Nutrient recovery from pigeon dropping by using exotic earthworm Eisenia fetida

Pigeon dropping is a kind of organic waste which can be transformed easily into organic manure by vermicomposting with exotic earthworm Eisenia fetida. In the present study, a pigeon excreta was collected from roof tops. The pigeon excreta was mixed with cattle dung with the ratios as 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% respectively, in plastic containers; meanwhile, those proposal were name as C₁₀, C₂₀, C₃₀, C₄₀ and C₅₀ respectively. Feed mixtures were allowed to decompose (pre-vermicomposting without earthworm) for 20–25 days. After decomposition, 20 hatchlings of E. fetida were put in each concentration after weighing. Cattle dung (without pigeon excreta) was kept as the control. The physico-chemical analysis of initial feed mixture and final product after vermicomposting was also done to measure the changes in the feed mixtures from the initial to the final states. There were increases in the content of N (52.35%), P (115.79%), K (39.97%) and EC (56.16%) but decrease in those of OC (-15.49%), OM (-15.49%), pH (-7.92%) and Ca (-39.62%) from the initial to the final product. The highest population size of earthworms and minimum mortality rate was observed in C₃₀ feed mixture. Thus, the present study indicated that cattle dung mixed with 30% (w/w) pigeon excreta waste may be a good choice for vermicomposting.     

河北省张家口市规模奶牛养殖场粪污处理现状调研及对策分析

为了解河北省张家口市奶牛规模养殖场粪污处理现状,采用实地调研方式,对30家奶牛养殖场的养殖,粪污的收集、处理等情况进行分析。针对张家口市奶牛规模养殖场粪污处理方式单一、程度低、积极性低,种植土地配套低等问题,提出粪污处理改进的建议和对策,为张家口市奶牛养殖业粪污的治理提供有益的参考。     

Bloom of resident antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soil following manure fertilization

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a global threat to public health. Agricultural use of antibiotics is believed to contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance, but the mechanisms by which many agricultural practices influence resistance remain obscure. Although manure from dairy farms is a common soil amendment in crop production, its impact on the soil microbiome and resistome is not known. To gain insight into this impact, we cultured bacteria from soil before and at 10 time points after application of manure from cows that had not received antibiotic treatment. Soil treated with manure contained a higher abundance of β-lactam–resistant bacteria than soil treated with inorganic fertilizer. Functional metagenomics identified β-lactam–resistance genes in treated and untreated soil, and indicated that the higher frequency of resistant bacteria in manure-amended soil was attributable to enrichment of resident soil bacteria that harbor β-lactamases. Quantitative PCR indicated that manure treatment enriched the bla_CEP-04 gene, which is highly similar (96%) to a gene found previously in a Pseudomonas sp. Analysis of 16S rRNA genes indicated that the abundance of Pseudomonas spp. increased in manure-amended soil. Populations of other soil bacteria that commonly harbor β-lactamases, including Janthinobacterium sp. and Psychrobacter pulmonis, also increased in response to manure treatment. These results indicate that manure amendment induced a bloom of certain antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soil that was independent of antibiotic exposure of the cows from which the manure was derived. Our data illustrate the unintended consequences that can result from agricultural practices, and demonstrate the need for empirical analysis of the agroecosystem.Agriculture affects human health through both the consumption and production of food for the human diet. Manure from pig and cattle farms is commonly used as a substitute for inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers for agricultural crops worldwide, especially in organic farming practices (1–6). With the increasing consumer demand for organically produced food, the use of animal manure, which conforms to organic conventions, will likely increase in the future. According to the National Organic Program, raw manure may be used up to 90–120 d before harvest, depending on the crop, and composted manure may be applied at any time. There are no restrictions on the source of manure (1).Animal manure is an important reservoir of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, antibiotic-resistance genes (collectively known as the “resistome”), and pathogens (2, 7–12). Although antibiotic use increases antibiotic-resistance genes and resistant bacteria in manure (13–16), antibiotic-resistant bacteria are also abundant in manure from animals with no history of antibiotic treatment, indicating the natural presence of bacteria intrinsically resistant to antibiotics in animal gastrointestinal tracts (2, 17, 18).There is increasing concern about the use of manure as an agricultural amendment because of its possible contribution to the pool of resistance genes to resident soil bacteria and pathogens (2, 19). Antibiotic-resistance genes from the soil resistome can enter the food chain via contaminated crops or groundwater (5, 20), and have potential consequences for human health if transferred to human pathogens. Studies assessing the impact of fertilization with pig manure on the soil resistome have shown that excessive application of manure from farms with intensive sulfonamide use can lead to an increase of antibiotic-resistance genes in soil (2, 3); however, most studies have found that such increases are transient when the manure is applied at recommended rates (2, 21, 22). Cow manure from dairy farms, which use β-lactam antibiotics predominantly to prevent and treat diseases (23), is commonly used in crop production, but its impact on the soil resistome has yet to be investigated.Along with its impact on the soil resistome, the application of manure can affect the composition and functional properties of soil microbial communities, as has been demonstrated by community fingerprinting (21, 24). Recent advances in DNA-based analysis, such as metagenomics and quantitative PCR (qPCR), offer greater precision in such studies, enabling identification of affected community members (25) and their resistance genes (4).In the present study, we assessed the impact of cow manure on the composition and resistance profiles of bacterial communities in soil. Our results show that manure from cows that had not been treated with antibiotics increased the populations of resident soil bacteria harboring genes for resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, whereas inorganic fertilizers did not. These results demonstrate the complexity, and at times nonintuitive consequences, of agricultural practices.     

Sorghum Quality,Organic Matter Amendments,and Health: Farmers’ Perception in Burkina Faso,West Africa

In West Africa, many people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Current interventions have low chances of succeeding. Therefore, a food chain approach including local practices is proposed. This article takes local ecological, cultural, and socio-economic aspects into account through a household survey in northern Burkina in 2002. Farmers’ knowledge was compared with available scientific information. Organic matter production is a function of the number of animals owned and the availability of labor and equipment. Organic resources are allocated to various fields according to soil texture and the crop to be grown. Farmers were unable to link micronutrient deficiency in the soil directly to food quality and human health. However, they indicated that some disorders (e.g., fatigue in adults, stunted growth of children, anemia) are associated with a low level of micronutrients in the diet. For the application of organic amendments to be modified to improve grain yield and food quality in the Sahel, the relation between organic amendment and food quality must be better understood by both scientists and farmers.     

综合改良对农田栽参土壤微生态环境的改善研究

该文研究综合改良措施对农田栽参土壤微生态环境的影响,建立农田土壤改良的标准流程,以保证农田栽参的顺利开展。研究采用土壤消毒、绿肥回田和施肥改土相结合处理传统农田,通过观测土壤的理化性状、细菌群落多样性及人参生长指标等因素,发现综合改良措施可显著增加0~30 cm土层有机质含量,降低土壤容重,增加0~20 cm土壤营养元素含量,改变土壤细菌群落的多样性及组成,提高农田参苗存苗率,促进了人参生长。该研究表明土壤消毒、绿肥回田结合施肥改土的综合措施可有效改善农田土壤微生态环境,为农田栽参顺利开展提供参考。     

Sewage sludge and liquid pig manure as possible sources of antibiotic resistant bacteria

Within the last decades, the environmental spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria has become a topic of concern. In this study, liquid pig manure (n=305) and sewage sludge (n=111) - used as agricultural fertilizers between 2002 and 2005 - were investigated for the presence of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium. Bacteria were tested for their resistance against 40 chemotherapeutics including several “reserve drugs”. E. coli (n=613) from pig manure were at a significantly higher degree resistant to streptomycin, doxycycline, spectinomycin, cotrimoxazole, and chloramphenicol than E. coli (n=116) from sewage sludge. Enterococci (Ent. faecalis, n=387, and Ent. faecium, n=183) from pig manure were significantly more often resistant to high levels of doxycycline, rifampicin, erythromycin, and streptomycin than Ent. faecalis (n=44) and Ent. faecium (n=125) from sewage sludge. Significant differences in enterococcal resistance were also seen for tylosin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin high level, fosfomycin, clindamicin, enrofloxacin, moxifloxacin, nitrofurantoin, and quinupristin/dalfopristin. By contrast, aminopenicillins were more effective in enterococci from pig manure, and mean MIC-values of piperacillin+tazobactam and third generation cefalosporines were significantly lower in E. coli from pig manure than in E. coli from sewage sludge. 13.4% (E. coli) to 25.3% (Ent. faecium) of pig manure isolates were high-level multiresistant to substances from more than three different classes of antimicrobial agents. In sewage sludge, high-level-multiresistance reached from 0% (Ent. faecalis) to 16% (Ent. faecium). High rates of (multi-) resistant bacteria in pig manure emphasize the need for a prudent - cautious - use of antibiotics in farm animals.     

家蝇幼虫消化后猪粪的家蝇孳生能力研究

目的观察家蝇幼虫消化猪粪的家蝇孳生能力变化。方法取家蝇幼虫消化猪粪置于猪舍中 ,观察家蝇的产卵量 ,幼虫、蝇蛹的发育和蛹的羽化率。设立新鲜猪粪对照 ,用SPSS统计软件统计分析。结果家蝇幼虫消化猪粪上的产卵明显低于对照 (P <0 0 1 ) ,两组分别为 93± 4 9只和 870 0± 2 2 0 5只 ,蝇蛹的羽化率和未羽化蛹的胚胎形成率均明显低于对照 (P <0 0 1 )。对照猪粪氮含量高于家蝇幼虫消化组。结论家蝇幼虫消化猪粪 ,可以明显降低猪粪对家蝇的孳生能力 ,具有消除猪粪作为家蝇孳生地的生态作用     

新疆兵团粪污资源化利用模式与典型案例分析

本文针对南北方粪污处理与资源化利用的制约因素,从气候环境、养殖场困境、地区经济差异等3个方面进行分析和对比,提出必须根据新疆地区自身的气候环境特点以及养殖业与种植业特点,筛选适合本地区粪污处理与资源化利用技术模式的观点。并对建立的奶牛场草畜一体化粪污循环利用、猪场果畜一体化粪污资源化利用和第三方专业公司猪场粪污高值化利用共3种技术模式下的典型案列进行了介绍和分析。     

家蝇幼虫营养成分价值的研究

目的获得畜禽粪便养殖家蝇生产蝇蛆动物蛋白的实验室数据,评价用蝇蛆代替鱼粉饲养蛋鸡的效果及经济效益.方法在相同的实验室饲养环境下,观察人工饲料、猪粪饲养的家蝇幼虫体内脂肪酸及微量元素含量的区别;用蝇蛆粉或鲜蛆代替鱼粉饲养蛋鸡,观察对蛋质的影响.结果用猪粪饲养的蝇蛆其体内所含的微量元素(Ca、Fe、Cu、Zn、Se)高于用人工饲料饲养的蝇蛆(P<0.05);用蝇蛆粉或鲜蛆代替鱼粉饲养蛋鸡,蛋内的脂肪酸及微量元素含量没有明显改变(P>0.05).结论用猪粪饲养家蝇可以生产出价廉、优质、富含微量元素的蝇蛆蛋白,而用蝇蛆代替鱼粉饲养蛋鸡不会影响鸡蛋的质量.