Dairy R&D in SA

by Heinz Meissner

Click on any of the publications below to read more about the specific topic:


  • POSSIBLE CHANGES IN HEARTWATER DEMOGRAPHICS AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.

    Discipline: disease; Keywords: climate change; control; diagnosis; epidemiology; heartwater; ruminants; survey.

  • AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO ANALYSE DAIRY PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN SA.

    Discipline: farm analysis; Keywords: systems dynamic model, costs, management intervention, sub-models.

  • BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF LIVER FLUKE.

    Discipline: liver fluke; Keywords: Bacillus, molluscicidal activity, snail host, pathogenicity, Lymnaea columella.



    This report is about progress on the research done by UKZN, cited below. The aim of the project is to identify a biological control agent antagonistic to the aquatic snails which serve as intermediate host of liver fluke. It is believed that Bacillus spp. are potential bacterial antagonists of these aquatic snail hosts, and therefore the intention is to screen a large number of Bacillus isolates for molluscicidal activity.

  • INFLUENCE OF N FERTILISATION ON SOIL HEALTH AND PASTURE PRODUCTION

    Discipline: pastures; Keywords: soil health, fertilisation, nitrogen mineralisation, pasture yield, area differences.



    Soil health is essential for sustainable agriculture and pasture production; however, there are limited studies that have directly examined the relationship between soil health, pasture productivity as well as the influence of fertilisers concurrently. Therefore, the research by the author cited below addressed the gap in the literature by examining the said relationship.   

  • ANTI-CATTLE CAMPAIGN – ARGUMENTS TO REFUTE CLAIMS

    Discipline: dairy production; Keywords: greenhouse gas, global warming, fossil fuel, methane, nitrous oxide, water use, animal foods, plant-based foods.



    The claims and accusations in the campaign have been researched from various perspectives. The response by the author plus associated information is summarized below:

  • PROBIOTIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA.

    Discipline: dairy & health; Keywords: probiotics, Lactobacillus, antibiotic sensitivity, antimicrobial activity, acid and bile resistance.



    The purpose of the study by the authors cited below was to characterize Lactobacillus isolates from bovine and dairy origin for their probiotic attributes, with the aim of assessing their safety for human use. The probiotic properties evaluated were acid and bile resistance, bile salt hydrolase activity, antimicrobial activity, antibiotic sensitivity, gelatinase and lipase production, and hemolytic activity.

  • INCLUDING FERTILITY IN SELECTION INDICES.

    Discipline: breeding; Keywords: breeding values, cow fitness, genetic improvement, heritability.                                                                                      

  • WATER SAVING AND EFFECTIVE USE.

    Discipline: environment; Keywords: drought, water shortages, veld and pasture, sediment, water infiltration, water quality.

  • A JOURNEY TOWARDS NEGATIVE NET CARBON EMISSIONS ON DAIRY FARMS.

    Discipline: environment; Keywords: greenhouse gas emissions, soil carbon, pasture, dairy farms.

  • EFFICIENCY MEASURES ANALYSED FROM AMRS DATA.

    Discipline: breeding; Keywords: automatic milk recording system, efficiency measures, milk yield, liveweight, Kleiber ratio, component value.