Zelin Li

Microwave (MW) soil treatment has proven to have the potential to reduce weeds and enhance soil nutrient availability and crop yields. This study hypothesized similar benefits in newly established pastures. Four treatments (Lucerne and Phalaris, with and without pre‐sowing MW soil treatment for 120 s) were tested with four replicate plots (1.5 m ² each). Three 700 W MW magnetrons, with a frequency of 2.45 GHz, were attached and remotely connected to the controller circuitry of three domestic MW ovens. Soil physio‐chemical properties were analyzed, and plots were harvested via mowing three times during the experiment. Pasture samples were assessed for nutritive value. MW treatment increased nitrate, ammonium nitrogen, and potassium in both species plot soil but decreased soil phosphorus. Germination counts significantly increased in MW‐treated Lucerne ( p = 0.018) and Phalaris ( p = 0.002), while weed counts decreased ( p = 0.091 and p < 0.001, respectively). MW‐treated Phalaris plots had 30% and 26% higher crude protein and metabolizable energy yields compared to controls ( p < 0.05). However, MW treatment did not affect Lucerne's nutrient yields ( p > 0.05). The findings suggest MW soil treatment can enhance nutrient yields in Phalaris but not Lucerne, while also aiding weed control. Further research is needed to explore the interactions between pasture species and MW treatment. This technology has potential as a sustainable tool for improving pasture productivity and weed management.

Roughage constitutes a fundamental component of dairy cow diets; it promotes rumen health and supports optimal animal productivity. This study applied an ANKOM gas production system to assess the in vitro fermentation characteristics of seven widely used dairy roughages (barley hay, corn silage, lucerne hay, oaten hay, ryegrass hay, timothy hay and wheaten hay) classified into relatively high and low nutritive value groups. Roughage samples representing high and low nutritive values were selected based on the upper and lower quartiles of the feed quality database. The results showed that high‐nutritive value oaten hay exhibited higher dry matter (DM) digestibility (0.50 vs. 0.24–0.43 g/g DM, p < 0.05), total gas production (87.5 vs. 15.3–81.0 mL/g DM) and total volatile fatty acid (63.2 vs. 39.3–62.5 mM) than other roughages. High‐nutritive value barley hay and oaten hay both exhibited higher methane production (7.58 and 7.77 mL/g DM, respectively) compared to other roughages (0.44–4.76 mL/g DM). Similarly, high‐nutritive value barley hay (40.23 mg/100 mL) and lucerne hay (40.76 mg/100 mL) exhibited higher ammonia nitrogen (12.16–31.99 mg/mL) than other roughages. High‐nutritive value oaten and barley hay promoted superior fermentation performance but also led to greater methane emissions, while barley and lucerne hay increased nitrogen release. These results underscore the need to balance productivity with environmental impacts when selecting roughages for dairy systems.

The monitoring and measurement of animal behaviour may be valuable for improving animal production and welfare. This study was designed to develop thresholds to predict the grazing, standing, walking, and lying behaviour of dairy cows from motion sensor (IceTag) output. The experiment included 29 lactating cows grazed in a pasture-based dairy production system with voluntary cow movement in northern Victoria, Australia. Sensors recorded motion data at 1 min intervals. A total of 5818 min of cow observations were used. Two approaches were developed using (1) the IceTag lying index and steps only and (2) the IceTag lying index, steps, and motion index for each behaviour. Grazing behaviour was best predicted by the second approach, which had a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 60%. The thresholds were then used to predict cow behaviour during two periods. On average, across both time periods, cows spent 38% of the day grazing, 38% lying, 19% standing, and 5% walking. Predicted individual cow grazing time was positively correlated with both milk production and milking frequency. The thresholds developed were effective at predicting cow behaviours and can be applied to measure behaviour in pasture-based dairy production.

Studies have shown that exogenous thiamine (THI) supplementation can alleviate inflammation and promote rumen epithelial development in goats and cows. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of THI supplementation on LPS-induced inflammation and energy metabolic dysregulation in RECs of goats. Cells were stimulated with either 5 μg/mL THI for 18 h (THI group) or with 5 μg/mL LPS for 6 h (LPS group). The CON group was stimulated with DMEM/F-12 medium without THI for 18 h. The LPTH group was pretreated with THI for 18 h, followed by LPS stimulation for 6 h. THI supplementation decreased the ROS content (p < 0.05), as well as the ratios of phosphorylated (p)-p65 to p65 (p < 0.05) and p-AMPKα to AMPKα (p < 0.05). Interestingly, when the p38 gene was overexpressed in the LPTH group, the ratio of p-p65 to p65 and p-AMPKα to AMPKα proteins significantly increased, and ATP content decreased (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that THI possesses anti-inflammatory and metabolic-modulatory effects in RECs. The mechanism is largely related to the suppression of the NF-κB/p38 MAPK/AMPK signaling pathway. Additionally, we also revealed that THI supplementation can inhibit LPS-induced oxidative damage and apoptosis to protect mitochondrial function in RECs.

Precision livestock farming (PLF) supports the development of sustainable dairy production. The sensors used in PLF provide valuable information for farm management, but they must be validated to ensure the accuracy. The goal of this study was to validate and use the RumiWatch sensor (RWS; Itin+Hoch GmbH, Liestal, Switzerland) to differentiate prehension bites, eating chews, mastication chews and rumination chews in pressure-based system. Twenty cows were used for 14 days to provide a validation dataset. The concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was adopted to test the concordance between the RumiWatch sensor and video observation. The RumiWatch sensor performed well in counting prehension bites (CCC = 0.98), eating chews (CCC = 0.95) and rumination chews (CCC = 0.96), while it showed an acceptable concordance in counting mastication chews with video observation (CCC = 0.77). Moderate correlations were found between eating chews and daily milk production: daily milk production (kg/day) = 0.001151 × eating chews (chews/day) − 11.73 (R² = 0.31; standard error (SE) = 8.88; p = 0.011), and between mastication chews and daily milk production: daily milk production (kg/day) = 0.001935 × mastication chews (chews/day) + 2.103 (R² = 0.34; SE = 8.70; p = 0.007). Overall, the results indicated that the RumiWatch sensor can be confidently used to quantify and differentiate prehension bites, eating chews and rumination chews; in addition, ingestive behaviours explained up to 34% of the variation in milk production.