Sarcoptes sp. Infection in Turtledoves (Geopelia striata) at Banyuwangi

This study aimed to explain the case of ectoparasite infection and the life cycle of parasites in turtledoves (Geopelia striata). Sarcoptes sp. one of the ectoparasites belonging to the phylum Arthropods, the Arachnid class, and the order Acarina.Sarcoptes sp. can infect the skin of the host through direct contact with infected animals and the environment. Sarcoptes sp. infects by forming a lump under the skin and severe infection causes a crust to form on the skin and is accompanied by itching. Physical examination was carried out by means of inspection of the infected skin area. Subsequent examinations were carried out on the dead skin cells mixed with fresh manure macroscopically and microscopically. Macroscopic examination was done by observing the condition of the skin that is discraped. Microscopic examination using native examination. Based on the negative examination, it was found that there were Sarcoptes sp. mites on an objective microscope with a 40x magnification. Geopelia striata can be infected with Sarcoptes sp. through direct contact with sick animals. The incubation period of Sarcoptes sp. after infection from infected animals was 3-6 weeks.

Emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from dairy cattle manure

There is an increasing interest in reducing production and emissions of greenhouse gases to combat global warming. Greenhouse gases can be produced through animal production operations. One of the major sources of greenhouse gases emitted from the animal farming is dairy cattle barns. This study measured the CH4 and CO2 emissions from dairy cattle manure decomposition trapped inside the static chambers through anaerobic digestion process by bacteria and at regular intervals by focusing on animal age and manure storage method. Samples were analyzed using gas chromatography for the estimation of CH4 and CO2 emissions. Four Friesian cows were used representing two stages of cow age (3 and 10 years old) and 1 kg of fresh manure samples were collected (feces and mixture of feces with urine). It was found that CH4 and CO2 emissions produced by cattle at the age of 3 years were higher than age of 10 years. In addition, gases emitted from fresh slurry feces were higher than liquid manure for both ages (3 and 10 years). This is due to the fact that the organic matter degradation in the feces and amount of fresh slurry feces is twice the amount of fresh slurry feces used in the liquid manure, as well as the organic matter in the manure mass for the age of 3 years is higher than for the age of 10 years. The findings from this study can provide information for improving manure management practices in animal farms.

Manure Microbial Communities and Resistance Profiles Reconfigure after Transition to Manure Pits and Differ from Those in Fertilized Field Soil

ABSTRACT In agricultural settings, microbes and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) have the potential to be transferred across diverse environments and ecosystems. The consequences of these microbial transfers are unclear and understudied. On dairy farms, the storage of cow manure in manure pits and subsequent application to field soil as a fertilizer may facilitate the spread of the mammalian gut microbiome and its associated ARGs to the environment. To determine the extent of both taxonomic and resistance similarity during these transitions, we collected fresh manure, manure from pits, and field soil across 15 different dairy farms for three consecutive seasons. We used a combination of shotgun metagenomic sequencing and functional metagenomics to quantitatively interrogate taxonomic and ARG compositional variation on farms. We found that as the microbiome transitions from fresh dairy cow manure to manure pits, microbial taxonomic compositions and resistance profiles experience distinct restructuring, including decreases in alpha diversity and shifts in specific ARG abundances that potentially correspond to fresh manure going from a gut-structured community to an environment-structured community. Further, we did not find evidence of shared microbial community or a transfer of ARGs between manure and field soil microbiomes. Our results suggest that fresh manure experiences a compositional change in manure pits during storage and that the storage of manure in manure pits does not result in a depletion of ARGs. We did not find evidence of taxonomic or ARG restructuring of soil microbiota with the application of manure to field soils, as soil communities remained resilient to manure-induced perturbation. IMPORTANCE The addition of dairy cow manure—stored in manure pits—to field soil has the potential to introduce not only organic nutrients but also mammalian microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) to soil communities. Using shotgun sequencing paired with functional metagenomics, we showed that microbial community composition changed between fresh manure and manure pit samples with a decrease in gut-associated pathobionts, while ARG abundance and diversity remained high. However, field soil communities were distinct from those in manure in both microbial taxonomic and ARG composition. These results broaden our understanding of the transfer of microbial communities in agricultural settings and suggest that field soil microbial communities are resilient against the deposition of ARGs or microbial communities from manure.

Antibiotic Resistance in Agricultural Soil and Crops Associated to the Application of Cow Manure-Derived Amendments From Conventional and Organic Livestock Farms

The application of organic amendments to agricultural soil can enhance crop yield, while improving the physicochemical and biological properties of the recipient soils. However, the use of manure-derived amendments as fertilizers entails environmental risks, such as the contamination of soil and crops with antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). In order to delve into these risks, we applied dairy cow manure-derived amendments (slurry, fresh manure, aged manure), obtained from a conventional and an organic farm, to soil. Subsequently, lettuce and wheat plants were grown in the amended soils. After harvest, the abundance of 95 ARGs and MGE-genes from the amended soils and plants were determined by high-throughput qPCR. The structure of soil prokaryotic communities was determined by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and qPCR. The absolute abundance of ARGs and MGE-genes differed between treatments (amended vs. unamended), origins of amendment (conventional vs. organic), and types of amendment (slurry vs. fresh manure vs. aged manure). Regarding ARG-absolute abundances in the amendments themselves, higher values were usually found in slurry vs. fresh or aged manure. These abundances were generally higher in soil than in plant samples, and higher in wheat grain than in lettuce plants. Lettuce plants fertilized with conventional amendments showed higher absolute abundances of tetracycline resistance genes, compared to those amended with organic amendments. No single treatment could be identified as the best or worst treatment regarding the risk of antibiotic resistance in soil and plant samples. Within the same treatment, the resistome risk differed between the amendment, the amended soil and, finally, the crop. In other words, according to our data, the resistome risk in manure-amended crops cannot be directly inferred from the analysis of the amendments themselves. We concluded that, depending on the specific question under study, the analysis of the resistome risk should specifically focus on the amendment, the amended soil or the crop.

Influence of earthworm cast on manure from cattle, sheep and goats and its effects on maize growth

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of earthworm activities on manure from indigenous breeds of cattle, sheep and goats of Nigeria. Three treatment groups of manure from cattle, sheep and goat were inoculated with earthworms in prepared worm beds and worm casts derived were evaluated after 8 weeks. The results showed that earthworms had a great impact on the chemical constituents' transformations in the manure. The percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in worm cast was found to increase. Nitrogen totals from worm casts were 1.65, 1.72 and 1.96% for cattle, sheep and goats, respectively compared to 0.95, 1.21 and 1.31%, obtained from manure. Within the species, the manure and worm casts derived from goats were superior to that from sheep and cattle. Weights of maize plant grown with worm cast were almost twice that of the fresh manure across the treatments. It was concluded that earthworm casts from cattle, sheep and goat manure were nutritionally superior to manure from which they were derived. Such improved manure can serve as a ready source of high quality fertilizer for the resource poor farmers in Nigeria.

PSI-13 Evaluation of acid insoluble ash as a digestibility marker in feedlot diets containing corn-milling byproducts

We evaluated the accuracy of acid insoluble ash (AIA) as a digestibility marker in feedlot cattle diets containing corn-milling byproducts and examined the effect of fecal sampling frequency on digestibility estimates. Steers (n = 6) were used in a crossover split-plot design where 3 steers per period were assigned to 1 of 2 diets [receiving (REC) containing 19% roughage and 38% Sweet Bran™ or finishing (FIN) containing 8% roughage and 20% Sweet Bran] typical of those used in the beef feedlot industry. Steers were limit fed at 2.0% of initial body weight. After a 21-d adaptation period, steers were housed in metabolism crates for 7 d of total collection (TC) of feed and feces and simultaneous collection of fresh manure grab samples twice daily to calculate nutrient digestibility from AIA. Grab samples were then averaged to represent 7 (7dAIA), 5 (5dAIA), 3 (3dAIA) and 1 (1dAIA) days of the collection period. No interactions (P ≥ 0.13) were observed for DM, OM or NDF digestibility between diet and method of estimating digestibility. Digestibility of DM and OM were greater (P < 0.01) for FIN than for REC, and NDF digestibility was less (P < 0.01) for FIN than REC. Both DM and OM digestibility were greater (P < 0.01) for AIA estimates than for TC; however, estimates with 7dAIA were less than 3dAIA and 1dAIA, but not different from 5dAIA. Similarly, NDF digestibility was greater (P < 0.01) for all AIA estimates than for TC, but 7dAIA and 5dAIA were less than 1dAIA and not different from 3dAIA. A treatment × method interaction (P = 0.02) occurred for ADF digestibility. These data suggest that AIA over-estimated digestibility of beef feedlot diets containing corn-milling byproducts, but accuracy improved with greater grab sampling frequency.

Effect of Green Oxidizing Agent on Inhibition of Escherichia coli Present in Livestock Wastes

The optimisation tests of sodium percarbonate (biocide) with the formula 2Na2CO3·3H2O2, as a green oxidizing agent for biological deactivation of chicken manure, were carried out. The microbiological analysis of fresh manure which consisted of the enumeration of bacteria, fungi and eggs of intestinal parasites showed that the number of bacteria Enterobacteriaceae, i.e. 8.3 log10CFU/g, and the bacteria E. coli, i.e. 6.96 log10CFU/g, exceeded the required level in organic fertilizers. The Response Surface Methodology for three input parameters (biocide concentration, temperature and time) on the value of E. coli bacteria was applied. The obtained values of the coefficient of the multiple correlation R2 and the adjusted coefficient Radj2 were 0.90 and 0.75, respectively, which indicate a good fit of the data obtained with the model and the experimental data. It was concluded that a decrease in the count of the analysed microorganisms followed an increase in the sodium percarbonate concentration, an increase in the temperature and a longer time of contact of the manure sample with the biocide. The content of bioavailable macronutrients (P, N, Ca, Mg, K) in water extracts of fresh chicken manure before and after its biological deactivation was determined with the ICP-OES method. The concentration of phosphorous in fresh manure extract was 310 mg/l and decreased after addition of one of the following agents: 7.5 wt.% of sodium percarbonate to 66.9 mg/l or 3.0 wt.% of traditional hygienizing agent, i.e. calcium hydroxide to 5.7 mg/l.. The results of the concentration of N in chicken manure with sodium percarbonate was also higher than in sample with calcium hydroxide, i.e. 1040.0 mg/l and 860.0 mg/l, respectively. While the addition of 2Na2CO3·3H2O2 decreased the content of Ca, Mg and K in fresh chicken manure.

Nitrogen Supplying Capacity of Animal Manures to the Soil in Relation to the Length of Their Storage

The study estimated the relationship between the amount of nitrogen (N) that will become available to plants after incorporation of soil of sheep/goat, cattle, swine, and poultry manure and the duration of manure storage prior to soil addition. Manures were periodically sampled from 12 storage piles that were kept for 12 months each and mixed with soil before laboratory incubation for 83 days. The percentage of organic N mineralized after soil incorporation was clearly greater for poultry, ranging between 41 and 85%, in relation to the other three manure types, for which maximum mineralization ranged between 4.5 and 66%. For sheep/goat, cattle, and swine, the interaction between mineralization and immobilization processes showed a distinct pattern with two phases of net N release during the twelve months of storage. The first was separated from the second by a period where mineralization was zeroed and appeared at about six months after storage initiation. It was recommended that farmers should preferably use well-digested manures that have been aerobically stored more than six months to avoid materials that provoke intense immobilization, unless problems associated with the use of fresh manure are managed.

Different diets with and without inclusion of antimicrobial additives alter the toxicity of swine manure to springtails and earthworms

The objective of this study was to measure the impact on part of soil fauna of application of non-stabilized (fresh) manure from post-weaning pigs fed diets formulated with or without dual-purpose wheat, and with or without the use of antimicrobial growth-promoting additives (100 mg kg-1 doxycycline + 50 mg kg-1 colistin + 250 mg kg-1 Zn oxide). Two species of edaphic organisms were evaluated, the springtails Folsomia candida and the earthworms Eisenia andrei, using ecotoxicological avoidance behavior tests. The treatments were swine manure from: RR: Reference Ration; WR: Wheat Reference; RA: Reference Ration + Antimicrobial Additives; WA: Wheat Reference + Antimicrobial Additives). The doses of waste used for treatments were as follows: 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 65 and 100 m³ ha-1 for the springtails and 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 65 m³ ha-1 for the earthworms, applied in the Oxisol. The experimental design was completely randomized with five replicates. The use of non-stabilized swine manure did not affect the avoidance behavior of F. candida at any dose, regardless of the use of antimicrobial or wheat additives. For E. andrei, there was avoidance behavior at all treatments and doses used. These avoidance behaviors were related to the sensitivity of each species of soil organism. The avoidance behavior for earthworms was related to the doses of non-stabilized swine manure in soil and not to the various diets and/or the use of growth-promoting additives.

Interspecific Competition between the House Fly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) and Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) When Reared on Poultry Manure

Few studies have examined the competitive interaction between the house fly (HF) and the black soldier fly (BSF). The fact that the BSF deters HF oviposition is widely cited in BSF literature, but this interaction has not been assessed in over three decades. In this study, the competitive interaction of BSF and HF larvae was observed on fresh (day 0) and aged poultry manure (manure aged for two, four, six, or eight days). Specifically, a priority effect study was conducted to determine if colonization sequence influences time to first pupariation (HF) or pre-pupation (BSF), survivorship, and weight. Results show >70% of HFs reached pupariation in all treatments except when placed on manure eight days after the initial inoculation with BSF. However, age of the resource negatively impacted time to first pupariation and puparium weight when HFs were reared alone or introduced two to eight days after BSF. No BSF pre-pupae resulted from treatments in which HFs were the pioneering species. BSFs reached the highest percent pre-pupation when reared alone on fresh manure, but BSFs may be more susceptible to the negative impacts of an aging resource, as no pre-pupae were observed when provided with six- or eight-day-old manure. Similar to HFs, age of the resource may have impacted development and survivorship; other factors such as moisture content, chemical composition, and amount of resource provided may have also impacted our results. These data may be useful in implementing BSFs as biological control agents of the HF, as well provide valuable information for facilities mass-producing HFs or BSFs for food or feed.