Small Ruminant Research最新文献

{"title":"Biometric and carcass analysis of lambs fed with forage palm silage and cottonseed cake","authors":"Iara Tamires Rodrigues Cavalcante ,&nbsp;Wandrick Hauss de Sousa ,&nbsp;Paulo Sérgio de Azevedo ,&nbsp;Neila Lidiany Ribeiro ,&nbsp;Rodrigo Couto Santos ,&nbsp;Felipe Queiroga Cartaxo ,&nbsp;João Paulo de Farias Ramos ,&nbsp;Marcílio Fontes Cézar ,&nbsp;Danillo Marte Pereira ,&nbsp;Edson Mauro Santos ,&nbsp;Juliana Silva de Oliveira ,&nbsp;Marcos Vinícius da Silva ,&nbsp;Maria Beatriz Ferreira ,&nbsp;Héliton Pandorfi ,&nbsp;José Francisco de Oliveira-Júnior ,&nbsp;Henrique Fonseca Elias de Oliveira ,&nbsp;Leandro Caixeta Salomão ,&nbsp;Rodrigo Aparecido Jordan ,&nbsp;Ailton Alves de Carvalho ,&nbsp;Thiago Dias Silva ,&nbsp;Jhon Lennon Bezerra da Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107460","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107460","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growing recognition of the importance of ovine meat has strengthened the sector in various parts of the world, as interest in food quality has significantly increased. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the biometric and morphometric characteristics of carcasses from confined lambs. A total of thirty-two intact crossbred Dorper lambs, with an average live weight of 17 ± 1.5 kg, were slaughtered after reaching a body condition score of 3.5. The percentage and nutritional composition of the experimental diets were based on dry matter, consisting of 0, 20, 25, and 30 % cottonseed cake inclusion in a complete feed silage based on forage cactus. Biomorphometric characteristics, such as carcass composition and weight of edible viscera, were evaluated. Data on biometric measurements and carcass characteristics were subjected to descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, determination coefficient (R²), and multivariate analysis, while morphometric measurements were analyzed using canonical discriminant analysis through the Stepwise method to assess potential differences among treatments with cottonseed cake. CAN1 and CAN2 accounted for 73 % and 20 % of the total variation, respectively. The predictive models demonstrated high accuracy (R²=91 %), enabling producers who wish to implement the experimental diet to predict meat production based on biometric measurements. Chest depth was identified as the variable with the greatest discriminatory power in the morphometric analysis using the Stepwise method. A complete diet based on cactus silage with up to 30 % cottonseed cake can be used to estimate both slaughter weight and carcass characteristics of lambs. The predictive models showed high precision, making biometric evaluation an effective tool for estimating slaughter weight and carcass traits. Chest depth was the most discriminative variable among treatments. Including up to 30 % cottonseed cake in the diet also allowed for an effective estimate of slaughter weight, providing a practical approach to optimizing production and selecting high-performing animals before slaughter.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 107460"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143395374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The combination of P4 and FSH promotes the formation of small antral follicles by up-regulating FSHR and CYP19A1 in Hu Sheep at the late luteal phase","authors":"Chunhui Duan ,&nbsp;Xuejiao Yin ,&nbsp;Yuchun Xie ,&nbsp;Sihui Gao ,&nbsp;Zhipan Song ,&nbsp;Sicong Yue ,&nbsp;Yu Li ,&nbsp;Yunxia Guo ,&nbsp;Yueqin Liu ,&nbsp;Yingjie Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107451","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107451","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Assisted reproductive technology is vital to improve the reproductive performance of ewe. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of progesterone (P₄) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on follicular development, reproductive hormone secretion, and the expression of associated reproductive genes in ovarian tissues of ewes. Seven-months-old <em>Hu</em> Sheep (<em>n</em> = 45) were randomly allocated into 9 groups. Estrous cycles of all ewes were synchronized using the P₄ + Prostaglandin F_2α (PGF_2α) + equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) induction protocol before the onset of the experiment. In this study, we used a 3 × 3 factorial design, where 3 periods of P₄ duration and 3 moments of FSH administration were evaluated. In the P₄ treatment, ewes received sponges (45 mg flugestone acetate) at the onset of the experiment for 5, 8, or 11 days (GP₄5, GP₄8, GP₄11), respectively. In the FSH treatment, ewes were injected with 100 IU FSH twice on days 4, 7, or 10 (GFSH4, GFSH7, FSH10), respectively. In the P₄ + FSH treatment (GFSH5 +P₄5, GFSH8 +P₄8, GFSH11 +P₄11), ewes received sponges and FSH injections for the same period. Our results indicated that the P₄+FSH treatment increased (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) small and total follicle counts compared to P₄ or FSH alone. The mRNA expression of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (<em>FSHR</em>, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and cytochrome P450 family 19 (<em>CYP19A1</em>, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) were increased in the P₄ + FSH treatment at day 11 compared to days 5 and 8. Immunohistochemical results showed high immune activity for FSHR and CYP19A1 proteins in granulosa and theca cells of small antral follicles. In conclusion, P₄ + FSH treatment up-regulate the mRNA expression of <em>FSHR</em> and <em>CYP19A1</em> at the late luteal phase, finally promoting the small antral follicles formation. Our results concerning the follicular development are promising.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 107451"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143387849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of shearing on growth performance of feedlot lambs under high temperatures","authors":"P.G. Theron ,&nbsp;T.S. Brand ,&nbsp;S.W.P. Cloete ,&nbsp;J.H.C. van Zyl","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107450","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107450","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With temperatures being forecast to increase over southern Africa, producers are increasingly likely to have to mitigate the impacts of heat stress on production animals. Shearing offers a potentially simple method of increasing the heat tolerance of sheep, but no conclusive study has yet been performed on the impact of shearing on feedlot production under South African conditions. To quantify the effect of shearing on the production efficiency and heat tolerance of Dohne Merino lambs under feedlot conditions, fifty-six ram lambs were randomly allocated to be shorn or not and provided with either a high (11.06 MJ/kg ME) or low energy (9.29 MJ/kg ME) finishing diet. The lambs were finished off for 42 days during summer (29˚C ± 4) and then slaughtered. Weekly measurements of weight, back fat depth and feed intake were made while respiration rate and surface and rectal temperature were recorded on the hottest day of each week. Shearing affected mean weight gain (312 g/day vs. 347 g/day; <em>P</em> = 0.022) and feed conversion (5.43 vs. 4.70; <em>P</em> = 0.026) over the full growth period while daily feed intake (1.62 kg vs 1.59 kg; <em>P</em> = 0.457) was unaffected. Feed intake was higher in the low energy group (<em>P</em> = 0.033), but growth and feed conversion were unaffected by diet. Unshorn lambs had higher average respiration rates (160 breaths/minute vs. 142 breaths/minute; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) but similar surface (38.35˚C vs. 38.09˚C; <em>P</em> = 0.095) and identical rectal temperatures as shorn lambs, indicating that thermoregulation through increased respiration was sufficient to prevent heat stress from occurring more frequently than in shorn animals. Shearing of feedlot animals therefore provided only a small improvement in thermal tolerance and resulted in a significant decline in production performance, indicating that shearing does not provide an economic benefit to producers under feedlot conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 107450"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143227620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In vitro effect of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on morpho-functional characteristics, oxidative stress, apoptosis and CatSper-1 ion channel in short-term stored (5 °C) ram semen","authors":"Gaffari Türk ,&nbsp;İbrahim Halil Güngör ,&nbsp;Gözde Arkalı ,&nbsp;Aslıhan Çakır Cihangiroğlu ,&nbsp;Nida Badıllı ,&nbsp;Tutku Can Acisu ,&nbsp;Serap Dayan Cinkara ,&nbsp;Şuheda Yüksel ,&nbsp;Şeyma Özer Kaya ,&nbsp;Mustafa Sönmez ,&nbsp;Seyfettin Gür ,&nbsp;Abdurrauf Yüce","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107449","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107449","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objective of this study was to examine the impact of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on the morpho-functional characteristics, oxidative stress, apoptosis and CatSper-1 ion channel in short-term stored ram semen at 5 °C. The study was conducted in six independent replicates on pooled semen samples collected by artificial vagina from six sexually active Akkaraman rams. The pooled semen samples were diluted to a concentration of 400 million spermatozoa per milliliter with a tris-based diluent including 6 PRP concentration (1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 20 %) and no PRP (control) at 38 °C. Following the reduction of the temperature to 5 °C, diluted semen samples were stored for a period of 96 hours. Motility (total, progressive, rapid, medium, low), kinematic (VCL, VSL, VAP, LIN, STR, WOB, ALH, BCF), morphological (plasma membrane integrity, abnormality), flow-cytometric (mitochondrial activity, acrosomal damage, viability, apoptosis), oxidative stress (MDA, GSH, GSH-Px, CAT), and CatSper-1 analyses were performed at both hours zero (initial measurement) and 96. In all groups, a time-dependent deterioration was observed in nearly all parameters at 96 h in comparison to the 0 h. Compared to the control, live spermatozoon rates (8 % and 10 %), GSH-Px (4 %, 8 % and 10 %) and CAT (4 % and 8 %) activities, and CatSper-1 levels at 96 h were higher, while the apoptotic spermatozoon rates (8 % and 10 %) and MDA levels (4 %, 8 % and 10 %) were lower in semen samples containing PRP. However, in semen samples containing 20 % PRP, the apoptotic spermatozoon rates and MDA levels at 96 h were higher, while GSH-Px activity and CatSper-1 levels were lower than in the control. As a result, it was concluded that the addition of 4–10 % PRP to the diluent containing tris+egg yolk has an effective role in preventing oxidative, apoptotic and ion channel (CatSper-1) damages in ram spermatozoa stored for a short time at 5 °C, while the concentration of 20 % is harmful.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 107449"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143348008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microhistological epidermal atlas for identifying plants consumed by South American camelids in the dry Peruvian Puna","authors":"Katherine Capuñay ,&nbsp;Laura Borrelli ,&nbsp;Juan José Alegría ,&nbsp;Samuel Pizarro ,&nbsp;Javier Ñaupari","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2024.107427","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2024.107427","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A microhistological atlas was developed that describes the key foliar epidermal characteristics of 22 plant species consumed by vicuñas within the Sustainable Use Management Areas in the Peasant Community of San Cristóbal de Lucanas, Ayacucho, Peru. This atlas is intended to be used as a reference pattern in plant identification when the microhistology technique is applied to feces to determine the botanical composition of the diet of domestic and wild herbivores. Additionally, a successful case applied to vicuñas is presented.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"243 ","pages":"Article 107427"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143161668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Confinement odour, quality, and safety of thawed lamb racks, frozen after an initial ageing period of up to 3 weeks","authors":"Emma E.M. Lynch ,&nbsp;Benjamin W.B. Holman","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2024.107421","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2024.107421","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>French trimmed lamb racks (<em>longissimus lumborum</em> muscle, LL) were vacuum packaged, wet aged for 0, 1, 2, or 3 weeks (6 per ageing period, <em>n</em> = 24), and frozen. Thawed lamb racks were scored by consumers for pre-opening pack assessment, post-opening pack assessment and post-blooming sample assessment. Objective quality assessments for freshness and quality were then applied to these lamb racks. The sliminess and overall odour were higher after 3 weeks of ageing prior to freezing compared with 0 weeks ageing (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). In addition, the total viable microbial counts (TVC) and ultimate pH were also higher after 3 weeks of ageing (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05); however, all values were within acceptable levels. The overall liking and freshness appearance during the post-opening pack assessment was inconsistent with ageing period (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05); although, there was no difference between ageing for 1 or 3 weeks prior to freezing, indicating there is no apparent advantage to ageing lamb racks for longer than 1 week prior to freezing. Furthermore, total viable basic nitrogen (TVB-N), total myoglobin and all the colour parameters did not differ (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05) and were within acceptable limits defined for fresh meat. Cooking loss, drip loss, expressible moisture and thaw loss were also unaffected by ageing period (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). Overall, the results of this study indicate there is no benefit of ageing bone-in lamb racks for periods longer than 1 week prior to freezing, in terms of consumers’ satisfaction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"243 ","pages":"Article 107421"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143161669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring gelatin from Black Bengal and Native Deccani Goat skin: Specialty meat breeds of India","authors":"P. Sowmya Reddy ,&nbsp;Naveena B. Maheswarappa ,&nbsp;G.V. Bhaskar Reddy ,&nbsp;Rituparna Banerjee ,&nbsp;J. Indumathi ,&nbsp;G. Gangaraju ,&nbsp;Bidyut Prava Mishra ,&nbsp;Gopal Patra","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107445","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107445","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study was conducted to characterize gelatin extracted from the skins of Black Bengal Goat (BBG) and Native Deccani Goat (NDG) under hot-air and freeze-drying conditions. The findings revealed higher (p &lt; 0.05) gelatin yield, gel clarity, hydroxyproline content, lightness scores, and instrumental texture properties especially hardness for BBG samples. Freeze-drying yielded superior (p &lt; 0.05) gel strength (453.72 ± 0.49 g vs. 437.56 ± 0.06 g) and viscosity (30.70 ± 0.28 cP vs. 15.73 ± 0.35 cP) relative to hot-air dried samples. Scanning electron microstructure of gelatin gels revealed greater intertwinement of protein strands with compact, corrugated sheet-like appearance without any voids in BBG samples. The FTIR analysis exhibited Amide I peaks for all the samples at 1623–1625.5 cm⁻¹ frequency indicating greater stability of triple helical structure of gelatin, whereas Amide II peaks were observed at 1540.22 cm⁻¹ for freeze dried samples which denotes the significant presence of α-helical structures. The MALDI-TOF MS analysis of SDS-PAGE protein bands revealed the presence of collagen type I-α1 as a predominant chain in both NDG and BBG, however few specific peptides originating from collagen type XXII-α1 and Collagen α-1(III) chain were exclusively observed in BBG only. A species-specific peptide R.GETGPAGPAGPIGPVGAR.G (<em>m/z</em>, 1560.83) with a potential to authenticate goat skin gelatin was deciphered in both NDG and BBG. Current study has demonstrated the superior quality and functionalities of Black Bengal goat skin gelatin and may serve as a potential alternative to commercially available beef and pork skin gelatin.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"243 ","pages":"Article 107445"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143161670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Body temperature and heart rate variability, and their circadian rhythms in sheep as measured by biologgers","authors":"José A. Abecia ,&nbsp;Francisco Canto ,&nbsp;Javier Plaza ,&nbsp;Jaime Nieto ,&nbsp;Carlos Palacios","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2024.107429","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2024.107429","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heart rate (HR) variability (HRV) reflects the balance between the autonomic nervous system's sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, which regulate stress and relaxation. Wearable sensors record HR and body temperature (BT), to provide data that informed decisions can be made from on animal management and welfare. The purpose of this study was to investigate daily changes in BT and HRV, recorded by subcutaneous biologgers; specifically, to quantify the 24-hour circadian rhythm in BT (°C), HR (bpm), the Standard Deviation of the R-R intervals (SDNN), and the Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD) (ms). Five ewes were implanted with a subcutaneous biologger, configured to collect data every 5 min for 7 d. Mean ( ± S.E.) BT (38.06 ± 0.01), HR (111.14 ± 1.68), SDNN (34.35 ± 2.90), and RMSSD (47.95 ± 4.21) were calculated. BT and HR were highest in the day (day: 38.15 ± 0.01 and 120.71 ± 0.43; night: 37.98 ± 0.01 and 102.47 ± 0.43; P &lt; 0.001), and SDNN (day: 29.30 ± 0.87; night: 37.16 ± 0.67) and RMSSD (day: 39.01 ± 1.17; night: 53.53 ± 0.94) were highest at night (P &lt; 0.001). BT and HR were positively correlated (P &lt; 0.01), but both negatively correlated (P &lt; 0.01) with SDNN and RMSSD. BT, HR, SDNN, and RMSSD presented a 24-h circadian rhythm, with acrophases (peak activity period) for BT at 1457 h and at 1223 h for HR, but those of SDNN and RMSSD were at 0350 h and 0327 h, respectively. In conclusion, biologgers detected the diurnal rhythmicity in BT and HRV in sheep, providing an option to use these physiological measures to assess an animal's health and welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"243 ","pages":"Article 107429"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143161702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of forage levels and physical forms on feed sorting behavior, rumen morphometry, and selected blood parameters in fattening male goats","authors":"Muhammad Irfan Malik ,&nbsp;Muhammad Afzal Rashid ,&nbsp;Maria Teresa Capucchio ,&nbsp;Muhammad Bilal ,&nbsp;Muhammad Shahbaz Yousaf ,&nbsp;Habib Ur Rehman ,&nbsp;Amlan Kumar Patra","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2024.107428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2024.107428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assessed the impact of physical form of diet and Rhodes grass (RG) level on feed sorting behaviour, rumen morphometric measurements, and blood parameters in goats. Forty male goats were equally assigned to four dietary treatments: mash total mixed ration (TMR) containing 15 % RG and 85 % concentrate (RG15M), 25 % RG and 75 % concentrate (RG25M), pelleted TMR (containing similar levels of RG hay as for mash diets) as RG15P, and RG25P. Goats selected particle sizes larger than 6.70 mm, with no difference (P &gt; 0.05) between RG15M and RG25M. The consumption of particles larger than 4.75 mm and 3.35 mm size was similar in RG15M and RG25M. However, the consumption of particle size larger than 2.36 mm and 1.18 mm was higher in RG15M compared to RG25M. Rumen papillae density and surface area were greater (P &lt; 0.05) in RG25P than in RG15M, RG25M, and RG15P. Blood urea nitrogen, plasma protein, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and bilirubin concentrations were higher (P &lt; 0.05) in RG15P compared to other treatments, whereas cholesterol concentration was lower in RG15P than RG15M, RG25m, and RG25P. The goats preferentially consumed fibrous particles (&gt;1.18 mm) and rejected finer particles (&lt; 1.18 mm). Goats fed the pelleted diet with 25 % RG showed improvement in rumen surface area without adversely affecting blood constituents, highlighting the benefits of pelleting to avoid feed selection and using TMR containing 25 % RG and 75 % concentrate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"243 ","pages":"Article 107428"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143161667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vegetation management utilizing sheep grazing within utility-scale solar: Agro-ecological insights and existing knowledge gaps in the United States","authors":"W.C. Stewart ,&nbsp;J.D. Scasta ,&nbsp;C. Maierle ,&nbsp;S. Ates ,&nbsp;J.M. Burke ,&nbsp;B.J. Campbell","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107439","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107439","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Common themes exist in the development of photovoltaic (PV) systems, globally. Capturing sunlight for energy production requires a significant land-use footprint, thus resulting in limitations that prohibit development of solar sites. Diverse regions across the U.S. are being utilized for PV development with varying population density, climate, and forage production potential. Energy usage is expected to grow with increased demand from industrial and residential segments. Internationally, the U.S. ranks second in energy usage and is the primary contributor to the growing energy demand. As utility-scale solar installations continue to expand across the U.S., and specifically pastures and rangelands, the need for sustainable vegetation management has become a critical operational consideration. Grazing with sheep presents a viable solution, offering both economic and ecological benefits by controlling vegetation growth without compromising (PV) panel efficiency. This review synthesizes current research on the integration of sheep grazing within solar sites, often referred to as \"solar grazing,\" with a focus on the agro-ecological interactions, operational challenges, and potential for industry growth. This review also examines the critical factors influencing vegetation management, including regional climate variability, forage production potential, and species-specific grazing behaviors. Additionally, the role of solar grazing in fire mitigation, biodiversity enhancement, and soil health improvement is explored. Despite the promise of this dual-use strategy, several knowledge gaps persist, particularly regarding the long-term ecological impacts on native plant communities, optimal sheep stocking densities, and the balance between forage production and sheep nutrition within these solar sites. Current trends in solar development are contrasted with the declining sheep population in the U.S., raising concerns about whether the American sheep industry can meet the growing demand for solar grazing. Moreover, the integration of solar grazing introduces new challenges in animal health and welfare, particularly in regions with increased parasite concentrations or limited access to water and supplemental feed. This review highlights the need for further research on adaptive management practices, as well as the development of infrastructure and industry support to ensure the sustainability of solar grazing in diverse regions of the U.S.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"243 ","pages":"Article 107439"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143161673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}