• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.210-217
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• 2024

Objective: This study investigated the efficacy of different concentrations of gelatin supplementation in long-term semen extender on boar semen quality during storage for 10 days at 17℃. Additionally, oxytocin was added to stored semen to enhance fertility. Methods: In Experiment 1, boar semen was collected, diluted with gelatin at concentrations between 0% and 2.5% (w/v) and mixed with a semen extender. Then, it was kept in a refrigerator at 17℃ and stored for 10 days. In Experiment 2, the sperm quality was examined after adding 0, 5, and 10 IU oxytocin per artificial insemination dose to the most effective semen extender from Experiment 1 and placing it in a refrigerator at 17℃ for 10 days. In Experiment 3, the fertility potential in terms of non-return rate and litter size was determined using the most effective solid-stored semen supplemented with oxytocin. Results: The results indicated that sperm quality decreased with increasing storage time (p<0.05). The sperm quality in terms of total motility, progressive motility, and viable sperm with intact acrosomes and high mitochondrial potential was the highest with 1.5% gelatin supplementation (p<0.001) on all days of storage. Treatment with oxytocin did not affect sperm quality (p>0.05). The non-return rate and litter size after insemination with semen supplemented with 1.5% gelatin and 10 IU of oxytocin after 8 to 10 days of storage were comparable to those of the control group (p>0.05). Conclusion: A semen extender as a solid medium supplemented with 1.5% gelatin successfully preserved boar semen for a long storage duration. Treatment with oxytocin did not affect sperm quality. In addition, the fertility capacity using 1.5% gelatin with 10 IU oxytocin and stored for 8 to 10 days was acceptable and comparable to that of short-term storage.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.86 no.1
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• pp.56-68
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• 1997

This study was carried out to evaluate the capacity of environment purification of forest and to reveal formation processes of stream water quality by evaluating water quality variations in forest hydrological processes. Water quantity, pH, electric conductivity(EC), dissolved oxygen(DO), and dissolved matter concentrations were monitored in open rainfall, throughfall, stemflow, litter flow and short-term stream flow for one unit storm, and also for those were monitored in long-term stream flow in Palgong, Yongsung, and Daedong catchments. The results were summarized as follows; 1. pH and DO values of stream flow were increased as the flux increased but EC values were decreased. 2. pH values of stemflow and throughfall were decreased with the lapse of rainfall time with lower values than open rainfall. Arid EC values were higher in initial rainfall period but lower gradually with the lapse of time than open rainfall. In litter flow, pH values were lower than open rainfall but EC values were higher. In stream flow, pH values of stream flow showed a high level in initial rainfall period and decreased remarkably with the lapse of time, but it recovered after the rainfall stopped. And however, the values of EC showed almost reverse tendency. DO values of litter flow and stream flow were decreased gradually with the lapse of time in litter flow and stream flow but there were no any tendency in open rainfall, stemflow and throughfall. 3. pH values of stemflow and throughfall in Quercus acutissima were higher than in Pinus densiflora, but EC values were lower. Total amount of canons in stemflow was higher in Pinus densiflora than in Quercus acutissima. 4. pH, DO, EC and total amount of cation values in hydrological processes were in the order of; litter flow

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.12-23
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• 2018

Quantitative information on biomass and available nutrients are essential for developing sustainable forest management strategies to regulate atmospheric carbon. An attempt was made at Chilapatta Reserve Forest in Duars region of West Bengal to quantify its above and below ground carbon along with available "N", "P" and "K" in the soil. Stratified random nested quadrats were marked for soil, biomass and litter sampling. Indirect or non-destructive procedures were employed for biomass estimation. The amount of these available nutrients and organic carbon quantified in soil indicates that the forest soil is high in organic carbon and available "K" and medium in phosphorus and nitrogen. The biomass, soil carbon and total carbon (soil C＋C in plant biomass) in the forest was 1,995.98, 75.83 and $973.65Mg\;ha^{-1}$. More than 90% of the carbon accumulated in the forest was contributed by the trees. The annual litter production of the forest was $5.37Mg\;ha^{-1}$. Carbon accumulation is intricately linked with site quality factors. The estimated biomass of $1,995.98Mg{\cdot}ha^{-1}$ clearly indicates this. The site quality factor i.e. tropical moist deciduous with optimum availability of soil nutrients, heavy precipitation, high mean monthly relative humidity and optimum temperature range supported luxuriant growth which was realized as higher biomass accumulation and hence higher carbon accumulated.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2021

As a result of intensive breeding, litter size has considerably increased in pig production over the last three decades. This has resulted in an increase in farrowing complications. Prolonged farrowing will shorten the window for suckling colostrum and reduce the chances for high-quality colostrum intake. Studies also agree that increasing litter sizes concomitantly resulted in decreased piglet birth weight and increased within-litter birth weight variations. Birth weight, however, is one of the critical factors affecting the prognosis of colostrum intake, and piglet growth, welfare, and survival. Litters of uneven birth weight distribution will suffer and lead to increased piglet mortality before weaning. The proper management is key to handle the situation. Feeding strategies before farrowing, management routines during parturition (e.g., drying and moving piglets to the udder and cross-fostering) and feeding an energy source to piglets after birth may be beneficial management tools with large litters. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)-driven recovery from energy losses during lactation appears critical for supporting follicle development, the viability of oocytes and embryos, and, eventually, litter uniformity. This paper explores certain management routines for neonatal piglets that can lead to the optimization of their colostrum intake and thereby their survival in large litters. In addition, this paper reviews the evidence concerning nutritional factors, particularly lactation feeding that may reduce the loss of sow body reserves, affecting the growth of the next oocyte generation. In conclusion, decreasing birth weight and compromised immunity are subjects warranting investigation in the search for novel management tools. Furthermore, to increase litter uniformity, more focus should be placed on nutritional factors that affect IGF-1-driven follicle development before ovulation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.979-984
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• 2017

Objective: An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary Ca concentrations in low non-phytate phosphorus (NPP) diets containing phytase on growth performance, bone mineralization, litter quality, and footpad dermatitis (FPD) incidence in growing broiler chickens. Methods: A total of 1,800 21-day-old Ross 308 growing broiler chickens were allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments with 6 replicated cages. Six diets were formulated to provide increasing Ca concentrations of 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, or 9.0 g/kg in diets. The concentrations of NPP in all diets were maintained at 3.0 g/kg, and phytase was supplemented to all diets at the level of 1,000 fytase units (FTU)/kg. At the end of the 14-d feeding trial, birds were euthanized for tibia sampling, and litter samples were collected from 3 areas in the cage. The FPD incidence was measured based on a 6-point scoring system. Results: Dietary Ca concentrations had no effect on growth performance of growing broiler chickens. However, a tendency (linear, p = 0.05) for decreased feed efficiency was observed as dietary Ca concentrations were increased. The concentrations of Ca and P in the tibia of broiler chickens increased (linear and quadratic, p<0.01) with increasing Ca concentrations in low NPP diets containing phytase. Litter pH, moisture, and N contents were not affected by increasing Ca concentrations in low NPP diets containing phytase. However, a tendency (quadratic, p = 0.10) for increased FPD incidence with increasing dietary Ca concentrations was observed. Conclusion: Dietary Ca concentrations from 4.0 to 9.0 g/kg in low NPP diets containing phytase have little effects on growth performance of growing broiler chickens. However, Ca and P concentrations in the tibia are decreased if dietary Ca concentrations are less than 5.0 g/kg. The FPD incidence for growing broiler chickens may be decreased if less than 9.0 g/kg of Ca is included in diets.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.62 no.6
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• pp.777-789
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• 2020

Intense artificial selection has been imposed to Luzhong mutton sheep population in the past years. Improvements on growth and reproductive performance are two breeding goals in the present herd. Although some progresses were phenotypically observed possibly due to inbreeding induced by strong selection in terms of these traits, the genomic evaluation was poorly understood. Therefore, a high-density SNP array was used to characterize the pattern of runs of homozygosity (ROH), estimate inbreeding and inbreeding depressions on early growth performance and litter size based upon ROH, and scan positive selection signatures of recent population. Consequently, a low inbreeding level was observed which had negative effects on litter size, but not on early growth performance. And 160 genes were under selection, of which some were reported to be linked to several traits of sheep including body weight, litter size, carcass and meat quality, milk yield and composition, fiber quality and health, and the top genes were associated with growth (growth hormone [GH]- growth hormone receptor [GHR]- Insulin-like growth factor 1 [IGF1] axis) and litter size (bone morphogenic proteins [BMPs]-associated). The effectiveness of previous breeding measures was highlighted, but purging selection was proposed to alleviate the inbreeding depression on litter size, providing some genomic insights to breeding management of Luzhong mutton sheep.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.111-122
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• 2009

Abatements of TN and ${NO_3}^-$-N in a horizontal subsurface-flow wetland with litter layer on its surface were compared with those without one. The wetland was constructed in 2001 on floodplain of the Gwangju Stream which flows through Gwangju City in Korea. Its dimensions were 29m in length, 9m in width and 0.65m in depth. A bottom layer of 45cm was filled with crushed granites (15~40mm in diameter) and a middle layer of 10cm had pea pebbles. An upper layer of 5cm contained coarse sands. Reeds (Phragmites australis) growing in natural wetlands were transplanted on its surface. Water of the stream was channelled into the wetland by gravity flow and its effluent was discharged back into the stream. Average Litter layer of 12.2cm was formed on its surface in 2007. The layer and above-ground parts of reeds were eliminated in April 2008. Volumes and water quality of influent and effluent of the wetland were analyzed from May to November in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Inflow into the wetland both in 2007 and 2008 averaged approximately 40$m^3$/day and hydraulic residence time both in 2007 and 2008 was about 1.5days. Influent TN concentration in 2007 and 2008 averaged 3.96 and 3.89mg/L, respectively and average influent ${NO_3}^-$-N concentration in 2007 and 2008 was 2.11 and 2.05mg/L, respectively. With a 0.05 significance level, influent concentrations of TN and ${NO_3}^-$-N, temperatures and pH of effluent, and heights and stem numbers of reeds showed no difference between the wetland with litter layer and without one. TN retention in the wetland with litter layer and without one averaged 64,76 and 54.69%, respectively and ${NO_3}^-$-N removal averaged 60.83 and 50.61%, respectively. Both TN and ${NO_3}^-$-N abatement rates in the wetland with litter layer were significantly high (TN abatement: p<0,001, ${NO_3}^-$-N abatement: p=0.001) when compared with those without one. The subsurface-flow wetland having litter layer on its surface was more efficient for TN and ${NO_3}^-$-N removal.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.320-324
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• 2008

We investigated the effect of ESR gene-based selection on an improvement of litter size in the herds in real (non-experimental) conditions. The pigs were selected for three years. In the tested population the pigs were mated according to a breeding scheme where the individuals with at least one ESR-B allele were preferred in the selection. In the control group (CP; n = 140) the pigs were mated just according to a breeding scheme without knowledge of the ESR genotype. We observed a significant increase in litter size (total number of born, number of born alive and number of weaned piglets per litter) in the final tested ESR-selected population (LP; n = 184) and an insignificant increase in CP as compared with the original population (OP; n = 155). After the selection we could observe a significant increase in the frequency of allele B in LP. Frequency of the genotypes AB and BB increased in both LP and CP; the distribution of the genotypes changed significantly only in LP. An association analysis of the ESR gene effects on reproductive traits in LP showed no significant differences between the genotypes. The results of our study suggest that ESR gene-based selection can be successful also in small herds, under real (non-experimental) conditions with a respect for general breeding principles and limitations and during a short period. An examination of a larger sample population as well as an analysis of selection consequences on other traits (meat and carcass quality) could bring a more conclusive evaluation of ESR-based selection. Nevertheless, the results are encouraging especially for small breeding farms taking a perspective of better litter size improvement.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.585-591
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• 2006

We measured the litterfall quantity and investigated the nutrient dynamics in decomposing litter for three years at the LTER sites installed in a deciduous broadleaf natural forest in Mt. Gyebangsan, South Korea. Litterfall production was significantly different among the sampling dates, whereas it was not significantly different among the years. The total annual mean litterfall production for three years was 6,593 kg $ha^{-1}$ $yr^{-1}$ and leaf litter accounted for 82.6% of the litterfall. The leaf litter quantity was highest in Quercus mongolia, followed by leaf of other species, Betula schmidtii, Kaplopanax pictus, Acer pseudo-sieboldianum, etc., which are dominant tree species in the site. The mass loss from the decomposition of leaf litter was fastest in Cortinus controversa (100%), followed by A. preudo-sieboldianum, K. pictus, and B. schmidtii. 100% of litter for C. controversa, 96.1% for A. pseudo-sieboldianum, 92.8% for K. pictus decomposed, while 66.2% of litter for Q. mongolia decayed for 1,003 days. The lower rate of the mass loss in the litter of Q. mongolia may be attributed to the difference in substrate quality, such as lower nutrient concentrations compared with those of other tree species. The concentrations of N, P, and Ca for five litter types increased over time, while the concentrations of K and Mg decreased over time. Compared with the nutrients in the litter of Q. mongolia, the nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) in the litter of other species, C. controversa, A. pseudo-sieboldianum, and K. pictus, were released more rapidly. The results showed that the mass loss and the nutrient dynamics in the litter are variable depending on the tree species even in the same site conditions.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1407-1416
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of genotype (slower-growing vs. fast-growing) and production system (access to outdoors vs. indoor) on the growth performance, carcass yield and meat quality (chemical composition, physicochemical and sensory properties) of chickens. The experiment was performed on 1,040 day-old hybrid male chickens of two genotypes. Slower-growing chickens (Hubbard JA957, certified) and fast-growing chickens (Hubbard F15) were fed identical diets until 65 days of age. Both genotypes (each represented by 520 birds) were divided into two subgroups and were raised in pens on litter with outdoor access or in indoor confinement without outdoor access (four replications per subgroup, each of 65 birds). Until day 21, the birds stayed in the indoor facility, in deep-litter pens. The birds could forage on pasture 12 h daily, commencing at three weeks of age. Stocking density was 0.13 $m^2$ floor space per bird in pens on litter, and 0.8 $m^2$ per bird in grassy yards. Compared with fast-growing, slower-growing chickens were significantly lighter (by 17%), had a lower breast and thigh muscle yield and a higher abdominal fat content, but they were characterized by higher survival rates at 65 days, a higher protein content and a lower fat content of breast meat. Outdoor access had no negative effects on the growth performance, muscle yield, the fatty acid profile and oxidative status of meat lipids. The meat of free-range chickens was darker in color, it had a higher protein content and a better water-holding capacity, but it was less juicy than the meat of birds raised indoors.