKPER did not bring any side effect to the wethers although it was lack of fiber, and could be used as a high protein and energy ingredient in concentrate with appropriate roughage to meet the fiber requirement for ruminants.