Apple pomace (AP) is known to be rich in biomolecules beneficial for health and it may advantageously be used to overcome the critical step of piglets’ weaning. The study aimed to determine the effect of two levels of incorporation of AP on the performance, intestinal morphology, and microbiota of weaned piglets and investigate this feed ingredient as a weaning strategy. An experiment was performed with 42 piglets from weaning (28 days old) over a five-week period, including three iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous diets (0%, 2%, and 4% dried AP diets) with seven pen-repetitions per diet (two pigs per pen). AP diets were beneficial for the average daily gain calculated on week 3 (p = 0.038) and some parameters of the intestinal architecture on the 35 post-weaning day. The 4% AP diet was beneficial for the feed conversion ratio (p = 0.002) and the energetic feed efficiency (p = 0.004) on the 35 post-weaning day. AP tended to influence the consistency of feces (softer to liquid, p = 0.096) and increased the counts of excreted pathogens (p = 0.072). Four percent AP influenced the richness of the microbiota and the bacteria profile as observed for the phylum Bacteroidetes or the class Clostridia. The 4% AP diet appeared as an interesting weaning strategy that should be evaluated in a large cohort.
Fosetyl‐Al (the aluminium salt of ethyl‐phosphite) is an acid product used to fight oomycete diseases and sometimes used against bacterial diseases, but its antibacterial mode of action is largely unknown. Therefore, the direct effects of fosetyl‐Al and neutralized fosetyl‐Al on the colonization of leaf surfaces by Pseudomonas syringae were compared. Control of colonization was highest and almost complete in acidic conditions (99.7%), showing the importance of acidity for maximal antibacterial efficacy on plant surfaces. However, the high inhibition obtained with neutralized fosetyl‐Al (88.9%) suggested another direct effect. Therefore, it was investigated in vitro whether ethyl‐phosphite has antibacterial activity, possibly related to its phosphite content. Inhibition of P. syringae growth by ethyl‐phosphite was observed and influenced by the carbon source and by phosphate. Growth inhibition reached 83.1% in unshaken conditions in a phosphate‐depleted glucose medium. Phosphite drastically increased the effects and induced up to 99.7% growth inhibition. Mass spectrometric analysis indicated that P. syringae hydrolysed ethyl‐phosphite to phosphite using a cell‐linked phosphatase activity. Specific phosphite toxicity was observed in phosphate‐sufficient succinate media and phosphite‐induced phosphorus starvation was observed in phosphate‐depleted glucose media, indicating that ethyl‐phosphite and phosphite have direct environmental impacts on bacteria. Phosphite toxicity for P. syringae probably occurred in the phyllosphere. The study indicates the potential and limitations of fosetyl‐Al as a direct antibacterial product and helps in understanding the fosetyl‐Al control of flower bud blast in pear. It raises the prospect of using phosphite in plant bacterial disease control.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.