Suchergebnisse

Forage development is one of the strategies to address feed scarcity and low livestock productivity in Ethiopia. In line with government strategy, multiple actors took part in a forage development programme for six years (2004–09) in Alaba Special District, in southern Ethiopia. This paper analyses the six-year forage development programme, comparing its two phases, from an innovation systems perspective to identify best practices. The study shows that key forage innovative practices are: targeting innovative forage farmers, developing local forages, establishing private forage sources, forage promotion and diversifying capacity building. These best practices can be scaled up and out to address feed scarcity and increase livestock productivity.

The survey was conducted on a total of 100 non-labelled samples of feed and feed mixture containing maize, soybean and rapeseed, originating from countries with different legislation systems. Screening of all samples was performed using primers for Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S (CaMV35S) promoter, primers for the Agrobacterium tumefaciens nopaline synthase (NOS) terminator and event-specific primers for GT73 rapeseed. Roundup Ready soybean was found in 26 samples, with the amount of GM soybean above the limit of 0.9% in 9 of them. There was one maize seed sample positive for the presence of MON810 maize and no rapeseed meal samples contained GM rapeseed. The results found in this study clearly showed that imported maize and soybean and complete mixtures intended for animal feed on the Serbian market contain GMO. Monitoring plans are required to control the distribution of non-labelled feeds containing GMO in the Serbian market.

Vegetable oils have gained in importance during the past few decades resulting in the doubling of the world oil crop production in the last 25 years. Oil crops have been increasingly used as raw materials for food, livestock feed and non-food industrial applications. Plant breeding has played an essential role in supporting these developments: Breeding for higher yield and oil content allowed for an increase in oil production per unit area, whereas breeding for better oil quality has improved both the human health value of vegetable oils as well as the suitability of particular oils in specific industrial applications. Moreover, newly developed unique oil qualities are opening new opportunities in agricultural production and processing. Oil crop species have been developed in various botanical families from both the monocots and dicots. Thus, oil crops are a highly diverse set of species from short season annuals to perennial....

Aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1 and G2) are produced by the fungi Aspergillus (A. flavus and A. parasiticus) in substrates used in cattle feed manufacturing. Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a major metabolite of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) which may be present in milk from animals that consume contaminated feed. Levels of aflatoxins in 78 dairy cow feedstuff samples from 40 farms located in Navarra were determined by HPLC-FLD (High Performance Liquid Chromatography with fluorescence detection) and post-column derivatization. The influence of geographical location, season and type of feeding system on aflatoxin content was studied. The climatic profile of AFB1 pointed to spring as the season with the highest aflatoxin level (0.086 μg/kg), followed by winter and summer (0.075 and 0.030 μg/kg, respectively), and to a lesser degree, autumn (0.017 μg/kg). Moreover, wet and dry TMR (Total Mixed Ration) feeding systems (i.e. AFB1: 0.076 and 0.068 μg/kg; Aflatoxin G1 (AFG1): 0.050 and 0.011 μg/kg, respectively) showed a greater content of the analyzed aflatoxins in comparison with compound feed (i.e. AFB1: 0.039 μg/kg; AFG1: 0.007 μg/kg). The fact that the majority of the samples collected were based on compound feed shows that this type was preferred by most dairy farmers. The undetectable levels of aflatoxins in the organic homemade compound feedstuff are also worth mentioning. While none of the feedstuff samples contained amounts over those permitted under European legislation (5 μg/kg), the theoretical extrapolation of the carryover rate suggested in previously published experiments of AFB1 to AFM1 in secreted cow's milk predicts that only one of the feed samples studied had a positive aflatoxin level (53.4 ng/kg) higher than the legal limit for raw cow's milk.

The rate of introduction of transgenic crops in Spanish agriculture has been limited by a number of adverse factors, some of which are linked to specific local circumstances, while others are common to most European Union (EU) member countries. Because of its dry climate, Spain is the main European importer of feed grains, mainly soybeans and corn. The public was introduced to transgenic crops through the appearance of press headlines reporting demonstrations by nongovernmental organizations protesting transgenic grains at ports of entry. The main purpose of this chapter is to examine the present status and future prospects of some key transgenic crops, such as corn and cotton. However, in order to understand the current impact and future potential of such crops in Spanish agriculture, some background facts and a brief description of the general scenario are pertinent. We will begin by briefly considering some relevant characteristics of Spanish agriculture, the R&D potential of the country, and the legal backdrop.

Resolving hunger and poverty requires many diverse interventions. In certain cases, use of genetically modified (GM) crops can play a role. Rapid adoption of GM crops has occurred for those incorporating traits most relevant for industrial or market oriented farming. Some private sector GM crops are also found in specific regions of Asian countries, like insect resistant cotton and maize in the Philippines. Approvals to use food and feed crops from public sector research lag behind those of the private sector, as only China has released products from its own public research. What will be the future for acceptance, regulatory approval, and use of publicly developed GM crops in developing countries? To address this question, we identified and examined public research pipelines for GM crops in Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, China and India, with records updated through 2003. In addition, special studies were made in India on farmer acceptance, opinion, and on farmer's understanding of GM crops and biotechnology. Genetic transformation events are reported for 30 crops and for the Indian analysis of perceptions. Findings are presented for events nearing final stages of development, analysis of the crops, traits and genes involved, and details regarding biosafety. The paper concludes with a summary offering various policy, institutional, perceptual, and regulatory suggestions. © 2005, RIS. All rights reserved.

AbstractThis study investigated the potential of utilizing both the draw and feed solutions resulting from fertilizer drawn forward osmosis for hydroponic crop cultivation. Synthetic brackish groundwater of 2500 ppm was used as the feed solution, whereas commercial hydroponic nutrients, sourced from a local supplier, were utilized as a draw solution. This study also investigated the potential of integrating nanofiltration with forward osmosis, but supplementing the water necessary for further dilution of draw solutions through nanofiltration. Two crops were selected, i.e., cherry tomatoes and spinach grown at different water salinities, for their economic values. The cherry tomatoes were grown in Deep Water Culture hydroponic systems, while the spinach was grown in Nutrient Film Technique systems. If this application is deemed feasible, it allows for providing a method to grow two different crops in areas associated with non-arable land and brackish groundwater. During desalination, it was observed that there were two groups of flux readings, the first with an average flux of 7 to 9 l/m2/h, and the other with an average flux of 4 to 6 l/m2/h. This was due to using the same draw solution twice; once to concentrate the feed solution to 5000 ppm, and then once more to concentrate the feed solution to 3500 ppm. It was found that while the 3500 ppm cherry tomatoes tables had the highest yield and highest number of tomatoes throughout the plants lifetime, tomatoes from freshwater tables on average weighed more by about 19%, while, on average, 5000 ppm tomatoes weighed less than 3500 ppm tomatoes by 10%. The results of the spinach demonstrated that while both control and experiment groups yielded similar number of leaves, the average yield per plant for the experiment group was higher than the control group (by 25%).

This review, which has been prepared within the frame of the European Union (EU)-funded project MARLON,surveys the organisation and characteristics of specific livestock and feed production chains (conventional, organic, GM-free) within the EU, with an emphasis on controls, regulations, traceability, and common production practices. Furthermore, an overview of the origin of animal feed used in the EU as well as an examination of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in feed is provided. From the data, it shows that livestock is traceable at the herd or individual level, depending on the species. Husbandry practices can vary widely ac-cording to geography and animal species, whilst controls and checks are in place for notifiable diseases and general health symptoms (such as mortality, disease, productive performance). For feeds, it would be possible only to make coarse estimates, at best, for the amount of GM feed ingredients that an animal is exposed to.Labeling requirements are apparently correctly followed. Provided that confounding factors are taken into ac-count, practices such as organic agriculture that explicitly involve the use of non-GM feeds could be used for comparison to those involving the use of GM feed.

Crops are being genetically engineered to produce a wide variety of drugs, vaccines and other pharmaceutical proteins. Although these crops may open the door to less expensive and more-readily available drugs, there is concern regarding the potential for contamination of human food and livestock feed, as well as environmental harm. The outlook for the production of pharmaceutical crops in California currently appears mixed. To date, 18 federal permits for field trials involving pharmaceutical or industrial proteins have been approved in California. However, the state's farming community and general public have thus far rejected pharmaceutical crop production, and a handful of local governments have recently banned the cultivation of genetically modified crops, including pharmaceutical crops. In light of the many pros and cons, three major approaches — the precautionary approach, risk analysis and cost-benefit analysis — could be used to move the debate about pharmaceutical crops forward.

With the increasing number of genetically modified (GM) events, traits, and crops that are developed to benefit the global population, approval of these technologies for food, feed, cultivation and import in each country may vary depending on needs, demand and trade interest. ISAAA established a GMO Approval Database to document global approvals of biotech crops. GM event name, crops, traits, developer, year of approval for cultivation, food/feed, import, and relevant dossiers were sourced from credible government regulatory websites and biosafety clearinghouses. This paper investigates the trends in GM approvals for food, feed and cultivation based on the number of approving countries, GM crops, events, and traits in the last 23 y (1992–2014), rationale for approval, factors influencing approvals, and their implications in GM crop adoption. Results show that in 2014, there was an accumulative increase in the number of countries granting approvals at 29 (79% developing countries) for commercial cultivation and 31 (70% developing countries) for food and 19 (80% developing developing) for feed; 2012 had the highest number of approving countries and cultivation approvals; 2011 had the highest number of country approvals for feed, and 2014 for food approvals. Herbicide tolerance trait had the highest events approved, followed by insect tolerance traits. Approvals for food product quality increased in the second decade. Maize had the highest number of events approved (single and stacked traits), and stacked traits product gradually increased which is already 30% of the total trait approvals. These results may indicate understanding and acceptance of countries to enhance regulatory capability to be able to benefit from GM crop commercialization. Hence, the paper provided information on the trends on the growth of the GM crop industry in the last 23 y which may be vital in predicting future GM crops and traits.

In Guyana, cassava is the most important root crop; root crops occupy the 5th place of importance in national food crop production. The main cropping systems used by the farmers in the different regions of the country are described. More than 1 crop is planted to reduce risks; in the Pomeroon region, cassava is planted as an intercrop with tree crops such as citrus, avocado, and other mixed fruits. The lowest price was paid for cassava. Although the domestic demand for root and tuber crops is primarily as fresh food, cassava is also consumed processed (flour, starch, cassareep, bread). Since 1970 the government of Guyana has restricted the importation of energy-rich agricultural products; therefore, they have been replaced with locally produced root and tuber crops. During this same period, the Accelerated Production Drive program was started; its objective was to promote cassava production and its processing into flour and animal feed. Unfortunately, the program was not successful. The staff of the National Research Institute is listed; research has focused mainly on rice and cassava. The results of research carried out on root crops are briefly presented, and for cassava, it is proposed to continue the evaluation of cv. and to study the different cropping systems. (CIAT) ; En Guyana, la yuca es el cultivo de raices mas importante; estos cultivos ocupan el quinto lugar de importancia en el contexto de la produccion nacional. Se describen los principales sistemas de cultivo empleados por los agricultores en las diferentes regiones del pais. Generalmente se siembra mas de un cultivo para minimizar riesgos; en la region de Pomeroon, la yuca se intercala con cultivos arboreos como citricos, aguacate y otros frutales. La yuca es el cultivo de raices menos costoso. Aunque la demanda domestica de los cultivos de raices y tuberculos es principalmente en su forma fresca, la yuca tambien se consume en forma procesada (harina, almidon, casaripo, pan). Desde 1970, el gobierno de Guyana ha restringido las importaciones de productos agricolas ricos en energia; por lo tanto, se han reemplazado con los cultivos de raices y tuberculos producidos localmente. En el mismo periodo, se creo el programa Accelerated Production Drive, cuyo fin era promover la produccion de yuca y su procesamiento en harina y alimentos para animales; desafortunadamente el programa no tuvo exito. Se enumera el personal del National Research Institute, cuyo interes se ha enfocado principalmente en arroz y yuca. Se presentan brevemente los resultados de algunas investigaciones hechas sobre cultivos de raices y para yuca se propone continuar la evaluacion de cv. y estudiar los diferentes sistemas de cultivo. (CIAT)