Performance native chicken treated by different stocking density and litter type

This research was aimed to determine the effect of different stocking density and different litter materials on the production performance of native chicken. Material of yhis study was 324-day old chick (DOC) native chickens, reared for 12 weeks. The DOC were randomly devided into 9 treatment groups include a combination of 3 stocking density (8, 12 and 16 bird/m2) and 3 litter materials (rice hulls, wood shavings and corncobs) in 3 replication. A completely randomized factorial design was an applied in the study then followed by Duncan's multiple range tests. The parameters observed were feed consumption (g/bird/12 weeks), body weight gain (g/bird), feed conversion ratio, and mortality (%). The results showed that feed consumption had affected by stocking density (p<0.05), but it had not affected by litter materials type. Feed consumption at densities of 8, 12 and 16 bird/m2 was 3890; 4020 and 4061 g/bird respectively. The highest feed consumption was obtained at a density of 16 bird/m2. Weight gain, feed conversion and mortality had not affected by stocking density and litter material. It can concluded that the body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and mortality is same for stocking density 8,12 and 16 bird/m2 an d same for litter type of rice hulls, wood shaving and corncob.

Lockdown Litter: A critical analysis of global COVID-19 PPE litter and measures for mitigation

Personal protection equipment was adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce transmission of the virus. However, masks, gloves and wipes must be disposed of responsibly. Anecdotal accounts of litter throughout 2020 suggest an environmental legacy to mismanaged PPE. Here we show the emergence of COVID-related litter over a 14-month period using the citizen science application Litterati. Observational data suggests that face mask litter became a new litter type as a result of COVID-19 legislation, increasing from <0.01% to over 0.8% in the countries observed. Glove and wipe litter was already prevalent at around 0.2% prior to the pandemic, doubling to around 0.4% throughout the pandemic. Citizen science enabled observation of littering behaviours between nations, highlighting where transferable practice could be beneficial in reducing littering impacts in other nations.

Conspecific and heterospecific grass litter effects on seedling emergence and growth in ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)

Jacobaea vulgaris Gaertn. or common ragwort is a widespread noxious grassland weed that is subject to different regulation measures worldwide. Seedling emergence and growth are the most crucial stages for most plants during their life cycle. Therefore, heterospecific grass or conspecific ragwort litter as well as soil-mediated effects may be of relevance for ragwort control. Our study examines the effects of conspecific and heterospecific litter as well as ragwort conditioned soil on seedling emergence and growth. We conducted pot experiments to estimate the influence of soil conditioning (with, without ragwort), litter type (grass, ragwort, grass-ragwort-mix) and amount (200 g/m², 400 g/m²) on J. vulgaris recruitment. As response parameters, we assessed seedling number, biomass, height and number of seedling leaves. We found that 200 g/m² grass litter led to higher seedling numbers, while litter composed of J. vulgaris reduced seedling emergence. Litter amounts of 400 g/m² had negative effects on the number of seedlings regardless of the litter type. Results for biomass, plant height and leaf number showed opposing patterns to seedling numbers. Seedlings in pots treated with high litter amounts and seedlings in ragwort litter became heavier, grew higher and had more leaves. Significant effects of the soil conditioned by ragwort on seedling emergence and growth were negligible. The study confirms that the amount and composition of litter strongly affect seedling emergence and growth of J. vulgaris. Moreover, while conspecific litter and high litter amounts negatively affected early seedling development in ragwort, those seedlings that survived accumulated more biomass and got taller than seedlings grown in heterospecific or less dense litter. Therefore, ragwort litter has negative effects in ragwort germination, but positive effects in ragwort growth. Thus, leaving ragwort litter on pastures will not reduce ragwort establishment and growth and cannot be used as management tool.

Leaf and Root Litter Species Identity Influences Bacterial Community Composition in Short-Term Litter Decomposition

Background: Microorganisms play a crucial role in litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. However, it remains unclear, which effects of leaf litter and root species on bacterial community composition and diversity after one year's decomposition. Methods: The leaf and fine roots litters of Robinia pseudoacacia , Quercus acutissima , Pinus tabulaeformis and Pinus densiflora , which are the dominant afforestation species in Mount Tai, were analysed using the Nylon litterbag method and Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing for the amplification of bacterial 16S rRNA V4-V5. We measured the remaining litter mass and the bacterial community composition and assessed the effects of leaf and root litter species on the bacterial community after one-year decomposition periods.Results: (1) The remaining masses of leaf and fine roots litters of the four plant species were significantly influenced by organ type and species. The remaining mass of fine root litter was smaller than that of leaf litter for broad-leaved species, and the opposite result was found for coniferous species. (2) The observed species Chao1 and phylogenetic diversity values were significantly lower for leaf litters than for fine root litter. The community richness index was positively correlated with the C content, C:N and lignin content and negatively correlated with N:P, N content and P content. The bacterial community structure differed significantly among leaf and root litter decomposition for the four species ( p <0.05). The bacterial community structure in leaf litter was most highly correlated with the initial N content and N:P. The bacterial community structure in fine roots was most highly correlated with the lignin content. (3) The bacterial phyla Bacteroidetes , Acidobacteria and Gemmatimonadetes were significantly affected by litter and species type, and the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Chloroflexi were only affected by litter type. The relative abundances of Acidobacteria , Firmicutes and Chloroflexi in fine root litter were higher than those in leaf litter, while the opposite result was found for Bacteroidetes . The bacterial genera Burkholderia-Paraburkholderia , Sphingomonas and Mucilaginibacter were affected by litter type ( p <0.05). The relative abundance of Burkholderia-Paraburkholderia in fine root litter was higher than that in leaf litter, while the opposite result was found for Bradyrhizobium , Sphingomonas and Mucilaginibacter . Pearson correlation analysis showed that the average relative abundance of the dominant phyla and genera was affected by the initial litter properties, especially for Bacteroides , Acidobacteria , Burkholderia , and Sphingomonas . Conclusions: Litter type, interaction between litter type and species were important than species in shaping the bacterial diversity and community composition in decomposing litter. And this were affected by initial chemical properties of the litter.

Jenis, komposisi, dan kepadatan sampah laut di Teluk Manado, Sulawesi Utara, pada musim hujan (Type, composition, and density of marine litter in Manado Bay during rainy season)

During rainy season, a various type of litter can enter the ocean through rivers. This is a significant contributor to the amount of marine litter in the waters. In order to access the type, composition, and density of the litter during rainy season, this study was conducted in Manado Bay, North Sulawesi. The observation was done on the litter stranded on the beach, and they were classified into two different size groups, macro (>2,5 cm)- and meso (0,5-2,5 cm)-sizes. Malalayang Beach and Bailang Beach were chosen for the location of the study. Litter type, composition, and density was evaluated according to National Marine Litter Monitoring Guide. The result showed that there were 7 types of macro-size and 6 types of meso-size marine litter in Malalayang Beach and it was dominated by glass and ceramic for both sizes. In Bailang Beach, 9 types of macro-size and 7 of meso-size were found, and it was dominated by plastics. It can be concluded that various type of marine litter present in Manado Bay, both macro- and meso- sizes, during the rainy season. The highest composition was the glass and ceramics type. However, the highest density was the plastic type.---Pada musim hujan, berbagai jenis sampah dari daratan masuk ke perairan pantai melalui sungai. Hal ini merupakan penyumbang signifikan bagi jumlah sampah laut di perairan. Untuk menilai jenis bahan, komposisi, dan kepadatan sampah laut pada musim hujan, penelitian ini dilakukan di Teluk Manado, Sulawesi Bagian Utara. Pengamatan dilakukan terhadap sampah laut yang terdampar di pantai (beach litter), berukuran makro (> 2,5 cm) dan meso (0,5-2,5 cm), di dua lokasi, yaitu Pantai Malalayang dan Pantai Bailang. Sampah laut dievaluasi menggunakan Pedoman Nasional tentang Pemantauan Sampah Pantai. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan, sampah laut jenis plastik, kaca & keramik, busa plastik, kertas & kardus, logam, karet, kayu, kain, dan bahan lainnya, baik berukuran makro maupun meso ditemukan di perairan. Di Pantai Bailang, komposisi sampah laut berukuran makro dan meso didominasi oleh jenis bahan plastik; tetapi, di Pantai Malalayang didominasi oleh jenis kaca & keramik. Demikian juga untuk kepadatan sampah laut di Pantai Bailang, jenis bahan plastik mendominasi, baik sampah berukuran makro maupun meso. Sedangkan di Pantai Malalayang, jenis kaca & keramik mendominasi kepadatan sampah laut pada semua ukuran. Selanjutnya, dapat disimpulkan, pada musim hujan, berbagai jenis bahan sampah laut berada di Teluk Manado, baik berukuran makro maupun meso. Komposisi terbesar untuk ukuran makro dan meso ialah jenis bahan kaca & keramik. Namun, kepadatan tertinggi untuk ukuran makro dan meso ialah sampah jenis bahan plastik.

Effects of Using Hazelnut Husk, Wood Shaving and of the Mixture at Different Thicknesses on Broiler Performances, Some Organ Weights, Foot-Pad Dermatitis and Litter Traits

This study was carried out to determine the effects of the use of hazelnut husk (HH), wood shavings (WS) and the mixture of 50% hazelnut husk + 50% wood shavings (MIX) in two different thicknesses (4 and 8 cm) as a litter material in broiler production. The experiment was carried out as a factorial experimental design (3 litter type and 2 thickness) and stocking density was 10 chickens per m2. At 6 wk. of age, the effect of litter types and thicknesses on broiler live weights, feed efficiency, and livability, were not significant. Also, no differences were found in terms of gizzard, digestive tract, abdominal fat and edible internal organ weight percentages. While carcass yield varied between litter groups, there was no difference between litter thicknesses. The litter moisture levels at the end of the trial were not affected the litter type and litter thickness, while the foot pad dermatitis (FPD) rates were significantly affected. The highest FPD levels were determined in the HH litter and 4 cm thickness. As a result, the use of HH, WS and MIX of them with a thickness of 4 and 8 cm had no effect on other traits except for FPD levels. It has been observed that these litter materials may be used successfully in broiler production and use of 8 cm thickness litter has minor positive effects except that the cost of litter has doubled.