In the current study, fennel essential oil was used as an antibiotic alternative compared to gentamycin for enhancing the expression of apoptosis genes and antioxidant enzymes in weaned rabbits as well as meat quality and growth performance. The gene expression of the cell lymphoma 2 (BAX and BCL2), caspase3 (CASP3), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX1) were estimated in the liver tissue using qRT-PCR. A total of 45 Moshtohor weaned male rabbits aged four weeks were randomly allocated to control, T1, and T2 treatment groups; each consisted of 15 weaned male rabbits with five replicates. Rabbits in the T1 and T2 groups were orally supplied with 1 mL fennel oil and 1 mL gentamycin, respectively. Weaned rabbits under different treatments showed increased body weight (BW) at 8 and 12 weeks of age and average daily gain (ADG) at 4–8 and 4–12 weeks of age compared to the control group. Compared to the controls, the weaned rabbits supplemented with fennel oil and gentamycin had lower total cholesterol, triglyceride, and MDA. In addition, villus length, mRNA of BAX, BCL2, Casp3, and GPX were increased in the different treatments compared to the control. Furthermore, the meat of these rabbits was less tender, had a lower aerobic plate count (APC), pH, and was brighter and redder in color than the control. Under the conditions of the present study, the supplementation of weaned Moshtohor rabbits with fennel oil as a natural alternative for gentamycin enhanced feed conversion and daily gain through enhancing villus length and mucus thickness. Additionally, fennel essential oil reduces oxidative stress by increasing the antioxidant enzymes.

In Russia 45156.3 tons of waste were generated from agriculture, forestry, hunting, fishing and fish farming according to statistics for 2020. 1200 tons of manure are formed per day in Tyumen region. The volume of accumulation of such manure is 432,000 tons per year. But at the same time, manure is a source of greenhouse gases, their amount can be: CO2 – 21.5 million м3, methane – 12.9 million м3 per year. Due to its unique chemical and biological properties, diatomite is widely used in many areas of agriculture. It can be used as an excellent adsorbent, fertilizer, food additive for animals and birds, an environmentally friendly contact insecticide for pest control of grain, fruit and ornamental plants. To restore the lost fertility (0.6% per year (2032.2 hectares), it is necessary to carry out soil protection measures, as well as to add mineral and organic fertilizers to the soil (11.7 million tons of organic fertilizers annually for 15 years). The availability of a large amount of mineral resources and bird manure makes it possible for researchers to develop the composition and technologies to create organomineral fertilizers.

Animal feeding research has revealed a close relationship between the chemical composition and nutritional value of cow rations, the number of rumen bacterial communities and animal productivity. Our present research aimed to investigate the outcome of inclusion of different levels of protein concentrate in rations of Ayrshire dairy cows in relation to the rumen microbiome, reproductive traits and economic value. Forty-five Ayrshire cows were divided into three groups (15 in each). The first control group 0 AM was fed the basal ration, while the second 1 AM and third 2 AM groups were fed the basic ration with the sunflower cake replaced by different levels of protein concentrate Agro-Matic (1 and 1.5 kg/head/day, respectively). Ruminal fluid samples, reproductive parameters and economic value were studied. During the early lactation period, 120 days in milk (DIM), the number of pathogenic microorganisms decreased in both the 1 AM and 2 AM groups when compared with the control group 0 AM; moreover, a significant decrease in Peptococcus bacteria was recorded in the 1 AM group, while Fusobacterium decreased in the 2 AM group. At the end of lactation, the total number of cellulolytic bacteria increased with the use of protein concentrate in animals of the 1 AM group when compared with the control group. Regarding undesirable bacteria, the 2 AM group recorded the highest value for Lactobacilli and Actinobacteria when compared with the 0 AM group (0.18 and 8.90 vs. 0.04 and 4.24), and the differences were significant (p < 0.05). The insemination index and the duration of the days open period decreased in the 2 AM group, while the differences were p > 0.05. The profitability of milk production increased by 2.76% and 6.28% in both supplemented groups, and the differences compared to the 0 AM group were significant. We conclude that the supplementation of Agro-Matic caused no deviations from the normal standards of cellulolytic, amylolytic, transit and pathogenic bacteria, no impact on reproductive functions and significantly improved the profitability of the milk production process of Ayrshire dairy cows.

The purpose of the research was to study the frequency of erythrocyte antigens of 9 genetic systems, the number of genotypes and the frequency of alleles in the F-V system in sires of four breeds at the OAO “Barnaulskoe” Bull stud, as well as to establish indices of genetic similarity between them. The characteristics of 138 sires of Black-and-White breed, 103 of Red-and-White, 106 of Simmental and 270 sires of red breeds have been given. 53 antiserums were used in the tests. The high occurrence of blood factors A₂ (system A), B₂, G₂, O₁, Y₂, G’, O’ and Q’ (system B), C₂, E, W, X₂ (system C), H’ (system S) and Z (system Z) in sures of all four breeds ranged from 0,204 (O’ in sires of Red-and-White breed) to 0,825 (X₂ in the same breed). The frequency of the F antigen in all breeds was maximal and varied from 0,874 in sires of Red-and-White breed to 0,981 in sires of red breeds. On the contrary, the occurrence of blood factors B₁, I₁, I₂, P₁, P₂, Q, T₁, T₂, I’, J₂’, K’, P₁’, Y’, B” and R₁ was significantly lower and amounted to 0–0,130 in sires of Black-and–White breed, 0–0,087 in sires of Red-and-White breed, 0–0,094 in Simmental sires and 0,004–0,137 in sires of Red breeds. Sires of red breeds had all 53 antigens, Black-and-White sires did not have 8, Red-and-White sires did not have 11, and Simmental sires did not have 9 blood factors. There were no significant differences in the value of the genetic similarity index between the animals of the four breeds. However, there was a tendency to increase the similarity between the sires of Black-and-White and Simmental breeds on the one hand and the sires Red-and-White breed on the other (r=0,8837 and 0,8765). The least close breeds are Red-and-White and Simmental on the one hand and Red breeds on the other (r=0,8613 and 0,8585). This is also indicated by the occurrence of genotypes and alleles in the F-V genetic system. Thus, significant differences in the number of all genotypes and frequencies of alleles were revealed between sires of Simmental and Red breeds.

The purpose of the work was a comprehensive evaluation of the productive and reproductive traits of sows of Yorkshire and Landrace breeds and their offspring under the conditions of a breeding enterprise in the Republic of Belarus. During the studies of reproductive traits, it has been revealed that the highest rate of prolificacy among the evaluated breeds was distinguished by Yorkshire sows 14,0 heads for farrowing. In terms of milk content, Landrace sows were 2,5 kg or 4,57 % higher than Yorkshire sows. In terms of weight and socket weight per piglet at weaning at the age of 28 days sows Landrace piglets surpassed herdmates Yorkshire breed in the weight of the litter by 6,8 %, and the weight of one pig by 0,9 %. It has been found by the results of the evaluation of fattening and meat qualities of purebred young pigs that the best parameters were different gilts of Landrace breeds, whose age achieve the live weight of 100 kg was 163,1 days, and average daily gain of live weight – 864,8 g, which was higher than in young pigs of Yorkshire breed by 1,8 day or 1,09 %, and 28,9 g or by 3,46 %. The young pigs of Landrace breed has been characterized by the best values of the area of the “eye of loin” – 73,8 cm² and the highest yield and amount of meat – 68,5 % and 24 kg, which was 11,4 cm² or 18,2 % and 0,4 kg or 3,5 abs.%, respectively, higher than the herdmates of Yorkshire breed. The results obtained indicate the possibility of using boars and sows of Landrace and Yorkshire breeds not only in breeding, but also in industrial pig breeding.

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The characteristic of milk productivity of cows of Holstein and Simmental breeds in LLC “Sibirskaya Niva” in the Maslyaninsky district in the Novosibirsk region has been given. It has been revealed that under the natural and climatic environments of the Western Siberia, when creating favorable conditions for feeding and housing for cows of Holstein and Simmental breeds have sufficiently high milk productivity. It has been found that Holstein first-calf heifers surpassed their Simmental herdmates by 959 kg in milk yield for the first 305 days of lactation under the same conditions of housing and feeding, by 3,1 kg in daily milk yield, by 38,2 kg in milk fat yield, and by 28,3 kg in milk protein yield (P < 0,001). There were no statistically significant differences between animals of Holstein and Simmental breeds in terms of fat and protein content in milk, which amounted to 3,94 and 2,96 % in Holstein breed and 3,97 and 2,98 % in Simmental breed, respectively. Both breeds have shown high milk productivity during the first 3 lactations. Thus, the milk yield of Holstein cows for the first 3 lactation was 6475–9290 kg, Simmental cows it was 5516–7680 kg, fat content was 3,93–3,99 and 3,96–3,97 %, respectively. The protein content in the milk of cows of both breeds did not exceed 3,0 %. High variability has been found in milk yield, yield of milk fat and protein, the coefficient of milk content and duration of lactation, the lowest in the content of protein and fat in milk and live weight. The correlation coefficients between the fat and protein content in milk were generally positive, but did not exceed 0,28. Therefore, breeding in the herd of cows in LLC “Sibirskaya Niva” have to be conducted not only by fat content, but also by protein content in milk.