Search Results (461)

Yaks (Bos grunniens) on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau face severe nutritional limitations during the dry season due to dependence on highly lignified, low-quality roughage. Identifying safe and effective rumen regulators capable of enhancing fiber utilization in this species is therefore of great practical importance. This study employed a two-pronged approach integrating in vitro mechanistic investigation and in vivo validation to evaluate the effects of the amphoteric surfactant cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) on rumen fermentation, the micro-spatial distribution of digestive enzymes, apparent total tract digestibility, and the macroscopic growth performance of yaks. In the in vitro fermentation trial (Experiment 1), a randomized block design was employed where a straw-based high-forage diet was used as the substrate and supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0% CAPB (based on substrate dry matter, DM) for a 48 h batch culture. The results showed that as the CAPB supplementation level increased, cumulative gas production, the degradation rates of DM and neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and the yields of total volatile fatty acids and microbial protein all exhibited significant quadratic responses (p < 0.05), peaking at the 0.5–1.0% supplementation levels. Concurrently, CAPB significantly promoted the transfer and release of carboxymethyl cellulase and xylanase into the free liquid phase (p < 0.01). In the in vivo validation trial (Experiment 2), 24 healthy growing male yaks (initial body weight 131.2 ± 8.4 kg) were allocated in a completely randomized design to four groups and fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0% CAPB for 44 days. The results indicated that, while maintaining a stable DM intake, the addition of 0.5% CAPB significantly increased the average daily gain (ADG) of yaks (p < 0.05), improved the feed-to-gain ratio, and significantly enhanced the apparent total tract digestibility of NDF and ether extract (p < 0.05). However, when the supplementation dose exceeded the safety threshold (≥2.5% in vitro and ≥2.0% in vivo), both fermentation parameters and growth advantages declined. In conclusion, under the present experimental conditions, 0.5% CAPB improved roughage fermentation efficiency, putatively through an ‘enzyme elution’ mechanism, and was associated with macroscopic improvements in NDF and EE apparent digestibility and ADG in growing yaks. These findings identify 0.5% CAPB as a promising candidate rumen regulator for improving roughage utilization in growing yaks; broader generalization will require larger-scale and longer-duration trials. Full article

Silage is a fundamental component of cattle feed, and its microbiological quality is critical for animal health and human safety. Improper ensiling conditions, such as oxygen exposure or inadequate acidification, can promote the growth of pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium botulinum, and Bacillus cereus. This study aimed to evaluate the microbial status of maize silages and identify pre-ensiling factors influencing its hygienic safety. Over a four-year period, 406 silage samples were collected from cattle farms across Poland. The research evaluated general hygiene indicators and screened for specific pathogens using standard culture methods, polymerase chain reaction toxotyping, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The impact of agricultural practices, including soil quality, organic fertilization, and microbial inoculation, was also analyzed. The analysis revealed that 32.1% of silages fell outside the reference pH range, indicating potential aerobic instability. While Salmonella and Campylobacter were not detected, Clostridium spp. were highly prevalent (81.0%), and C. perfringens was confirmed in 24.9% of samples. Listeria species occurred in 2.9% of silages, with L. innocua being the most frequent isolate. Statistical analysis showed that organic fertilization was significantly linked to specific C. perfringens toxotypes, though it did not increase the overall microbial burden. Conversely, microbial inoculation generally reduced the counts of several undesirable bacteria, although these differences were not statistically significant across all parameters. High pH values and significant contamination with Clostridium, B. cereus, and fungi remain critical challenges for silage safety. The results underscore the necessity for improved agricultural practices—specifically the minimization of soil and manure contamination during harvest—and the broader adoption of microbial inoculation to ensure the microbiological stability of fermented forage. Full article

This study investigated the interactive effects of corn silage and ramie silage on in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics, aiming to provide a scientific basis and empirical evidence for the rational incorporation of ramie into ruminant diets. Four binary substrate mixtures were formulated based on dry matter (DM) mass ratios of corn silage to ramie silage: 100:0 (CON), 60:40 (R40), 20:80 (R80), and 0:100 (R100). Rumen fluid was collected from three adult Liuyang black goats surgically fitted with permanent rumen cannulas, and a standardized 48 h in vitro batch culture assay was conducted. Results demonstrated that increasing the proportion of ramie silage significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the DM degradation rate, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) degradation rate, acid detergent fiber (ADF) degradation rate, and total gas production per gram of substrate DM. Specifically, CON and R40 exhibited significantly higher values for all four parameters than R80 and R100 (p < 0.05). Methane production was significantly reduced in all ramie-containing treatments relative to CON (p < 0.05), whereas hydrogen production increased progressively with ramie inclusion level, with CON yielding significantly less H₂ than both R80 and R100 (p < 0.05). Regarding fermentation parameters, increasing ramie proportion elevated (p < 0.05) both fermentation fluid pH and the acetate-to-propionate ratio, while total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) concentration declined linearly (p < 0.05). TVFA concentrations did not differ significantly between CON and R40, yet both were significantly greater than those in R80 and R100 (p < 0.05). Collectively, these findings indicate that ramie silage is a nutritionally valuable forage with potential as a high-quality partial replacement for conventional silages in ruminant feeding systems; however, its inclusion in corn–ramie mixed silages should not exceed 40% (on a DM basis) to maintain optimal fermentative efficiency and nutrient degradability. Full article

Feed availability and quality remain major constraints to ruminant productivity in West Africa, where livestock systems rely heavily on locally available resources such as natural forages, crop residues and agro-industrial by-products. However, reliable ration formulation requires accurate information on feed chemical composition, while existing data are fragmented and highly variable. This study conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2025 to synthesize available data on the chemical composition of ruminant feeds in West Africa. Following PRISMA guidelines, 44 studies reporting quantitative feed composition data were retained. Feed resources were classified into agro-industrial by-products, agricultural by-products and forages, and descriptive statistics were calculated for key nutritional parameters. The results revealed substantial variability in nutrient composition across feed types and even within the same feed resource. Cottonseed cake emerged as a major protein-rich supplement, legume haulms showed higher nutritional value than cereal residues, and several browse species such as Moringa oleifera and Leucaena leucocephala demonstrated high protein potential. These findings highlight that fixed feed composition values are poorly suited to heterogeneous tropical feeding systems. The reference ranges established in this review provide a more reliable basis for feed evaluation and ration formulation and can support the development of locally adapted feeding strategies and decision-support tools for West African livestock systems. Full article

Substantial tracts of fallow farmland remain unutilized across southwestern China throughout winter and spring. To explore a high-yield planting pattern for utilizing such fallow land, a cereal–legume intercropping experiment was conducted in Chengdu in 2021–2022 and in 2022–2023. This involved five different intercropping ratios of oat (Avena sativa) and common vetch (Vicia sativa) including 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 based on seed number per unit area. The relative density, LER (land equivalent ratio), hay yield, nutritional composition and in vitro fermentation characteristics were assessed. The study revealed that the combination of oat and common vetch led to a significant enhancement in the production performance over the monocultures. At the flowering stage, the most balanced interspecific competition was observed at a ratio of 50:50. The ratio of 50:50 had the higher LER in the mixture—from 1.018 to 1.873—which was significantly higher than the other two intercropping ratios in 2021–2022. At the flowing development stage in 2021–2022, the harvesting of mixed crops at the 50:50 ratio resulted in a significant higher crude protein yield, 1454.7 kg/hm², than the other intercropping ratios. As the growth stage continued, the mixture hay neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber contents increased, while the relative feed value and crude fat content decreased. The soluble sugar content increased with the prolongation of the growth stage and peaked at the jointing stage, and decreased with the decrease in the proportion of oat in the mixture. Additionally, the gas production showed an overall decreasing trend with the increase in the proportion of common vetch. The dry matter degradation rate in the mixture hay was overall higher than that of the monocultures, and the NH₃-N content showed an overall trend of increasing with the decrease with the intercropping ratio of oat. Consequently, the 50:50 ratio may be recommended as an oat-common vetch intercropping ratio suitable for utilizing fallow fields in southwestern China from October to April to produce high-quality forage. Full article

Multilevel threshold image segmentation is a key task in image processing, yet it faces challenges such as low search efficiency in high-dimensional spaces, difficulty in balancing segmentation accuracy and stability, and insufficient adaptability to complex scenes. Existing solutions mainly include traditional thresholding methods and metaheuristic optimization-based schemes, but they still face limitations in high-dimensional and complex segmentation tasks. The standard Seagull Optimization Algorithm (SOA) suffers from shortcomings including a single exploration mechanism, weak local exploitation capability, and a tendency for population diversity to deteriorate, making it difficult to meet the demands of high-dimensional optimization. To address these issues, this paper proposes a multi-strategy fused improved Seagull Optimization Algorithm (MFISOA), which integrates three strategies: adaptive cooperative foraging, differential evolution-driven exploitation, and centroid opposition-based boundary control. These strategies jointly construct a collaborative optimization framework with dynamic resource allocation, fine local search, and population diversity maintenance, thereby improving global exploration efficiency, local exploitation accuracy, and population stability. To evaluate the optimization performance of MFISOA, numerical simulation experiments were conducted on the CEC2017 and CEC2022 benchmark test suites, and comparisons were made with nine other mainstream advanced algorithms. The results show that MFISOA outperforms the competing algorithms in terms of optimization accuracy, convergence speed, and operational stability. Its superiority is further verified by the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and the Friedman test, with statistical significance (p < 0.05). In the multilevel threshold image segmentation task, using the Otsu criterion as the objective function, MFISOA was tested on nine benchmark images under 4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-threshold segmentation scenarios. The results indicate that MFISOA achieves better performance on metrics such as Structural Similarity Index (SSIM), Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), and Feature Similarity Index (FSIM), enabling more accurate characterization of image grayscale distribution features and producing higher-quality segmentation results. This study provides an efficient and reliable approach for numerical optimization and multilevel threshold image segmentation. Full article

Medicago ruthenica L., a superior forage crop within the genus Medicago (Fabaceae), is endowed with remarkable stress tolerance and an abundance of bioactive compounds, conferring significant ecological and forage value. Existing reviews primarily focus on a single research direction, and the most recent findings are dated, failing to cover breakthroughs at the molecular level. This paper systematically synthesizes the latest research progress in five key areas: genetic diversity and genomic studies, biotic stress responses, abiotic stress tolerance mechanisms (drought, salinity, and low temperature, etc.), utilization (including genetic breeding, ecological restoration, and forage development), and future research prospects. This review addresses critical gaps in existing literature, particularly regarding advances in genomic sequencing, biotic stresses, and research on stress-associated microorganisms. Research indicates that M. ruthenica exhibits extensive genetic diversity, and its genome contains numerous positive selection signals associated with stress resistance. It can tolerate multiple abiotic and biotic stresses through morphoplasticity, physiological metabolic regulation, and transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, its symbiosis with microorganisms such as rhizobia significantly enhances its stress tolerance. M. ruthenica demonstrates outstanding application potential in degraded grassland restoration and high-quality forage production. Future research should focus on mining stress-resistant genes, optimizing molecular breeding techniques, and integrating artificial intelligence into breeding practices. That will facilitate its transformation from a regional endemic resource to a commercially viable functional species, thereby providing robust support for ecological security and the sustainable development of grassland-based livestock husbandry in cold and arid regions. Full article

In this study, 72 genetically diverse accessions of Psathyrostachys juncea from a germplasm collection were evaluated for silicon content, biochemical composition and nutritional value in pasture biomass for grazing feed in Northern Kazakhstan in 2024 and 2025. High-quality biomass and low silicon are the most important traits for P. juncea pasture. In the studied germplasm collection, the average silicon content in leaves was 2.59%, ranging from 1.45% to 4.11%. All studied accessions of P. juncea were split into two clusters based on biochemical analyses. Cluster B with preferable genotypes had significantly lower silicon content, crude fibre, neutral detergent fibre and hemicellulose, but higher crude protein content compared to cluster A. The six best genotypes with close to or less than 2% silicon and with high nutritional value in pasture biomass content were selected from cluster B for hybridization and further breeding. Low silicon content in leaves was confirmed in most of the hybrids, similar to parents and significantly less than other genotypes in the germplasm collection. Strong negative heterosis values were identified in all hybrids for acid detergent fibre and lignin, showing a reduction in undesired traits for biomass pasture quality. A strong negative correlation was found between the content of crude protein and fibre (r = −0.71), whereas neutral and acid detergent fibre content had a strong positive correlation (r = 0.78). The most promising hybrids with the combined traits of low silicon accumulation and high-quality pasture biomass were selected for further breeding and production of new perspective cultivars of P. juncea for pastures with perennial forage plant species. Full article

The development of stable and high-yielding fodder pearl millet genotypes with improved quality traits is crucial for enhancing livestock productivity under diverse environments. In this study, twenty-six elite genotypes, including brown midrib (bmr) lines and two check cultivars, were evaluated across four locations, which fall broadly under two agro-climatic zones of India, during the summer season of 2024 to assess their stability for yield and fodder quality traits. Significant genotypic differences and genotype × environment interactions (GEIs) were observed for all traits, indicating substantial genetic variability and environmental influence on trait expression. Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) and Weighted Average of Absolute Scores (WAAS) analyses identified IGPM 100 as a high-yielding and stable genotype across environments, whereas Baif Bajra 1 and IGBV 97 exhibited specific adaptation. Among quality traits, ICMbmr 2401, ICMbmr 2402, and ICMbmr 2404 recorded consistently low lignin content, confirming their potential for improving forage digestibility. Further, ICFPM 05 recorded high tillering and longer leaves, while ICMFV 2308 exhibited late flowering across locations, indicating their potential for use in developing leafy, late-flowering genotypes. The multi-trait stability index (MTSI) efficiently identified IGPM 100, ICFPM 02, ICMbmr 2404, and IGBV 9 as superior and stable genotypes across multiple traits. High selection differentials for green fodder yield and negative differentials for lignin and fibre fractions highlight the possibility of a simultaneous improvement in yield and quality traits. Overall, the integration of AMMI, WAAS, and MTSI models facilitated the identification of broadly adapted and trait-specific genotypes, which, after evaluating their combining ability, can be used for developing fodder pearl millet composites and hybrids. Full article

Against the backdrop of dietary structure evolution and the “big food concept” strategy, there has been a shift from the traditional grain-centric perspective toward a diversified supply system. Taking Hubei Province—a major grain-producing region in China—as a case study, this research establishes a multi-criteria evaluation system and conducts analysis using statistical yearbooks and land survey data. By integrating natural conditions, economic benefits, and production capacity, the suitability of cultivated land for growing grain crops, cash crops, and forage crops is assessed. Concurrently, landscape pattern indices were applied to quantify the degree of farmland fragmentation. Employing a self-organizing mapping (SOM) neural network model, we synthesized suitability and fragmentation data to delineate differentiated farmland conservation zones. The results revealed significant spatial heterogeneity in crop suitability and fragmentation levels. High-suitability zones for grain crops were concentrated in the Jianghan Plain, while forage crops exhibited higher suitability in northeastern and southeastern Hubei. Farmland fragmentation showed a spatial pattern of lower levels in central Jianghan Plain, gradually increasing toward surrounding hilly and mountainous areas. SOM clustering effectively partitioned farmland into six functional zones: multifunctional agricultural zones, mixed farming zones, grain crop zones, cash crop zones, forage crop zones, and production improvement zones. This multi-source geographic and statistical data-driven zoning framework provides scientific basis for targeted policy interventions. It enables the quantitative management, quality enhancement, and spatial optimization of farmland resources, thereby operationalizing the big food concept to strengthen regional food security. Full article

Seed coating technology is regarded as one of the optimal strategies to promote sustainable agricultural development. It can effectively optimize the physical and physiological characteristics of seeds, improve germplasm quality, and enhance crop resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Saline–alkali soils, characterized by high salinity and alkalinity, severely restrict plant growth and development. However, alfalfa, a high-quality leguminous forage, faces substantial challenges in large-scale popularization and cultivation in saline–alkali regions. At present, research on the application of microbial seed coating technology in alfalfa production under saline–alkali conditions remains insufficient, and relevant techniques and formulations still require optimization. Under field conditions, this study used a randomized complete block design with alfalfa as the research material. Different coating treatments combining plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), rhizobia, and extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) were established to systematically investigate the effects of various coating formulations on alfalfa yield, nutritional quality, root system architecture, and rhizosphere soil properties. Meanwhile, high-throughput sequencing was employed to analyze shifts in rhizosphere soil microbial community structure. The results demonstrated that all microbial coating treatments exerted significant growth-promoting effects on alfalfa grown in saline–alkali soils, among which the T8 treatment (combined coating of rhizobia + PGPR + EPS) performed the best. This treatment not only significantly improved alfalfa yield and nutritional quality but also modified root system architecture and enhanced soil enzyme activities, soil nutrient contents, and soil physical structure, thereby creating a favorable growth environment for plants. Among the single microbial coating treatments, the combined coating of rhizobia and EPS outperformed other single treatments and exhibited favorable application potential. Sequencing results revealed that microbial seed coating treatments significantly increased the relative abundance of beneficial soil bacteria, decreased the abundance of harmful fungi, regulated rhizosphere microbial community structure, and consequently promoted improvements in alfalfa yield and quality by optimizing the plant growth microenvironment. The findings of this study provide important theoretical support for the popularization and application of microbial seed coating technology in crop cultivation in saline–alkali soils, offer a key reference for optimizing alfalfa-specific seed coating formulations for saline–alkali conditions, and are of great significance for promoting the efficient utilization of saline–alkali land resources and the development of ecological agriculture. Full article

The high demand for conventional ingredients used in the formulation of rabbit diets has increased competition, resulting in higher costs. Tropical forage plants with high nutritional content can provide relief for this pressing issue, as well as offer potential health benefits to the animal, which would ultimately lead to a quality product. A review of 33 studies on Trichanthera gigantea (T. gigantea), Morus alba (M. alba, MA), Leucaena leucocephala (L. leucocephala, LL), Gliricidia sepium (G. sepium) and Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) and their effect on rabbits spanning 1999 to 2026 was conducted. This review demonstrated that alternative tropical fodder trees found in the Caribbean have the potential to enhance performance, the oxidative status of sera and meat, carcass traits, blood and meat biochemistry indicators and digestibility. On the contrary, most of these plants contain anti-nutrients that exert negative effects on growing rabbits and their health. The evidence revealed in this review shows that various inclusion levels of the forages can improve rabbit meat production, thereby lowering ingredient costs and providing consumers with a quality protein option. Therefore, the incorporation of tropical forages in rabbit diets is recommended. Full article

In agricultural automation, trajectory planning for fruit-picking robot arms must satisfy dynamic obstacle avoidance and real-time control constraints in complex orchards, forming a high-dimensional, constrained optimization problem. Due to strong nonlinearity and steep gradients, traditional planners often yield high-cost trajectories with unstable quality. This paper introduces a Reinforced Arctic Puffin Optimization (RAPO) algorithm for trajectory planning in high-dimensional, complex, constrained scenarios. RAPO improves Arctic Puffin Optimization (APO), which uses a two-stage foraging strategy but may suffer premature convergence, insufficient population diversity, and weak boundary handling. Dynamic fitness–distance balance (DFDB) adaptively coordinates exploration and exploitation. An elite-pool dynamic search strategy (DEPSS) combines t-distribution perturbation and Lévy flight to maintain diversity and enhance exploitation. A convex-lens opposition-learning boundary control method (CLOBC) improves out-of-bounds handling and reduces invalid search. Stochastic centroid opposition learning (SOBL) further suppresses premature convergence and expands coverage. On the CEC2017 benchmark (30/50/100 dimensions), RAPO outperforms nine algorithms in convergence speed and solution quality, verified by Wilcoxon and Friedman tests. In dense, narrow, and dynamic obstacle scenarios, RAPO achieves the lowest path cost, converges within 30 iterations, reduces variance, and generates smoother trajectories. This case study demonstrates RAPO’s robust mathematical performance, providing a robust and efficient framework for agricultural picking robots. Full article

Oat (Avena sativa L.), as an essential dual-purpose grain and forage crop, exhibits lodging resistance as a key factor directly impacting yield and quality. Therefore, breeding new oat varieties with lodging resistance is important to increase crop productivity and economic benefits. Using 130 oat germplasm as materials, 7 lodging resistance-related traits of oat, including plant height (PH), the fresh weight of single stem (FWSS), the length of basal second internode (LBSI), diameter of basal second internode (DBSI), wall thickness of basal second internode (WTBSI), stem breaking strength (SBS), and stalk puncture strength (SPS), were investigated in two experimental sites for one year. The results indicate that the seven lodging resistance-related traits exhibit a continuous distribution overall and generally follow a typical distribution pattern. A total of 36,928,068 high-quality Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated from whole-genome resequencing were used for genome-wide association study (GWAS). Based on the BLINK (Bayesian-information and Linkage-disequilibrium Iteratively Nested Keyway) model threshold (−log₁₀(P) ≥ 6), 379 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) associated with lodging resistance-related traits were identified. Among them, 38, 34, 78, 66, 55, 18, and 94 QTNs were associated with PH, FWSS, SBS, SPS, LBSI, DBSI, and WTBSI, respectively. Notably, three QTNs associated with FWSS and one QTN associated with SBS were stably detected across both environments, representing valuable markers for molecular breeding. From these loci, 54 candidate genes were annotated. Ranked by the number of candidate genes per trait, LBSI contained the highest number (14), followed by WTBSI (12), SPS (11), SBS (7), PH (5), and FWSS (5). Our findings provide critical support for analyzing the genetic mechanism of oat lodging resistance. Moreover, this study also offers a material and theoretical basis for the subsequent development of molecular markers and the breeding of new lodging-resistant oat varieties. Full article

Under the background of a supply gap expansion for high-quality forage grass in China and the high degree of dependence on foreign countries, it is necessary to clarify the best feeding and harvesting period for Cichorium intybus in the temperate continental monsoon climate zone of Northern China. To achieve this goal, this study systematically explored the agronomic traits and nutritional quality of Cichorium intybus during the nutritional period (June–July), flowering period (July–August), and fruiting period (August–September) in the Hohhot experimental base. We measured agronomic indexes, such as the plant height and basal stem, and nutrients, such as the dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP), and calculated the total digestible nutrients (TDN) and other feeding value indexes. The results showed that the plant height of Cichorium intybus increased from 54.60 cm in the vegetative stage to 204.10 cm in the fruiting stage, and the fresh grass yield increased from 8775.045 kg/hm² in the vegetative stage to 19,035.09 kg/hm² in the fruiting stage. The DM content of the stems and leaves was the lowest (stem: 8.73%; leaf: 14.04%), but the CP (leaf: 20.32%) and crude fat (EE, leaf: 5.02%) contents were the highest. The TDN was 66.78%, the relative feed value (RFV) was 255.61, the comprehensive membership function value was 0.54 for the stems and 0.60 for the leaves, and the feeding value was the best. WSC accumulation was significant during the flowering stage; the fiber content of the DM (stem: 20.52%; leaf: 20.31%) and the acid detergent fiber (ADF, stem: 42.43%) were the highest during this stage; and the CP decreased to 10.97%. A correlation analysis showed that the plant height and stem diameter were significantly positively correlated with the yield and fiber accumulation. This study confirmed that the nutritional period was the best harvest period for obtaining high-protein and high-digestibility forage, and the fruiting period was suitable for processing hay or silage. These results provide a scientific basis for the large-scale feed development of Cichorium intybus. Full article