Search
Search Results
-
Heat stress of cattle from embryonic phase until culling
11-22Views:713Heat stress becomes a serious problem in the livestock sector as it affects cows' performance negatively. The objective of this paper review is to investigate the effects of heat stress during the different phases of the life cycle of cows; embryos, calves, heifers, and cows. Heat stress during early maternal gestation affects the ability of embryos to develop increasing the risk of abortion and early embryonic death. Heat stress during late maternal gestation affects the performance of calves and heifers later in their life, as it reduces growth performance, conducts physiological changes, impaired immunity, changes the behavior, and reduces the length and intensity of the estrus in heifers with decreasing in milk production in the first lactation. On the level of cows, milk quality and production, meat quality, and the final body weight decrease under hot temperatures. Heat stress decreases the conception rate, alters follicle growth, and estrous symptoms. Hormones secretion and physiological changes because of the heat stress conduct to impair the immunity system, and in oxidative stress and death in some cases. Same as for calves and heifers a change in the behavior of cows was detected in order to decrease their temperature.
-
Survival analysis of sow longevity and lifetime reproductive performance – Review
75-80Views:638Sow longevity plays an important role in economically efficient piglet production. Improving sow longevity results increase in the productivity and profitability of a sow herd. Longevity is a complex trait with many factors that can contribute to a sow having a long and productive life. Not only the sow’s genetics, but also nutrition, environment and the management policies are important. In addition, the removal of non-productive sows along with the introduction of replacement gilts is an essential part of maintaining herd productivity at a constantly high level. The objective of this paper was to summarize the current knowledge about the sow longevity and lifetime performance values, as well as, discusses the survival analysis methods for sow longevity traits. This method can estimate the hazard rate indicating proportional risk of sows being culled at any given time, in addition, it is able to investigate the effects of different factors on longevity. Identifying factors that influence the longevity could assist many commercial pig producers in becoming more efficient.
-
Effect of genotype on the hematological parameter of TETRA-SL and Hungarian Partridge coloured chickens at young age
99-104Views:599Indigenous chickens are well known for their dual-purpose function and palatable meat. However, the information on their hematology parameters is lacking and hence hampering the poultry industry production of local breeds. The main objective of this study was to examine the hematological parameters of Hungarian Partridge Coloured hen (HPC) and TETRA-SL (TSL) genotype and determine the hematological reference interval values. This trial was part of the larger experiment where a total of 200 chicks (HPC + TSL) were reared. For this trial the blood samples were obtained from brachial wing veins of 8 chicks of each genotype for blood hematological analysis. The results indicated that some of the hematological parameters such as red blood cells-RBC, white blood cells-WBC, hemoglobin-Hb, hematocrit-Ht, platelets-Plt, lymphocytes-LYM, and granulocytes-GRAN were significantly affected by the genotypes (p < 0.05). The genotype did not affect the mean corpuscular volume-MCV, mean corpuscular hemoglobin-MCH, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration-MCHC, and GRAN (p > 0.05). The hematological reference interval values were slightly higher in the TSL genotype compared to HPC chicks. It is concluded that genotype has a significant effect on the hematological parameters. The results from this trial will be help and design the baseline reference values for the HPC genotype which will be useful in assessing the health status of these indigenous chickens.
-
Assessment of backfat thickness and its relationship with reproductive performance of sows – preliminary findings
25-30Views:539Backfat thickness (BFT) is an important trait that influences reproductive performance in sows. This study investigated the relationship between sow BFT at farrowing and the number of live born (LB), stillborn (SB), and Mummies (Ms) in different parities (P) (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8). Backfat thickness was measured at point P2 (BFT at the last rib, at the junction of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae 3–5 cm from the midline of the spine (mm). In total, 216 sows were measured on day 109 of gestation (when they entered farrowing). Descriptive statistics showed that the mean BFT was 14.55 mm SEM 0.171 SD 2.576. Parity had a significant effect on BFT, with a Kruskal-Wallis chi-squared value of 22.728 (df = 7, p = 0.002). Post-hoc pairwise comparisons using Dunn's test in R revealed that P1 exhibited a significantly higher BFT than P3 (p = 0.001) and P4 (p = 0.025). Spearman’s correlation coefficient indicated a very weak negative relationship between BFT and LB, whereas there was a strong relationship between BFT and SB and Ms. However, the correlations were not significant p>0.05. This finding suggests that assessing the BFT before farrowing is a helpful tool for guiding sow management and pig production. Additionally, these findings offer data that can be used to inform culling policies.
-
Examination and statistical evaluation of physico-chemical parameters of windrow composting
33-38Views:583The treatment and utilization of plant and animal waste and by-products from agriculture is very diverse. Traditional environmental management practices for waste management have been retained through soil conservation and the applied of recycle degradable organic substances in soil. The management of by-products from agriculture (animal husbandry) is important because a closed loop can be created to utilize by-products (manure, feathers) from the production of the main product (eggs, meat, milk) and to form a raw material for a new product. It is important to treat the resulting by-products, especially deep-litter manure, as it has served as a basis for compost-treated manure to develop an organic-based, soil-conditioning product line. Poultry manure by itself is not suitable as a substrate for aerobic decomposition, so it has to be mixed with other substances (zeolite, bentonite, soil), because of its high nutrient capacity, it is an acidifying substance.
The aim of this study was to compost the mixture of poultry manure and hen manure by the addition of zeolite and to monitor the composting process. It was also our aim to statistically determine the effect of the zeolite on parameters describing the composting process.
The windrow composting experiments were set up in the composting area of the University of Debrecen, Institute of Water and Environmental Management. The composting experiment was 62 days long, during which the main parameters describing the composting process were continuously monitored: temperature (°C), moisture content (w/w%), electrical conductivity (mS/cm), organic matter content (w/w%), examination of nitrogen forms (w/w%). In this study, three factors were investigated: temperature, humidity, and pH. For statistical evaluation, R software and RStudio user interface were used. We developed a repeated measurement model, in which the fixed and random effects were determined for our parameters under study, and the resulting relationships were shown on interaction plots.
Based on our results, the temperature of the prisms has become independent of the ambient temperature and the composting stages can be separated in both the control and the zeolite treated prisms. In the repeated measurement model, we proved that treatment, time and treatment: time interaction were significant at both temperature and pH.
-
Horn and coat color varieties of the Hungarian grey cattle
44-48Views:407Due to the intensification of agricultural production, genetic diversity has been reduced to a large extent. Presently, in the period of worldwide genetic conservation, we try to preserve as much of the gene pool of our valuable indigenous domestic animal breeds as we can. Therefore, traits that have no economic value at the moment should also be conserved. The different horn and coat colour varieties of Hungarian Grey Cattle are such valuable traits. Research has been done on the largest Hungarian Grey Cattle stock, at the Hortobágy Kht. Rates of the different horn and coat colour varieties were determined and relationships were analyzed between the above mentioned qualitative traits
-
Energy use – in terms of efficiency
61-66Views:394In the recent decades it has become apparent that the human race can lead to a polluting and energy- wasting lifestyle and the depletion of natural resources and an ecological disaster as well.
Energy efficiency is the realization of the chance to see a wider use of renewable energy. Renewable energy sources can be found in large quantities in Europe. A proper exploitation of these would be important because of the "traditional" energy sources’s sate is very critical in many ways.
The utilization of renewable energy sources depends on many factors. The local natural conditions significantly determine each country's different renewable energy potentials. I find to be important the natural conditions, such as, solar radiation intensity , the number of sunny days per year, the wind conditions , the volume and their energy characteristics of the geothermal power resources , land features , soil and rock quality, the supply of fossil fuels or the nuclear possibilities of energy production. The economic environment is also a major influencing factor for the utilization of renewables. The conditions of price of fossil fuels (natural gas, oil and coal), the price of nuclear fuel production and other energy costs significantly influence the demand for renewables, as well as the level of subsidy and government tax policy. In addition, the international and national programs, objectives, strategies, subsidies and regulatory measures as well as technological factors can have a significant impact.
In my paper I point out the opportunities of renewable energy should be given to live. Nowadays the positive effects of their use is undisputed. In addition to the environmentally friendly produced energy, we should strive for energy conservation and energy efficiency as well. These expectations appear in practice, which can be directly perceived by citizens, in fact we should live accordingly. Furthermore, the environmentally relevant regulations of living conditions should appear as environmental demands.
-
Effect of anthocyanin-rich sour cherry extract on the level of IL-8 in LPS-induced endothelial cell
27-30Views:529The anthocyanin content of the Hungarian sour cherry is remarkable. Nutraceutical and pharmaceutical effects of the anthocyanins and their role in disease prevention have been studied extensively. Endothelial cells are involved in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases. The objective of this work was to investigate pure sour cherry extract on human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as an inflammatory model. HUVECs were treated with 100 ng/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and 50 mg/mL sour cherry extract or M199 medium as control. The optimal concentration range of the sour cherry extract was investigated and selected based on MTT assay measuring the conversion of the tetrazolium salt to formazan by mitochondrial dehydrogenases. The level of interleukine-8 (IL-8), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, was measured in Luminex MagPlex assay. LPS treatment significantly increased the secretion of IL-8. The pure sour cherry extract was able to attenuate this increment indicating the potent anti-inflammatory effect of pure sour cherry extract. Our results emphasize that pure sour cherry extract could reduce the LPS-induced inflammatory response thereby may improve endothelial dysfunction.
-
Comparative analysis of Carpathian Braunvieh’s morphological traits
15-19Views:610The Carpathian Braunvieh cattle established by the cross-breeding of the Schweizer Braunvieh and the local breeds of the Carpathian basin approximately 150 years ago. The evolved three usage breed was durable and resistant, however in comparison with the high-productivity breeds was less competitive. The dramatic lay-off, and the endangered status of the breed requires a conservation programme. University of Debrecen took the investigation of the Hungarian population and it’s detailed genetic studies. Within this research project among others we carry out body measurements and rates of the body traits. Depending on these results, we may decide on the subsequent gene-reserving objects. Based on body measurements and live weight we established that the breed at Mikóháza favours to the one lived in Hungary in the 1960’s, and to another, named Ukrainian Carpathian Brown. Compared to the earlier data (Horváth, 1966) smaller body traits can be seen. Our livestock is proportionately smaller than the other breeds in height at withers, as well as in live weight. Based on the comparative analysis, we established, that – thanks to the aware sorting – the imported individuals represent the ancient, primitive Carpathian variant.
-
The effect of grazing of various cattle breeds on botanical composition of low-lying pasture in Hortobágy
57-63Views:677Coenological surveys were conducted in the Hortobágy National Park (Pap-ere and Zám-puszta) in May 2015 and 2016. During the tests,a total of 40 permanent plots were analyzed on grasslands grazed by extensive cattle (Hungarian Grey) and mixed genotype intensive cattle. The presence of plant species, percentages of total coverage of species and vegetation cover were recorded. Two habitat types were chosen according to their moisture content: wet salt marsh meadow (Bolboschoenetum maritimi) and drier salt meadows (Beckmannion eruciformis).
We compared the impact of increased number of animals (2016 years) and the low number of animals (2015 years, initial state) and the grazing exclusion on vegetations.
We tested: (i) what is the impact of grazing on the vegetation, (ii) how do species composition and vegetation charachteristics differ in the two habitat types (iii) and is there a difference in the impact of different cattle breeds (Hungarian gray, intensive beef cattle) grazing on the grasslands species composition? During the investigation we found, (i) that the greatest number of species was recorded in 2015, on the area that received moderate to intensive grazing (14.3 species per m2). Somewhat the number of species was reduced in 2016 due to more intensive grazing. The control group had the lowest number of species (11.7 species per m2). The undergrass and legumes cover significantly increased on intensive grazed lands. (ii) Our results indicate that the effects of different grazing differ in the two studied habitat types. On the drier grasslands greater number of species were found (16.2 species per m2), oppositely to the wet grassland (11.2 species per m2). The cover of the undergrasses was higher in the drier habitat than in the wet. (iii) The extensive beef cattle left a bigger number of species (16 species per m2) than the intensive beef cattle (11.4 species per m2). The grass cover was more intense on areas grazed by intensive cattle. The absolute and potential weeds cover showed a higher value on areas grazed by Hungarian Grey. Our two-year results suggest that grazing by both extensive and intensive cattle breeds can be a proper tool for the conservation management of alkali grasslands. -
Perspectives of the livestock sector in the Philippines: A review
175-188Views:4216The Philippine livestock industry is a vital component in the country's agricultural sector. It contributes around 18.23 percent of the gross output value in agriculture and provides livelihood to many people living in rural areas, signifying its importance with regard to the country’s economy. The constantly increasing demand for animal protein associated with the increase of the world’s population led to the intensification of livestock production, realized through the various initiatives implemented by the government, such as the import of high producing purebreds of various species. This strategy greatly influenced the country's animal genetic resource's diversity and increased food animals' population; however, it impacted the native breeds of food animals. Understanding the characteristics, performance and value of native and exotic breeds is essential to prioritize their livestock industry existence. Thus, this paper aims to characterize various native and exotic breeds of livestock in the Philippines and assess the current conservation of native animals.
-
Preliminary data on the effect of semi-synthetic baits for Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) on the non-target Lepidoptera species
71-80Views:545Noctuidae are one of the most important Lepidoptera groups containing dangerous pest species. Monitoring and detection of these pest species is routinely performed by traps baited with sex-pheromones. Baits that attract both males and females were developed for improved pest management. First the effectiveness of different synthetic compounds was evaluated. We also tested semi-synthetic baits that contained both synthetic and natural components (wine and beer). These were more attractive for moths considering species richness and abundance. Disadvantage of this increased effectiveness is that the traps catch more non target, rare and even protected species. In this study we analysed the effect of semi-synthetic baits developed for Noctuid moths containing wine on other non-target Lepidopterans. In the six sampling sites traps caught 17158 individuals of 183 Lepidoptera species. The number of Noctuidae species was 124, while their proportion was 84.4%. The traps caught 813 individuals of 9 protected and 20 valuable species, which was only 4.7% of all Lepidopterans. In contrast the mean proportion of 33 dangerous and potential pest species was 31.3% (5375 individuals). Number and abundance of both protected and pest species were affected by landscape structure. The risks of catching non-target species was higher in species rich natural and semi-natural landscape. In homogenous arable lands the number and proportion of valuable Lepidopterans was not significant.
-
Long-term effect of soil management on the carbon-dioxide emission of the soil
515-527Views:314CO2 emission from soils is one of the most important elements of the global carbon cycle, thus it has crucial rule in climate change. Each soil cultivation operation intervenes in the microbiological life of the soil, hence tillage is a factor through that the processes taking place in soil can be controlled. During the last decades, the organic material content of agricultural soils decreased to the half due to the intensive management resulting in the degradation of natural soil fertility. While intensive, plough-based tillage can cause soil degradation and erosion, the physical, chemical and biological status of the soil can be significantly improved through the application of conservation tillage methods. The results of long-term experiments prove that soil protective tillage enhances the enrichment of organic matter in the top layer of the soil. In order to reveal the role of tillage systems in CO2 emission from the soil, regular measurements were carried out in the plots with conventional and reduced tillage of the soil cultivation experiment of Research Institute of Karcag. Anagas CD 98 and Gas Alert Micro 5w infrared gas analysers were used to measure CO2-concentrations, and a specially developed method (consisting of a frame and a bowl) was applied to delimitate the measuring area. Most of the measurements were done on stubbles after harvest in order to exclude root respiration. The weather conditions of the examined 10 years were very changeable providing a good chance to compare them to each other. We found the tillage operations resulting in higher emission values in both tillage systems. On stubbles higher and more even emission was characteristic to reduced tillage due to the lower degree of soil disturbance and higher soil moisture content.
-
Yield and sward composition responses of a native grassland to compost application
35-38Views:365A major part of the animal products are based on the grasslands, due to the fact that the grassland ecosystems can be found all over the globe. In places where economical and successful crop production cannot be realized, the grassland based animal husbandry can be an efficient way of food production. In addition these ecosystems have an important role in carbon sequestration, and with their rich flora – and the fauna connected to it – in conservation of biodiversity. The protection of nature, and the sustainable agriculture is getting more and more attention in the European Union, but looking at the consumers’ needs, the production of healthy food cannot be neglected either. Because of these facts, the effects of two specific composts - which are officially authorized in organic farming, in Agri-environment Schemes and Natura 2000 programs – on grass yields and sward compositions were investigated in a field trial. The investigation took place in Hungary, on a natural grassland based on solonetz soil. The first type of compost was a natural one (N) without any additional material and the other one was enriched in phosphorus (E). Both was produced by the research institute, made of sheep manure. Three rates of compost (10 t ha-1, 20 t ha-1,30 t ha-1) were tested on 3 m×10 m experimental plots. Every treatments had four replications and both type of compost had four-four control plots too, this way 32 experimental plots were included in the investigations. The yield of the pasture was harvested two-times (in May and in September) and before cutting the plots measurements on botanical compositions were made. Samples for laboratory analysis were also taken. Dry matter yield and crude protein content was measured in laboratory and with the received data the yield per unit area was calculated. Based on the research results we can say that the application of compost in any dose inflicts higher dry material and crude protein yield. The changes were partly due to some positive changes in sward composition, because of the better nutrient conditions. The research results indicate, that use of organic compost can be an efficient way to increase grass yields in a sustainable way.
-
Review on the fatty acid profile and free fatty acid of common carp (Cyprinus carpio)
99-105Views:443Carp or ponty in Hungarian, is considered commercial freshwater fish, which is an adaptable species in both wild and cultured conditions. Carp has high nutritional value content, favorable taste, it is rich in protein, and low in saturated fat. The nutritional content in fish is composed of many chemical constituents and influenced by many factors. One of the components that its content may be different due to internal and external factors is fatty acids, which may vary depending on endogenous and exogenous factors. The endogenous or internal factors include the genetic, size, sexual maturity, and life cycle phase. While microclimate, water quality, quality of food or diet habit, and the amount of available food or starvation are considered as exogenous or environmental factors. Freshwater fish has the ability to convert essential fatty acid into long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid like AA, EPA, and DHA. Most results showed that palmitic acid and oleic acid were the dominant SFA and MUFA in carp both for wild and farmed carp in all seasons. The PUFA for wild carp was mainly dominated by DHA, while on farmed carp by LA. It confirmed that high LA content in farmed carp was related to the diet habit. The amount of lipid and FA were changed in line with the season. Even the statistical analysis showed no significant difference, but some studies showed a contrasting result. Moreover, most obtained results acknowledged that FA tends to decrease during the spawning period. The amount and composition of FA were affected by the total lipid content. The lipid must be broken down into simpler compounds such as FA or FFA for the metabolism of fish. The result of metabolism then transported into the utilising tissue and used as energy.
-
Environmental Conditions of the Berettyóújfalu Sub-Region
403-413Views:204The purpose of this paper is to introduce the environmental conditions of the Berettyóújfalu sub-region, which is geographically located in Hajdú-Bihar County. I specifically target the regions’ relief, soil and hydrogeological conditions, climate, flora and fauna, natural value and present nature conservation activities.
On the basis of my investigation of these points, I can state that although this sub-region has unfavorable soil conditions, polluted surface and subsurface waters, it is rich in thermal waters, nature reservations and wildlife. It’s disadvantageous characteristics can or should be amended, while the advantageous ones should be utilized by considering the principles of sustainability. At the end of this paper, I will make recommendations in connection with the latter point. -
A review on fish in vitro digestion studies
55-63Views:150(1) Background: In vitro experiments in fish have been developed to search for dietary substitutes of fish meal in aquafeeds by measuring the digestibility of various feedstuffs by simply simulating the conditions of the stomach or portions of the digestive tract. In vitro digestion studies involving mainly commercial fish species have been conducted to determine the digestibility of conventional and alternative ingredients in fish diets using diverse digestion models. However, there remains a significant knowledge gap, particularly regarding the enzyme functionality, digestion mechanisms in many fish species, and the factors influencing enzymatic activity. This review article is focused on the importance of the use of different enzyme sources in the in vitro digestion model to predict protein hydrolysis.;(2) Methods: For this review, a comprehensive analysis of articles was conducted to gain insights into diverse enzyme interactions and feed evaluation assessments, from the nutritional science and biotechnology sector.; (3) Results: A total of 36 peer-review papers, which include original, and review articles were selected.; (4) Conclusions: In vitro digestion studies offer a valuable tool for evaluating the digestibility of conventional and alternative feed ingredients, helping to identify sustainable dietary substitutes for fish meal while reducing dependence on live animal trials.
-
A simple method for preparing elemental selenium nano- coating inside a silicone surface
35-43Views:565Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with a bright red colour have aroused worldwide attention due to their unique properties in selenium supplementation because of their low toxicity and favourable bioavailability. A simple method was developed for making a red selenium nanolayer on the inner surface of Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and silicone tube. The selenium nanoparticles were produced by the reaction of sodium selenite and ascorbic acid. Red amorphous selenium nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by the reaction of 500 mg dm-3 Se (sodium selenite) solution with 10 g dm-3 ascorbic acid solution at room temperature, and morphology was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The coating density was compared on PVC and silicone surfaces by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS) analysis. The nanolayer with about 16 µm thickness on the silicone surface significantly evenly distributed compared to the PVC surface. The selenium coated silicone tube could be a good source of selenium for a continuous, low-level selenium supplementation of farm animals via drinking water.
-
From Organic to Precision Farming (Contemporary Publication)
81-86Views:166The paper presents a short review of the different types of farming systems:
Biofarming, Organic farming, Alternatíve farming, Biodynamic farming, Low input sustainable agriculture (LISA)
Mid-tech farming, Sustainable agriculture, Soil conservation farming, No till farming, Environmentally sound, Environmentally friendly, Diversity farming
Crop production system, Integrated pest management (IPM), Integrated farming, High-tech farming
Site specific production (SSP), Site specific technology (SST), Spatial variable technology, Satellite farming.
Precision farming
It concludes that the various systems are applicable in different ratios and combinations depending on the natural and economic conditions.
The author predicts an increase in precision technologies , the first step being the construction of yield maps compared with soil maps and their agronomic analysis. Based on this information, it will be necessary to elaborate the variable technology within the field, especially for plant density, fertilization and weed control.
The changes in weed flora during the past fifty years based on 10.000 samples within the same fields using the weed cover method are presented. -
The effects of bioactive feed additives for the production parameters of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fingerlings in intensive recirculating system
35-41Views:475For the appropriate quantity and quality of fish meat the pond farmers need to use up to date nutrition and feeding technologies. Recently the intensification of the carp production is stepping up with the availability the proper quality of the artificial feeds. The using of different feed additives make a better feed conservation ratio, faster growing rates and more uniform stocks.
In our experiment what is made with common carp (duration of the experiment was 8 weeks long) we compared two different kinds of feed additives in different doses. One of them contains only natural mineral elements and the other additive is a natural origin probiotics. Both additives were used in the quantity of 0.5, 1 and 2% of the total feed. By the result of the 8 weeks experiment it could be said, that the using of the humic acid based mineral elements feed additive. Makes a better FCR comparing with the control stock, but was not as good as the using of the probiotics. At the humic acid treatments the more doses, the better FCR value, but at the probiotics it wasn’t true. The 0.5% probiotic treatment gave the best result. It is concluded that the using of the probiotic feed additives always gave a better performance of the fishes (average weight, biomass, FCR) than the humic acid treatments. The using of the feed additives hasn’t got an influence for the survival rate of the carps.
-
Does the Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) harbour vancomycin-resistant enterococci in Hungary?
5-8Views:433Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) are high priority nosocomial bacteria with a potential for zoonotic transmission. Thus, its emergence outside health establishments is a major concern. In order to study the prevalence of VRE in wildlife, we collected 221 faecal samples from free-ranging Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) from urban and rural habitats in Hungary, from March to August 2020. The screening for resistant enterococci was done using bile esculin azide (BEA) agar supplemented with Vancomycin, specific to the screening of VRE. None of the samples from either habitat types yielded VRE. It seems that Hooded Crows from Hungary do not necessarily constitute a reservoir of VREs at present. Nonetheless, a continuous surveillance of VRE in wildlife would be judicious.
-
Coherence and connection between the good pond culture practice and the environment conscious management
60-73Views:189According to the data indicating the decline and restructuring during the past decade, as well as the trend in the European Union member states, it can be expected that the role of traditional agriculture and fish production in direct rural employment decrease further. This also values those strategic directions for restructuring that will lead fishculture from quantity driven to quality production along with sustainable development (i.e. environmental conscious production) and multifunctional farming. This way the economic and social tensions caused by the concentration of the production and labour output can be mitigated.
It is laid in the 1257/1999 Act on rural Development that farmers that enrol the agri-environmental scheme should follow the “Good Agricultural Practice” on the whole managed area. In case of agri-environmental schemes this is a precondition for which no grants are given.
The adaptation of “Good Agricultural Practice” in fishproduction,where it is called: “Good Pond Culture Practice” is considered important on the basis of the above mentioned. This programme is undertaken in co-operation with the Research Institute for Aquaculture, Fisheries and Irrigation, University of Debrecen, Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development and the Association of Hungarian Fish Farmers and Product Council.
The European Commission proposed the formulation of the European Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EFAF) for the period 2007-20013, which will replace the Financial Instruments for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG), but it also consists of several new elements and will be working differently, too. According to the proposal the budget for the Fund will be nearly 5 billion EUR (4963 million EUR). The development level of aquaculture and fisheries and the social and economic significance in the given member state will be considered when distributing the Fund between the Member States.
According to the plan the Fund is organised along five priority axes, of which the most important for the Hungarian fisheries sector is No. II: Aquaculture and the processing and marketing of aquaculture and fisheries products. The main measure areas are the followings:
1. investment support for aquaculture;
2. support for aquatic-environmental schemes;
3. environmental- and animal health issues;
4. investments in processing and marketing
In case of accessing support under measure area No. 2 farms are obliged to meet the requirements of the scheme beyond the “good management practice” for 5 years, which is to be supervised by the approved body of the Member State. For this reason our work is considered to be substantial.
Approval of the application of “Good Pond Culture Practice” is based on two elements: first the prevailing environmental and nature conservation regulations, as well as the list of controllable conditions in the new agri-environmental agreements are to be met. “Good Pond Culture Practice” are to be conducted on the whole farm area. Its main elements are:
- nutrition management,
- feeding,
- pond maintenance,
- stocking,
- harvesting,
- animal welfare (storage and over-wintering). -
Analysis of the genetic origin of European hare (Lepus europaeus) (technical literature review)
49-54Views:415Fossil datas showed that the lagomorphs appeared in Asia during the later Eocene and leporids separated from ochotonids during the Oligocen or Upper Eocene. During the Pleistocene, climatic changes induced major shifts in species distributions, forcing them to refugia.
In Europe, the continuous oscillations led to the production of greater subspecific and specific diversity in the southern peninsulas (Iberia, Italy, Balkan) which were the main refugial areas for other species as well. Evolution, phylogeny and population genetics of the Lagomorpha species are still poorly known and the taxonomic distinction is still unclear for some species. Conservation genetics is the discipline which use genetic techniques and analysis methods to preserve species and dynamics. Usually it is working together with population genetics what role is to investigate the origin, the maintenance, the organization and the causes of genetic variation between natural populations. In the present study I reviewed the results of origin and phylogenetic studies of Brown hare populations from the last decades. -
Genetic diversity study in Hungarian coldblooded horses
29-34Views:761Because of the feeding technology innovation, accelerated transport and communication facilities breeds of high performance breeds replaced local autochone breeds worldwide. These latter species however have an important role in gene conservation. Hungarian cold-blooded horse breeding stock are lacking pedigree, the actual founder breed mares are not known. For this reason, it is an major priority defining the genetic backround of the existing flock, for that breeding could operate with purposeful using of origin maternal founders. In the present study 195 cold-blooded Hungarian mares tail and mane sample were analized. Our analysis was carried out between 15531–15752 base pairs in mithocrondial DNA D-loop region, which reported a total of 222 base pairs. Fourtyone polymorphic sites were determined, which resulted in 39 haplotypes (h=39). The average pairwise differences were k=6.825. High haplotype and nucleotide diversity values were observed (Hd=0.968±0.003, π=0.026±0.003). Based on the previously defined variable positions of haplotypes defined by Jansen et al (2002), we groupped our haplotypes into haplogroups. 23 percent of the studied population (45 mares) belonged to haplogroup F1. Nearly 97% of the analyzed population was classified into one of eight haplogroups defined by Jansen.et al. (2002). This study gives genetic information nearly 25% of the Hungarian population. Another possibility would be patterning more mares or involving more genetic marker in the study which will assuming the possibility of a more comprehensive analysis.
-
Ecological value of wood energy plantations in the support of some animal groups
143-148Views:177Today, some environmental problems have reached such severe proportions that it is no longer enough to recognise them, but environmentally friendly solutions must be used to reduce them. The reduction in the area of natural forests of native species is causing problems in several ways.
This research aimed to highlight how environmental, conservation and economic interests can be reconciled. In addition to natural forests, wood energy plantations are becoming increasingly important. Energy import dependency is a problem for most countries, for which wood energy plantations can partly offer an alternative. Native forests can be protected, and their area increased where possible. Meanwhile, energy plantations can be established in areas with low agricultural productivity.
In this experiment, I studied a plantation of Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur), a Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and a Paulownia (Paulownia Shan Tong). I selected burrowing birds and ground-dwelling arthropods as indicator groups. I did this by establishing a nesting colony and soil trapping. I wanted to demonstrate that, in addition to natural forests, wood energy plantations have a role not only in economic terms but also in maintaining certain animal groups. Soil trapping tests were carried out in all three tree plantations.
The obtained results showed that in the Paulownia plantation, the occupancy rate of nest boxes was almost 100%, while in the Black Locust plantation it was around 30%. Among the species that occupied the nesting sites, the Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and the Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) were more abundant, while Great Tit (Parus major) was present in the Black Locust plantation. These are opportunistic species for which nesting opportunity is the most important factor, since their feeding area (in the case of the Common Starling and the Eurasian Tree Sparrow) is not typical of the nesting area. The soil trap investigations show that there are no significant differences in the composition of the arthropod group (beetles, spiders) in the study areas.