Dairy production plays a central role in Moroccan agriculture allowing for regular incomes and directly contributing to food sovereignty, yet farm-level data on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remain limited. This study aimed to (1) estimate farm-gate GHG emissions and milk emission intensity in 40 farms representing the diversity of Moroccan dairy systems, (2) quantify the contribution of major emission sources, and (3) assess the influence of production system characteristics on emission intensity. A farm-gate perspective was applied using the Cool Farm Tool, with 1 kg of - fat and protein corrected milk - (FPCM) as the functional unit. Farms were grouped into four profiles according to marketing channel and feed sourcing strategy, ranging from specialized, high-productivity systems with partial feed autonomy to small-scale, input-dependent farms operating under drought and limited irrigation. Average emission intensity reached 2.4 kg CO2e kg FPCM[-1], varying from 1.6 to 3.3 kg CO2e kg FPCM[-1], respectively in the most and the least efficient systems. Enteric methane was the main source of emissions (40%), followed by feed production (33%), manure management (11%), transport (10%), and on-farm energy use (6%). Farms supplying the dairy industry directly had lower emission intensity and higher annual milk yields per cow, and these yields were negatively associated with emission intensity. Each 1,000-liter increase in annual yield per cow was associated with 0.21 kg CO2e kg FPCM[-1] reduction. This study provides the first farm-level reference values for dairy GHG emissions in Morocco and highlights their heterogeneity among production systems, as well as it suggests mitigation measures adapted to each farm type.

Animal rabies poses a risk to livestock in Brazil due to transmission by hematophagous bats. The Brazilian sanitary surveillance system mandates rabies testing for any livestock exhibiting signs of neurological syndrome. This geospatial, retrospective, longitudinal, observational study analyzed rabies test results for 204 cattle and 56 horses presenting with neurological syndrome in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, from 2020 to 2024. We calculated correlations and linear models between rabies results and municipal land-use types, as well the population of herbivores. Most neurological syndrome cases and positive rabies results occurred in cattle. The final linear model for the number of neurological syndrome cases and positive rabies results incorporated pasture area, shrub area and cattle population. Pasture area was positively correlated with higher numbers (p = 0.011 and p = 0.005, respectively). Larger shrub area was associated with fewer neurological syndrome reports and fewer positive results (p = 0.009 and p = 0.010, respectively). Greater cattle population showed a negative association with neurological syndrome notifications and positive detections (p = 0.085 and p = 0.046, respectively).A higher proportion of positive rabies tests was associated with larger pasture areas (p = 0.019) and with lower equine populations (p = 0.115). These findings indicate that the lower animal diversity in pasture areas provides few alternative feeding options for Desmodus rotundus besides livestock, leading to more neurological syndrome cases and animal rabies infections. A larger shrub area offer feed alternatives other than cattle to the bats and a larger cattle population dilutes the frequency of bat meals across individuals, reducing both neurological syndrome notifications and positive rabies detections.

The present study investigated the effects of stocking density (StD) on growth traits, carcass cuts, immune responses, and economic efficiency in broiler chickens, and evaluated whether dietary supplementation with vitamin E (Vit E) or zinc (Zn) could mitigate the adverse effects of high StD. A total of 636 one-day-old male Cobb chicks were allocated to seven experimental groups representing low (LStD; 23 kg/m[2]), moderate (MStD; 34 kg/m[2]), and high (HStD; 39 kg/m[2]) stocking densities. Selected MStD and HStD groups received either zinc or vitamin E supplementation at 100 mg/kg dietary dry matter (DM). Medium and high stocking densities significantly reduced feed intake, cumulative weight gain, carcass yield, and economic returns, while increasing stress indicators and hepatic HSP70 gene expression (P < 0.05). Birds reared under these stocking densities also showed impaired humoral immunity, reflected by lower plasma IgM, IgG, and IgA concentrations and reduced expression of interferon-γ, IL-1β, IL-4, and SOD mRNAs. Supplementation with either Zn or Vit E effectively alleviated these adverse effects by improving growth performance, immune function, antioxidant status, and economic profitability. In conclusion, the findings indicate that dietary Zn supplementation at 100 mg/kg DM allows the stocking density to be increased from 23 to 34 kg/m[2] while maintaining productivity. In addition, supplementation with either Zn or Vit E provides a practical nutritional strategy for maintaining health, immunity, and production efficiency under intensive rearing conditions.

Belahi cattle constitute a distinct indigenous cattle population maintained primarily by the Gujjar/Gurjar pastoralist community in Haryana, India. The aim of this study was to document pastoral management practices relevant to the conservation and sustainable utilization of Belahi cattle within their native breeding tract. Data were collected through structured surveys and field observations across different ecological zones of the Shivalik foothills, an ecotonal region between the Himalayan ecosystem and the Indo-Gangetic plains. Transhumant pastoralism was practiced by 60% of respondents, followed by village-based (26%) and sedentary pastoralism (14%). Feeding relied predominantly on extensive grazing (79%), with minimal stall feeding. Herds typically comprised 40-45 animals, were strongly female-biased, and maintained either a single breeding bull or depended on community Belahi bulls during migration. Pure Belahi herds constituted 70% of the population and were predominantly associated with transhumant systems, piedmont zones, and river banks, whereas mixed cattle were more common in sedentary and village-based systems. Highly significant associations were observed between herd purity and ecological location, mobility pattern, feeding management, and community affiliation (χ[2], p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis (MCA with hierarchical clustering) confirmed this pattern and identified three distinct farm management typologies, including a previously undetected sedentary hill-zone groups. Seasonal mobility functioned as an adaptive strategy to optimize forage and water use, while lactation showed strong seasonality, peaking during summer and monsoon months. The estimated effective population size was 71 with an inbreeding rate of 0.7%, placing the population in the vulnerable category. Looking in to the highly efficient management system, there are several better implications for animal health, productivity, sustainable management and animal welfare. Assessment of bull's genomic relatedness to herd may help in avoiding accumulation of further inbreeding in the population and development of healthy Belahi herds. Progressive loss of grazing resources, market constraints, and limited institutional support were identified as major challenges to the sustainability of the production system. The results underscore the ecological, cultural, and livelihood importance of Belahi cattle and provide critical baseline information for conservation and breeding interventions.

This study evaluated the effects of rice straw, maize stovers, and maize cobs supplemented with poultry-litter-based concentrate on feed intake, growth performance, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen utilization, serum metabolites, and economic efficiency of West African Dwarf (WAD) rams. Twenty-four rams were allotted to three dietary treatments, with each crop residue offered as the basal feed and supplemented with a common concentrate containing 20.8% crude protein and 10.5 MJ/kg DM metabolizable energy. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed among treatments for feed intake, growth performance, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen utilization, selected serum metabolites, and economic returns. Rams fed maize stovers had the highest dry matter intake (910 g/day), final body weight (27.8 kg), weight gain (9.2 kg), and average daily gain (132 g/day), compared with 780 g/day, 24.2 kg, 5.8 kg, and 82 g/day for rice straw and 720 g/day, 23.5 kg, 5.0 kg, and 71 g/day for maize cobs, respectively. Feed conversion ratio was lowest with maize stovers (6.89). Maize stovers also produced the highest dry matter (68.4%), crude protein (70.2%), and neutral detergent fibre (59.6%) digestibility. Nitrogen retention was greatest in maize stover-fed rams (9.2 g/day; 62.1%). Serum total protein, albumin, and glucose were higher with maize stovers, whereas serum urea and cholesterol were unaffected. Maize stovers had the highest net profit (USD 38.4) and benefit-cost ratio (1.61), with the lowest cost per kilogram of gain (USD 1.08). Thus, maize stovers supplemented with poultry-litter-based concentrate provided superior biological and economic performance and represent a promising basal feed resource for WAD rams.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of feeding management on the socioeconomic performance of dual-purpose cattle production units (PU) in southwest of the State of Mexico. A total of 213 PU located in four municipalities of southwest of the State of Mexico were analyzed. These PU were previously classified through multivariate statistics; PCA (12 variables related to the structure, management and feeding of livestock; KMO = 0.608 with a Bartlett chi-square test of 1367.419 (P < 0.05), four components that explained 74.23% of the total variance of the model) and cluster analysis(using the coordinates of the first four factors obtained from PCA through Ward's method and squared Euclidean distance and the distance cutoff was 200) into four groups according to their feeding management: (i) cow supplementation (G1CS), (ii) semi-intensive (G2SI), (iii) fattening supplementation (G3FS), and (iv) traditional (G4T). Subsequently, social, structural, and economic variables were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) based on the general linear model (GLM), and Tukey's test was applied for multiple comparisons among groups. No significant differences were observed in most social variables (P > 0.05); however, differences were detected in certain structural variables, as well as in income, costs, and economic indicators (P < 0.05). Feeding represented the main component of production costs across all groups, accounting for up to 70% of total costs (P < 0.05). Group G1CS showed the highest income and economic indicators (P < 0.05), whereas G3FS ranked second in incomes, mainly associated with cattle fattening. In contrast, G2SI registered the lowest economic indicators (P < 0.05), reflecting a limited capacity to generate incomes. Finally, G4T exhibited the lowest costs (P < 0.05) and greater efficiency in the management of its own resources. It is concluded that the economic performance of dual-purpose systems is primarily determined by the efficiency of resource use rather than by the level of intensification or land size.

Heat stress negatively affects broiler growth, productivity, and mineral retention, particularly chromium, leading to impaired metabolism and reduced growth rate. Chromium supplementation helps alleviate stress and improves weight gain in heat-stressed birds. Citrus peel, rich in bioactive compounds, can also enhance growth performance and feed efficiency in broilers. A total of 288, day-old CARIBRO VISHAL broiler chicks were reared in 9 different treatment groups with 4 replicates per treatment and 8 birds per replicate in cages. Treatment groups were fed with different levels of Chromium Picolinate (CrPic) and Lemon Peel Powder (LPP). Groups were: T1 (Basal Diet, BD), T2 (BD + 0.5 mg CrPic), T3 (BD + 1 mg CrPic), T4 (BD + 2 g LPP), T5 (BD + 2 g LPP + 0.5 mg CrPic), T6 (BD + 2 g LPP + 1 mg CrPic), T7 (BD + 4 g LPP), T8 (BD + 4 g LPP + 0.5 mg CrPic), and T9 (BD + 4 g LPP + 1 mg CrPic). The results demonstrated that the combined supplementation of CrPic and LPP (T5) significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced body weight, although feed conversion ratio (FCR) remained unaffected. On serum assay, there was no notable interaction effect (P > 0.05) on serum protein, albumin, globulin, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. However, chromium picolinate supplementation alone significantly (P < 0.01) reduced serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. Notably, an increasing dietary inclusion of CrPic and LPP significantly (P < 0.01) lowered the Heterophil-to-Lymphocyte (H:L) ratio, indicating a potential stress-mitigating effect. Additionally, corticosterone levels were significantly (P < 0.01) reduced with supplementation highlighting its potential benefits in mitigating heat stress in broilers during summer.

Morphometric traits provide valuable insights into poultry breed characterization, yet their predictive utility across developmental stages remains unexplored. This study aimed to categorise three poultry strains (PB1, PB2, and Punjab Brown) using morphometric data across growth phases, employing statistical and machine learning methodologies. One-way ANOVA, correlation matrices, and dimensionality reduction methods like Principal component analysis (PCA), Kernel PCA, and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) were used to measure and analyse 29 morphometric traits. Logistic regression (LR) models classified strains on reduced-dimensional datasets. Significant (p < 0.05) differences among strains were observed in body weight, body length, and total length, while seven traits relating to shank length, wing length, and body girth (SL10, WL15, SL15, BG15, WL20, SL20, SL25) were non-significant. Strong intra-strain correlations (r > 0.85) were observed in girth and skeletal dimensions, whereas early expressed traits such as hatch weight (BW0) showed low correlations (r < 0.30) with other variables across different strains, indicating limited predictive value. PCA retained 85.6% of variance within the first five components, and LDA enabled distinct strain separation. Among classification pipelines, LDA + logistic regression achieved the highest performance (accuracy, precision, and recall = 1.00), followed by KPCA + LR and PCA + LR. Integrating morphometric profiling with supervised learning effectively differentiates poultry strains and enhances classification accuracy.

This study modeled body size (BS), hump development (HD), and thoracic capacity (TC) as latent variables using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The latent variables were computed using records of nine morphometric traits from 136 adult camels reared in southern Kerman Province, Iran. The morphometric traits were body length (BL), height at withers (HW), height at hump (HH), abdominal girth (AG), hump girth (HuG), hump width (HuW), hump length (HuL), chest girth (CG), and chest depth (CD). A three-factor CFA model comprising BS (4 indicators), HD (3 indicators), and TC (2 indicators) was fitted using robust maximum likelihood estimation (MLR) in the lavaan package of R. The comparative fit index (CFI = 0.96), Tucker-Lewis index (TLI = 0.92), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA = 0.07), and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR = 0.06) indicated acceptable model fit. HuW and HuL exhibited the strongest phenotypic association (r = 0.77, P < 0.001). The most representative indicators of BS were BL and AG, whereas HuL and HuW showed the highest loadings for HD. BS was positively correlated with HD (r = 0.43, P < 0.001) and TC (r = 0.68, P < 0.001), while the relationship between HD and TC was not significant (r = -0.13, P = 0.13). The proposed latent variable framework may contribute to improved phenotypic characterization and provide useful information for future breeding and selection programs in dromedary camels. However, given the moderate statistical power for detecting small correlations, confirmation in larger samples is warranted.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of range grazing and three concentrate-based production systems on the growth, sexual behavior, scrotal circumference, and semen quality of breeding bucks. A total of 40 yearling bucks (10 bucks/treatment) were randomly allocated to range grazing (T1) and three different roughage-to-concentrate ratios: 60:40% (T2), 50:50% (T3), and 40:60% (T4) on a DM basis for a period of 90 days. All data were analyzed via ANOVA in SAS-JMP Pro 19. Bucks in T3 and T4 presented greater average daily gains (ADG) than those in T1 and T2 did, although T2 presented better gains than did T1. In T1 bucks, scrotal development, the number of mounts, the frequency of ejaculation, the courtship behavior score, and the testosterone concentration were lower, whereas the reaction time and refractory period were greater than those in T3 and T4. Bucks fed the T4 diet presented greater semen volume, followed by those fed T3 and T2, and the lowest semen volume was observed at T1. Strong positive correlations were observed between dry matter intake (DMI), scrotal circumference, and semen volume. ADG was also strongly correlated with semen volume (r = 0.81), motility (r = 0.78), and scrotal circumference (r = 0.82). The results of this study indicated that concentrate-fed bucks had better daily gain, scrotal development, and functional semen quality traits (semen volume, motility, and concentration) than did range grazing bucks, although the ADG, feed conversion efficiency, and mating frequency of the bucks fed the T3 and T4 diets were similar.

Mycobacterium orygis, a member species of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), is emerging as a major threat to the control of zoonotic tuberculosis. The lack of low-cost diagnostic assays to differentiate M. orygis from other MTBC members has created a critical data gap in estimating its true burden in human and animal populations, especially in the Asian subcontinent. In this study, a multiplex PCR assay was developed to distinguish M. orygis from other MTBCs, based on two M. orygis-specific non-synonymous point mutations in the mbtG and fadD23 genes. The assay exhibited a limit of detection (LOD) of 32 pg for M. orygis DNA and demonstrated high specificity by amplifying a 434 bp IS1081 gene fragment from common members of the MTBC, including M. orygis. Also, 240 bp and 181 bp fragments of the mbtG and fadD23 gene fragments were amplified exclusively from M. orygis. Conversely, the assay showed no amplification with non-tuberculous Mycobacterium or other non-mycobacterial pathogens. Furthermore, tuberculous-like lesions in the different tissues (n = 135) of slaughtered cattle were tested for the identification of M. orygis. An established TaqMan real-time PCR assay carried out to validate the result by targeting regions of difference in the M. orygis genome of the assay showed high accuracy of the in-house developed multiplex PCR.

This study evaluated the effects of graded dietary barley malt extract (BME) supplementation on growth performance, fecal consistency, immune parameters, antioxidant status, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations, and gut microbiota composition in nursery piglets. A total of 144 weaned piglets (24 days of age; 7.02 ± 1.08 kg) were allocated to four treatments containing 0, 0.33, 0.66, or 0.99% BME for 42 days. Performance variables were assessed at the pen level, and laboratory analyses were performed using one representative piglet per selected pen. No consistent dose-response effects were observed for body weight, average daily gain, feed intake, or diarrhea incidence throughout the nursery period. A linear increase in feed conversion ratio was detected during the pre-starter II phase (P = 0.023), but no cumulative performance effects were observed over the overall nursery period. Antioxidant enzyme activities, leukocyte populations, and fecal SCFA concentrations were unaffected by BME inclusion (P > 0.05). Microbial alpha diversity indices were unchanged; however, specific microbial taxa, including Veillonellaceae, Mitsuokella, and Mogibacterium, differed among inclusion levels. Overall, dietary BME up to 0.99% did not improve growth performance, immune parameters, antioxidant status, or intestinal fermentation in nursery piglets, although modest shifts in microbial composition were observed.

Feed additives are among the most promising nutritional strategies for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock. Numerous studies have investigated their potential to mitigate GHG emissions from ruminants and pseudo-ruminants using both in vitro and in vivo approaches. These studies have examined a wide range of additives, including phytogenic compounds, microbial additives, seaweeds and microalgae, enzymes, dietary lipids, synthetic inhibitors, agricultural by-products, and nano-encapsulated bioactive compounds. Feed additives have been investigated in various forms, including plant extracts, microbial combinations, nano-encapsulated formulations, and purified bioactive compounds, with several demonstrating promising potential for reducing methane and other GHG emissions while maintaining desirable fermentation characteristics. However, the translation of promising findings into practical livestock production requires further validation through well-designed in vivo studies, particularly to establish effective doses, consistency of responses, and potential interactions with animal species and diets. This editorial highlights recent advances in the use of feed additives for GHG mitigation and discusses key priorities for their practical application. It also recognises the receipt of the 2026 TWAS-UNESCO Award in Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Systems Sciences by Prof. A.Z.M. Salem for his contributions to improving animal production and health and mitigating GHG emissions through innovative feed additives and alternative food resources for cleaner agriculture.

Among dairy species, camels exhibit particularly difficult milk let-down, often resulting in incomplete removal of milk from the udder of lactating females, thus impacting camel milk composition. This study focuses on the characterization of udder size and milk fractions in Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) and dromedaries (Aruana breed) (Camelus dromedarius) from Kazakhstan, as well as on the composition of these fractions in both species. The experiment was realized by using Atosiban (CAS 90779-69-4) and then oxytocin (RK-LS-5№022381) according to protocol for the milking to extract different milk fractions: cisternal, alveolar and residual. The udder length for all camel population varied between 19 and 30 cm (25.5 ± 2.7 cm), and teat length ranged from 1.1 to 3.0 cm (2.26 ± 0.15 cm). Dromedary camels had significant longer teats (Table 1), correlated to higher milk yield (r = 0.682; p < 0.001). The volume of cisternal milk is quite low in both species with a range of 2.40 -14.71% in Bactrian and 0.74-5.25% in dromedary. On average, the proportions of cisternal milk differ significantly between the two species while there was no difference for the two other fractions. The proportion of alveolar milk is positively correlated to milk yield (r = 0.607; p < 0.005) while the proportion of cisternal milk is negatively correlated (r=-0.610; p < 0.005). On average, alveolar milk contained two times more fat and residual milk almost three times in both species. Like for fat, alveilar milk is significantly higher in vitamins in both species. On average, Bactrian milk contained more vitamin C but the difference between species was not significant. This study provides the first data on milk fractions and their composition for Bactrian camel milk and highlights the limited cisternal capacity of dairy camels and its implications for milking efficiency.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of pour-on fluralaner formulations for the prevention of cutaneous myiasis caused by Cochliomyia hominivorax in newborn calves under field conditions. Three field trials were conducted in Argentina, including subtropical and temperate regions. In Trial 1, calves with unhealed navels were assigned to two fluralaner-treated groups with different commercial pour-on formulations and an untreated control group. In Trial 2, two groups of newborn calves were treated either with fluralaner pour-on or injectable doramectin. Trial 3, where 84 calves were also treated with a pour-on formulation of fluralaner, was performed in an island livestock farming systems located along the Paraná River, where extensive grazing conditions are extreme, and the operational difficulties associated with providing meticulous animal husbandry practices to prevent parasitic diseases in cattle are amplified. Animals were monitored daily for the occurrence of myiasis. In Trial 1, no cases of myiasis were recorded in fluralaner-treated calves, whereas all control animals became infested. In Trial 2, no infestations were observed in the fluralaner-treated group, while myiasis was recorded in 3.5% of calves treated with doramectin. In Trial 3, the prevalence of myiasis in fluralaner-treated calves was 7.1%, with most cases associated with treatments applied under rainy conditions. In contrast, a prevalence of 34.5% was recorded in the previous year in the same herd when treatment consisted of insecticidal formulations based on organophosphates and pyrethroid. No adverse effects associated with fluralaner treatment were observed in all treated calves. These results demonstrate the high efficacy of fluralaner pour-on formulations for the prevention of C. hominivorax myiasis in newborn calves under extensive production systems.