Nobumi Hasegawa

The effects of social exchange between two groups of lactating primiparous heifers on milk production, dominance order, behavior and adrenocortical response

Abstract The effects of social disturbance, by management practice, on behavior and performance of lactating heifers in a dairy herd were investigated. Two groups of 51 primiparous heifers in mid-lactation were used. Nearly half of the heifers in each group, including the three highest-ranking (Dm), three middle-ranking (Md) and three lowest-ranking (Sb) animals, were selected by angular dominance value (ADV) and the remaining heifers selected randomly. On Day 0, heifers were exchanged between the two groups. Regrouping prolonged the duration of standing and increased the frequency of shorter bouts of lying (≤ 15 min). At the feed bunk, the feeding of Sb was frequently interrupted by an attack of Dm. The average feeding time of Sb was significantly longer than that of Dm ( P P P P P

Application of MODIS Land Products to Assessment of Land Degradation of Alpine Rangeland in Northern India with Limited Ground-Based Information

Land degradation of alpine rangeland in Dachigam National Park, Northern India, was evaluated in this study using MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land products. The park has been used by a variety of livestock holders. With increasing numbers of livestock, the managers and users of the park are apprehensive about degradation of the grazing land. However, owing to weak infrastructure for scientific and statistical data collection and sociopolitical restrictions in the region, a lack of quality ground-based weather, vegetation, and livestock statistical data had prevented scientific assessment. Under these circumstances, the present study aimed to assess the rangeland environment and its degradation using MODIS vegetation, snow, and evapotranspiration products as primary input data for assessment. The result of the analysis indicated that soil water content and the timing of snowmelt play an important role in grass production in the area. Additionally, the possibility of land degradation in heavily-grazed rangeland was indicated via a multiple regression analysis at a decadal timescale, whereas weather conditions, such as rainfall and snow cover, primarily explained year-by-year differences in grass production. Although statistical uncertainties remain in the results derived in this