The present study assessed the effect of lambda cyhalothrin, cypermethrin and dimethoate residues in cowpea haulm on microbial fermentation using gas syringes as incubators. The lambda cyhalothrin, cypermethrin and dimethoate were applied at the vegetative, flowering and podding stages of…
Well-defined breeding objectives form the basis of sound genetic improvement programmes. Breeding objectives for Holstein cattle in South Africa were developed in the current study. Economic values were calculated for those economically relevant traits that had adequate bio-economic data, namely…
The objective of the work was to evaluate the influence of genetic and mechanical removal of hulls from oat grains on their nutrient content. The studies included three cultivars and six lines of oat grains. In grain samples of hulled…
The costs of internal parasite control and treatment are potentially very high in grazing sheep. Faecal worm egg count (FEC) has been suggested as a suitable criterion for selection for resistance to nematode infestation in livestock. Genetic parameter estimates for…
Somatic cell count (SCC) is of economic importance in dairy production as it directly influences the revenue from the sale of milk. The current study was carried out to determine the economic value of SCC in South African Holstein and…
The goals of this research were to document the historical selection applied by Nguni breeders that contributed to the national genetic evaluation scheme, and to offer prospective breeding objectives to guide future selection practices. Genetic selection differentials, weighted by number…
Alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) as a strong protease inhibitor plays a major role in the protection of tissues against proteolytic destruction by neutrophil elastase. Existence of this protein in the mammary gland may increase the survival of milk proteins such as lactoferrin…
This study analysed the meat fatty acid (FA) composition of three zebu breeds, Gudali (GU), White Fulani (WF) and Red Mbororo (RM), raised on savannah pasture and monitored in the commercial context of the Yaoundé abattoir. Samples of m. longissimus…
The main objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters for body measurement and yearling live bodyweight traits in the Makuie sheep breed. The data set consisted of 2 144 lambs from 122 sires and 984 dams recorded…
This experiment was conducted with 480 Hubbard JA 957 one-day-old broiler chicks to determine the effects of adiCox®AP, a plant coccidiostat, and monensin on production parameters and meat quality. The birds were randomly allocated to three experimental diets: (A) with…
The effects of in ovo amino acid administration on hatchability traits and post-hatch performance were studied using eggs from a meat-type breeder flock (Ross) at 38 weeks of age. On day 15 of incubation, five treatments were applied, consisting of…
The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritive value of maize stover silage diets containing pig excreta (PE), poultry litter (PL) or urea as nitrogen (N) sources, and sugarcane molasses (MOL) or bakery by-products (BBP) as energy sources…
The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of the phytogenic product, Ruchamax® (Ayurvet, India), on the productivity of sows and the performance of their first litters. Ruchamax® contains a blend of herbal extracts from Adrographis paniculata, Phyllanthus…
This study was aimed at determining the effect of housing systems on the growth, feed conversion ratio (FCR), meatiness and size of muscle fibres of Pekin (P44) and Muscovy (MR71) ducks. Each genetic group included 360 birds (180 males and…
A study was conducted, first, to compare the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), reticulo-rumens and intestinal capacities (relative to body weight) of ram lambs from six Turkish sheep breeds: Turkish Merino (TM, Anatolia Merino), Akkaraman (AK), Kıvırcık (KV), Awassi (AW), Karayaka (KY)…
Genetic evaluation for the South African dairy industry has kept pace with global advances in statistical methodology. Increasingly accurate estimated breeding values (EBVs), produced routinely in the past two or three decades, have aided selection decisions. This has been coupled…
Within-litter birth weight variation in pigs is increasingly becoming important in influencing the profitability of pig enterprises. The objective of the study was to characterize within-litter birth weight variation in piglets from Large White × Landrace sows. The study was…
A study was conducted to evaluate the potential of macadamia oil cake meal (MOCM) and wood ash as feed ingredients for poultry under subsistence farming conditions. In this article, the effect of these ingredients on bone characteristics is reported. Two…
The objective of this study was to determine the physico-chemical characteristics and consumer sensory scores of chevon from crossbred Xhosa lop-eared goats supplemented with Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOL). Twenty-four goats, aged 8 months, were divided into three groups with…
Profitable milk production and genetic improvement in dairy herds depend largely on fertile cows calving annually to initiate a new lactation period. Over the last 30 years, several studies have indicated a decline in the reproductive performance of dairy cows…
