To develop a hydroponically cultivation system for green vegetables added to swine wastewater treated facility, treated swine wastewater was applied to hydroponically nutrient solution to examine plant growth conditions and absorbing power of inorganic substances by plant growth. The treated swine wastewater was gathered from the final treated tank with The Swine Wastewater Treated Facility in the Saga Prefectural Livestock Experimental Station.
Commercial plastic container was made use of the contrivance for cultivation and the treated wastewater with a volume of 15 liter was put in it and aerated by the air pump during cultivation. The expanded polystyrene was floated as means of cultivating bed.
The seedling of leaf lettuce for two weeks after seeding was transplanted to the cultivation bed.
Three kinds of nutrient solution were used for cultivation; 1) treated swine wastewater (reference), 2) commercial nutrient solution, 3) treated swine wastewater with inorganic substances.
At first, the short term cultivation was examined to confirm possibility of the hydroponics with treated swine wastewater, and next the long term cultivation to investigate the growth conditions of plants and the change of inorganic substances in it.
As the results, leaf lettuce could grow without any physiological detriments by treated swine wastewater, and to add its inorganic substances, the yield increased as well as by commercial nutrient solution.
By leaf lettuce culture, the concentration of inorganics in treated swine wastewater decreased. These indicated that a hydroponically system was useful for the final treatment of the swine wastewater treated facility.

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The aims of this study were to know the differences of behavior of dairy cattle among lactation periods and between feeding methods. Twenty-four hour behavior of dairy cattle fed mixed ration was observed to evaluate the effects of early (Mx-E, 6 animals), middle (Mx-M, 4 animals) and late (Mx-L, 4 animals) lactation periods and also to do those of feeding methods between rations fed mixed and separately (Sp-E, 4 animals) in early lactation at tie-stall barn of Iwate Animal Husbandry Experimental Station. Lactation period did not affected the ingestion, rumination and resting time of cattle. However, Mx-E was higher in frequencies of ingestion and of drinking than Mx-M and Mx-L, and higher in frequency of urination than Mx-L. As compared between feeding methods, Mx-E was longer in rumination and shorter in lying resting time than Sp-E. It is considered that cut length of hay affected those differences of behavior between the two. And also feeding method affected behavioral patterns. Mx-E was longer in ingestion time and shorter in rumination time during night period than Sp-E. Total milk production through lactation period was higher in Mx (7433kg) than in Sp (6222kg) .

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Performance tested Japanese Black bulls were ultrasonically scanned at the end of testing, 16 and 20 months of age in order to get the effective indicators such as the ratio of M. longissimus thoracis area (MLTA) /marbling score (MS) and/or rib thickness (FT) /intrermusclar fat thickness (IMFT) for selecting proven bulls.
Significant differences (P<0.05) on testing station were found for MLTA/MS at 16 months of age and for IMFT/RT at 16 and 20 months of age. The effect of sire on IMFT (P<0.05), MS and IMFT/RT (P<0.01) at the end of testing and on RT and MLTA/MS (P<0.05) were detected to be significant, respectively. Significant differences (P<0.01) on testing year were found for all carcass traits except for MLTA/MS and IMFT/RT. The effects of scanning seasons on RT at the end of testing, IMFT and MLTA/MS at 16 months of age and IMFT and RT at 20 months of age were found to be significant (P<0.05) . Bulls with 16 months of age on autumn had the thinnest IMFT and highest MLTA/MS for all estimates of carcass traits.
Linear regressions on initial or final age were detected significantly for IMFT and IMFT/RT at the end of testing, MLTA/MS and RT at 16 and 20 months of age. Linear regressions on initial weight were detected significantly (P<0.01) for MLTA, IMFT and RT at the end of testing.

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Experiments were done to clarify the regional characteristics of carcass traits estimates of 14, 715 heads of registered Japanese Brown cows from 1989 to 1999 in Kumamoto.
The genetic (sire) and environmental effects were all significant (P<0.01) for subcutaneous (SFT) and intrermusclar (IMFT) fat thickness, rib thickness (RT), M, longissimus thoracis area (MLTA) and marbling score (MS) estimates of cows.
There were some regions where cows had higher MS and thicker SFT or IMFT (Region-A to F), higher MS and lager MLTA (Region-B and C), lower MS and thicker IMFT (Region-K) and lower for all carcass traits (Region-G to J) than average values of total cows in whole regions.
Heritability estimates were comparatively low (0.034 to 0.177) for every carcass traits estimates. Genetic correlation coefficients between every carcass traits estimates -0.070 to 0.900 and the coefficient between MLTA and BMS were comparatively high (0.524) . Phenotypic correlation coefficients within carcass traits estimates were 0.081 to 0.665.
The effect of registered year and season were significant (P<0.01) for all carcass traits. However the differences between maximum and minimum values were less than 1.6cm² for MLTA and less than 1.6mm for SFT, IMFT and RT, respectively. MS was always higher than 0.55 after 1993.
It is taken in the registration score's rising, and value of carcass traits estimates grows high. The cows of which the registration scores were less than 84 had smaller than total average (32.3cm 2 ) for MLTA.

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[in Japanese]

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The effects of genetic and environmental factors on the growth of ultrasonic estimates of carcass traits of live pigs on line breeding and also accuracy of predicting actual carcass composition were examined for efficient pork production and improvement from the consumer's point of view for the meat. The effects of sire were significant for the muscle ratio at the 5 th rib (position A) and fat thickness (FT) at hip (position E) of fattening pigs on 60kg and 90kg of body weight. Significant differences (P<0.01) on the factor of dam were found for M. Longissimus thoracis areas per interval of scanning dates (REA) at the 5 th and last ribs (position C) . E-FT of selected pigs was thicker (P<0.05) by 1.2 mm than that of non-selected pigs at 90 kg of body weight.
The effects of sex were significant (P<0.01) for the muscle ratio at position A of fattening pigs on 60 kg and 90kg of body weight and daily gain. Quadratic regression for initial age was significant (P<0.05) for the muscle ratio below position A and that for initial weight was significant for the muscle ratio at position A and below position C of fattening pigs on 60kg of body weight.
Heritability estimates by sire for the muscle ratio at position A and E-FT and those by dam for A-REA and C-REA were considerably high. Genetic correlation coefficients between E-FT and the traits of muscle ratio were -0.4--1.0.
Carcass measurements of fat thickness at hip, M. longissimus thoracis (MREA) and total M. longissimus thoracis (MREA×the length of M. Longissimus thoracis) allowed predictions with 23.0%-36.8% at 40 kg of body weight and with 69.4% for MREA and 50.0% for total M. longissimus thoracis at 60kg of body weight by using ultrasonic estimates of carcass traits.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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