Nina Volkmann, Anna Riedel, Nicole Kemper, Birgit Spindler
{"title":"Factors associated with footpad dermatitis in German laying hens: A retrospective study","authors":"Nina Volkmann, Anna Riedel, Nicole Kemper, Birgit Spindler","doi":"10.1111/aab.12923","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aab.12923","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Footpad dermatitis (FPD) is characterized by lesions on the plantar region of the footpad. It is one of the most common foot health problems and welfare issues mainly described for broilers and turkeys. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the presence of this footpad disorder in laying hens as well as to identify typical risk factors for FPD during the laying period. Data were collected from 39 German laying hen flocks visited up to 16 times during production, where the housing system, flock size, age of flock, season, litter type and quality as well as hens' foot health were recorded in 30–200 randomly selected animals/visit using a four-point scoring system (FPD-Score 0–3). In total, 15,448 randomly selected laying hens were scored and classified, recording the highest degree of FPD per animal as well as whether FPD was detected in one or both of its feet. Of the hens examined, 78.9% showed no alterations, 18.6% showed slight ones, 2.2% moderate alterations, and 0.3% showed severe FPD. In the animals related to FPD (<i>n</i> = 3253), 48.0% of the hens showed an alteration in one foot and 52.0% in both feet. While few animals showed FPD at the first two visits (AF0, AF1), the percentage of animals related to FPD increased at the laying peak (~28th week of life). At the end of the laying period, 34.4% of the hens showed at least slight alterations (<i>n</i> = 955/2776). The results of the statistical analysis showed that the FPD-Score was statistically affected by the type of litter, the season, and the age of flock (all <i>P</i> < .0001), while the quality of litter at the time of visit (<i>P</i> = .0940), the housing system (<i>P</i> = .2696), and flock size (<i>P</i> = .8776) were not related to FPD. In summary, this study detected that more than a third of the animals examined showed alterations in their footpads at the end of the laying period. Such changes in foot health occurred from the laying peak and increased to the end of the laying period. In addition to the age of the hens, the type of litter and the season were determined as potential risk factors. Moreover, this study shows how common this foot health problem is, not only in turkeys and broilers but also for laying hens.</p>","PeriodicalId":7977,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Applied Biology","volume":"185 1","pages":"108-115"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aab.12923","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141488502","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":"Diversity of mycoparasitic Pythium sensu stricto and Globisporangium species in West Azarbaijan province of Iran","authors":"Sevda Rezaei, Masoud Abrinbana, Youbert Ghosta","doi":"10.1111/aab.12918","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aab.12918","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Pythium</i> sensu stricto (s.s.) and <i>Globisporangium</i> species are important components of the soil microbial community and exhibit diverse lifestyles, including mycoparasitism. However, a comprehensive understanding of the species diversity of these mycoparasites in the West Azarbaijan province of Iran is lacking. In this study, a total of 114 mycoparasitic <i>Pythium</i> s.s. and <i>Globisporangium</i> isolates were obtained from agricultural soils collected from six regions in the province. Through DNA barcoding, all <i>Globisporangium</i> isolates were identified as <i>G. nunn</i>, while the barcode markers were insufficient to accurately resolve species boundaries in <i>Pythium</i> s.s. By combining morphological and multilocus sequence data, five species within the genus <i>Pythium</i> s.s. were identified: <i>P. salmasense</i> sp. nov., a potentially new species, and three known species, <i>P. acanthicum</i>, <i>P. ornamentatum</i>, and <i>P. periplocum</i>. <i>Pythium ornamentatum</i> was the most common species and found in all regions studied, followed by <i>G. nunn</i> and <i>P. acanthicum</i>, which were both isolated from four regions. While the isolates of <i>G. nunn</i> showed no mycoparasitic activity against <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i>, all <i>Pythium</i> s.s. species were capable of infecting the hyphae of this pathogen. The existence of mycoparasitic species is promising for biological control of soil-borne fungal pathogens in the province. The widespread occurrence of <i>P. ornamentatum</i>, <i>G. nunn</i>, and <i>P. acanthicum</i> may suggest their adaptation to local soil and environmental conditions, indicating their potentially superior effectiveness in controlling plant diseases across different regions if used as biocontrol agents.</p>","PeriodicalId":7977,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Applied Biology","volume":"185 1","pages":"58-72"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141488546","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}
Anna S. Westbrook, Scott H. Morris, Rebecca S. Stup, Rosa H. Xia, Ryleigh E. Coffey, Antonio DiTommaso
{"title":"Annual flower strips increase biodiversity even if planting is delayed","authors":"Anna S. Westbrook, Scott H. Morris, Rebecca S. Stup, Rosa H. Xia, Ryleigh E. Coffey, Antonio DiTommaso","doi":"10.1111/aab.12921","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aab.12921","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Flower strips are an effective way to enhance agroecosystem biodiversity and ecosystem services. Most flower strips are composed of perennial species. Despite their ecological benefits, perennial flower strips are not widely adopted. Barriers to adoption include the long-term commitment required and concerns about weeds. This study explores whether annual flower strips might be feasible for more farmers. We conducted an on-farm experiment on five commercial farms in New York, USA. On each farm, we established four treatments. At maize planting time, we seeded an early-established planting (EP) treatment with a commercial mix of annual flowers. An early-established control (EC) was set up at the same time with no seeding. Four weeks later, we prepared a new seedbed for late-established planting (LP) and late-established control (LC) treatments. We observed significant effects of planting on plant species richness and Shannon diversity (<i>F</i>-test, <i>p</i> < .001). Planted treatments were more diverse than control treatments. However, there was no effect of establishment time on diversity. Both planting (<i>F</i>-test, <i>p</i> = .004) and establishment time (<i>F</i>-test, <i>p</i> = .04) affected the number of dicot species at the flowering stage, which was highest in the EP treatment. This flowering species richness was positively associated with spider abundance in sweep-net samples. Overall, our results demonstrate that annual flower strip establishment is possible even under weedy conditions. In addition, they show that a delay in planting date does not eliminate the benefits of this practice. This information could help farmers make informed, site-specific decisions about whether flower strips are a good fit for their farms.</p>","PeriodicalId":7977,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Applied Biology","volume":"185 1","pages":"81-90"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141350589","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}
Phuong Dong Tran Nguyen, Thuan Duc Lao, Thuy Ai Huyen Le, Nguyen Hoai Nguyen
{"title":"Abiotic stress responses in melon (Cucumis melo): Emerging underlying molecular mechanisms and biotechnological advances to cope with the issue","authors":"Phuong Dong Tran Nguyen, Thuan Duc Lao, Thuy Ai Huyen Le, Nguyen Hoai Nguyen","doi":"10.1111/aab.12919","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aab.12919","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i>), a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is consumed worldwide. In melon cultivation, abiotic stress has been found to negatively affect crop growth and productivity. Various biotechnological approaches can be used to ameliorate stress tolerance. Previous studies have investigated the effects of major abiotic stress conditions (e.g., drought, salt, cold and heat) on melon growth and development at the phenotypic and physiological levels, and are pivotal to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying abiotic stress responses in melons. This review aims at systematically reviewing current efforts to understand the abiotic stress biology in melon plants. In addition, we discuss several approaches (e.g., fertilization, breeding, genetic engineering) that have been examined to improve melon growth and production under stressful conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":7977,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Applied Biology","volume":"185 1","pages":"4-10"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141365071","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}
Alex Slavenko, Marielle Babineau, Anthony R. van Rooyen, Benjamin Congdon, Paul A. Umina, Samantha Ward
{"title":"Modelling aphid movement in Australian canola fields","authors":"Alex Slavenko, Marielle Babineau, Anthony R. van Rooyen, Benjamin Congdon, Paul A. Umina, Samantha Ward","doi":"10.1111/aab.12911","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aab.12911","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A growing challenge in canola (<i>Brassica napus</i> L.) production globally is the management of aphid pests, particularly species that are resistant to insecticides. Aphid pests of canola damage plants through direct feeding and virus transmission, with turnip yellows virus being particularly economically damaging. Integrated Pest Management, a strategy now employed by many growers to reduce the risk of insecticide resistance, requires forward planning and monitoring. Improved risk predictions can be used to help growers limit insecticide spraying by targeting high-risk regions and/or periods. Within Australia, autumnal aphid flights coincide with the critical risk period for virus infestations in canola. In this study, we used an extensive database accumulated from 6 years of surveys collected from more than 200 canola fields across southern Australia with supervised machine learning models to predict aphid movements in autumn-early winter as a function of environmental factors. We found: (i) our models achieve very high predictive accuracy when validated on untrained data; (ii) aphid movements are influenced by a combination of daily temperature and wind regimes as well as ‘green bridge’ effects mediated by summer rainfall patterns; and (iii) higher aphid capture rates in sticky traps are correlated with a higher probability of the aphids being carriers of turnip yellows virus. Taken together these results suggest that growers can use the outputs from predictive models to forecast aphid outbreaks in the early growing season and derive useful rules of thumb around the environmental conditions during which canola crops are at a greater risk of turnip yellows virus transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":7977,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Applied Biology","volume":"185 2","pages":"242-254"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141108171","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":"On-farm evaluations of animal welfare indicators in laying hens housed with and without environmental enrichment","authors":"Sandra Finke, Nicole Kemper, Birgit Spindler","doi":"10.1111/aab.12910","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aab.12910","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In laying hen husbandry, severe feather pecking and cannibalism are multifactorial problems. Solving these problems is a matter of urgency, as beak trimming is banned in several European countries, including Germany. One approach to addressing severe feather pecking and cannibalism is the administration of additional enrichment material to support normal behaviour. In this on-farm study, two flocks of 17,500 Lohmann Brown-Lite laying hens each were evaluated during one production period (18–78 weeks of life, WoL). One flock was provided with alfalfa bales and pecking stones in combination (EnGr), whereas the other flock served as a control without additional enrichment material (CoGr). During production, the flocks were visited at regular intervals. On each visit, a sample of 50 hens per flock were weighed and scored for plumage condition and skin lesions. The mortality rate was recorded daily by the farm staff. No significant difference in plumage condition and mortality rate was found between EnGr and CoGr (<i>p</i> > .05, Mann-Whitney U test). As there were hardly any skin lesions in both groups during the study period, the effect of additional enrichment material on this variable could not be determined. The average body weight of the EnGr was significantly higher than the average body weight of the CoGr on numerous examination days (26 WoL, <i>p</i> < .001; 34 WoL, <i>p</i> = .040; 42 WoL, <i>p</i> = .007; 62 WoL, <i>p</i> = .041; 66 WoL, <i>p</i> = .006; 74 WoL, <i>p</i> = .036; 78 WoL, <i>p</i> = .028, t-tests). However, this effect could not be clearly attributed to the administering of additional enrichment material, as the feeding and performance variables for EnGr and CoGr had been recorded together because of the housing for the two flocks being supplied by one silo and water source, and eggs from the flocks being collected altogether.</p>","PeriodicalId":7977,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Applied Biology","volume":"185 1","pages":"49-57"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aab.12910","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140671832","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":"Mulch alleviates the continuous crop barriers of Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. by regulating the soil bacterial community","authors":"Ling Xu, Lei Ma, Xu Lu, Ruonan Wei, Xiaojie Feng, Yantong Ma, Xucheng Zhang, Wenhui Wang, Sheng Li, Shaoying Ma, Guiping Chen, Xiaoming Yang","doi":"10.1111/aab.12905","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aab.12905","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Codonopsis pilosula</i> (Franch.) Nannf. is an essential traditional medicinal herb in China. Soil sickness caused by continuous cropping is the main reason for the yield reduction of <i>C. pilosula</i>. However, because of the lack of systematic research on the mechanism of continuous cropping obstacles in <i>C. pilosula</i>, there is a lack of effective measures to reduce or even restrain the disorder of continuous cropping obstacles in <i>C. pilosula</i>. The root system, inter-root soil microorganisms and non-inter-root soil of <i>C. pilosula</i> under a continuous cropping system (e.g. crop rotation, two consecutive crops and three consecutive crops) as well as under different mulching methods (the mulched film and the uncovered) were used as experimental materials for the study. The plant growth of <i>C. pilosula</i> was significantly inhibited when continuous cropping reached 2 years. At the same time, the mulched film significantly (<i>p</i> < .05) promoted the development of <i>C. pilosula</i> under continuous cropping and considerably mitigated the plant death rate of <i>C. pilosula</i> in all fields. The content of soil nutrients, such as organic matter and inorganic nitrogen, decreased with increasing years of continuous cropping. In contrast, the mulched film improved this soil nutrient in continuous cropping. There was a tendency for the number of endemic operational taxonomic units (OTUs) to decrease in continuous cropping. Additionally, the mulched film altered the distribution of shared and endemic OTUs in the samples and had a recruiting effect on inter-root microorganisms in continuous cropping. <i>Betaproteobacteriales</i> flora abundance decreased with increasing years of continuous cropping, which showed a strong positive correlation with the immune system and environmental adaptation function. The mulched film increased the abundance of beneficial microorganisms, such as <i>AKAU4049</i>, <i>Betaproteobacteriales</i> and <i>Gaiellales</i>, to adapt and improve the continuous crop disorder of <i>C. pilosula</i>. In conclusion, mulching can enhance the soil environment and facilitate the growth and development of <i>C. pilosula</i> during continuous cultivation.</p>","PeriodicalId":7977,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Applied Biology","volume":"185 1","pages":"11-22"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140324859","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}
Pascal Aigbedion-Atalor, Jennifer Upfold, Candice Coombes, Sean Moore, Martin Hill
{"title":"Sexual selection in Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick) is shaped by contrasting geographic adaptations, but does it matter for area-wide sex pheromone control tools?","authors":"Pascal Aigbedion-Atalor, Jennifer Upfold, Candice Coombes, Sean Moore, Martin Hill","doi":"10.1111/aab.12898","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aab.12898","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Thaumatotibia leucotreta</i> (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is a quarantine pest for certain export markets due to its phytosanitary status in affected crops in sub-Saharan Africa, including citrus. Consequently, there is a zero-tolerance policy for <i>T. leucotreta</i> in export markets. In South Africa, an integrated pest management strategy, incorporating a systems approach is used to achieve complete control of <i>T. leucotreta</i>. Preharvest management is multi-faceted, including reliance on sex pheromone tools such as monitoring, attract-and-kill, mating disruptions, and sterile insect technique (SIT). Geographically isolated populations of <i>T. leucotreta</i> occur in South Africa, and there is speculation concerning the possible loss of sexual communication between these isolated populations, thereby compromising the efficiency of sex pheromone tools. To investigate this possibility, we collected samples from five geographically isolated populations of <i>T. leucotreta</i> and a population used for SIT in South Africa. These were subjected to sexual attraction trials under choice and no-choice scenarios in a semi-natural environment. Results of the choice tests revealed that males of each population preferred their corresponding population females, except irradiated males. However, when we deprived males of their preferred females, these preferences dissipated, and they were equally attracted to females from all populations. These results indicate that local adaptation and other selection forces in contrasting environments are important in sexual communication and selection in <i>T. leucotreta</i> but do not necessarily prevent recognition of sexual signals and attraction between geographically isolated populations. These findings are crucial for area-wide IPM and precision control of <i>T. leucotreta</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":7977,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Applied Biology","volume":"185 2","pages":"202-212"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140313342","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}
Satu Latvala, Minna Haapalainen, Petteri Karisto, Pirjo Kivijärvi, Oona Jääskeläinen, Terhi Suojala-Ahlfors
{"title":"Changes in the prevalence of fungal species causing post-harvest diseases of carrot in Finland","authors":"Satu Latvala, Minna Haapalainen, Petteri Karisto, Pirjo Kivijärvi, Oona Jääskeläinen, Terhi Suojala-Ahlfors","doi":"10.1111/aab.12908","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aab.12908","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Post-harvest diseases cause significant economic losses in the carrot production chain. In this study, storage losses and fungal pathogens causing them were analysed in the carrot yield from 52 different field plots in four areas in Finland in 3 years (2016–2018). Over 30,000 carrots were sampled and analysed at three time points during cold storage at 0–1°C. In March, after 5–6 months' storage, the average loss due to diseases was 20%–21% every year. Decay of the root tip was the most common disease symptom, followed by pits on the side and black rot in the crown, detected in 69.2%, 15.0% and 9.0% of the symptomatic samples, respectively. Both intensive carrot cultivation practice and early timing of harvest increased storage losses. Pathogens in 3057 symptomatic carrot tissue samples were isolated by culturing, and fungal species were identified. The most common fungal species detected were <i>Mycocentrospora acerina</i>, <i>Botrytis cinerea</i> and <i>Fusarium</i> spp., especially <i>F. avenaceum</i>. However, the frequency of different pathogens varied between the different years and time points during storage. Species-specific PCR tests revealed that <i>M. acerina</i> and <i>F. avenaceum</i> were present in many early time-point samples where they could not yet be detected by the culturing method. In Finland, this study on carrot post-harvest diseases is the first large-scale survey in which the fungal pathogens were isolated and identified by laboratory tests. In comparison with the previous studies, <i>Fusarium</i> spp. were detected more frequently in this study, while grey mould and Sclerotinia rot were less frequent.</p>","PeriodicalId":7977,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Applied Biology","volume":"185 1","pages":"23-35"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aab.12908","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140316643","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}