There is increasing interest in improving the competitive ability of timothy (Phleum pratense L.) against rhizomatous grass weeds such as reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) through breeding for long-term maintenance of high-quality vegetation in timothy-based grasslands. This study aimed to quantify the effect of allelopathy on timothy’s competitive ability against reed canarygrass in field conditions using 10 timothy genotypes and reed canarygrass (cv. Palaton) by an agar-based method and field tests in Kunneppu, Japan. The resistance of timothy according to shoot length in the agar-based method explained 40.0% of the variance of timothy total dry matter yield for three years under weedy condition in field tests. The potential allelopathic activity of timothy against reed canarygrass shoot and root length in the agar-based method explained 58.7% and 84.7% of the variance in reed canarygrass total dry matter weight for three years and infested reed canarygrass total dry matter weight on bare ground in the third year, respectively, under weedy condition in field tests. Canonical discriminant analyses selected the abovementioned three traits related to allelopathy against reed canarygrass as significant factors associated with timothy yield and reed canarygrass weight. These important findings suggest that breeding improvement of allelopathy could improve the competitive ability of timothy.

To clarify the aging period of meat of Ezo-shika deer (Cervus nippon yesoenis) required for tenderization, we collected semitendinosus muscles from three wild deer immediately after they were hunted and killed. The muscles were stored at 4℃ for 21 days postmortem. Measurements of pH and shear force, determination of myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI), SDS-PAGE analysis of myofibrillar proteins, and western blotting using anti-troponin-T and antidesmin antibodies were performed. At 12 h postmortem, the pH of the semitendinosus muscle reached a minimum value of 5.65. Shear force was 1.45 kg/cm² at day 1 postmortem. The semitendinosus muscle tended to be tenderized at day 5 postmortem, with shear values reaching 0.82 kg/cm². The degree of MFI in the semitendinosus muscle increased to 0.63 at day 10 postmortem. SDS-PAGE revealed the absence of α-connectin (titin-1) at day 10 postmortem. As well, a 30 kDa band was obviously evident at day 7 postmortem. Western blotting using anti-troponin antibody showed that the band resulted from troponin degradation. The density of the 30 kDa band was greatest at day 10 postmortem. The density of the desmin band decreased during the postmortem period and a 38 kDa fragment resulting from desmin degradation was clearly evident at day 10 postmortem. Based on these results, we conclude that Ezo-shika deer meat requires 7 to 10 days aging postmortem for tenderization.

The Mangalica is a rare indigenous swine breed in Hungary that needs conservation and propagation, but there are few reports on its reproduction. In this study, the testis and epididymis in Mangalica were studied histological evaluation and gene expression analysis at 14 days after the birth and compared with commercial breed (Camborough). In the histological evaluation of testes, it was confirmed that the developmental stage of a germ cell was in the transition period from gonocytes to spermatogonial stem cells. It also showed that the total length of seminiferous tubule in Mangalica was shorter (P < 0.05) and the number of Sertoli cells in the testis was lower (P < 0.05) than Camborough. In addition, the gene expression analysis showed that Mangalica tended to have higher expression of SOX9, a transcription factor important for testis development, compared to Camborough. In this study, we revealed that the puberty and testis development in Mangalica were different to commercial breeds, and considered that it was necessary for the reproductive management to match the characteristics of Mangalica.

Original from Hungary, Mangalica pigs accumulate fat as its breed characteristics. This study aimed to shed light into the underlying mechanisms that confer this unique feature to Mangalica. Thus, we evaluated the histology and gene expression profile of Mangalica adipose tissue and compared them with those of commercial pigs (LWD and Camborogh). Fat thickness measurements indicated that Mangalica back fat was thicker than that of commercial pigs from the postnatal period. Moreover, the fat accumulation pattern differed between the breeds and the volume of the adipocytes from Mangalica back fat was larger than that of commercial pigs (P < 0.05). Noteworthily, the levels of adipocyte-specific genes related to metabolic functions (HSL, FASN, aP2) were low in Mangalica fat tissue, whereas those of KLF4, a marker for preadipocytes, were high (P < 0.05). Altogether, these findings suggest that a fat-promoting genetic profile confers metabolic and cellular features to Mangalica pigs from early developmental stages that differentiates them from commercial pigs.

We clarified the factors affecting the type traits of Japanese Black heifers and cows in the Tokachi area of Hokkaido, Japan. We also showed the trends in those type traits over 30 years. The data used were the type records of 81,528 Japanese Black heifers and cows that had been registered between 1973 (2012 for final score) and 2020. Type records covered six traits, namely final score, stature, chest circumference, chest depth, rump length, and thurl width. The effects of year-month, age, herd, and classifier were estimated by using a least-squares method. The effects of age were included as a covariates with a secondorder polynomials on age in month in our mathematical models. For stature, estimates increased from 121 to 127 cm through all periods with increasing year-month. For chest circumference, rump length, and thurl width, the phenotypic trends of effects of year-month increased after 2006.

Here, we investigated the effects of service sire breed (Holstein and Japanese Black) on conception rate at first service for Holstein females in Hokkaido, Japan. Fertility records of Holstein cows and heifers that calved between 2010 and 2019 were collected through the Dairy Herd Improvement Program by the Hokkaido Dairy Milk Recording and Testing Association. Data included 2,019,493 records with a flag 1 for conception success and 0 for failure. We used a three-trait (conception in heifers, in first lactation, and in second lactation) animal model containing herd-year at service, month at service, and age as fixed effects, and service sire-year at service, animal, and residuals as random effects. Conception rates at first service ranged from 55% to 59% for heifers, 39% to 41% for first lactation, and 37% to 38% for second lactation. For BLUP of sire effects in each calving, the mean effects of Japanese Black bulls were 0.01 to 0.03 higher than those of Holstein bulls.