Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: K. Yazgan Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Harran University, Osmanbey Campus, Sanliurfa, Turkey Author-Name: J. Makulska Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Cattle Breeding, Agricultural University, Kraków, Poland Author-Name: A. Węglarz Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Cattle Breeding, Agricultural University, Kraków, Poland Author-Name: E. Ptak Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Agricultural University, Kraków, Poland Author-Name: M. Gierdziewicz Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Agricultural University, Kraków, Poland Title: Genetic relationship between milk dry matter and other milk traits in extended lactations of Polish Holstein cows Abstract: The objective of this research was to examine heritabilities and genetic, phenotypic and permanent environmental relationships between milk dry matter (DM) and milk traits such as milk, fat, protein and lactose yields, milk urea nitrogen (MUN) and somatic cell score (SCS) in extended (to 395 days) lactations of Holstein cows from a big farm in Poland. The data set consisted of 78 059 test day records from the first, second and third lactations of 3 792 cows, daughters of 210 sires and 1 677 dams. Single- or two-trait random regression models were used with fixed effects of calving year, calving month, dry period and calving interval and random additive genetic and permanent environmental effects. The last two fixed effects were not included in the analysis of first lactation data. The highest values of heritabilities for all traits, except DM, were observed in the second lactation. First lactation heritabilities for all traits - except milk yield and SCS - were smaller than those in the third lactation. Lactose yield was highly heritable, with average h2 equal to 0.25, 0.29 and 0.28 in lactations 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Heritability for DM was slightly lower than that for lactose (0.22, 0.26 and 0.28 for lactations 1, 2 and 3, respectively). In all lactations heritabilities for SCS were below 0.1. Genetic correlations between DM and milk yield (0.64-0.74) were lower than those between MUN and milk yield (0.67-0.79) as well as between lactose and milk yield (0.72-0.82). In general, DM was much more closely correlated with fat or protein yield (0.55-0.79) than with MUN or lactose (0.38-0.76). Only in the third lactation the correlation between DM and protein (0.72) was lower than between lactose and protein (0.76). For all lactations there were very high genetic correlations between DM and lactose (0.96-0.98) and high correlations between DM and MUN (0.63-0.83) and between lactose and MUN (0.70-0.85). The results suggest that further research is needed, focused on DM and its relationship with other traits in larger populations. Keywords: genetic parameters, milk dry matter, extended lactation, milk urea nitrogen, lactose Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 91-104 Volume: 55 Issue: 3 Year: 2010 DOI: 10.17221/49/2009-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/49/2009-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-201003-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:55:y:2010:i:3:id:49-2009-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Z. Váradyová Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovak Republic Author-Name: S. Kišidayová Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovak Republic Author-Name: A. Lauková Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovak Republic Author-Name: D. Jalč Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovak Republic Title: Influence of inoculated maize silage and sunflower oil on the in vitro fermentation, ciliate population and fatty acid outputs in the rumen fluid collected from sheep Abstract: The effect of maize silage (MS) supplemented with sunflower oil (SO) on the rumen fermentation parameters, growth of ciliate population and fatty acid outputs was investigated for 72 hours using a batch culture fermentation technique. The rumen fluid from ruminally fistulated sheep was mixed with McDougall's buffer (1:1) and added (35 ml) to fermentation bottles containing 1.5 g (0.38 g of DM) of MS with or without SO (30 g/kg of DM). Four types of MS were used: uninoculated (MS) or inoculated with Lactobacillus plantarum CCM 4000 (MS+LP), Lactobacillus fermentum LF2 (MS+LF) or Enterococcus faecium CCM 4231 (MS+EF) in simultaneous incubations at 39 ± 0.5°C for 72 h in vitro. Total gas production was decreased by SO (by 16-17%) in MS and all inoculated MS. Methane production was not significantly influenced by SO. The concentration of total volatile fatty acids, molar proportions of acetate, propionate and n-butyrate were influenced by SO (P < 0.05; P < 0.01; P < 0.001). SO had no significant effect on the total ciliate number and growth of the examined ciliate species Entodinium spp., Dasytricha ruminantium, Polyplastron multivesiculatum, Enoploplastron triloricatum and Diplodinium denticulatum. The number of Dasytricha ruminantium with MS+LP was higher (P < 0.01) as compared to MS. Outputs of trans vaccenic acid (TVA), linoleic acid, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and α-linolenic acid were influenced by SO (P < 0.05; P < 0.01; P < 0.001). However, the output of CLA was increased only in MS+LF (P < 0.001). It can be concluded that the supplementation of sunflower oil into maize silage is not effective as dietary antiprotozoal agents in a short-time interval, but it might positively affect the rumen bacterial population and activities. Sunflower oil with inoculated and uninoculated maize silage could be effective for an increase of TVA in the rumen fluid of sheep. Keywords: maize silage, inoculation, lipid metabolism, ciliate protozoa, in vitro Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 105-115 Volume: 55 Issue: 3 Year: 2010 DOI: 10.17221/145/2009-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/145/2009-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-201003-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:55:y:2010:i:3:id:145-2009-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Z.Y. Niu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A and F University Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China Author-Name: F.Z. Liu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A and F University Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China Author-Name: Y.N. Min Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A and F University Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China Author-Name: W.C. Li Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A and F University Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China Title: Effects of dietary dihydropyridine supplementation on growth performance and lipid metabolism of broiler chickens Abstract: An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dihydropyridine supplementation on growth performance and lipid metabolism of broilers. A total of 480 one-day-old female Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly divided into four groups, each group had six replications of 20 birds. Each group was fed a maize-soybean meal diet supplemented with 0, 100, 200, 300 mg/kg dihydropyridine, respectively, for six weeks. At 42 days of age, body weight and feed intake were not affected by dihydropyridine, while feed efficiency was significantly increased by 8.4%, 15.0% and 12.0%, respectively (P < 0.05). The percentage of abdominal fat and the percentage of liver fat were reduced by 24.5%, 25.9%, 23.3%, and 23.6%, 26.7%, 26.0%, respectively (P < 0.05). The higher level of dietary dihydropyridine (200 or 300 mg/kg) increased the hormone-sensitive triglyceride lipase activity in liver and abdominal fat (P < 0.05). The lipoprotein lipase activity in abdominal fat was significantly decreased by dihydropyridine (P < 0.05). The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and malic dehydrogenase in liver was significantly reduced, whereas the isocitrate dehydrogenase activity in liver was not affected by dietary dihydropyridine. The content of cAMP was significantly increased by dihydropyridine, but malondialdehyde content was decreased (P < 0.05). Dihydropyridine at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg increased apolipoprotein B (P < 0.05), but 300 mg/kg dihydropyridine had no effect on apolipoprotein B compared with the control group. Triiodothyronine was significantly increased by dietary dihydropyridine (P < 0.05). There were no differences in apolipoprotein A, cholesterol, trigly-cerides, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, thyroxine and insulin among dietary treatments. It is concluded that supplementing dihydropyridine has a beneficial effect on feed efficiency and lipid metabolism of broilers, and that 200 mg/kg dihydropyridine supplementation is the optimum dose. Keywords: dihydropyridine, growth performance, lipid metabolism, lipogenesis, lipolysis, broilers Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 116-122 Volume: 55 Issue: 3 Year: 2010 DOI: 10.17221/109/2009-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/109/2009-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-201003-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:55:y:2010:i:3:id:109-2009-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: P. Jurajda Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Z. Adámek Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: M. Janáč Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Z. Valová Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic Title: Longitudinal patterns in fish and macrozoobenthos assemblages reflect degradation of water quality and physical habitat in the Bílina river basin Abstract: The aim of this study was to provide the first account of fish and macroinvertebrate communities in a heavily degraded river basin in the Czech Republic. Fish and macrozoobenthos were surveyed at 18 sites in the Bílina River and 11 sites in tributary streams during June-July 2007. Fish were sampled by electrofishing and macrozoobenthos were collected by kick-sampling using a sweep net. The composition of macroinvertebrate assemblages in headwater and reference sites in the upper Bílina River indicated clean water with saprobic index (SI) 1.31-1.43 followed by a transitional stretch downstream the Kyjická reservoir (SI 2.05-2.32) and dramatic decline of water quality to SI 3.18 in the river stretch downstream of industrial and municipal pollution at Litvínov-Záluží. Despite several minor pollution sources on the subsequent downstream river stretch until its mouth into the Elbe River, the water quality indicators fluctuated in the range of lower betamesosaprobity (SI 2.06-2.58). Species richness and biodiversity indices followed a similar pattern as river saprobity. Twenty-three fish species were documented in the Bílina River basin. Chub (Leuciscus cephalus), gudgeon (Gobio gobio) and roach (Rutilus rutilus) were the most frequent species at the Bílina sites. Chub was the most numerous fish in the tributaries. Fish species richness in the longitudinal profile did not increase downstream in the Bílina mainstem, most likely because the presence of reservoirs and water pollution interrupted the river continuum pattern. Qualitative data on fish assemblages corresponded to the course of environmental stress. A sustainable fish community was documented only in the lowermost site in Ústí nad Labem near the confluence with the Elbe River. The Bílina River tributaries constitute potential refuges for fish in this basin. Keywords: fish community, macroinvertebrates, pollution, channelization, Elbe basin Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 123-136 Volume: 55 Issue: 3 Year: 2010 DOI: 10.17221/14/2009-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/14/2009-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-201003-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:55:y:2010:i:3:id:14-2009-CJAS