• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.257-265
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• 2015

Heat conditioning at an early age has been known to help chickens cope with heat stress later in life. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of heat conditioning at 5 days of age in broilers repeatedly exposed to high ambient temperature later in life. A total of 256 day-old Arbor Acre boiler chicks were housed in two identical rooms with a 23-h light/1-h dark cycle and provided with feed and water ad libitum. At 5 days of age, the birds in one room were exposed to $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 hours, while those in the other room served as controls. On day 21, half of the birds in each room were moved into the other room so that each room contained both control and heat-conditioned birds. After a 7-day adaptation period, the birds in one room were exposed to high ambient temperature ($21^{\circ}C{\rightarrow}31^{\circ}C$) for 3 days, whereas those in the other room were kept at normal temperature. The same 3-day exposure to high ambient temperature was repeated two weeks later. Hence, there were four treatment groups (CON+CON: control+control; CON+HS: control+high ambient temperature; HC+CON: heat conditioning+control; and HC+HS: heat conditioning+high ambient temperature). Repeated heat stress resulted in decreased feed intake, water intake, body weight gain, and spleen weight (p<0.05) and increased rectal temperature (p<0.05), mortality, and plasma corticosterone concentrations. The relative weight of the spleen was increased in the heat-conditioned group (p<0.05). Plasma biochemicals were also influenced by high temperature. Thus, no beneficial effects of heat conditioning at an early age were detected in broilers repeatedly exposed to high ambient temperature later in life.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.297-303
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• 2014

Heat manipulation at early age has been known to help chickens cope with heat stress later in life. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of early heat conditioning at 5 days of age on performance in broilers when re-exposed to heat stress later in life. Day-old, 256 Arbor Acre boiler chicks were housed in two identical rooms where all broilers were exposed to a 23-h light: 1-h dark cycle throughout the study and provided with feed and water ad libitum. At the age of 5 days, one group was exposed to $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 hours and then returned to the temperature at which control birds were maintained (early heat condition group) while the other was maintained without heat modulation (Control). On 21 days, broilers were regrouped into 4 groups (CON+CON: control+control; CON+HS: control+heat stress; HC+CON: heat conditioning+control; HC+HS: heat conditioning+heat stress), and given 7 days for adaptation. On 28 days, birds in one room were exposed to heat stress ($21^{\circ}C{\rightarrow}31^{\circ}C$) for 3 days whereas those in the other were at room temperature. Heat stress resulted in decreased feed intake, water intake, and body weight gain (P<0.05), but increased rectal temperature and mortality (P<0.05). No beneficial effects of heat conditioning were detected when broilers were exposed to heat stress again at later in life. The present results were discussed together with other studies regarding possible differences in methods such as ages of breeders and strains, which may have resulted in the failure of heat conditioning to help broilers resist heat stress.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.117-128
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• 2023

Tree dieback in Geumgang pine forest has occurred in Uljin and Bonghwa since the 2010s. In order to identify status of tree dieback and prevent further damages, a monitoring project for tree dieback in Geumgang pine forest had been launched by Southern regional office of forest service in 2020. This study was conducted to understand the characteristics of tree dieback occurrence and assess the high risk areas using the occurrence data in the project. Pine tree dieback occurred frequently in areas with mountain ridges in high elevation, dry south-facing slopes, mature stands, and high temperature rise in winter. Furthermore, the result of risk assessment showed that 6.2 percent(5,294ha) of Geumgang pine forest(85,000 ha) in total study area are at high risk of tree dieback. As the pine trees in the high risk area are prone to experience the dieback due to temperature and drought-related extreme weather events, regular forest management activities are needed to reduce the drought stress of pine trees. Forest health management for the pine forest with high protection priority can be also useful strategy to counter the risk of decline. This results can be used as the basic information for the adaptive forest management to climate change.