. Energy News .




FARM NEWS
Scientists Use New Method to Help Reduce Piglet Mortality
by Sandra Avant
Clay Center NB (SPX) Oct 12, 2012

illustration only

To help increase the survival of newborn piglets, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have developed a new method that predicts animals' mortality and nursing ability.

Physiologist Jeffrey Vallet and his colleagues at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Neb., call the measuring technique the "immunocrit," which determines whether preweaning piglets receive adequate colostrum from the sow.

ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security.

Preweaning mortality costs the U.S. swine industry an estimated $1.6 billion each year, and one of the contributing factors is deficient colostrum intake by piglets.

The colostrum produced by a sow after giving birth contains immunoglobulins, or antibodies, which help build immunity against bacteria, viruses and other foreign elements. Piglets that fail to nurse and receive enough colostrum from their mother within the first 24 hours after birth usually die.

The immunocrit measures newborn piglet serum immunoglobulin in blood samples. These measurements indicate piglets' mortality and nursing ability, according to Vallet, research leader of USMARC's Reproduction Unit. Immunocrit results also show that the average measurement of piglets in a litter reflects the sow's ability to produce colostrum.

In addition, scientists have found a connection between immunocrit measurements, piglets' weight and mortality. Pigs that weighed more were more likely to survive the challenge of not getting colostrum within the critical timeframe, as opposed to those that weighed less.

Because test results are obtained so quickly, it is possible to identify compromised piglets while they're still alive, according to Vallet. The immunocrit recognizes piglets within a litter that have not eaten or had the chance to nurse. This provides an opportunity to save at-risk piglets by using intervention strategies.

The new technique, which also works with cattle, can be used by swine producers to test management practices such as split suckling, according to Vallet.

A labor-intensive method, split suckling is designed to improve colostrum intake for piglets born last by giving them uninhibited access to the sow.

Using the immunocrit, blood samples can be taken 24 hours after the split suckling procedure to determine if colostrum intake has increased in these piglets.

Read more about this research in the October 2012 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

Related Links
Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology




.
.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries




.

. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



FARM NEWS
Unusual genetic structure confers major disease resistance trait in soybean
Madison WI (SPX) Oct 12, 2012
Scientists have identified three neighboring genes that make soybeans resistant to the most damaging disease of soybean. The genes exist side-by-side on a stretch of chromosome, but only give resistance when that stretch is duplicated several times in the plant. "Soybean cyst nematode is the most important disease of soybean, according to yield loss, worldwide, year after year," says senio ... read more


FARM NEWS
GMES for Europe

Boeing Releases Updated Geospatial Data Management Tool

First images from e2v imaging sensors on SPOT 6 Earth observation satellite

New Commercial Imaging Spacecraft Progressing at Lockheed Martin as IKONOS Satellite Achieves 13 Years in Operations

FARM NEWS
Soyuz is given the "go" for tomorrow's Arianespace launch with a pair of Galileo navigation spacecraft

Apple had warning of mapping problems

Using LabSat in the absence of GPS

New Telit GPS Miniature Receiver Based on Latest 3-D Embedded Technology is Market's Smallest

FARM NEWS
Research shows legume trees can fertilize and stabilize maize fields, generate higher yields

China to up reforestation

SciTechTalk: Amazon's 'razor blade' choice

Study finds nearly 50% of retail firewood infested with insects

FARM NEWS
Palm Oil Massive Source of Carbon Dioxide

Which Biofuels Hold the Most Promise for the Future

Super-microbes engineered to solve world environmental problems

Computational Model IDs Potential Pathways to Improve Plant Oil Production

FARM NEWS
Researchers Create 'Nanoflowers' for Energy Storage, Solar Cells

China denounces solar tariffs

Research findings in solar cells will have an impact on solar panel industry

Motech Americas launches UL 1,000 Volt Certified Modules for PV Installations in North America

FARM NEWS
DNV KEMA awarded framework agreement for German wind project developer SoWiTec

Sandia Labs benchmark helps wind industry measure success

Bigger wind turbines make greener electricity

EU wind power capacity reaches 100GW

FARM NEWS
Australian coal projects mega polluters?

Australian coal basin may be top 10 polluter: Greenpeace

Coal mining jobs slashed in Australia

China mine accident kills 10

FARM NEWS
Beverage tycoon tops Forbes' China rich list

China Nobel winner defends prize -- and Mao

Former Chinese official sheds light on dark side of power

Chinese dissident author savages Beijing at German awards


Memory Foam Mattress Review

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily Express :: SpaceWar Express :: TerraDaily Express :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2012 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement