Search Results (264)

Huanghuai sheep, a newly developed meat-specialized breed in China, are valued for their rapid growth and high meat quality, but the optimal slaughter age and the molecular basis of these traits remain poorly understood. Gaining insight into these mechanisms is vital for improving production efficiency and guiding molecular breeding in this economically important breed. Although previous studies have described the phenotypic characteristics of Huanghuai sheep, the genetic regulatory networks controlling muscle growth and meat quality at different developmental stages remain unclear. No thorough analysis of growth traits and transcriptomic variations across key age points has been conducted. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate how growth stage influences muscle development, carcass characteristics, and meat quality in Huanghuai sheep by integrating phenotypic characterization with transcriptomic profiling to identify key genes and molecular pathways underlying these economically important traits throughout development. Sixty Huanghuai sheep were assigned to three groups (twenty per group) representing key developmental stages (3, 9, and 18 months of age). Carcass traits and meat quality were evaluated. RNA sequencing of the longissimus dorsi muscle was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), followed by bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation. The results indicated that the 9-month-old sheep presented a favorable balance of dressing percentage and intramuscular unsaturated fatty acid content, while those aged 18 months old exhibited the highest dressing percentage (61.23%). Transcriptome analysis identified 1395 DEGs (p < 0.05 and |log2FC| > 1) and enrichment analysis revealed key pathways involved in thyroid hormone synthesis, skeletal muscle satellite cell proliferation, and skeletal muscle tissue growth. Several candidate genes for muscle development (e.g., ACTC1, SIX2, HK2) and meat quality (e.g., TLR2, CHI3L1, ACOT7) were identified and validated. Their expression patterns showed significant correlations between critical growth performance and fatty acid composition metrics. These findings provide novel insights into the molecular networks regulating economically important traits in Huanghuai sheep, offering valuable targets for future molecular breeding programs aimed at enhancing productivity and meat quality. Full article

To investigate interspecific variation in heat tolerance and underlying adaptation mechanisms in Rhododendron, three-year-old potted seedlings of eight taxa, representing four subgenera within the genus Rhododendron, were subjected to 40 °C high-temperature stress. Heat tolerance was comprehensively assessed using phenotypic observation, chlorophyll fluorescence imaging, microscopic examination, and physiological measurements. Results revealed that leaf damage in Rhododendron oldhamii and Rhododendron × pulchrum reached grade III, whereas Rhododendron latoucheae exhibited only grade II injury with rapid recovery. Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis showed a significant decrease in the maximum quantum efficiency of PSII (F_v/F_m) in R. liliiflorum and R. × pulchrum, followed by rapid recovery, while R. latoucheae maintained stable F_v/F_m values. Stomatal closure occurred in all taxa post-stress; stomatal characteristics of R. liliiflorum and R. simiarum remained stable, and leaf tissue structure was least affected in R. kiangsiense. R. × pulchrum demonstrated the most pronounced structural recovery. Physiologically, R. oldhamii exhibited the greatest increases in electrolyte leakage (EL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. R. simiarum accumulated the highest proline content under stress, while R. latoucheae showed the most significant proline reduction during recovery. By integrating multiple indicators through principal component analysis (PCA) and a membership function, and assigning weights based on variance contribution, the heat tolerance was comprehensively evaluated and ranked as follows: R. latoucheae > R. simiarum > R. oldhamii > R. ovatum > R. fortunei > R. liliiflorum > R. kiangsiense > R. × pulchrum. These findings demonstrate significant differences in heat tolerance among Rhododendron taxa at the subgenus level, with the subgenus Azaleastrum generally possessing stronger short-term heat tolerance compared to the subgenus Tsutsusi. This study provides a theoretical basis for heat-tolerant cultivar breeding and landscape application of Rhododendron. Full article

Climate change causes unpredictable weather patterns, leading to more frequent and severe droughts. Investigating the effects of drought and irrigation on soil water status and the performance of various cassava genotypes can provide valuable insights for mitigating drought through designing appropriate genotypes and water management strategies. The objective of this research was to evaluate soil moisture, growth rates, and final yields (total dry weight, storage root dry weight, harvest index and starch yield) of six cassava genotypes cultivated under drought conditions during the late growth phase, as well as under full irrigation. The study utilized a split-plot randomized complete block design with four replications, conducted over two growing seasons (2022/2023 and 2023/2024). The main plots were assigned as two water regimes to prevent water movement between plots: full irrigation and drought treatments. The subplot consisted of six cassava genotypes. Measurements included soil properties before planting, weather data, soil moisture content, relative water content (RWC) in cassava leaves, and several growth rates: leaf growth rate (LGR), stem growth rate (SGR), storage root growth rate (SRGR), crop growth rate (CGR), relative growth rate (RGR), as well as final yields. The results revealed that low soil moisture contents for drought treatment led to variation in RWC, growth, and yield among cassava genotypes. Variations in soil and weather conditions between the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 growing seasons resulted in differences in the performance of the genotypes. Kasetsart 50 (2022/2023) and CMR38–125–77 (2023/2024) were top performers under late drought stress regarding storage root dry weight and starch yield, showing vigorous recovery upon re-watering, evidenced by their significant increase in LGR (between 240 and 270 DAP) and their high RGR (240–360 DAP). Rayong 9 (2023/2024) demonstrated strong performance in both during the drought period (180–240 DAP), efficiently allocating resources under water scarcity, with SRGR and starch yield reduced by 26.4% and 9.5%, respectively, compared to full irrigation. These cassava genotypes are valuable genetic resources for cassava cultivation and can be used as parental material in breeding programs aimed at improving drought tolerance. Full article

The Inner Mongolia Cashmere goat (IMCG) industry is a major contributor to global cashmere production, with fleece traits serving as key economic indicators that directly impact both income and the long-term sustainability of the industry. When genome-wide SNPs are used to estimate kinship matrices, the traditional animal model implicitly assumes that all SNPs have the same effect-size distribution. However, in practice, there are differences in the genetic mechanisms and complexity of different traits. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 2299 IMCGs genotyped with 67,021 SNPs, which were obtained after imputation. The traits measured included cashmere yield (CY), wool length (WL), cashmere length (CL), and cashmere diameter (CD), with a total of 33,564 records collected. The top 5% to 20% of the significant SNPs from the GWAS were used as biological prior information. We then assigned proportional weights based on their contribution to the overall genetic variance and further integrated them with the remaining loci to construct a kinship relationship matrix for estimating genetic parameters and genomic breeding value. By incorporating prior marker information from the GWAS, it was found that the heritability estimates for CY, WL, CL, and CD were 0.26, 0.37, 0.09, and 0.35, respectively. For CY and CL, integrating the top 5% of prior SNP markers yielded the highest genomic prediction accuracies of 0.742 and 0.673, representing improvements of 16.67% and 19.75% over models that did not utilize prior information. In contrast, for WL and CD, the highest accuracies of 0.851 and 0.780 were achieved by integrating the top 10% of prior SNP markers, reflecting improvements of 9.81% and 10.14%, respectively. Compared with the conventional GBLUP method, this method of integrating GWAS-derived prior markers for genomic genetic evaluation can significantly improve the accuracy of genomic prediction for fleece traits in IMCGs. This approach facilitates accurate selection for fleece traits in IMCGs, enabling accelerated genetic progress through long-term breeding programs. Full article

In Uganda, rain-fed crops frequently encounter cycles of drought stress followed by rewatering. Thus, with escalating fluctuations in water supply, drought recovery has become a critical focus for future sorghum drought phenotyping, genetics, and breeding research. However, there is currently a low knowledge of the drought recovery potential of prospective genotypes in Uganda’s National Sorghum Improvement Program. The present study aimed to assess the response of selected genotypes to rewatering after drought. Sixteen sorghum genotypes and two check varieties were evaluated under two contrasting moisture regimes: well-watered and drought stress-rewatering in a split-plot layout using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Watering regimes were assigned to whole plots, while sorghum genotypes were assigned to subplots, with three replications. The results showed highly significant effects (p < 0.05) of drought stress on key agronomic traits, decreased dry weight, grain weight, and biomass yield by 39%, 43% and 37%, respectively, and delayed flowering by an average of 11 days. Key genotype-specific traits associated with drought recovery included rapid rehydration, compensatory growth, and maintenance of high relative chlorophyll content, all of which were essential for optimizing yields after stress. Leveraging drought tolerance indices, genotypes were ranked by their recovery potential and further classified into four distinct groups (A–D) based on their yield performance and stability under the two watering regimes. Genotypes in category A demonstrated high yield stability and strong recovery potential. Conversely, genotypes in category D exhibited the poorest recovery response. Overall, the information generated from this study will support future sorghum breeding efforts for drought resilience. Full article

Damping-off disease hinders rice seedling growth and reduces yield. Current control methods, such as seed or soil sterilization, rely on chemicals that cause environmental pollution and promote pathogen resistance. As a sustainable alternative, we targeted the damping-off resistance-related gene OsDGTq1 using CRISPR/Cas9. Field experiments first verified OsDGTq1’s significance in resistance. The CRISPR/Cas9 system, delivered via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, was used to edit OsDGTq1 in rice cultivar Ilmi. Lesions from major damping-off pathogens, Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium graminicola, were observed on G₀ plants. All 37 regenerated plants contained T-DNA insertions. Among them, edits generated by sgRNA1-1, sgRNA1-2, and sgRNA1-3 resulted in the insertion of two thymine bases as target mutations. Edited lines were assigned names and evaluated for agronomic traits, seed-setting rates, and pathogen responses. Several lines with edited target genes showed distinct disease responses and altered gene expression compared to Ilmi, likely due to CRISPR/Cas9-induced sequence changes. Further studies in subsequent generations are needed to confirm the stability of these edits and their association with resistance. These results confirm that genome editing of OsDGTq1 alters resistance to damping-off. The approach demonstrates that gene-editing technology can accelerate rice breeding, offering an environmentally friendly strategy to develop resistant varieties. Such varieties can reduce chemical inputs, prevent pollution, and minimize seedling loss, ultimately enhancing food self-sufficiency and stabilizing rice supply. Full article

This study examined the effect of long-term physical activity during the finishing period on meat and fat quality, and metabolic gene expression in obese Alentejano (AL) pigs. From 87.3 to 161.6 kg BW and for 130 days, eighteen pigs were assigned to either individual pens without an exercise area (NE, n = 9) or an outdoor park with an exercise area (WE, n = 9). Both groups received identical commercial diets at 85% ad libitum intake. Loin (Longissimus lumborum—LL), tenderloin (Psoas major—PM), and dorsal subcutaneous fat samples were obtained at slaughter, and analyzed for fatty acid composition and gene expression. Physical activity modulated the fatty acid profile and key metabolic genes in muscle and fat tissues. WE pigs showed higher palmitoleic (p = 0.031) and linolenic (p = 0.022) acids in LL, while Fatty acid synthase and Leptin in LL were downregulated (p = 0.071 and p = 0.018, respectively); Fatty acid binding protein 4 was downregulated (p = 0.003) and Stearoyl-CoA desaturase upregulated (p = 0.020) in the PM of WE pigs, indicating changes in lipid metabolism. Also, Myosin heavy chain 7 was upregulated (p = 0.016) in LL, suggesting oxidative muscle remodeling. These findings suggest that moderate, long-term physical activity during finishing induces modest but favorable metabolic adaptations in muscle and fat tissues without compromising meat quality in AL pigs, supporting its use in traditional rearing systems aimed at balancing animal welfare and product quality in local breeds. Full article

Background/Objectives: The Chinese dwarf cherry (Cerasus humilis) is an endemic shrub fruit tree species in China. Its fruit is flavorful, nutrient-rich, and has considerable research and utilization potential. However, most currently cultivated varieties of C. humilis are highly acidic and primarily used for processing. Consumer-preferred, low-acid, fresh-eating varieties are scarce, limiting industrial development. We used 208 F₁ individuals derived from a cross between high-acid “Nongda 4” and the low-acid “DS-1”. Methods: Restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) was used to develop single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and construct a high-density genetic linkage map. Using two years of fruit titratable acidity phenotypic data, quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and candidate gene screening were performed. Results: The genetic map contained 2491 SNP markers, assigned to eight linkage groups. The total genetic distance was 672.71 cm, with an average distance of 0.27 cm between markers, indicating high map quality. QTL mapping identified 18 loci associated with fruit titratable acidity, including 11 major-effect QTLs (logarithm of odds, LOD ≥ 3.5). These major-effect QTLs were concentrated on linkage groups LG2 and LG5, with an explained phenotypic variation of 8.6–31.13%. Two candidate genes were identified within QTL intervals: phosphoester phosphatase and MATE transmembrane transporter. The phosphatase gene’s expression showed a strong correlation with titratable acid content (p < 0.01, correlation coefficient 0.93), suggesting that it plays an important role regulating fruit acidity in C. humilis. Conclusions: This study supports marker-assisted breeding of low-acid, fresh-eating varieties, aiding commercial promotion of C. humilis. Full article

Background: Mitochondria are essential for fetal development, regulating energy metabolism and metabolic programming. This study examined how maternal nutrition and one-carbon metabolite (OCM) supplementation during early gestation affect mitochondrial function in fetal liver and muscle at day 161 of gestation in beef heifers. Methods: Twenty-nine crossbred Angus heifers were assigned to one of four treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial design: control (CON; 0.45 kg/day ADG) or restricted gain (RES; −0.23 kg/day), with or without OCM supplementation. Treatments were applied from breeding to day 63 of gestation, after which all heifers received a common diet. Fetal liver and muscle tissues were collected at day 161. Mitochondrial respiration (Seahorse assay), mtDNA copy number (qPCR), and mitochondria-related gene expression (RNA-seq) were assessed. Results: In fetal liver, state 3 respiration was highest in CON + OCM, while state 4o respiration was lowest in RES + OCM (p ≤ 0.05). mtDNA copy number was greater in RES and +OCM groups. In fetal muscle, mtDNA copy number was influenced by gain, but respiration was unaffected. Transcriptomic analysis revealed more mitochondria-related differentially expressed genes (mtDEGs) in fetal muscle than liver (90% versus 10% of total mtDEG), with most genes downregulated in the RES and +OCM groups compared to the CON and −OCM groups (FDR ≤ 0.10). Conclusions: OCM supplementation enhanced mitochondrial respiration and biogenesis in fetal liver, likely via post-translational mechanisms. In contrast, fetal muscle showed downregulation of mitochondria-related genes without functional changes, indicating transcriptional reprogramming with potential effects on later metabolic function. These results underscore early gestation as a critical window for OCM-based nutritional interventions to improve metabolic outcomes in livestock. Full article

Use of sedation for disbudding is common practice in a number European countries, with United Kingdom (UK) practices adopting its use. This study assessed the effects of disbudding with and without xylazine sedation on growth rates and calf health on a UK calf rearing unit. Data was collected from 485 dairy crossed with beef breed calves between April and August 2024 from a single calf rearing unit in England. Calves were purchased from multiple farms across the UK and arrived on site at approximately 21 days of age. Calves were disbudded—and, in the case of male calves, surgically castrated—at approximately three weeks after arrival on farm. Pens of calves were assigned to undergo disbudding with (SED, n = 238) or without (CTL = 234) xylazine sedation at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg administered intramuscularly. Calves from both groups were provided with local anaesthetic (procaine hydrochloride) as a cornual nerve block and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (meloxicam). While other studies have demonstrated some behavioural and physiological indicators of pain to be reduced with sedation, this study found that calves in the SED group had a reduced daily liveweight gain (DLWG) of 0.14 kg/day in the short term (mean 20 days) following disbudding (p < 0.001), but there was no difference in growth rates in the medium-term (mean 43 days) post-disbudding (p = 0.30). Some of this difference could be explained by the slightly higher DLWG pre-disbudding in the CTR group, and it is likely that the physiological impacts of sedation accounted for the rest of this difference. This initial reduction in DLWG following disbudding with sedation should be considered by vets, especially on farms where growth rates may already be compromised. In the sedated calves, 19.3% exhibited either some movement or entry into sternal recumbency. Specifically, a light plane of sedation with calves entering sternal recumbency was associated with a reduction in DLWG of 0.89 kg/day compared to 0.98 kg/day for those that remained in lateral recumbency throughout (p = 0.008). The light plane of sedation may have created additional calf stress, impacted feeding behaviours, and impinged welfare, with further work needed to establish the reasons for insufficient sedation. There was no difference in the number of post-disbudding treatment outcomes between calves disbudded with and without sedation (p = 0.97). Full article

The effect of humic substances on growth performance, excretion, and the digestive organs was studied in pheasant chickens. Three hundred 1-day-old pheasant chicks were assigned to two equal groups. Chicks in the experimental group were fed diets supplemented with humic substances (5 g/kg). Chickens in the experimental group reached significantly higher average daily weight gains (p ˂ 0.05) in the second phase of rearing (29–49 d) at a significantly better feed conversion ratio (p ˂ 0.05). The supplementation of humic substances led to a significant increase in the average body weight of pheasants at the end of the experiment (p ˂ 0.05), and to a significant increase in average daily weight gains for the entire monitored period (p ˂ 0.05). In the experimental group, significantly higher relative weights of the gizzard (p ˂ 0.05), small intestine (p ˂ 0.05), and jejunum (p ˂ 0.05), along with a significantly larger relative length of the duodenum (p ˂ 0.05), were recorded. A significantly higher concentration of dry matter in the droppings of pheasants was found in the experimental group than in the control group (p ˂ 0.05). According to our results, feeding humic substances had the most beneficial effect on pheasant growth performance during the growing phase. Humic substances can also have a positive effect on the microclimate within the breeding facility. Reductions in the water content of droppings contribute to a reduction in the humidity of the litter, thus limiting the activity of nitrogenic bacteria. Full article

Cinnamaldehyde (CA) is a potential substitute for antibiotic growth promoters in animal breeding. In this study, we investigated its effects as a dietary supplement on growth performance, serum antioxidant capacity, intestinal digestive enzyme activities, intestinal morphology, and caecal microbiota in meat rabbits. Weaned meat rabbits (n = 450) were randomly assigned to five groups, Groups A, B, C, D, and E, and fed 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg/kg CA diets, respectively, for 47 days. Biological samples including serum (antioxidants), duodenal/caecal content (enzymes), intestinal tissue (morphology), and caecal digesta (microbiota) were collected at day 47 postweaning for analysis. Groups C and D showed significantly higher final body weights than Group A, with Group D (150 mg/kg CA) demonstrating superior growth performance including 11.73% longer duodenal villi (p < 0.05), 28.6% higher microbial diversity (p < 0.01), and 62% lower diarrhoea rate versus controls. Digestive enzyme activity as well as serum antioxidant capacity increased with increasing CA dose, Microbiota analysis revealed CA increased fibre-fermenting Oscillospiraceae (+38%, p < 0.01) while reducing Ruminococcaceae (−27%, p < 0.05). Thus, dietary CA supplementation at 150 mg/kg was identified as the optimal CA dose for improving meat rabbit production. These findings highlight CA as a functional feed additive for promoting sustainable rabbit production. Full article

The morphological diversity of Moroccan honey bees (Apis mellifera) was investigated using geometric morphometrics to assess wing venation patterns among three populations representing three climatic zones: desert, semiarid, and Mediterranean. A total of 193 honey bee samples were analyzed and compared to historical reference samples from the Morphometric Bee Data Bank in Oberursel, representing the three subspecies: A. m. intermissa, A. m. sahariensis, and A. m. major. Principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis revealed significant, yet overlapping morphological differences among the climatic groups. Spatial modeling showed a significant southwest–northeast clinal gradient in wing morphology. Almost all samples were assigned to the African evolutionary lineage, except one, suggesting a dominant African genetic background. Interestingly, all three populations showed greater morphological affinity to A. m. intermissa than to A. m. sahariensis, which could indicate introgression or limitations in the current reference dataset. These discrepancies highlight the necessity of revising subspecies boundaries using updated morphometric and genomic approaches. These findings improve our understanding of honey bee biodiversity in Morocco and provide valuable information for conservation and breeding programs. Full article

Beef production in Greece is a sector that has been characterized by a decline in both the output and the number of beef-producing animals over the last decades. The major challenge is low beef self-sufficiency; only 19.1% of demand is met by domestic production. The latter leads to a growing reliance on imports of both live animals and carcasses. Hence, the fattening of young bulls from dairy breeds could be an option to address this challenge subject to improving the quality of produced meat. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of extruded linseed in the diet of young bulls on their performance and meat quality. Sixty-eight young Holstein bulls were equally assigned in two experimental groups: the control group (CON, n = 34) and Linseed Group (LS, n = 34). Bulls in the CON group received a basal total mixed ration while LS young bulls were offered the same basal ration supplemented with linseed (5% on dry matter basis) during the final fattening stage. All bulls were subjected to three individual weightings at the beginning, the middle and the end of the trial. The feed offered was recorded daily and feed refusals were weighed for each pen to calculate feed intake. After slaughter, the Longissimus dorsi muscle from each carcass was collected to evaluate meat pH, color, chemical composition, tenderness and fatty acid profile. Analysis of variance was used to evaluate the effect of dietary intervention on performance and examined meat parameters, with significance set at p < 0.05, using SPSS software (version 29.0). Average daily gain, dry matter intake and feed conversion ratio were not affected by the dietary intervention (p > 0.05). Similarly, carcass yield and dressing percentage remained unaffected (p > 0.05). Adding extruded linseed did not result in differences in meat quality traits (p > 0.05), except for meat pH, which was significantly decreased in the LS group (p < 0.05), indicating more efficient post-mortem glycolysis. Finally, the inclusion of extruded linseed resulted in higher levels of α-linolenic acid in the meat (p < 0.05). These results suggest that including 5% extruded linseed (on a DM basis) in the diet of young Holstein bulls increased meat n-3 content, improved beef pH and maintained production performance. Full article

Understanding the influence of the sheep breed and roughage source on the composition of rumen bacteria and methanogens is essential for optimizing roughage efficiency. The experiment employed a 2 × 2 factorial design. Twenty-four Dumont and Mongolian sheep (initial body weight of 18.94 ± 1.01 kg) were randomly assigned by breed to two dietary treatment groups (AH: alfalfa hay; CS: corn straw); the experiment lasted 90 days. The results showed that sheep fed alfalfa hay diets had a higher feed intake and weight gain, and Dumont sheep had a higher feed intake than Mongolian sheep (p < 0.05). The diversity and composition of ruminal bacteria and methanogens differed between Dumont and Mongolian sheep fed either AH or CS diets. The taxonomic analysis revealed a distinct clustering pattern based on the roughage source, but not on the breed. When fed a corn straw diet, the bacterial Chao1 index of Dumont sheep increased (p < 0.05), while the diversity and richness of methanogens in Mongolian sheep increased (p < 0.05). Additionally, we have identified unique biomarkers for the rumen bacteria and methanogens of Dumont and Mongolian sheep in response to different roughage sources. The results suggest that the differences in the microbiota of the sheep were associated with the roughage source and breed. The higher growth performance of Dumont sheep might be attributed to the increase in bacterial diversity and the decrease in methanogenic bacteria diversity. Full article