Dairy R&D in SA

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.

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.   

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:

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.

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

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

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

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

Discipline: environment; Keywords: methane, nitrous oxide, enteric fermentation, manure management, pasture, range and paddock.

Discipline: Keywords: across-country genetic evaluation, genetic connectedness, genetic progress.

South Africa and Kenya rank among the top milk producing countries in Africa, whereas Zimbabwe ranks in the middle. These countries are unique on the continent in that they implement dairy production breeding programmes. South Africa has the highest milk yield per cow, with opportunities to export to other countries. South Africa is also often used as the main reference point for dairy improvement in Africa because countries such as Kenya, Zimbabwe and Rwanda source South African animals to improve their national dairy herds. Kenya and Zimbabwe may also serve as reference points for genetic evaluations in other countries of Africa.