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This study aimed to determine the metabolic response of growing German Simmental bulls fed rations low in crude protein (CP) supplemented with rumen-protected methionine (RPMET). In total, 69 bulls (on average 238 ± 11 days of age at start and 367 ± 25 kg of bodyweight) were assigned to three dietary treatments (n = 23/group): Positive control (CON; 13.7% CP; 2.11 g methionine/kg DM), negative control deficient in CP (RED; 9.04% CP; 1.56 g methionine/kg DM) and crude protein-deficient ration supplemented with RPMET (RED+RPMET; 9.04% CP; 2.54 g methionine/kg DM). At slaughter, samples of liver, muscle and blood serum were taken and underwent subsequent metabolomics profiling using a UHPLC-QTOF-MS system. A total of 6540 features could be detected. Twenty metabolites in the liver, five metabolites in muscle and thirty metabolites in blood serum were affected (p < 0.05) due to dietary treatments. In total, six metabolites could be reliably annotated and were thus subjected to subsequent univariate analysis. Reduction in dietary CP had minimal effect on metabolite abundance in target tissues of both RED and RED+RPMET bulls as compared to CON bulls. The addition of RPMET altered the hepatic anti-oxidant status in RED+RPMET bulls compared to both RED and CON bulls. Results exemplify nutrient partitioning in growing German Simmental bulls: bulls set maintenance as the prevailing metabolic priority (homeostasis) and nutrient trafficking as the second priority, which was directed toward special metabolic functions, such as anti-oxidant pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The nutritional recommendations for pigs largely focus on pigs with lean genotypes fed ad libitum until reaching up to 140 kg in body weight (BW). Under different rearing conditions, it is still unclear whether existing recommendations apply to pigs that weigh more than 140 kg in BW, especially in heavy pig production systems. In the current study, pigs growing from 90 to 200 kg in BW were raised with different feeding strategies. We observed that energy restriction had a negligible effect on pigs' estimated metabolizable energy requirements at heavier BW under different feeding conditions. Under energy and protein restrictions, a value of 0.73 could be assumed as the maximum marginal efficiency of standardized ileal digestible lysine (SID lysine) utilization for protein deposition irrespective of BW, which corresponds to 9.8 g of SID lysine per 100 g of protein deposition as a minimum requirement. The current nutrient recommendations focus on pigs fed ad libitum up to 140 kg in body weight (BW). It remains unclear whether this applies to pigs weighing above 140 kg in BW under different rearing conditions. This study aimed to estimate protein (Pd) and lipid (Ld) depositions and the metabolizable energy (ME), standardized ileal digestible lysine (SID lysine) requirement and partitioning in 224 C21 Goland pigs (90–200 kg in BW). The control pigs (C) received diets limiting ME up to 170 kg in slaughter weight (SW) at 9 months of age (SA); older (OA) pigs had restricted diets limiting ME and SID lysine up to 170 kg in SW at >9 months SA; younger (YA) pigs were fed nonlimited amounts of ME and SID lysine up to 170 kg in SW at <9 months SA; and greater weight (GW) pigs were fed as the YA group, with 9 months SA at >170 kg in SW. The estimated MEm averaged 1.03 MJ/kg0.60. An 11% increase in MEm was observed in OA pigs compared to the controls. Energy restriction had negligible effects on the estimated MEm. The marginal efficiency of SID lysine utilization for Pd averaged 0.725, corresponding to a SID lysine requirement of 9.8 g/100 g Pd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in oil-palm breeding and agronomic practices may have influenced the dry-matter production and nutrient demand of tenera oil palm since the last comprehensive studies published some three decades ago. This has raised concerns, since updated knowledge of nutrient requirements at various stages of oil palm growth is essential for formulating fertilizer recommendations that meet agronomic, economic, and environmental objectives. We therefore filled in this knowledge gap with the objective to quantify the standing biomass, dry-matter production, and nutrient demand of tenera oil palm of different ages, grown under current agronomic practices. Tenera palms were sampled at 12, 29, 48, 88, 133, 209, and 238 months since nursery planting and separated into spear leaves, leaflets, rachis, petiole, leaf bases, cabbage, trunk, bole, and roots attached to bole for determination of dry weights and nutrient contents. Fruit bunches were harvested, with dry weights and nutrient contents of ripe bunches determined. Annual dry-matter production was calculated from dry weights of different plant parts, and together with nutrient concentrations determined in these plant parts and fruit bunches, annual nutrient demand was calculated. Excluding roots, the total standing vegetative biomass increased almost linearly from 1.3 kg palm−1 at 12 months old to 808.6 kg palm−1 at 238 months old. Whole-palm dry-matter production increased with palm age but at a decreasing rate, from 1.5 kg palm−1 year−1 at 12 months old to 285.5 kg palm−1 year−1 after 133 months, with little increase thereafter. The maximum rates of nutrient demand occurred after 209 months, coinciding with peak production of fruit bunches—except for K, which occurred at month 88 when vegetative growth demand for K peaked. Annual gross amounts of nutrients required to produce 25 t fresh fruit bunches ha−1 were 1.99 kg N, 0.28 kg P, 3.94 kg K, 0.42 kg Mg, 0.99 kg Ca, and 2.5 g B per palm. The net amounts of nutrients required to meet similar production level of fruit bunches were 1.04 kg N, 0.16 kg P, 1.85 kg K, 0.26 kg Mg, 0.47 kg Ca, and 1.3 g B per palm per year if all nutrients contained in the pruned leaves were recycled. These results provide much-needed updated data on the dry-matter production and nutrient demand of tenera oil palm grown under current agronomic practices and also serve as a general yardstick for practitioners to further refine fertilizer recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matching fertilization with crop needs is important for maximizing yields and reducing fertilizer losses. Seasonal variation in nutrient uptake dynamics is poorly understood and thus, the ability to optimize fertilization strategies is limited. This study aims to investigate the effects of planting dates on macronutrient uptake dynamics in cassava genotypes with full irrigation. The performance of cassava genotypes, i.e., CMR38-125-77, Kasetsart 50 and Rayong 11, were evaluated in the early rainy (ERS) and post rainy seasons (PRS) for two years using a randomized complete block design with four replicates. The plants were harvested at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Planting dates had significant effects on the accumulation of dry matter and storage roots as well as nutrient uptakes and partitioning. On average, the total nutrient uptake per plant to produce 2831–3279 g of biomass with 1244–1810 g of storage roots in the ERS varied among cassava genotypes, ranging from 21.1–24.3 g N, 5.1–5.9 g P, 26.5–29.5 g K, 14.1–22.2 g Ca, 6.1–7.6 g Mg and 2.0–2.3 g S. The total nutrient uptake per plant to produce 3353–3824 g of biomass with 1604–2253 g of storage roots in the PRS ranged from 27.1–32.4 g N, 5.2–6.0 g P, 29.1–31.3 g K, 11.9–20.3 g Ca, 7.3–9.9 g Mg and 1.2–1.5 g S. In the ERS, the majority of the total nutrient uptake occurred at the early growth stages, whereas in the PRS, this occurred at the mid- to late growth stages. At final harvest, the percentages of nutrient removal by the storage roots for ERS were 24.7–36.0% N, 26.0–32.3% P, 43.4–51.5% K, 12.4–17.6% Ca, 22.2–31.5% Mg and 27.2–31.5% S, whereas in the PRS the percentages were 30.4–44.4% N, 33.3–41.6% P, 44.7–57.3% K, 12.0–15.1% Ca, 20.2–28.1% Mg and 12.0–25.4% S. CMR38-125-77 exhibited satisfactory performance in nutrient uptake, nutrient use efficiency and storage roots yield across the planting dates. The evidence obtained from this study would greatly facilitate more efficient adoption of precision agriculture in cassava production by applying recommended fertilizers, e.g., rates, kinds and timings, according to crop demand in each growing season in Thailand and for choosing superior cassava genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: One of the main characteristics of the periparturient period is the mobilization of adipose and muscle reserves to support the metabolic demands of fetal growth and lactation. A comparison of cattle with low vs. high longissimus dorsi thickness in late gestation demonstrated that high-muscle cows gained additional backfat, whereas cattle with less muscle thickness gained additional muscle, from approximately one month prior to calving through calving. High-muscle cows subsequently mobilized more muscle and fat than low-muscle cows and yielded less milk through 60 days in milk. Thereby, the relative amount of muscle mass in late gestation may be related to metabolic strategies that support the fetus and milk production during the periparturient period. Due to insufficient dry matter intake and heightened nutrient requirements in early lactation, periparturient dairy cows mobilize adipose and muscle tissues to bridge energy and amino acid gaps, respectively. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between the relative muscle thickness of late pregnant cows and their early lactation performance. At 35 d before expected calving (BEC), longissimus dorsi muscle thickness (LDT) was measured in forty-one multiparous Holstein cows via ultrasound. Tissue mobilization was evaluated via ultrasound images of LDT and backfat thickness (BFT) at 21 and 7 d BEC as well as at 0, 10, 30, and 60 DIM. Plasma concentrations of 3-methylhistidine (3-MH), creatinine (CRE), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) were evaluated weekly. Milk yield and milk component data were collected through 60 DIM. Cattle were assigned post hoc to high-muscle (HM; n = 20; LDT > 4.49 cm) or low-muscle (LM; n = 21; ≤4.37 cm) groups, with mean LDT at 35 d BEC greater in HM (5.05 ± 0.49) than in LM (3.52 ± 0.65) animals. Between 35 and 21 d BEC, LM cows gained LDT, whereas HM cows gained BFT. HM cows mobilized more muscle from 21 d BEC to 30 DIM, as reflected by a greater loss of LDT, greater 3-MH concentrations (532 vs. 438 ± 30 ng/mL), and a greater 3-MH:CRE ratio (0.164 vs. 0.131 ± 0.008) in the first three weeks postpartum. The LDT and BFT at 21 d BEC were related to the amount of respective tissue mobilized through 30 DIM (R2 = 0.37 and 0.88, respectively). Although calves born to HM cattle were larger (45.2 vs. 41.8 ± 0.7 kg), HM cows produced less milk (38.8 vs. 41.6 ± 0.8 kg/d) with a tendency towards higher fat content (4.33 vs. 4.05 ± 0.12%), likely related to the mobilization of more backfat from 0 to 60 DIM (1.78 vs. 0.68 ± 0.34 mm), compared to LM cattle. These findings suggest that a cow's metabolic status, as measured by LDT and BFT prepartum, may influence the metabolic strategy the animal uses to meet energy and amino acid requirements in late gestation and early lactation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]