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grids in the centrat 90 m × 34.5 rn area of the pasture. The two-dimensiona] chartings well Mustrated the characteristics of the spatial distributions of herbage consumption, highlighting which positions of the pasture were heaviiy grazed... more
grids in the centrat 90 m × 34.5 rn area of the pasture. The two-dimensiona] chartings well Mustrated the characteristics of the spatial distributions of herbage consumption, highlighting which positions of the pasture were heaviiy grazed (utilized) or light]y grazed (utitized) by animals. Finer-scale data which were continuously taken at 451 positions {20 cm X 20cm} a]ong two permanent line trans-
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... 18, 2002/Accepted : August 23, 2002 Synopsis Hirata, M., S. Ogura, K. Fukuyama, S. Kuroki, T. Inoue, T. Hidaka, T. Yuge, M. Takahashi ... Acknowledgments We thank Miss Mizuho Furuse, Miss Reiko Sato, Miss Hitomi Hasegawa, Miss Yuki... more
... 18, 2002/Accepted : August 23, 2002 Synopsis Hirata, M., S. Ogura, K. Fukuyama, S. Kuroki, T. Inoue, T. Hidaka, T. Yuge, M. Takahashi ... Acknowledgments We thank Miss Mizuho Furuse, Miss Reiko Sato, Miss Hitomi Hasegawa, Miss Yuki Nagakura, Miss Maki Nomura and Mr ...
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Abstract The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident caused radioactive pollution in northeastern Honshu Island, Japan. This study examined the influence of snowmelt and rainfall on soil erosion processes and siltation of small... more
Abstract The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident caused radioactive pollution in northeastern Honshu Island, Japan. This study examined the influence of snowmelt and rainfall on soil erosion processes and siltation of small lakes in Miyagi Prefecture (150 km northwest of the power plant). Two sets of slopes and lakes, respectively in pasture and forest catchments, were examined. Snowpack thickness, soil infiltration, surface runoff volume, soil and sediment physicochemical properties, Cs concentration of precipitation, meltwater, and rainwater, and lake siltation rates were determined. The total radioactive Cs content in precipitation was 0.7–7.4 BqˑL−1 and was below the Japanese standard (10 BqˑL−1). Total radioactive Cs was at the allowable level in water flowing down the pasture catchment slope (0.1–9.2 BqˑL−1) during snowmelt and rainfall, as well as in pasture (0.9–8.8 BqˑL−1) and forest (0.7–5.2 BqˑL−1) catchment lake water. There was no soil erosion (surface runoff) in the forest catchment. Soil losses in the pasture catchment were 23 due to rainfall and 9 kg ha−1 yr−1 following spring snowmelt. After snowmelt, a 0.5 and 0.2 mm thick layer of silt was deposited in pasture and forest catchment lakes, respectively, and 1.4 and 0.6 mm were deposited during the rainfall period. Average siltation rates were 1.9 and 0.8 mmˑyr−1 for pasture and forest catchment lakes, respectively. The upper layer of lake bottom sediments is represented mainly by silt fractions (2–50 μm), with high organic matter (4.0–5.7%) and radiocesium (1100–1600 kgˑha−1) contents.
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Poultry welfare has been extensively studied; however, there is a lack of rigorous scientific knowledge relating to the different aspects of welfare factors and how this may contribute to the production quantity and product quality as... more
Poultry welfare has been extensively studied; however, there is a lack of rigorous scientific knowledge relating to the different aspects of welfare factors and how this may contribute to the production quantity and product quality as well as the welfare of chickens. Therefore, we conducted an integrated study to compare welfare factors in chickens by providing free dietary choice under cage rearing, and further comparing cage rearing with free-range rearing. One hundred chickens each were allocated to a cage rearing group with conventional feeding (CC), a cage rearing group with free dietary choice of mealworms (FDM), a cage rearing group with free dietary choice of mealworms and fresh grass (FDMG), and a free-range rearing system group with free dietary choice of mealworms and fresh grass (FRMG). Results showed that under cage rearing, free dietary choice contributed to better meat quality and gait score, higher values of blood platelets, and a richer gut microbial composition, bu...
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This study examined the rate of herbage production and herbage quality of bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge) using data from five grazing trials in the low‐altitude region of Kyushu, south‐western Japan, in an effort to (a) evaluate... more
This study examined the rate of herbage production and herbage quality of bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge) using data from five grazing trials in the low‐altitude region of Kyushu, south‐western Japan, in an effort to (a) evaluate productivity of bahiagrass pastures, (b) analyse its relationship to meteorological, vegetational and managerial variables, and (c) obtain implications for better management of bahiagrass pastures. The rate of herbage production, ranging from −56 to 213 kg DM ha−1 day−1, tended to increase from spring (April–May) to mid‐summer (July) and decrease thereafter. The rate was expressed by a multiple regression equation where nitrogen fertilizer rate, air temperature, rainfall and herbage mass had positive effects. Dry matter digestibility (DMD) and crude protein (CP) concentration of herbage were in the range of 471–727 and 84–161 g kg−1 DM respectively. DMD was expressed by a regression equation where the day number from 1 April and herbage mass had negati...
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Liveweight change (LWC) of cattle grazing a young Chamaecyparis obtusa (an evergreen conifer) plantation in southwestern Japan was investigated in relation to forage supply and diet selection by animals. While the animals ate 29–53... more
Liveweight change (LWC) of cattle grazing a young Chamaecyparis obtusa (an evergreen conifer) plantation in southwestern Japan was investigated in relation to forage supply and diet selection by animals. While the animals ate 29–53 species or species groups (mean = 42; six herbaceous species or groups, 12 lianas, 23 shrubs and trees, one fern group) during a morning feeding bout, most bites (71–97%, mean = 85) were taken from 10 species or species groups, with Miscanthus sinensis as the most selected plant (27–74%, mean = 55). Reflecting this and the low defoliation‐tolerance of the grass, live leaf mass of M. sinensis decreased drastically with time under grazing. Daily LWC of animals increased with increasing live leaf mass of M. sinensis to 45 kg dry matter (DM) ha−1, and thereafter increased with increasing percentage bite count of three non‐herbaceous species, Ficus erecta (tree), Broussonetia kaempferi (liana) and Mallotus japonicus (tree), with F. erecta being the most contri...