Contributed papers presented at the conference organized by International Water Management Institute, Irrigation Dept., Dept. of Agriculture, and Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute.

This research was done to verify the effect of Ecklonia cava water extracts (ECWE) on inhibition of allergic reactions using ovalbumin (OVA)-immunized food allergy mouse model. For in vitro test, 10~100 ㎍/mL of ECWE and OVA were added to splenocytes obtained from OVA-immunized mice. The significant reduction of IgE antibody level in culture supernatants of splenocytes was shown in ECWE adding group at all tested concentrations. In addition, ECWE decreased IL-4 and IFN-γ levels in supernatants of splenocytes. To confirm the effect of ECWE in in vivo test, ECWE was injected to peritoneal cavity of OVA-immunized mice. Subsequently, IgE level was measured in serum and cultured supernatants of splenocytes. As a result, the injection of ECWE (5 and 10 mg/kgㆍBW) significantly attenuated the secretion of IgE antibody in both serum and splenocytes. In conclusion, the present study indicates that ECWE could suppress in a food allergy mouse model through the inhibition of IgE secretion.

In this study, the level of migration of 5 kinds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (toluene, styrene, ethylbenzene, isopropylbenzene and n-propylbenzene) into distilled water from polystyrene-made food containers was measured using Purge and Trap combined with GC/FID. The contents of the VOCs which have regulatory limits in Korea food code only for material specification were determined under three exposure conditions which were 30 min at 60℃, 30 min at 95℃ and actual situation of instant noodle intake. The calibration curve of 5 compounds showed good linearity (r² = 0.9976~0.9995) within the concentration range of 1~50 ng/mL. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were validated at range of 0.041~0.092 and 0.135~0.304 ng/mL, respectively. The average migration contents of 5 compounds were below 5 ng/mL except for styrene. The average contents of styrene were highly detected at 95℃ for 30 min exposure (52.71 ng/mL). Under actual condition at instant noodle intake, the average contents of styrene was 17.23 ng/mL. The results demonstrated that the migration rate of VOCs was related to storage temperature and time.

The role played by adrenergic system in water intake, especially food intake, has long been known in mammals. In avian species, there have been many experiments exploring the effects of the adrenergic system in different sites in the central nervous system in meat- and egg-type poultry. This study was designed to examine the possible effects of intralateral hypothalamic area (ILHy) microinjections of a beta-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, and a beta-adrenoceptor blocker, propranolol, on food and water intake in 3-h food-deprived and 3-h water-deprived broiler cockerels. Our findings suggest that the β-adrenergic system directly affects food especially water intake in broilers. Although isoproterenol significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased food intake for the first 15 min, it reduced food intake during the experiment. Isoproterenol reduced water intake significantly (P ≤ 0.05), which was abolished by pretreatment with propranolol. It is proposed that β-adrenoceptors in LHy play a direct and indirect role in the regulation of food especially water intake in broiler cockerels.

Objetivou-se avaliar o comportamento ingestivo e consumo de água de caprinos e ovinos alimentados com feno ou silagem de maniçoba (Manihot epruinosa Pax &amp; Hoffmann). Foram empregados sete caprinos sem padrão racial definido, com peso médio inicial de 14,6kg e oito ovinos da raça Santa Inês de 13,9kg. Os animais foram mantidos em baias individuais e distribuídos em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 2 x 2 (forma de conservação x espécie animal). Foram avaliados os consumos de matéria seca, matéria orgânica, proteína bruta, fibra em detergente neutro, extrato etéreo, carboidratos totais e carboidratos não fibrosos. Para estudo de comportamento ingestivo, os animais foram observados a cada cinco minutos durante 24h. Os animais alimentados com feno de maniçoba mostraram maior consumo de proteína bruta e extrato etéreo (56 e 24 g/dia) em relação àqueles que receberam a maniçoba conservada pela fermentação (42 e 14g/dia), respectivamente. Não houve diferença entre os tempos de alimentação (405,00 e 399,38 min), ruminação (625,63 e 599,38 min) e ócio (413,13 e 44,01 min) entre os animais alimentados com silagem e feno de maniçoba, respectivamente. No entanto, os animais alimentados com maniçoba conservada mediante fermentação apresentaram menor consumo de água no bebedouro (0,473vs 0,990kg/dia para silagem e feno, respectivamente). Assim, conclui-se que o método de conservação de maniçoba não interferiu no comportamento ingestivo, mas a ingestão da maniçoba conservada mediante fermentação leva ao menor<br>The objective of this study was to evaluate the ingestive behavior and water intake of goats and sheep fed Manihot epruinosa Pax &amp; Hoffmann silage or hay. Seven goats (average live weight 14,6 ± 1,24kg) and eight sheep (average live weight 13,8 ± 1,22kg) were allotted to individual pens. They were distributed in a completely randomized design, 2 x 2 factorial outline composed of silage and hay and two ruminants species (sheep and goats). Dry matter intake, organic matter intake, crude protein intake, neutral detergent fiber, ether extract, total carbohydrates and non fiber carbohydrates intake were evaluated. Animals fed with maniçoba hay had greater intake of crude protein and ether extract (56 and 24g/day) than those who received maniçoba preserved by fermentation (42 and 14g / day), respectively. However, animals fed with maniçoba preserved by fermentation had lower consumption of water in water drinker (0.473 vs. 0.990kg / day for hay and silage, respectively). We concluded that the conservation method of maniçoba does not interfere in feeding behavior, but the intake of maniçoba preserved by fermentation leads to lower consumption of water in small ruminants.

Food and Water Security under Global Change: Developing Adaptive Capacity with a Focus on Rural Africa The project “Food and Water Security under Global Change: Developing Adaptive Capacity with a Focus on Rural Africa” aimed to provide farmers, policymakers, and other stakeholders in Ethiopia and South Africa with tools to make better adaptive decisions in the face of climate-related risk. The project combined household surveys and stakeholder forums, which examined local perceptions of the long-term effects of global warming and adaptive responses, with climate change impact analysis. The results of the study showed that vulnerability to climate change is dependent on a number of factors including the degree to which farmers are exposed to climate change, their sensitivity to climate changes, and their adaptive capacity. Given that the nature of vulnerability will vary depending on these factors and given large spatial differences across regions, policymakers should tailor strategies to reduce vulnerability to local conditions. An effective way to address the impacts of climate change would be to integrate adaptation measures into sustainable development strategies, thereby reducing the pressure on natural resources, improving environmental risk management, and increasing the social wellbeing of the poor. Moreover, early warning of extreme climatic events, such as droughts and floods, can alert farmers to the shocks, enabling them to take action to reduce their vulnerability, such as selling livestock and increasing food stocks. The findings indicate that adaptation strategies need to go beyond improved water storage, additional irrigation, and new crop varieties to include a focus on improving farmers’ access to information, credit, and markets. Information on climate changes and appropriate adaptation responses is critical to ensure that farmers are able to make the necessary adjustments to their farming practices. To ensure that the right information gets to the right people, proactive investments, policies, and extension services must explicitly target those who are most vulnerable to climate change: subsistence farmers, women, children, and marginalized or less-educated groups. Additional investments of US$2 billion per year in public agricultural R&D, rural roads, female secondary education, irrigation, and access to clean water could significantly reduce the adverse effects of climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa. US$5 billion per year could help reduce the number of malnourished children to one-third of its current level over the next fifty years.

1. Many prey organisms show adaptive trait shifts in response to predation. These responses are often studied under benign conditions, yet energy stress may be expected to interfere with optimal shifts in trait values. 2. We exposed the water flea Daphnia magna to fish predation and food stress and quantified both life history responses as well as physiological responses (metabolic rate, stress proteins, energy storage and immune function) to explore the architecture of defence strategies in the face of the combined stressors and the occurrence of trade-offs associated with energy constraints. 3. All traits studied showed either an overall or clone-dependent response to food stress. The chronic response to predation risk was less strong for the measured physiological traits than for life history traits, and stronger under food stress than under benign conditions for age at maturity, intrinsic population growth rate and offspring performance (measured as juvenile growth). Immune function (measured as phenoloxidase activity) was lower under predation risk but only at high food, probably because minimum levels were maintained at low food. 4. Overall, food stress induced stronger adaptive predator-induced responses, whereas more energy was invested in reproduction under benign conditions at the cost of being less defended. Our results suggest that food stress may increase the capacity to cope with predation risk and underscore the importance of integrating responses to different stressors and traits, and show how responses towards one stressor can have consequences for the susceptibility to other stressors.