Nanotechnologies are developing continuously, and their use is becoming more diverse and concrete, with high potential to improve the products of animal husbandry and animals in general. Yet, there have been few studies of nanotechnologies in those spheres. However, to confirm the efficiency and, mainly, safety of nanotechnologies, to avoid any harm to the environment or especially humans and animals, substantiated studies are still needed. A promising, but barely studied, direction of research is dosage of nanocompounds of biogenic elements in diets of animals, both modern supplements and alternatives for correcting mineral nutrition. Therefore, the objectives of the study presented here were changes in hematologic, biochemical and immune-biological parameters of the organism of mother rabbits under the influence of sulfur citrate and sodium sulfate for 14 days until insemination and until day 20 of lactation. The research was conducted on mother rabbits of the Hyla breed which were giving birth for the second time in LLC Horlytsia in Dobriany village of Horodok district of Lviv Oblast. Mother rabbits of the control group were fed ad libitum with complete granulated mixed feed with free access to water. Animals of experimental group I were fed feeds of the diet of the control group and during the day were watered sulfate citrate in dosage of 8 µg of S/kg of body weight. Females of experimental group II were fed the diet feeds of the control group and given sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) in the amount of 40 mg of S/kg of body weight. The mother rabbits received the supplements for 14 days both until insemination and for up to the 20th day of lactation. In the preparation period, on day 10 after the beginning of the study and on day 20 of lactation in the experimental period (65th day of watering the supplements), blood samples were taken from the marginal ear vein of the mother rabbits for hematological and biochemical studies. The study revealed that watering sulfate citrate in the dosage of 8 µg of S/kg of the body weight in the diet of mother rabbits for 14 days until insemination and up to day 20 of lactation increased the amount of erythrocytes by 19.5%, leukocytes by 37.5%, granulocytes by 38.3%, concentration of hemoglobin by 21.0%, mean corpuscular hemoglobin by 15.6%, and red cell distribution width by 14.7%, and activated protein metabolism, which manifested in 8.5% higher content of protein and activity of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase respectively by 12.9%, 29.6%, 19.8% and 51.8% lower content of triacylglycerols in the blood on day 20 of lactation compared with the control group. Intake of sulfur citrate heightened the parameters of immunobiological reactivity of the organisms of mother rabbits on day 65 of the experiment with significantly higher level of phagocytic number, phagocytic activity, lysozymic and bactericidal activities of blood serum, protein-associated hexoses, sialic acids and ceruloplasmin and immune globulins, compared with the control. Giving mother rabbits sodium sulfate in the amount of 40 mg/kg of body weight for 65 days led to less notable changes in the blood, expressed in 20.0% increase in mean corpuscular hemoglobin, higher phagocytic value, phagocytic activity, lysozymic and bactericidal activities of blood serum, protein-associated hexoses and ceruloplasmin. The results of the studies indicate possibility of additional use of supplement sulfur citrate in the amount of 8 µg of S/kg in diet of mother rabbits to improve metabolism, reproductive ability and immunological resistance in the period of increased physiological load.

Use of genetic specifics of pure breeding in animal husbandry allows cross breeders to produce herds that are completely of high breeding value, and also improve genetic potential of the best breeds. A relevant issue is determining the efficiency of crossbreeding of dairy breeds by analyzing the growth intensity of young bovine cattle, their reproductive ability and dairy productivity. We performed an analysis of experimental studies of using effective methods of selection, carried out a theoretical analysis, formulated hypotheses, used genealogical, biometrical and statistical methods, and assessed the productive properties of animals. We determined that the heifers from cross of the Ukrainian Red-Spotted cows with the sires of the Montbeliard breed – compared with the heifers from the Holstein bulls – had higher growth intensity and greater live weight during all the age periods. From birth until the age of one year, the Ukrainian Black-Spotted dairy heifers from the Holstein and Norwegian Red sires had no significant difference in weight. The heifers that resulted from cross of the Montbeliard and Ukrainian Red-Spotted dairy breeds had advantages over the purebred animals during all age periods, namely in the measurements of chest width, hook bone width, chest girth, ring metacarpal length. Body measurements of the replacement heifers, derived from the Norwegian Red and Holstein sires, varied within insignificant ranges depending on genotype, without significant difference. The animals were compact and proportionate; having received sufficient and complete diets, they had satisfactory weight categories. We determined that increase of the age of first insemination and first pregnancy was followed by decrease in the dairy productivity of cows. It ranged 0.021 to 0.064 in the bred heifers of different genotypes and breeds. There was observed an insignificant direct relationship between the abovementioned factors and the contents of fat and protein in milk. The shares of influence of age when the animals were first inseminated on milk yield accounted for 7.1% to 11.4%, 5.4–6.9 on fat content in milk, and 8.0–12.2% on protein fraction in milk. Crossbreeding can efficiently decrease the percentage of complicated deliveries and stillbirth rate, which in turn decreases the expenses for treatment of consequences of difficult calving, including the risk of decline in milk productivity and longer calving interval. However, there should be a careful approach to the selection of a breed, sire (preferably, its evaluation should be taken into account according to calving ease, especially when using the Montbeliard breed) and analysis of dams that are to be crossed with. Upgrading by mating to the Montbeliard and Norwegian breeds resulted in the crossbred cows that produced the greatest profit due to their heightened productivity. We should note that the estimated prices of extra products per cow give us grounds to state a positive effect from crossbreeding with the Montbeliard and Norwegian Red breeds. The performed studies confirm the benefits of identifying the efficiency of crossbreeding dairy breeds by an analysis of growth intensity of young bovine cattle.

The use of organic minerals in the form of nanocompounds as a substitute for mineral inorganic salts is promising, but insufficiently studied. Therefore, the purpose of the search was to determine the influence of drinking sulfur citrate and sodium sulfate 14 days before insemination and up to 20th day of lactation on the reproductive capacity of rabbits and the preservation of the offspring up to 40th day of life. The research was carried out on rabbits of the second breed of Hyla breed in “Horlytsia”. Сontrol group were fed without restriction complete ration granular feed with free access to water. 1st experimental group were fed with the ration of the control group and during the day were watered with sulfur citrate, at the rate of 8 μg S/kg of body weight. II experimental group were fed with the ration of the control group and with water was given sodium sulfate in the amount of 40 mg S/kg of body weight. Additives to rabbits were watered 14 days before insemination and for up to 20 days of lactation. It was found that on the first day of life of young rabbits their number in the I and II experimental groups was respectively higher by 8.5 and 4.2% compared to the control. The number of young rabbits at 20 and 40 days of age in the I and II experimental groups was respectively higher by 10.4 and 4.4% and 14.0 and 4.6% compared to the control group. The weight of rabbits in the nest of the II experimental group at 1, 20 and 40 days of life was respectively higher by 2.8; 6.1 and 7.0%, which is based on the average mass of one rabbit for these periods and amounted to 1.1, respectively; 2.7 and 4.3% compared with animals in the control group. The average amount of milk produced by rabbits of I and II experimental groups was respectively higher by 10.2% and 6.6% per day and for 20 days of the lactation period compared to the control. The preservation of rabbits in the I and II experimental groups was respectively higher by 6.4 and 6.4% and 3.6 and 4.4% at 20 and 40 days of life of young rabbits compared to the control group. The results of the research indicate the possibility of additional use in the ration of rabbits of the addition of sulfur citrate in the amount of 8 μg S/kg of body weight to increase metabolism and reproductive capacity during periods of increased physiological load

The need for iodine in rabbit diets has not been fully elucidated, although some commercial diets use it in varying amounts without scientific justification. The main goal of the experiment was to establish the effect of applied quantities of an organic iodine compound produced by nanotechnology -iodine citrate -on blood parameters of rabbits after weaning from 40 to 96 days of age. Experimental studies were conducted in the conditions of the vivarium of the scientific institution -Institute of Animal Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of Lviv on 30 rabbits of the Termonska breed. The control and experimental groups had the same number of 6 animals, of which 3 were males and 3 were females. Young rabbits of the control group were kept on standard granulated compound feed and water without restriction. In contrast to the control, the animals of I, II, III, and IV experimental groups additionally received a solution of iodine citrate in the amount of 2.5; 3.75; 5.0 and 7.5 μg/l of water, respectively. Blood parameters were determined on the 40 th day of life (preparatory period) and on the 18 th , 43 rd and 56 th days of iodine citrate supplementation. Studies have established a higher number of red blood cells and haemoglobin concentration in the blood of rabbits of Group II (P≤0.05) on the 43 rd and 56 th days; Group III (P≤0.05) and Group IV (P≤0.05-0.01) on the 18 th , 43 rd , and 56 th days of the study. The haematocrit value of the blood of rabbits of Group II was respectively higher by 16.6% on the 56 th day; Group III -by 17.1%; 20.0%, and 22.8%, and in Group IV -by 26.4%; 29.4%, and 23.5% on the 18 th , 43 rd , and 56 th days of the study. The albumin content in the blood of rabbits of Group I was higher by 4.1% on the 43 rd day; Group II -by 6.8%; 8.0%; 9.5%; Group III -by 6.1%; 4.6%; 9.5%; Group IV -by 4.5%; 2.7%; 7.3% on the 18 th , 43 rd, and 56 th days of the study, respectively. The content of total calcium in the blood of rabbits of Group II exceeded the control by 22.5% on day 43, the level of inorganic phosphorus in the blood of rabbits of Groups II, III, and IV was respectively higher by 5.8%, 5.0%, and 4.1% on the 56 th day of the study compared to the control

Goal. Evaluation of the suitability and eggs of chestnut moth Cameraria ohridella for parasitism and development of trichogramma. Methods. Laboratory cultures of Trichogramma pintoi Voeg were used for research. and Trichogramma evanescens Westw., which were bred on the eggs of Sitotroga cerealella Oliv. The experiment was performed according to the following scheme: female trichogramma after mating was placed in a test tube in 5 replicates for each species. The tube was closed with a stopper and the sex of individuals under binoculars was checked. In test tubes with trichogram laid strips of paper with one-day eggs of chestnut moth (25 copies.). In 5 replicates and kept in a thermostat (temperature — 24—25°C; relative humidity — 65—67%). The percentage of trichogram revival and the ratio of males to females, life expectancy and fertility of females were determined. Trichogramma individuals, which were fed with grain moth eggs, served as controls. The experiment lasted until the complete death of the trichogram. The obtained results were processed statistically according to standard methods. Results. A small number of chestnut moth eggs pierced by trichogramma were detected, but embryonic development of the parasite’s eggs was not observed. Comparing the size of the eggs of the chestnut moth with the size of the eggs of the main squamous pests against which different species of trichogramma are effectively used, we can conclude that for the successful development of eggs T. pintoi and T. evanescens chestnut moth eggs are not suitable as feeders. Probably, in terms of size and biological quality, they do not correspond to the parameters of the ecological niche of the hosts of the family Trichogrammatidae. Conclusions. In the laboratory, it was found that the eggs of the chestnut moth are not suitable for parasitizing the trichogramma of T. pintoi and T. evanescens. The main pests of crops, which are effectively parasitized by different species of trichogramma, have an egg size in the range of 0.4—1.0 mm, while the size of chestnut moth eggs does not exceed 0.27—0.32 mm. It is possible that the size and biological quality of chestnut moth eggs do not meet the parameters of the ecological niche of entomophagous feeders of the family Trichogrammatidae. Further researches with use of various types of a trichogramma, first of all — T. dendrolimi Mats appear actual.