Climate change has been the major threat to livestock systems sustainability globally. This climate change has provoked many stressors, for instance, cold, heat, humidity, rain, ice and wind, that can directly or indirectly exert influence on the endocrine system and impact the performance of an animal including their production potential, reproductive system and regular estrous cycle. Also, the environmental stressors can contribute to the amenability of animals to infections; it is therefore, vital to understand how stressors alter the animal’s adaptive capacity and efficient methods in coping stress. This review aims at the scientific evidences regarding challenges due to cold stress and its potential mitigation by nutritional interventions. The cold is amongst the most potential environmental stressors which can adversely affect production potential as well as the growth of animals. Under cold stress the animals’ dietary intake increases, but the production capacity declines, furthermore, it can also culminate in physiological fluctuations, behavioral shift, tissue and intestinal impairment and soaring death rate. Maintenance of animal in its thermoneutral zone is important, otherwise any deviation from it proves life threatening. So, to cut back on the economic losses timely course of action must be taken to prevent the damages ascribed to the stressor. To maintain the production performance along with profitability, it is thus recommended to adapt scientific feeding regimens and also incorporate feed supplements (especially vitamins and minerals) to combat the devastating effects of cold stress.

In the current experiment sodium bicarbonate was used as exogenous buffer to assess its effect on growth performance, nutrient utilization, economics of feeding, blood-biochemistry and rumen fermentation pattern of lambs finished in feedlots. A total of fifteen (15) crossbred male lambs (nearly 11 months age, 20.49±0.74 kg body weight) were selected and randomly allocated five replicates (n=5) to three treatments. The lambs in control group (C) were fed basal diet containing roughage and concentrate (R:C) in the ratio of 60:40, while treatment groups fed feedlot rations having R:C ratio of 20:80 without (F) or with Sodium bicarbonate supplementation (FSB) @ 1% dry matter intake (DMI). A feeding trial of 74 days (including 14 days acclimatization period) was conducted, followed by a 10 days metabolism trial at the end of the experiment. The results revealed non-significant differences (p>0.05) in terms of dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG, g/d), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and digestibility coefficients of nutrients. The digestible crude protein (DCP%) values of rations were significantly higher (p≤0.05) in the FSB group, but no significant difference (p>0.05) was observed in total digestible nutrients (TDN%) values among treatments. Non-significant differences (p>0.05) were observed in digestible DMI (kg/d), DCP intake (g/d), and TDN intake (kg/d) between the experimental groups. Nitrogen balance showed non-significant differences (p>0.05) among the groups. In FSB group, the reduction in feeding cost and production cost per kg live weight was lesser than F and C group. The haemato-biochemical parameters viz., Haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), blood glucose, alanine transferase (ALT), aspartate transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) showed improved effect on incorporating Sodium bicarbonate as a feed additive in feedlot ration, however, the results were non-significant (p>0.05), but serum creatinine values were significantly higher (p≤0.05) in feedlot groups than control. Rumen pH, total volatile fatty acids (TVFA), ammonia nitrogen, Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitable nitrogen and non-protein nitrogen (NPN) values showed no significant difference (p>0.05) among the treatment groups, however, total nitrogen values of rumen liquor were significantly (p≤0.05) higher in feedlot groups than control. So, the present experiment successfully demonstrates the positive effect of incorporating Sodium bicarbonate as a feed additive on the performance of feedlot reared lambs without any adverse effect.

This study was conducted using the first-lactation records of 1092 Vrindavani crossbred cattle to compare the relative efficiency of an artificial neural network (ANN) versus multiple linear regression for predicting the first-lactation 305-day milk yield (FL305DMY). The two input sets used for predicting FL305DMY in the study were input set-1: first four monthly test-day milk yields, age at first calving, and peak milk yield; and input set-2: first four monthly milk yields, age at first calving, and peak milk yield. The ANN was trained using a backpropagation algorithm based on Bayesian regularisation, and the algorithm was tested using four sets of training and test data at ratios of 66.67:33.33, 75:25, 80:20, and 90:10. The results revealed that the coefficient of determination showed no regular trend with decreasing the test dataset. Nevertheless, the observed values were highest for the 90:10 ratio of training-test data for both input sets, with the lowest root mean square error. The ANN model outperformed the multiple linear regression model when predicting FL305DMY, with an accuracy of 79.09% for input set-1 and 83.67% for input set-2, with the lowest root mean square error values for both input sets. Therefore, the ANN model can be used as an alternative technique to predict FL305DMY in Vrindavani cows.

The current study evaluates the macro- and micro-mineral profiles, assesses heavy metal concentrations, and determines the in-vitro digestibility of various aquatic macrophytes collected from Dal Lake, Manasbal Lake, Hokersar Lake, and Anchar Lake. The macro-mineral analysis reveals significant variations among different species in each lake, highlighting the nutritional diversity of these aquatic plants. Lemna minor from Dal Lake, Azolla cristata from Manasbal Lake, Rumex rupestris from Hokersar Lake, and Lemna minor and Azolla cristata from Anchar Lake exhibited noteworthy macro-mineral concentrations. In terms of micro-minerals, Copper (Cu) concentrations were consistent among macrophytes from Dal Lake, while Fe levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in Nymphaea tetragona. The study found similar trends in micro-mineral concentrations in macrophytes from other lakes. The heavy metal analysis demonstrated varying concentrations among macrophytes in Dal Lake and Manasbal Lake, with some species showing potential as phytoremediators. The outcomes of in-vitro digestibility revealed significantly higher (p < 0.05) digestibilities of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in weeds Nelumbo nucifera, Trapa natans, and Lemna minor sourced from Dal Lake, whereas, Nymphaea tetragona from Manasbal Lake also revealed significantly higher values (p < 0.05). Significantly lower (p < 0.05) in-vitro digestibility values were revealed by Typha angustata, Nymphoides aquatica, and Ceratophyllum demersum from Nigeen Lake, likewise Nymphoides peltata sourced from Anchar Lake exhibited lower values. The study emphasizes the impact of environmental factors on mineral accumulation and the potential use of aquatic plants for nutrient removal and phytoremediation.

The present experiment aims to investigate the comparison between feeding of wheat straw and paddy straw in combination or as sole roughage. A total of eighteen local non-descript adult male goats (14±02 months age; 28.90±0.66 kg body weight) were selected for the experiment. The animals selected were equally assigned into three groups (n=6) viz.WS, PS and WP, and were fed concentrate mixture and either wheat straw (WS); paddy straw (PS) or a mix of wheat straw and paddy straw (WP) in 60:40 ratio ad libitum as roughage. A feeding trial of 30-days was conducted followed by a metabolism trial of 7-days at the culmination of trial. The results disclosed non-significant difference in terms of average feed intake, mean body weight, metabolic body weight (W0.75), and digestibility of nutrients viz. dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), nitrogen free extract (NFE) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) among the experiment groups. The balance of nitrogen also revealed non-significant difference among the treatment groups, irrespective of their diets. The feeding cost also showed depreciation when the wheat straw was mixed with paddy straw, which resulted in a saving of about 16.5% of feeding cost, without affecting performance, intake and nutrient digestibility of straw. Thus, it could be concluded that wheat straw and paddy straw show potential to be utilized in combination (60:4) without affecting the nutrient intake, their digestibility and performance of goats.

Nipah virus (NiV) infection is an emerging zoonotic disease transmitted to humans via infected animals (such as bats), or food contaminated with saliva, urine, and excreta of infected animals. According to the WHO R&D Blueprint for Epidemics, Henipavirus nipahense (also known as the Nipah virus) is a priority pathogen for the development of medical countermeasures to respond to epidemics and pandemics. Direct transmission from person to person through close contact with an infected person is also possible. Fruit bats or flying foxes, (Pteropus species) are considered the natural hosts for the virus. The Case Fatality Rate (CFR) ranges from 40% to 75% in prior epidemics in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore, depending on local capacities for clinical management and early diagnosis. There is no approved medication or vaccination for NiV infection at present. In order to treat severe respiratory and neurological problems caused by NiV infection, early intensive supportive care and symptomatic treatment is advised. The present article is a compilation of various past studies to put emphasis on the current scenario of Nipah virus borne zoonosis and its effect on human lives.