رضا سیدشریفی

The limitation of animal feed resources has increased the tendency to use agricultural residues such as straws in feeding ruminants. It has been reported that livestock production decreases when using low-quality crop residues due to the low palatability, energy level and protein of these feed materials. In other hand, high consumption of straws decreases ruminant's performance because of feed intake restriction, low digestibility and the presence of anti-nutritional factors such as silica, tannin and lignin in straws. The use of fibrolytic enzymes of foreign origin increases the usability of forage, which results in increased production. One of the most important methods of processing wooden materials is the use of chemicals, especially alkaline materials, especially urea. Adding molasses as an energy-generating part and urea as a non-protein nitrogen source simultaneously provides the rumen microorganisms with a source of energy and protein. In general, the addition of enzymes to the diet is used for the purpose of supplementing and compensating the defects of the enzyme system of the ruminant’s digestive system, removing anti-nutritional substances and increasing the availability of nutrients in the animal body. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of processing chickpea straw with urea, molasses and enzymes on chemical composition, ruminal and intestinal digestibility, gas production and disappearance under laboratory conditions. So that the results of this research can be optimally used in animal nutrition.

This research was conducted on processed chickpea straw with urea, molasses and, enzyme source of fungal cellulase and rumen liquid. The tested feed material was chickpea straw, which was processed with urea, molasses and enzymes. Enzymes included fungal cellulase and rumen liquid. The tested feed ingredients were ground using a special mill with a sieve with 2 ml pores and then sieved using a 50 micrometer sieve to remove particles smaller than 50 micrometers.To perform the gas test, first, the sample of the tested feed (chickpea straw enriched with urea, molasses and enzyme) was ground with a 1 mm grid. Measurements of chemical composition and gas production were carried out by standard methods and the determination of the digestibility of samples was done with Daisy ǁ device and Gargalo's three-step method. After performing the initial calculations and collecting all the data, statistical analysis of the data was done using the SAS statistical software in the form of a completely random design and a 4x4 factorial experiment with the GLM procedure.

According to the results, processing chickpea straw with urea, molasses, and enzymes increased the percentage of dry matter and the amount of crude protein in the treatments. However, it decreased the percentage of cell wall and cell wall without hemicellulose. The processing of chickpea straw with urea, rumen liquid and a mixture of two enzymes and the combination of all three enzymes with a level of 4% molasses increases the digestibility of dry matter in the total digestive system, and the addition of molasses and the combination of rumen liquid and a mixture of two enzymes with different levels of molasses were increased the digestibility of crude protein in the rumen (P<0.05). Adding all three enzymes to chickpea straw at 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours, but with rumen juice from 12 to 96 hours, has led to an increase in gas production. The combination of molasses levels of 2 and 4% with a mixture of two enzymes increased gas production in all hours of incubation (P<0.05). The average constant rate of disappearance and gas production potential of chickpea straw was significantly different among all treatments (P < 0.05). The results showed that molasses and enzyme increased the constant rate of disappearance and 4% molasses and enzyme increased the gas production potential. The combination of molasses with fungal cellulase and the mixture of two enzymes decreased the constant rate of disappearance and gas production potential. The average laboratory digestibility of organic matter, metabolizable energy, lactation energy and short chain fatty acids were significant in all chickpea straw treatments (P < 0.05).

In general, based on the obtained results, the use of urea, molasses, and enzyme sources including fungal cellulase and rumen liquid has successfully increased the nutritional value, gas production parameters, and digestibility of chickpea straw. Among the experimental treatments, processing chickpea straw with 3.5% urea, 4% molasses, and fungal cellulase enzyme improved the nutritional value the most. Further animal experiments are needed to confirm these results. More research is required in the field of using agricultural waste in animal nutrition.

Recently, nanoparticles have been produced and marketed using nanotechnology. Reducing the size of particles to nanoparticles (size less than 100 nm) increases the surface-to-volume ratio and changes other material properties. Increasing the contact surface in nanoparticles causes their interaction with organic and inorganic molecules to be done differently. Among the minerals, copper is an essential, scarce element that performs various functions in living organisms. It has been reported that copper nanoparticles have beneficial effects on animal performance and can replace copper sulfate. Also, nano copper oxide has several advantages over copper sulfate, including improved effectiveness, lower dosage with better results, no interference with other materials, and less disposal in the environment, and can replace copper sulfate. High copper in the diet has benefits such as antibacterial activity, increasing growth hormone secretion, increasing feed intake and production performance. However, environmental pollution and subsequent accumulation in feed and water can affect vital organs such as the liver and kidney.The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different copper forms and levels (copper nano oxide and copper sulfate) on performance, blood parameters and immunity in Romanov-Moghani crossbred lambs.

This research was conducted using 30 lambs in the form of a completely randomized design with 5 experimental groups and 6 replications (lambs) in each group. The duration of the experiment was 56 days. The experimental diets of this research include: 1) basal or control diet (CON; without copper supplementation), 2) basal diet + 10 mg of copper per kg of dry matter in the form of copper sulfate (CuS10), 3) basal diet + 20 mg of copper per kg of dry matter in the form of copper sulfate (CuS20), 4) basal diet + 10 mg of copper per kg of dry matter in the form of copper nano oxide (CuN10), 5) basal diet + 20 mg of copper per kg of dry matter in the form of copper nano oxide (CuN20). Lambs were randomly grouped based on body weight and each group was fed with one of 5 experimental diets. On the 30th and 56th days of the experimental period, blood samples were collected from the jugular vein 3 hours after the morning meal. Next, after separating serum and plasma, the samples were kept at -20◦C until the analysis. The determined blood parameters include the concentration of copper, zinc, selenium, malondialdehyde, glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, albumin, urea, beta-hydroxybutyrate, liver enzymes (ALT and AST). Total antioxidant capacity, activity of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymes were also determined.After killing the animals, meat samples were taken from the 12-13 intercostal eye muscle to determine the concentration of copper, zinc and selenium elements, and liver samples were also taken. Liver, meat and blood samples were digested by the method of Kechoui et al. (2013). For the analysis of blood and tissue samples, ICP-OES (model: Optimum 7300 DV) was used at Isfahan University. At the time of animal slaughter, the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the carcass, including the weight of the heart, kidney, lungs, liver, and tail, along with the cold carcass and the hot carcass, were recorded. The resulting data were analyzed in the form of a completely randomized design using SAS software (2003). Means were shown as Least Squares (LSMEAN) along with standard error and mean comparisons at a significance level of five percent.

The results of this study showed that the use of copper sulfate and copper nano oxide at the levels of 10 or 20 mg/kg dry matter of the diet had no significant effect on the performance parameters of fattening lambs, in terms of body weight, live weight gain, dry matter intake and feed conversion ratio (P>0.05). Also, the findings of this research showed that the concentration of blood urea in 30 days increased significantly with CuS10 and CuN10 treatments (P<0.05). Other blood parameters such as glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, albumin, protein, BHBA, AST, ALT enzymes and antioxidant indices superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant capacity were not affected by the experimental treatments (P>0.05). The supplemental feeding of nano copper oxide increased catalase enzyme activity in blood samples (P<0.05). Copper concentration was increased in the liver significantly as a result of feeding 20 mg of copper in the form of copper nano oxide(P<0.05). Supplemental feeding of copper sulfate decreased the concentration of selenium in meat compared to the control group (P<0.05). Carcass characteristics including the percentage of hot carcass and cold along with the percentage of internal organs (tail, heart, liver, kidney and lungs) were not significantly different among the treatment groups (P>0.05).

According to the present results, the use of mineral and nano forms of copper at levels of 10 or 20 mg/kg dry matter of the diet had a significant effect on parameters such as blood urea, malondialdehyde, catalase enzyme activity, percentage of copper in blood and selenium in meat. However, no significant difference was observed in performance and most blood parameters, antioxidant indices, total antioxidant capacity, activity of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase enzymes, carcass characteristics of fattening lambs and clinical signs of poisoning in lambs of treatment groups. This shows that the levels used in this study did not have the potential of poisoning and health risks for the tested lambs. Considering the improvement of liver concentrations of copper in the treatment receiving copper nano oxide source; it seems that the use of 20 mg/kg of dry matter of copper nano oxide can be a useful strategy in reducing the disposal of this element and reducing environmental pollution.

Daily, large amounts of rumen contents are produced as waste in slaughterhouses, which are not used and released into the environment, which causes environmental issues and problems. Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is one of the crops with high production throughout the world a large amount of which is removed from the consumption cycle as waste during different stages, and if not used correctly, it can cause environmental pollution. The main method of using potato waste is to use it in fresh or dried form to feed domestic animals. Although drying waste potatoes for use in animal feed seems like a good idea, but its high cost has made this uneconomical. Therefore, it is necessary to transform potato waste into a sustainable product that has a higher economic value. Compared to other processing methods, bioconversion is a new and desirable method for agricultural waste management. Ruminal fluid, as a rich source of enzymes, can be used in the bioconversion of agricultural waste. The microbial population present in the rumen is a rich source of new enzymes that have a high potential for industrial use. Various studies using different methods, such as the use of Saccharomyces yeasts and Lactobacillus species for the biological conversion of potato waste to ethanol, producing biogas from solid potato waste in a two-step process anaerobic digestion, fermentation of potato waste by mixed culture to produce lactic acid, enzymatic hydrolysis of potato pulp to produce glucose and ethanol and using Various bacterial species have been used for the biological conversion of potato pulp into cellulose. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different levels of slow-release non-protein nitrogen on the bioconversion of potato waste by ruminal microorganisms.

Potato waste was collected from potato storage stocks and after cleaning the waste materials, it was boiled and then grated before incubation. The required rumen fluid was obtained from the slaughterhouse and after being filtered with a four-layer cheesecloth, it was added to the glass bottles of the rumen digestion simulator apparatus (DaisyII) and immediately transferred to the apparatus and incubated at 39 degrees Celsius for 24 hours. Experimental groups were: 1) 400 ml of rumen fluid + 200 g of waste potato (N0), 2) 400 ml of rumen fluid + 200 g of waste potato + 1.5 g of nitrogen from a slow-release nitrogen source (N1.5), 3) 400 ml of rumen fluid + 200 grams of waste potatoes + 3 grams of nitrogen from a slow release nitrogen source (N3) and 4) 400 ml of rumen fluid + 200 grams of waste potatoes + 4.5 grams of nitrogen from a slow release nitrogen source (N4.5). After the end of the incubation time, the samples were removed from incubation bottles, and after filtering and separating the solid and liquid parts from each other for further tests. The liquid portion of the incubation medium was analyzed for protozoa count, volatile fatty acids, ammonia nitrogen, and hydrolytic enzymes and compared to the fresh initial rumen fluid used for the incubation. The resulting data were analyzed in the form of a completely randomized design using SAS software (2003). Means were shown as Least Squares (LSMEAN) along with standard error and mean comparisons at a significance level of five percent.

Protozoa count in the liquid portion of the incubation medium was affected by the experimental groups. Rumen fluid had the highest number of protozoa and supplementing the culture medium with a non-protein nitrogen source had a decreasing effect on the protozoa population. The activities of carboxy-methyl cellulase, alpha-amylase, microcrystalline cellulose, and filter-papers enzymes were affected by the levels of supplementation from slow-release non-protein nitrogen sources and the highest carbohydrate-degrading activities were recorded at 1.5 gr nitrogen supplementation per 100 gr potato waste (P<0.05). The level of urease and protease enzyme activity was also affected by different levels of non-protein nitrogen sources and 4.5 grams of nitrogen from non-protein nitrogen sources showed the highest level of activity. Supplementing the incubation medium increased its ammonia concentration and the highest value was observed at 4.5 grams of slow-release non-protein nitrogen level (P<0.05). For all enzyme activities, initial fresh rumen fluid had the lowest activities. Volatile fatty acid production was affected by supplementation with non-protein nitrogen levels and the amount of volatile fatty acids in the liquid phase of the incubation medium showed the highest values with 3 grams of non-protein slow-release nitrogen supplementation.

Based on the results of the present study, the addition of slow-release non-protein nitrogen to the incubation medium of potato waste with rumen liquid microorganisms significantly increases their power in the biotransformation of potato waste. Also, the liquid part of the culture medium can be considered as a source of enzymes and acids for use on an industrial scale due to the increased activity of hydrolytic enzymes and volatile fatty acids that are the product of the fermentation process. The use of the processed rumen fluid resulting from this incubation as a source of enzymes and nutrients in feeding livestock and poultry will be an environmentally friendly method, in this way, the rumen fluid of slaughterhouses and potato waste will be used with proper management methods. Therefore, the results of the present study, rumen liquid microorganisms along with a non-protein nitrogen source can be used in the bioconversion of potato waste more effectively to increase its nutritional value and produce a liquid rich in volatile fatty acids as well as a source of favorable enzyme activities.

Drought stress is the most influential factors affecting crop yield particularly in irrigated agriculture in arid and semiarid regions. This stress induces various biochemical and physiological responses in plants as a survival mechanism (Tas and Tas, 2007). Drought stress have a direct impact on the photosynthetic apparatus, essentially by disrupting all major components of photosynthesis including the thylakoid electron transport, the carbon reduction cycle and the stomatal control of the CO2 supply, together with an increased accumulation of carbohydrates, peroxidative destruction of lipids and disturbance of water balance (Allen and Ort, 2001). It breaks down the balance between the productions of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant defense system causing the accumulation of ROS which induces oxidative stress to protein, membrane lipids and disruption of DNA strands (El Tayeb, 2006). Several strategies have been developed in order to decrease the toxic effects caused by severe water limitation on plant growth. Among them the use of vermicompost and nano silicon play a key role in yield improvement. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vermicompost and nano silicon application on yield and some physiological and biochemical traits of safflower under irrigation withholding conditon.

In order to study the effect of vermicompost and nano silicon on yield and some physiological and biochemical traits of safflower (Carthamus tinctories L.) under irrigation withholding conditon, an experiment was conducted as factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications in research farm of University of Mohaghegh Ardabili during 2019-2020. Factors experiment were included irrigation levels (full irrigation as control, irrigation withholding in 50% of heading bud and flowering stages as severe and moderate water limitation respectively) according with 55 and 65 BBCH code, foliar application nano silicon (foliar application with water as control, application of 25 and 50 mg.l-1 nano silicon) and application of vermicompost (no application of vermicompost as control, application of 4 and 8 t.ha-1). Vermicompost was purchased from the Gilda corporation. The safflower cultivar "Padideh" was used in the experiment with plant density of 40 seeds m-2. Chlorophyll and carotenoids were obtained based on method of Arnon (1967). The quantum yield was measured by the uppermost fool expanded leaf using a fluorometer (chlorophyll fluorometer; Optic Science-OS-30 USA). For this purpose, the plants adapted to darkness for 20 minutes by using one special clamp then the fluorescence amounts were measured in 1000 (µM photon m2s), and calculation was performed using following formula (Arnon, 1967):ØPSII = (Fm-F0)/Fm ØPSII; quantum yield amount of photosystem II, Fm or maximum fluorescence after a saturated light pulse on plants adapted to darkness and F0, the minimal fluorescence in the light adapted, which was determined by illumination with far-red light. To measure the enzyme activity, 0.2 g of fresh tissue was crushed by using liquid nitrogen and then one ml of buffer Tris-HCl (0.05 M, pH=7.5) was added. Obtained mixture centrifuged for 20 min (13000 rpm and 4 ºC), then supernatant was used for enzyme activity measurements. Catalase, Peroxidase and Polyphenol Oxidase activity was assayed according to Karo and Mishra (1976). Also, the evaluation of protein carried out by Bradford (1976) method, 0.2 g of plant tissue was squashed with 0.6 ml extraction buffer and was centrifuged at 11500 rpm for 20 minutes at 4 °C. The supernatant was transferred to the new tubes and centrifuged for 20 minutes at 4000 rpm. To measure the protein amount, 10 µl of obtained extract was added to 5 µl Bradford solution and 290 µl extraction buffer and the absorbance rate was read at 595 nm.Statistical analysis: Analysis of variance and mean comparisons were performed using SAS ver 9.1 computer software packages. The main effects and interactions were tested using the least significant difference (LSD) test at the 0.05 probability level.

The results showed that application of the highest nano silicon level under full irrigation increased chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b (74 and 145% respectively) in comparison with no application of nano silicon under irrigation withholding in heading bud stage. Means comparison showed that irrigation withholding in booting bud at the highest vermicompost level increased proline and soluble sugars content (149 and 99% respectively) and antioxidant enzymes activity such as catalase, peroxidase and polyphenol Oxidase (103, 82 and 94% respectively) in comparison with no application of vermicompost under full irrigation. Also, the highest vermicompost level under full irrigation increased chlorophyll a, quantum yield and grain yield (61, 62 and 119% respectively) in comparison with no application of vemicompost under irrigation withholding in heading bud stage.

It seems that the application of vermicompost and nano silicon can increase grain yield of safflower under water limitation conditions due to improving physiological and biochemical traits.

 Iranian sheep breeds, due to the climate diversity of country, show high diversity and have acquired high adaptability. Compromise with poor quality feed, tolerance of adverse weather and manageable body size are among the factors that probably caused sheep to adapt to different climates. Heretofore, several studies have been carried out in the field of identification of selection signatures in the different native breeds based on SNP-chip data. However, the use of whole genome data can provide researchers with more information about the differences between breeds and their genetic capacities. Identifying and evaluating the effects of climate on the genome of native breeds of Iranian sheep can be effective in designing breeding and conservation strategies. The aim of the present study was to identify the signs of selection related to Iranian sheep compared to the Romanov breed at the genomic level.

 For present study, we used the whole-genome sequencing data related to 43 Iranian and non-Iranian sheep available in the NCBI database. These reads, after performing quality control, were aligned to the sheep reference genome by BWA program. Here, RealignerTargetCreator and IndelRealigner commands available in the GATK program were used to realign around insertions and deletions. Then, the HaplotypeCaller algorithm was used to identify the variants of all samples in ERC GVCF mode. Further, using GenotypeGVCFs module, the variants of all samples were simultaneously identified and finally a VCF file containing raw variants was created. Using the SelectVariants command of the GATK program, all SNPs were separated from other variants. After applying multiple quality filters, high-quality SNPs were extracted and only bi-allelic SNPs present in autosomal chromosomes were used for downstream analysis. Putative selection signatures were identified by using two methods including Fst and XP-EHH. Genes located in positively selected genomic regions were extracted using BEDtools program and the GTF file related to the sheep genome. Gene ontology (GO) analysis was performed on selected genes by "g:Profiler" web-based tool.

Here, Fst and XP-EHH methods were used to identify the signatures of selection related to Iranian sheep in comparison with Romanov sheep. After converting Fst values ​​to ZFst, 958 genomic windows containing 907 protein-coding genes were detected that had scores above the threshold (ZFst > 3.35). GO analysis on 907 genes identified by the ZFst method led to the identification of 157 significant GO terms in the field of biological processes. In addition, 26 significant terms related to molecular functions and 5 significant terms related to cellular components were also identified. The number of genomic windows identified by the XP-EHH method was 953, which contained a total of 311 protein-coding genes. Among identified genes for each method, 29 genes were detected by both methods as signatures of selection for Iranian sheep. From the GO analysis of 29 common genes, no significant term was obtained. However, these genes were involved on traits related to improving milk fat quality (PCCB), fertility (SPATA5, RAB35 and DICER1), muscle growth and development (NF1, AKAP6 and HDAC9), body weight (FBXL3, GRID2 and ADAMTS17), adaptability to harsh desert and mountain condition (BMPR2 and NF1) and also, milk related traits (EXOC6B).

The results showed that Iranian sheep were probably selected to adapt to dry desert areas and improve the quality of meat and milk. The gradual accumulation of such information in different populations will improve the understanding and knowledge of researchers and breeders and will help them to implement efficient breeding programs.

Spirulina is a microscopic unicellular algae that grows in fresh water and has a simple structure but a complex composition. This algae contains rich sources of various nutrients that have antioxidant properties and probiotic properties and can be suitable substitutes for antibiotics and can be used specifically as growth stimulants and improvement of feed conversion ratio in Holstein calves. The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of using spirulina algae on the growth performance, blood parameters and some enzymes of the immune system of suckling Holstein calves.

To perform this experiment, 32 female Holstein calves between the ages of 1 to 5 days and the average weight of 37.2±2 kg were selected in a completely random design with 4 treatments and 8 replications. The experimental treatments included: 1) basic diet without additives, 2) basic diet with 1% spirulina algae, 3) basic diet with 2% spirulina algae, 4) basic diet + 3% spirulina algae based on the dry matter of the diet.

The data showed that the addition of 3% level of spirulina algae in the ration of suckling calves increased the final weight compared to the control group (P<0.05). Daily weight gain of suckling calves due to the addition of spirulina algae tended to be significant, so that the calves receiving 3% spirulina algae had a greater daily weight gain compared to other experimental treatments (P<0.06). Feed consumption and feed conversion ratio of suckling calves were not significantly affected by feeding spirulina algae. Addition of spirulina algae increased the body length of suckling calves at 30 days compared to the control treatment (P<0.05). Also, the height from the withers and breast circumference of the suckling calves at 30 and 75 days old increased by receiving 1 percent algae (P<0.05). The use of spirulina algae in the diet of infant calves did not have a significant effect on the blood concentration of glucose, triglyceride, albumin and blood urea at 30 and 65 days. Cholesterol concentration decreased in 30 days by adding 2% spirulina algae (P<0.05). On the other hand, the use of 2% spirulina algae increased the total protein concentration compared to the control group (P<0.05). The blood concentration of beta-hydroxybutyrate increased with the addition of 1 and 2% spirulina algae (P<0.05). The concentration of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase was not affected by spirulina algae. The concentration of superoxide dismutase increased significantly after 30 days in the groups receiving one percent algae (P<0.05). The concentrations of glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde and total antioxidant capacity were not affected by the use of algae in the diet of suckling calves.

In general, the use of spirulina algae at the level of 3% based on the dry matter of the starter diet of Holstein suckling calves was able to increase superoxide dismutase at 30 days of age and total antioxidant capacity, the final body weight and daily weight gain at 75 days of age and at the level of 2% the concentration of beta-hydroxybutyrate and protein. It increased the total in 75 days and decreased the blood cholesterol at the level of 2% at 30 days and at the level of 1% at 75 days. Therefore, to increase the calf's immune system, it is recommended to use spirulina algae at the level of 3% based on the dry matter of the Holstein calf's starter diet.

Animal nutritionists are looking for alternative compounds with the ability to improve the fermentation process. Probiotics and medicinal plants can be mentioned among these alternative compounds. Yarrow and ginger can be mentioned among medicinal plants that have antimicrobial properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of yarrow and ginger powder on the digestibility and gas production of sainfoin and alfalfa hay in laboratory conditions.

For this purpose, the in vitro digestibility of sainfoin and alfalfa hay and a mixture of 50% alfalfa and 50% sainfoin were measured due to the use of yarrow and ginger powder by Tilley and Terry's modified Holden method. So that different levels of yarrow and ginger powder at three levels of zero, 1.5 and 3% were added to 100 ml syringes containing alfalfa, sainfoin, and a mixture of alfalfa and sainfoin, and the amount of gas produced by incubating the syringes at times 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours of measurement and the resulting data were analyzed in a completely randomized design.

The results showed that the addition of 3% of ginger and Yarrow powder in sainfoin hay increased the digestibility of dry matter from 55.71 to 68.76 and 74.65% (P=0.0458), the digestibility of organic matter in dry matter from 52.62 to 64.95 and 62.09 percent (P=0.0468) and metabolizable energy increased from 8.42 to 10.39 and 9.93 MJ kg-1 DM (P=0.0489) by Holden's method, respectively. While the use of ginger and yarrow powder did not have a significant effect on the digestibility of organic matter, the digestibility of organic matter in dry matter and metabolizable energy of alfalfa and alfalfa- sainfoin mixture. The results related to the digestibility according to the McNiven method showed that the addition of 1.5 and 3% of yarrow and ginger powder in sainfoin and alfalfa hay could reduce the amount of gas production at times 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours of incubation. However, the addition of yarrow and ginger powder to alfalfa- sainfoin mixture did not have a significant effect on the amount of gas produced. The results of the gas test method showed that the addition of 1.5% and 3% of yarrow and ginger in sainfoin and alfalfa hay reduced the digestibility of organic matter, total short chain fatty acids and metabolizable energy compared to the control group. Among these, 3% of ginger has the most significant reducing effect on the digestibility of organic matter from 67.80 to 50.14 and 45.99% (P=0.0092), total short chain fatty acids from 1.77 to 0.76 and 0.66 milli moles (p=0.0183) and metabolizable energy from 9.88 to 7.47 and 6.79 MJ kg-1 DM (P=0.0167) respectively in sainfoin hay. Also, this similar decreasing trend continued in alfalfa hay for the nutritional parameters of the gas test. A mixture of alfalfa and sainfoin was not affected by the addition of different levels of yarrow and ginger.

It is concluded that the addition of 1.5 and 3% levels of yarrow and ginger powder in sainfoin and alfalfa hay could not improve the amount of gas production.

Sheep are considered one of the essential livestock with the high ability to adapt to different climates, and a breed diversity was observed in Iran. As a result of different selections, some genomic regions have acquire high purity called Runs of Homozygosity (ROH). By examining these regions in the genome of sheep, the goals of selection in these breeds can be followed and the genes present in these regions can be identified.

For this purpose, the whole-genome sequencing data from 28 samples of Iranian sheep, including Afshar, Ghezel, Karakul, Moghani, Makui, Baluchi, Gray, and Shal breeds, were downloaded from the NCBI database. After quality checking and trimming, high-quality reads were aligned to the sheep reference genome by BWA software. Then the variants were identified and filtered using VCFtools software, a VCF file containing information related to SNPs was created for more analysis. At the end of the analysis, homozygous strands were extracted, and finally, the genes related to these regions were identified.

Based on the results of PCA, the samples related to Iranian sheep breeds were divided into three categories, the first group includes the Karakul and Baluchi breeds (KB), the second group includes the Moghani and Makui breeds (MM), and the third group includes the Shal, Ghezel, Afshari and Gray breeds (SGAG). According to the results of the analysis, ROH areas for KB, MM, and SGAG populations have 419 (52.375 areas per person), 139 (23.17 areas per person), and 876 (62.57 areas per person) ROH areas, respectively. Also, 6 and 17 common ROH (at least two samples) were identified in KB and SGAG populations, respectively. We could not find a common ROH for the MM population. Annotating the sharing ROHs leads to identifying 99 and 173 protein-coding genes within these genomic regions for the KB and SGAG populations, respectively. The results of gene ontology analysis showed that most of these genes are involved in processes such as energy and fat metabolism (FLCN, ELOVL3, STK3, SREBF1, and NCOR1) as well as the growth and development of muscle tissue and meat quality (MYL6 and TMOD1).

According to the results of this study, it could be concluded that there is a high level of diversity and crossbreeding in the native sheep breeds that could be used for different breeding goals and producing breeds with appropriate production. On the other hand, the candidate genes identified in this research also accelerate the time to achieve breeding goals in these breeds.

In order to study the effects of nitrogen starter, putrescine, and nano silicon on yield and some physiological and biochemical traits of rainfed chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), an experiment was carried out as factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications in a farm near Ardabil in 2021. The experiment factors include nitrogen starter (no-nitrogen starter, application of 20 and 40 kg.ha-1 by urea), putrescine foliar aplication (foliar application with water, application of 0.5 and 1 mM putrescine), and nano silicon (foliar application with water, application of 25 and 50 mg.L-1). Means comparision show that the highest level of nano silicon, putrescine, and nitrogen starter have increased chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and proline content (139%, 137%, 138%, and 80%, respectively), compared to no application of nano silicon, putrescine, and starter nitrogen. The highest level nano silicon and putrescine has increased the activity of catalase, peroxidase enzymes and grain yield (40%, 16.3%, and 16.6%, respectively), compared to no application of nano silicon and putrescine. Maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (7.4%, 8%, and 15.5%, respectively) and the activity of polyphenol oxidase enzyme (17%, 9%, and 21%, respectively) are obtained at the highest level starter nitrogen, putrescine, and nano silicon. It seems that the application of nano silicon, putrescine, and starter nitrogen can increase grain yield of chickpea under rainfed condition as it improves physiological and biochemical traits.

The most appropriate way to maximize profitability through breeding is to use economic coefficients of traits along with genetic evaluation. The purpose of this study was to estimate the economic coefficients of production, reproductive, performance and risk traits in farms in Ardabil, Khalkhal, Nir and Germi counties based on the collected data and market conditions in 1400, using a bio-economic model. The economic coefficient of the traits was calculated using MATLAB software with a unit change in the mean of the desired trait if other traits remain constant in their mean. The studied traits included milk production, milk fat, calving interval, production lifespan, daily weight gain before and after weaning, birth weight, adult body weight, survival rate before and after weaning. The economic coefficients for Ardabil city are 15501/17, 556278, -78829/41, 18325/85, 607695/31, 1984509/5, 47849/36, -34521/69, 676066/77, 3174287/11 Rials, respectively. Khalkhal city 12154/83, 555009/65, -156539/61, 17409/81, 1058103/07, 3480949/26, 83976/43, -43347/37, 3814230/34, 6371210/65 Rials, for Nir city 15281/13, 490212/7,-128232/97, 64858/19, 898225/59,2932385/16,70725/61,-49044/99,2503282/56 5036932/8 Rials and for Germi city 27118/6, 448803/94, -130308/28, 15699/58,908827/54,2990291/35,72192/17,-54554/8,3024142/99,5006904/32 Rials per cow per year were calculated in all production systems The highest income was related to milk sales and the lowest was related to elimination heifers. It was also found that the cost of nutrition has the largest share of the total variable costs. Among non-nutritional costs, manpower costs were the most important factor in increasing costs. The results of the sensitivity test showed that economic coefficients are the most sensitive to changes in feed and live weight prices and the least sensitive to fluctuations in milk and fat prices. The results also showed that livestock diseases and lack of vaccines and drugs are the most important risk factors in a livestock unit and problems with milk transportation and changes in livestock insurance conditions are the least important risk factors, so the most important risks In livestock, there are risks related to production and manpower. Also, the most important risks threatening natural factors include heat and cold stress and drought, respectively. The economic review of the production system causes a better identification of the position of the units and increases the level of awareness of the policy makers and planners of the livestock sector as well as the investors of these types of activities in order to make fundamental decisions or solve the existing problems.

Sex-sorted semen is an important technology in cattle breeding. Without the widespread use of sexed semen, the major part of genetic development occurs through the selection of males in dairy herds. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of using sexed semen in embryo transfer program economically. Six strategies were compared based on economic value (EV). Visual basic 6 and Excel software were applied for calculations. In strategy 1, 5% of heifers were considered as donors and were inseminated by sexed semen. In strategy 2, 5% of heifers and cows were donors and were inseminated by sexed semen. In strategy 3, the number of heifer and cow donors, was similar to strategy 2 but conventional semen was used for all donors. The number of heifer and cow donors in strategy 4 was similar to strategy 2 but sexed semen was used for heifer donors and conventional semen for cow donors. In strategy 5, 10% of heifers were considered as donors and were inseminated by sexed semen. Strategy 6 was similar to strategy 5 but conventional semen was used for all donors. According to the results, among these strategies, the EVs of strategies 1 and 5 were higher than other strategies. It showed that using sexed sorted semen for insemination of superovulated heifers would result in higher EV. The lowest EV was related to the strategy that used sexed semen for all donors, including heifers and cows. The main reason is the low number of transferable embryos after using sexed semen in donor cows. The Results showed that the use of sexed semen in the embryo transfer technique for heifers is more effective than its use in cows.

the aim of ‎this study was to investigate the effects of silicon and vermicompost on quantitative and ‎qualitative yield and grain filling period of safflower.

an experiment was conducted as factorial based on RCBD with three replications in research farm of University of Mohaghegh ‎Ardabili during 2020. Factors experiment were included irrigation levels (full irrigation‏ ‏as ‎control, irrigation withholding in 50% of heading bud and flowering stages as severe and ‎moderate water limitation respectively) based on 55 and 65 BBCH code, foliar application ‎nano silicon (foliar application with water as control, application of 25 and 50 mg.L-1 nano ‎silicon) and application of vermicompost (no application of vermicompost as control, ‎application of 4 and 8 ton.ha 1).‎

The results showed that both application of vermicompost and foliar ‎application 50 mg.L-1 nano silicon under full irrigation increased chlorophyll index ‎‎(450.2%), number of head per plant (40%), number of gain per head (40%), 1000 grain ‎weight (45%), grain filling period and effective grain filling period (40.9 and 31.9% ‎respectively) in comparison with no application of vermicompost and nano silicon under ‎irrigation withholding in heading bud stage. Also, the highest vermicompost level under ‎full irrigation increased grain yield and oil percentage (119 and 26.2% respectively) in ‎comparison with no application of vemicompost under irrigation withholding in heading ‎bud stage. Based on the results, it seems that vermicompost and nano silicon application ‎can increase grain yield of safflower under water limitation condition due to improving ‎yield componenets and grain filling components.‎

Dominant genetic effects may have an important contribution to the total genetic diversity of quantitative and complex traits. However, genome-wide marker research to study genomic prediction (GP) and genetic mechanisms of complex traits generally ignore dominant genetic effects. The increasing availability of genomic datasets and the potential benefits of non-additive genetic effects have recently attracted much attention to  combining these effects into genomic prediction models.

A genome with 3 chromosomes of 100 cM each, with 200 QTL and 1000 biallelic markers on each chromosome were simulated.. Then the information related to records of pedigree, year of birth, weaning weight, offspring sex, percentage of twinning, carcass weight, carcass quality, age of first calving, wool density and other economic traits of Moghani sheep that were obtained through Jafarabad Moghani Breeding Center (during 1382 to 1393) formed the phenotypic matrix of the model. Additive and dominance genetic effects and accuracy of genomic prediction of 7 traits, including growth, carcass quality, wool and fertility were adopted through two linear models: (1) ) an additive effect model (MAG) and (2) a model that includes additive and dominance genetic effects (MADG). In addition, the 5-layer cross-validation method was used with R package “HIBLUP”to evaluate the GP capability in two different models.

The results of estimating variance components for each trait show that carcass weight (0.617) and lambing percentage per ewe (0.578), a large part of the phenotypic variation is explained by dominance genetic effects. Cross-validation results showed that the MADG model, including additive and dominance genetic effects, has a clear advantage over the MAG model, which includes only additive genetic effects. that’s means, the model that includes dominant genetic effects improves the accuracy of genomic prediction.

The better performance (prediction accuracy) of the MADG model for some traits compared to the MAG model shows that dominance effects should be included in animal genetic evaluation models to improve the accuracy of predicting future phenotypes. MADG model can also be a useful tool for culling decision  in farms, and the use of the entire genetic potential of progeny in mating programs may improve progeny performance.

Grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is one of the most important forage crops in the world. It contains 12 to 20% protein. Silicon (Si) existing in the Earth’s crust is classified as the most abundant element after oxygen. Although silicon is not considered an essential element for plant growth, but a number of studies have reported that it as an important factor in plants that plays an important role in the resistance mechanisms of plants against environmental stress. Also, it plays a crucial physiological role in photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content. One of the most effective factors in increasing the Grasspea biomass is seed inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Some of the benefits provided by PGPR are the ability to produce gibberellic acid, cytokinins and ethylene, N2 fixation, solubilization of mineral phosphates and other nutrients. Numerous studies have shown a substantial increase in dry matter accumulation via inoculation with PGPR. Some researchers reported that seed inoculation with PGPR enhanced relative water content and photochemical efficiency of PSII lathyrus under water limitations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of nano silicon and seed inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on biomass, nodulation and some physiological traits of Grasspea.

In order to study the effect of nano silicon and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on biomass, nodulation and some physiological traits of Grasspea, a factorial experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replications in research farm of University of Mohaghegh Ardabili in 2021. Treatment were included application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria at four levels (no inoculation as control, seed inoculation with Azosprillum lipoferum strain OF, Psedomonas putida strain 186, both application of Azospirillium and Pseudomonas) and nano silicon foliar application at four levels (foliar application with water as control, foliar application 25, 50 and 75 mg.L-1 nano silicon). The area is located at 38° 15ʹ N latitude and 48° 20ʹ E longitude with an elevation of 1350 m above mean sea level. Climatically, the area is situated in the wet zone with cool winter and hot summer. For inoculation, seeds were coated with gum Arabic as an adhesive and rolled into the suspension of bacteria until uniformly coated. Seeds were inoculated with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) at the rate of approximately 1 × 107 colony forming units (CFU) mg-1 just before planting. Foliar application of nano silicon was conducted in two stages of vegetative growth. Nano silicon powder added to deionized water and was placed on ultra sonic equipment (100 W and 40 kHz) on a shaker for better solution. At the Flowering stage, the leaves of plants were selected to measure the stem and leaf protein, chlorophyll index, RWC (relative water content), quantum yield, stomatal conductance and EC (electrical conductivity). RWC was calculated based on method of Kostopoulou et al. (2010). Chlorophyll Index was calculated by chlorophyll meter (SPAD-502; Konica Minolta Sensing, Inc., Japan). The Quantum yield of leaves was calculated with fluorometer (chlorophyll fluorometer; Optic Science-OS-30 USA). Stomata conductance was measured with a porometer system (Porometer AP4, Delta-T Devices Ltd., Cambridge, UK) according to the instructions in its manual. Leaf electrical conductivity (EC) values were measured at room temperature of 23±1°C using an electrical-conductivity meter. Analysis of variance and mean comparisons were performed using SAS 9.1 computer software packages. The main effects and interactions were tested using the least significant difference (LSD) test at the 0.05 probability level.

The results showed that both application of Azospirillium and Pseudomonas and foliar application of 75 mg.L-1 nano silicon increased root weight and volume (40.4 and 41.9%), number of active nodules (81.2%), percentage of active nodules (33.2%), nodule dry weight (37.4%), chlorophyll index (46%), relative water content (46.3%), stomatal conductance (34.6%) and quantum yield (34.1%) in comparison with no application of PGPR and nano silicon. Also, the highest leaf and stem protein (23.37 and 12.66%) and total biomass (37.7 %) were obtained in both application of Azospirillium and Pseudomonas and foliar application of 75 mg.L-1 nano silicon in comparison with no application of PGPR and nano silicon.

It seems that application of PGPR and foliar application of nano silicon can increase biomass of Lathyrus sativus due to nodulation and  improving  physiological traits.

Among the country's horse breeds, the Arabian horse has the largest population. Arabian horses are very beautiful and resistant to harsh environmental conditions and are mostly bred in the southern regions of the country. Due to the large population of this breed in the country, it has given rise to several genera that may be genetically distinct. Knowing these differences is important in managing and conserving genetic resources. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of Arabian horses and their different breeds in Iran.

In the present study, the genetic diversity of nine Iranian Arabian horse breeds including Kahilan, Abyan, Hamdani, Saglavieh, Julfan, Khersan, Maliha, Nasmani and Vedeneh was investigated. The identification of the strais was based on the information in the studbook of the Arabian horse that has been published by the Equestrian Federation of Iran. All samples were genotyped using 12 microsatellite markers recommended by the international society of animal genetics (ISAG). Electrophoresis of amplified DNA fragments was performed by 3130 genetic analyzers. Data analysis was performed using GENALEX version 2.0 and NTSYS version 2.02 softwares.

A total of 100 alleles were identified using this number of markers on 251 Arabian horses. ASB17 marker with an average of 7.22 alleles and HTG4 marker with an average of 4.77 alleles showed the highest and lowest number of alleles among all strains, respectively. The highest and lowest heterozygosity was observed in AHT4 marker with a mean of 0.786 and ASB23 marker with a mean of 0.631 allele in all studied strains. Also, the highest and lowest mean heterozygositys were calculated in AHT4 markers with 0.784 alleles and ASB2 with 0.598 alleles, respectively. The average Shannon index for all markers was 1.427. The principal component analysis test showed no specific grouping due to the demographic separation of different Arabian horse strains, and all horses were located in one area on the coordinate axis.

The results of the present study showed a better understanding of the genetic structure of different strains of Arabian horses. The results of this research can also help horse breeders to manage their genetic diversity and breeding. Because there is relatively large genetic diversity within different strains of Arabian horses, there is good potential for breeding programs to improve performance and prevent their extinction.

Recent advances in nanotechnology suggest that nanoscale particles were used in medicine, dietary additives, and engineering arenas. However, their possible toxicity to people, animals, and environmental health is still unclear. The researchs showed that the ruminal fermentation of sheep with different levels of copper oxide nanoscale particles produced acetic acid and volatile fatty acid at the appropriate amount of copper oxide nanoscale particles stimulates rumen fermentation.

This investigation was designed to evaluate copper oxide nanoscale particles' supplementation with plant and animal protein types by biogas production method.

The produced gas from incubated syringes at 2, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h was measured by Menke and Steinggass (1988) assay. For this purpose three amounts of 0, 30, and 60 ppm of copper oxide nanoparticles was impregnated in three types of plant proteins (soybean meal, canola meal and cottonseed meal) and three types of animal protein (poultry offal meal, fish meal and blood meal) and were applied in a completely randomized plan by three replications and two-run (a total of 6 repetitions).

The obtained results indicated that after 72 h, the highest of produced gas achieved for soybean meal from plant protein (58.4 mL/200 mg dry matter (DM)) and in animal protein sources was obtained for fish meal (36.7 mL/200 mg DM). The higher digestible organic matter (DOM) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were related to soybean meal, and the smaller of them was related to a blood meal. Also, the higher metabolizable energy (ME) of soybean meal for the quantities of zero were 30 and 60 ppm of copper oxide nanoscale particle, 6.48, 5.65, and 6.52 MJ/Kg DM, and the lower values of this case was found for blood meal 3.07, 3.91, and 4.01 MJ/Kg DM, respectively. The maximum and minimum amounts of microbial protein (MP) were achieved for soybean meal and blood meal 52.92 and 22.17 g/kg DOM, respectively.

As a whole, copper oxide nanoscale particles could be improved fermentation parameters in some of the protein types.

Coccidiosis caused by Eimeria parasites is one of the most costly diseases in the poultry industry. Understanding how the immune system responds to coccidiosis can be helpful in designing molecular prevention and treatment methods against it. The aim of this study was to identify the important genes involved in the response of chicken’s immune system to infection with Eimeria parasites using microarray data available in public databases.

In the present study, after searching the GEO database, two microarray datasets related to coccidiosis in poultry were selected. After quality control and removal of inappropriate data, significantly up- and down-regulated genes in response to infection with Eimeria were identified using the LIMMA package in the R program. Gene ontology and KEGG pathways analysis were performed using the DAVID program. Subsequently, the protein-protein interaction network of the genes with significant expression level changes was constructed using the Cytoscape program.

The obtained results in this study showed that most of the genes that had a significant increase in expression level were associated with the innate immune system. Significantly down-regulated genes were also involved in metabolic processes. According to the outputs of present study, it seems coccidiosis has the greatest negative effect on metabolic processes, including fat metabolism, due to damage to the poultry intestine. Existing scientific evidences about a significant increase in the expression of MMP1, MMP7 and MMP9 genes revealed that collagen catabolism in coccidiosis is one of the increased cases that can be caused by damage to intestinal tissue. It seems that changing the expression level of genes affecting the metabolism of some nutrients, including fats, is one of the important effects of coccidiosis.

The obtained results of the present study can be useful in better understanding how the poultry's immune system responds to coccidiosis and the observed changes in the expression of some genes can help design treatments for this disease.

Feed shortages as well as the allocation of more than 75 percent of the cost of livestock feed, challenge-where in ensuring animal protein needed by society has created accurate estimation of the nutritional value of animal feeds, especially the use of agricultural waste As a new source of food supply, it can be an important step in meeting the needs of livestock and reducing breeding costs (Nikkhah et al, 1990). Potato plant with a cultivated area of more than 22 million hectares in the world and production of 376 million tons is the number one tuber crop (FAO, 2016). At present, a large amount of potato crop is allocated to animal feed worldwide, approximately 35% of the total potato crop is wasted during processing as waste (Agricultural Report, 2009). These wastes add to environmental problems if not consumed properly. Biotransformation of agricultural wastes and wastes compared to other processing methods increases the nutritional value of the compounds and causes the least pollution to humans, livestock and the environment. On the other hand, it costs less than other methods (Nikkhah and Amanloo, 1992). Large amounts of ruminal contents are produced daily as wastes in slaughterhouses (Said et al, 2015) and are considered environmental pollutants. Abouhief, Kraidees et al. (1999) that the high cost of disposing of these wastes requires a revision of slaughterhouse by-product management (Rincon, Bermudez-Hurtado et al. 2010). Reduces (Cherdthong, Wanapat et al. 2014). Protein is one of the most important factors limiting food intake for ruminants (Mapato, Wanapat et al. 2010). Today, various plant sources (oilseed meal), animal sources (meat powder) and seafood (fish meal) and non-protein nitrogen (urea and slow-release urea) are used to provide the protein needed by livestock. Utilization of non-nitrogen sources Protein reduces the cost of feed consumed in animal feed and improves production efficiency in ruminants (Horn, Telford et al. 1979, Herrera-Saldana and Huber 1989, Gado, Mansour et al. 1998, Holden 1999, Wang, Wu et al. . 2010).Nitroza is a slow-release non-protein nitrogen source for ruminants containing 40% nitrogen, equivalent to 250% crude protein. Nitrogen is a compound with a special structure that causes the slow release of ammonia in the rumen. Fiber-digesting bacteria need a constant amount of ammonia throughout the day (equivalent to 10-15 mg / dL) for their proper growth and function. This amount of ammonia ensures the proper nutrition of bacteria that play an important role in fiber digestion. Ammonia imbalances occur in normal diets. The rumen is deficient at significant hours of the day and at other times has an increase in ammonia. Potato waste is the product of inappropriate environmental conditions, inappropriate harvesting, physiological changes, damage by insects and pests, etc. Potato waste is an ideal substrate for biohydrogen products, and during the simple fermentation process by applying rumen fluid (rumen liquor microorganisms) achieved from the slaughterhouse and adding slow-release urea (Nitroza), it can be assumed as a high protein byproduct. This study is investigating the potential of using rumen liquid microorganisms with slow-release non-protein nitrogen source for bioconversion of potato wastes by measuring CP, N-NH3, VFA, pH, digestibility and nutrient composition in the fermentation medium.

Rumen fluid was obtained from the slaughterhouse (400 mL) and added to potato wastes (200 g) along with different levels (1.5, 3, 4.5 gr) of nitrogen from the Nitroza source and incubated for 24 h at 39 ̊C. Data were analyzed in a completely randomized design (CRD).

Protein content in experimental treatments was significantly (P<0.05) higher than the control group, and the highest level was related to 3 g Nitrogen level (27.223). In the presence of rumen microorganisms, potato wastes with 1.5 g nitrogen from the Nitroza source had the highest digestibility (81.33) during 24 h incubation (P<0.05). The pH of the fermentation medium of the experimental groups ranged from 4.60 to 7.43 for potato waste along with rumen microorganisms group to the added levels of 4.5 g Nitrogen source respectively (P<0.05). In general, based on the results of the present study, rumen liquid microorganisms along with Nitroza as a non-protein nitrogen source can be used in bio-conversion of potato waste to increase nutritional value and nutrient composition. The results of Swingersren et al. (2007) showed that more than half of the raw potatoes remained non-degradable after 5 hours of incubation with ruminal fluid. In vitro disappearance of dry matter and organic matter of potato, skin lesions were reported to be 85.38% and 88.7% and it is probable that these results are slightly dependent on crude fiber (Horn et al. 1979) and digestion rate is more related to starch (Gado et al. 1998). 1 gram of nitrogen from nitrogen may be related to the supply of sufficient ammonia from Nitroza and increase digestion. The results of the study of the effect of various additives including nitrogen on the disappearance of dry matter using the Holden method are reported in Table 5.

Based on the results, adding different sources of nitrogen had a significant effect on food digestibility (p<0.05). According to the results, it can be said that using ruminal microorganisms for bioconversion of potato waste along with supplementation with different levels of non-protein nitrogen sources, including nitrogen, significantly increased the nutritional value of potato waste, which thus in addition to the use of various sources of non-protein nitrogen, research can be done on agricultural wastes that have no marketability and its disposal to the environment causes many problems, slaughterhouse waste. Which are environmentally polluting and used the resulting substance in the diet of ruminants.

Drought stress is the most influential factors affecting crop yield particularly in irrigated agriculture in arid and semiarid regions. Drought, being the most important environmental stress, severely impairs plant growth and development, limits plant production and the performance of crop plants, more than any other environmental factor. The impact of the drought on plant species depends on variety, severity and duration of the stress as well as on the development stage. The closing stomata which reduce transpiration and conserve water in plants is the first mechanism of plants against dehydration stress, which in turn limits CO2 fixation. One of the important strategies for increasing of carbon dioxide concentration in plants is using compounds such as methanol that can increase the concentration of CO2 in a plant will improve photosynthesis rate and growth under water deficit conditions. Among the numerous microorganisms in the rhizosphere, some have positive effects on plant growth promotion. These microorganisms are bio fertilizers such as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), which colonize the rhizosphere and roots of many plant species and confer beneficial effects to plants. Using rhizosphere microorganisms, particularly beneficial bacteria are an alternative strategy that can improve plant performance under stress environments and, consequently, enhance plant growth through different mechanisms. Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between plant roots and fungi and form symbiotic association with terrestrial as well as aquatic plants. They also impart other benefits to them including production/accumulation of secondary metabolites, osmotic adjustment under osmotic stress, improved nitrogen fixation, enhanced photosynthesis rate, and increased resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. The mechanisms used by mycorrhiza to enhance the water relations of host plants are not amply clear, however, this may occur by increasing water absorption by external hyphae, regulation of stomatal apparatus, increase in activity of antioxidant enzymes and absorption of nutrients particularly phosphorus. Hence, application of bio fertilizers and methanol presumably looks to be a promising practice in plant yield optimization under suboptimal growth conditions. So, better understanding of chickpea physiological responses under water limitation may help in programs which the objective is to improve the grain yield under water limitation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate of grain filling components of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) using segmented model under irrigation withholding condition, methanol application and seed inoculation with bio fertilizers. 

 A factorial experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replications at the farm of Piralger from Ardabil provence in 2017-2018. The experimental factors included: application of methanol (foliar application with water as control, application 20 and 30 volume percent), bio fertilizers at four levels (no application as control, Mesorhizobium ciceri application, both application mycorhyza with Mesorhizobium ciceri, application of mycorhyza with Mesorhizobium ciceri and Psesomonas putida) and three irrigation levels (full irrigation as control, severe water limitation or irrigation withholding at flowering stage, moderate water limitation or irrigation withholding at podding). To investigate grain filling parameters in each sampling, two plants in each plot were taken. The first sampling was taken on day 12 after podding, and other samplings were taken in 5-days intervals to nv xfrikh determine the accumulation of grain weight. At each sampling, grains were removed from pods manually and were dried at 80°C for 48 h. We applied grain dry weight and number to estimate the mean grain weight per sample. Following Borrás and Otegui (2001), we calculated total duration of grain filling for each treatment combination through fitting a bilinear model: Where GW is the grain dry weight; a, -intercept; b, the slope of grain weight indicating grain filling rate. Borrás, Slafer, and Otegui (2004) determined grain filling using a bilinear model. Effective grain filling period (EFP) was calculated from the following equation:Where MGW: the highest grain weight (g) and b: grain filling rate (g day-1). Conversely, an increase in kernel weight in filling period was calculated using the above-cited equation in statistical software SAS 9.2 via Proc NLIN DUD method. The analysis of variance and mean comparisons were performed using SAS computer software packages. The main effects and interactions were tested using the least significant difference (LSD) test at the 0.05 probability level.

 A two part linear model was used to quantify the grain filling parameters. The highest number and weight of noduls per plant (11.6 and 113.21 mg per plant, respectively), chlorophyll index (50.28), grain filling rate (0.0117 g/day), grain filling period (39.57 days), effective grain filling period (32.2 days) and grain yield (1455 kg/ha) were obtained in full irrigation and high levels of methanol and application of mycorhyza, Mesorhizobium ciceri with Psesomonas which, there were 237 and 148 increases, respectively in number and weight of nodule per plant, 84.17% in chlorophyll index, 34.48% in grain filling rate, 21.38 and 25.3% in grain filling period and effective grain filling period respectively and 111% in grain yield in comparison with no application of methanol and bio fertilizers under irrigation withholding at flowering stage conditions. 

Based on the results, it seems that seed inoculation by bio-fertilizers and foliar application of methanol in order to increasing of grain yield, rate and grain filling period under water limitation is effective.

One of the most important economic indicators in the process of agricultural production is efficiency index. Due to the increasing competition and complexity of economic relations between production units, today measuring the efficiency of production, especially in livestock units to create the necessary planning and make optimal decisions in the management process of such units is of great importance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the technical, allocative and economic efficiencies and determine the factors affecting them in industrial farms in Kurdistan province.

The data of this research is related to the year 2019, in which statistics and information were collected through documentary study and face-to-face interviews. In this study, Deap 2.1 and Eviews 9 software were used to analyze the performance and determine the factors affecting them. To design the data envelopment analysis model, the main variables used in the study, including herd size, feed and concentrate, manpower, health, milk production and livestock manure production and the sum of different incomes were determined. The efficiency of industrial farms was evaluated in the framework of technical efficiency with constant return to scale, technical efficiency with variable return to scale, scale efficiency, allocation efficiency and economic efficiency. Performance calculations were performed assuming the minimization of production costs in the form of performance of industrial farms in Kurdistan province and the results were obtained annually. To determine the factors affecting the amount of performance obtained, Tobit regression analysis and parent statistics were used.

The results showed that technical efficiency with constant efficiency compared to the scale is 0.814 and with variable efficiency compared to the scale is 0.943. The scale efficiency of these livestock units was calculated to be 0.859 in which 22 dairy cattle breeding units with incremental returns to scale and 2 units with decreasing returns to scale were reported. The amount of technical efficiency in general was calculated as 0.824, allocation efficiency as 0.818 and economic efficiency as 0.680. In the general evaluation, milk production efficiency in Bijar city had the highest and in Qorveh city the lowest amount among other cities of this province. Decreasing the age of managers and increasing household manpower in technical efficiency as well as decreasing age and increasing fixed and current investments in economic efficiency had a positive and significant effect.

In general, in Kurdistan province, in terms of technical efficiency of 34%, allocation efficiency of 14% and economic efficiency of 24%, dairy cattle breeding units are operating at an efficient level and the rest of the units are inefficient. Given the conditions of farms and the current state of the Iranian economy in the short term, it is better for livestock units to reduce their herd size by selling older dairy cattle and native heifers and optimally reviewing the supply and allocation of production inputs. Do the necessary.

Using horticultural and agricultural products such as almond hull is a useful way to compensate for feedstuff shortages and reduce environmental pollution. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of slow-release non-protein nitrogen replacement (Nitrosa) with urea in diets containing almond hulls on microbial protein production and nitrogen balance in sheep in order to provide an inexpensive non-forage fiber source with easily accessible nitrogen.

Materail and Methods:

This study was performed using four adult sheep weighing 49.33 ± 4.59 which were kept in metabolic cages were assigned in a 4×4 Latin square design in four 19-days periods. Feed intake and daily excretion of feces and urine were measured. Four rations were tested with the same raw protein and energy content, which contained 36% of the total crude protein content of non-protein nitrogen supplements. Only urea was used in the first treatment. In the second treatment, 24% of the crude protein required by urea and 12% by Nitrosa were provided. In the third treatment of urea and Nitrosa, respectively, 12 and 24%, and in the fourth treatment, Nitrosa was used only to provide 36% of the total crude protein needed in four periods. Each period included 14 days of habit and 5 days of measurements.

Allantoin showed a significant difference between treatments under the influence of experimental diets. So that treatment 3 had a significant difference with treatment 1 and 2, but did not differ with treatment 4. Also, treatment 2 had a significant difference with treatment 4 (p<0.05). Xanthine and hypoxanthine were not affected by diets (p>0.05). Uric acid, total purine derivatives excreted and all purine derivatives absorbed microbial nitrogen production, and microbial protein production under experimental diets showed a significant difference between treatments (p<0.05). The dry matter digestibility, crude protein, crude fat, and organic matter were not affected by the experimental syringes and there was no significant difference between the treatments (p>0.05). The digestibility of insoluble fiber in neutral detergent under the influence of experimental diets showed a significant difference between treatments (p<0.05). Treatment 4 had significant differences with treatment 1 and 3 and there was no difference between treatment 4 and 2.

Based on the results Using Nitrosa in diets containing almond hull as a low-cost non-forage fiber source also low-protein can be useful in improving the digestibility of fiber.

In the livestock industry around the world, most decisions are about increasing profitability per head, which is not an independent process and is affected by the interactions of biological functions such as (production, reproduction and health) and prices that are changed by policy. Replacement and breeding affect profitability (Nasre Esfahani, 2018). Issues such as feed price fluctuations and the lack of coherent policies to support the dairy industry in the country have made the profession one of the most risky jobs in the economy. When a producer wants to make the decision to remove or replace a cow, it is best to compare the future benefits and expected benefits of keeping a cow or replacing an animal with another. The most important objective of a livestock unit is to maximize the profit of the herd, one of the issues affecting this profit is the criteria and rate of elimination (Rogers et al,1988). If culling and replacement are not optimal, the cows are removed sooner or later than the optimal deadline, the profitability of the herd decreases. The need to determine the optimal time to remove cows requires simultaneous consideration of several biological and economic variables (De Vries,2006). The removal decision must be based on the anticipated future earnings of the cow. The longer the livestock has a livelihood in the herd, the more profit the livestock earns. The decision to properly, optimally and reasonably eliminate livestock is made by comparing the present value of the future cash flow of the cow present in the herd to the present value of the future cash flow of its replacement heifers, ultimately occupying the most valuable animal in the present (Groenendall et al,2005). The application of dynamic programming in the animal sciences is more on animal substitution issues. The optimal policy at each stage represents the best decision from that stage to the final stage. This method calculates an expected value for each of the situations that can be faced and the decision maker selects the best decision based on the expected value based on the situations ahead. Several dynamic programming models for optimal replacement decision making in dairy herds have been proposed by (De Vries,2004) and (Van Arendonk,1985). (Cardoso et al,1999) reported optimizing replacement and inoculation policies in dairy cows by calculating monthly income, costs and probability of elimination.

In this study, using raw data collected from industrial dairy farms of Ardabil between 2015 and 2018, the biological parameters of the herd, such as the shape of the lactation curve, the risk of forced removal and the possibility of pregnancy in different lactation periods and Different months after calving were estimated. The financial information of the herd was also obtained in the form of an economic questionnaire from the studied units. It was further developed by incorporating biological parameters and financial information into a bio economic model in Dairy Vip software. The feature of this software is that it simulates the livestock over time and also calculates the performance of the herd based on breeding and replacement decisions with the goal of maximizing profitability. Milk production was evaluated using daily milk production records and fitting the incomplete gamma curve (Wood). Dairy Vip software defined average daily milk production levels in the herd by entering lactation data (raw milk quantity, incremental milk slope to peak production and milk slope decrease until peak production). Mean milk yield of 305 days at first to third lactation and peak lactation was reported in Table 1.The mean 21-day inoculation rate and cattle breeding rate were 49.3% and 37%, respectively. By default Dairy Vip software, a maximum livestock can be in the herd 24 months after calving. The risk of fetal loss from the second to the eighth month was 6.24, 4.16, 2.08, 1.11, 0.45, 0.19, and 0.19 percent, respectively. A Dynamic programming model was developed to determine the optimal replacement policy for cows in dairy farms and in economic conditions in Ardabil province. The objective function investigated in this study was to maximize the present value of net income from current cows and alternative heifers. Markov chain simulation was used to estimate the expected statistics under optimal policy.

The implications of the decision policies for optimum and non-optimum removal using Dairy Vip software are presented in Table 3. With the implementation of optimal policies, the overall annual removal rate increased from 30.11% to 43.8%. However, the forced removal rate fell by 2.3%. Pregnancy rate increased from 18/15 to 18.2% and increased by 2.89%. Based on the above results, it can be inferred that the economic importance of increasing the pregnancy rate is more urgent in herds with poorer reproductive performance. Also, the non-optimal catch rate dropped from 33.9% to 37%, indicating an increased likelihood of livestock being pregnant in different months. The 21-day inoculation rate ranged from 47.6 to 49.3%, indicating appropriate cow inoculation. By reducing the days of gestation in dairy cows can increase milk production, which in this study reduced the optimal days of gestation from 139 days to 132 days, which resulted in a significant 7-day decrease in milk production and finally annual. Open days are the interval from birth to the next gestation period, from 167 days to 161 days. With the decline in pregnancy, the rate of pregnancy increased. Calving distance also decreased from 13.6 to 13.3, which was reduced to 0.3 per month, which in turn increased annual milk production. As shown in Table 3, the optimal daily milk yields were increased from 41.4 to 44.2 by the optimal policies, which increased the daily milk yield by 3 kg per cow. And the annual yield of milk increased from 12548 to 13483 kg per cow. Reducing the average days of lactation increased the daily and annual production of productive cows by 3 and 935 kg, respectively.

Decisions to optimize voluntary removal and estimation of livestock value by computer simulation in Dairy VIP software enable improved economic returns. This improvement is due to the decrease in average lactation days in the herd resulting in increased milk production, cattle sales and calf production. Although the implementation of optimal policies is associated with increased livestock removal and replacement costs and increased feed costs, however, the increased revenue from implementing these policies could well offset the increased costs. In general, it can be concluded that increasing milk production in medium-sized cows is the most important factor in increasing economic profit. The results of this study showed that low-yielding animals showed their least future benefit in early lactation, indicating that they should be eliminated sooner.

In order to optimally use the inputs, the efficiency of economic units is of great importance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the technical efficiency and economic value of some traits of production, reproduction, survival and growth of Holstein cows in Pars agro-industry. For this purpose, required information including: manpower, cattle population, feed consumption and milk production quantities were collected from Pars Livestock Unit by documentary study, observation and face-to-face interview and their efficiency was calculated based on production and economic performance. The variables used in the research include herd size in terms of head, feed and concentrate in terms of weight, manpower in terms of men per day, health in terms of number of days per day, milk production and production of manure in terms of kilograms and incomes in Rials, which include Income from milk sales, Rial value of livestock manure produced, income from sales of voluntary and forced elimination of livestock, income from sales of bulls and heifers in dairy farms were examined. Deap 2.1 software was used for performance calculations. Optimal decision was calculated numerically by a iterative method using compecon toolbox in MATLAB program. Probability of pregnancy in the first, second, third and higher lactation periods based on data analysis and using logistic regression and GenMod procedure of SAS software Obtained, the results showed that the average of technical efficiency with constant efficiency compared to the scale was 0.83; the average efficiency with variable efficiency compared to the scale was 0.86 The scale efficiency of this company was estimated to be 0.96. The amount of technical efficiency in general was 0.83, allocation efficiency was 0.87 and economic efficiency was 0.72. This unit was efficient in March in terms of types of efficiency, which means that during this month, in addition to consuming a certain amount of product produced with a minimum of inputs, the minimum costs are also considered in the composition of inputs, so the unit in this month was technically, allocative, economically and economically efficient and has a constant return on scale. Also, the highest economic value in non-optimal conditions in survival, reproductive, productive and growth traits, and also for survival rate after weaning, first calving age, milk fat and body weight of adult animals was equal to 234297.30, -41835.16, 128664.12 and 454227.93 Rials, respectively. In optimal conditions, the highest economic value for survival, reproduction, production and growth traits was related to the set of traits of production lifespan, and the calving interval, milk fatproduction and daily weight gain before weaning were estimated at 4594.88,9084.67, 1582264.09 and -1464.87 Rials, respectively. The reason for the difference in economic values of traits in optimal conditions compared to non-optimal conditions is due to the application of optimal livestock replacement strategy, so that the farmer's policy in eliminating and replacing, affect herd profit.

The effect of different levels of density of flaked corn on performance, blood and rumen parameters of 48 Holstein suckling calves with an average weight of 38.5 ± 1.20 kg was studied in 4 treatments and 12 replications for 70 days. Treatments included corn grain in the mashed form (control), flaked corn with a density of 300, flaked corn with a density of 350 and flaked corn with a density of 400 g / l. Calves were weaned at 56 days of age and daily intake of initial feed and body weight up to 70 days of age were measured. The effect of feeding experimental treatments on weight gain and dry matter intake of calves was not significant. The results of this study showed a significant effect of the experimental treatments on the concentration of ruminal volatile fatty acids and blood triglycerides (p<0.05). The density of 350 g / l of flaked corn (Treatment 3) had the highest concentration of triglycerides, propionic and butyric acid and treatment containing flaked corn with a density of 300 g (Treatment 2) per liter had the highest amount of acetic acid. The highest concentration of i-valeric acid (i-VA) belonged to the control treatment (corn grain in the mashed form). The effect of the sampling period on functional, blood, and skeletal growth parameters was significant among ruminal volatile fatty acids and valeric acid isomers (p<0.05). According to the results of this study, corn grain processing with a density of 350 g / l had a better response to most of the studied parameters than other densities and without having a negative impact on calf performance was able to improve some performance, blood and rumen parameters of calves.