This study characterized the physicochemical properties of broiler poultry litter (BPL) produced from intensively reared commercial broilers that were collected from 110 commercial poultry farms at the end of the production cycle (sixth week). A further 20 samples were collected from the end use point where BPL was utilized as a soil amendment by the farmers after a period of storage for improving poultry litter management practices, developing new litter treatment technologies, or enhancing its use as a sustainable resource. The dry matter (DM), moisture, ash, organic matter (OM), and organic carbon (OC) from the manure samples were 83.04, 16.96, 27.08, 72.92, and 42.39%, respectively. The pH, electrical conductivity (EC) (dS m⁻¹), and Kjeldahl nitrogen (N) were 8.43, 5.74, and 24.2 g kg⁻¹, respectively. The BPL from the cement floor had higher levels of P and K than the mud floor. The correlation studies revealed that the OM, C, N, and Zn had significant positive correlations; pH, moisture, and ash had positive correlations; and EC, DM, and Ca had positive correlations. The EC level of BPL negatively correlated with pH, Fe, and Mn. The N content was found to have a highly significant (p < 0.01) positive correlation with the OM, OC, Ca, and Zn content of BPL, and it was found to have a highly significant (p < 0.01) negative correlation with the ash content, pH, and K content of BPL. The P content of BPL showed a positive correlation (p < 0.01) with the K content and a negative correlation with the Zn (p < 0.05) and Fe (p < 0.01) contents of BPL. Zn was found to be negatively (p < 0.01) correlated with the ash content; the pH; and the K, Fe, and P content of BPL. According to the findings of this study, BPL as such at the end of the production cycle is rich in OM, nitrogen, macrominerals, and microminerals; however, at the point of utility (after a period of storage of 4 to 6 months), there was a loss of OM, N, and mineral concentrations, highlighting the importance of proper storage and composting. Overall, this study on the physicochemical properties of broiler poultry litter is crucial for improving agricultural practices, protecting the environment, and preserving the health and safety of human beings and livestock.

The present study was thus undertaken to analyze the genetic diversity of Kilakarsal and Vembur sheep breeds using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers within Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3, 5, 6, 9, and 10 genes

Newcastle disease (ND) is highly contagious and usually causes severe illness that affects Aves all over the world, including domestic poultry. Depending on the virus’s virulence, it can impact the nervous, respiratory, and digestive systems and cause up to 100% mortality. The chIFITM genes are activated in response to viral infection. The current study was conducted to quantify the mRNA of chIFITM genes in vitro in response to ND viral infection. It also examined its ability to inhibit ND virus replication in chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells of the Aseel and Kadaknath breeds. Results from the study showed that the expression of all chIFITM genes was significantly upregulated throughout the period in the infected CEF cells of both breeds compared to uninfected CEF cells. In CEF cells of the Kadaknath breed, elevated levels of expression of the chIFITM3 gene dramatically reduced ND viral growth, and the viral load was 60% lower than in CEF cells of the Aseel breed. The expression level of the chIFITMs in Kadaknath ranged from 2.39 to 11.68 log₂ folds higher than that of control CEFs and was consistently (p < 0.01) higher than Aseel CEFs. Similar to this, theIFN-γ gene expresses strongly quickly and peaks at 13.9 log₂ fold at 48 hpi. Based on these cellular experiments, the Kadaknath breed exhibits the potential for greater disease tolerance than Aseel. However, to gain a comprehensive understanding of disease resistance mechanisms in chickens, further research involving in vivo investigations is crucial.

Background: A study was executed to analyze the genetic resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes through the association of single nucleotide polymorphism markers in Toll-like receptor genes with phenotypic indicator traits in Kilakarsal and Vembur sheep breeds. Methods: The phenotypic traits for analyzing the gastrointestinal nematode infection namely FEC, change in PCV and change in body weight were recorded. The SNP markers in TLR3, TLR5, TLR6, TLR9 and TLR10 genes were employed for genotyping. Competitive allele-specific PCR-based endpoint genotyping was used to type the SNPs. The gene and genotype frequencies were estimated by using the PEAS software program. A complete fixed effects model was utilized for analysis of the association of various genotypes at each SNP with phenotypic indicator traits. Result: The global minor allele frequency of different polymorphic SNP loci ranged from 0.06 to 0.48 with a mean of 0.23, signifying their fitness for the association study. The effect of the farm had no significant influence on FEC and change in body weight, however, had a significant effect on change in PCV (P less than 0.05). No significant difference was detected between the sexes with FEC, change in PCV and change in body weight. The TT genotype in the TLR9_1769_CT locus showed the lowest least-squares mean FEC. The remaining 22 SNP loci showed no significant difference (P greater than 0.05) with mean FEC. Association of 23 TLR SNP genotypes with change in PCV and change in body weight revealed no significant effect (P greater than 0.05).

This study aimed to characterize the physicochemical properties of broiler poultry litter (BPL) produced from intensively reared commercial broiler farming areas in tropical zone of Tamil Nadu, India. The BPL samples were collected from 110 commercial poultry farms at the end of the production cycle (6th week), further 20 samples were collected from the point of utility. The dry matter (DM), moisture, ash, organic matter (OM), and organic carbon (OC) from the manure samples were 83.04 ± 0.77, 16.96 ± 0.77, 27.08 ± 1.18, 72.92 ± 1.18 and 42.39 ± 0.69 per cent respectively. The pH, Electrical conductivity (EC) (ds m-1), and Kjeldahl Nitrogen (N) were 8.43 ± 0.06, 5.74 ± 0.13, and 24.2 ± 0.84 g kg-1 respectively. The BPL from the cement floor had higher levels of P and K (12.74 and 13.28 ) than the mud floor (10.88 and 10.96). According to the findings of this study, BPL as such at the end of the production cycle is rich in OM, nitrogen, macro and micro minerals at the same time at the point of utility there was a loss of OM, N, and concentration of minerals was noticed, which advocate proper storage and composting process.

Objective: The poultry industry is significantly impacted by viral infections, particularly Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), which leads to substantial economic losses. It is essential to comprehend how the sequence of development affects biological pathways and how early exposure to infections might affect immune responses. Methods: This study employed transcriptome analysis to investigate host–pathogen interactions by analyzing gene expression changes in NDV-infected chicken embryos’ lungs. Result: RNA-Seq reads were aligned with the chicken reference genome (Galgal7), revealing 594 differentially expressed genes: 264 upregulated and 330 downregulated. The most overexpressed genes, with logFC between 8.15 and 8.75, included C8A, FGG, PIT54, FETUB, APOC3, and FGA. Notably, downregulated genes included BPIFB3 (−4.46 logFC) and TRIM39.1 (−4.26 logFC). The analysis also identified 29 novel transcripts and 20 lncRNAs that were upregulated. Gene Ontology and KEGG pathways’ analyses revealed significant alterations in gene expression related to immune function, metabolism, cell cycle, nucleic acid processes, and mitochondrial activity due to NDV infection. Key metabolic genes, such as ALDOB (3.27 logFC), PRPS2 (2.66 logFC), and XDH (2.15 logFC), exhibited altered expression patterns, while DCK2 (−1.99 logFC) and TK1 (−2.11 logFC) were also affected. Several immune-related genes showed significant upregulation in infected lung samples, including ALB (6.15 logFC), TLR4 (1.86 logFC), TLR2 (2.79 logFC), and interleukin receptors, such as IL1R2 (3.15 logFC) and IL22RA2 (1.37 logFC). Conversely, genes such as CXCR4 (−1.49 logFC), CXCL14 (−2.57 logFC), GATA3 (−1.51 logFC), and IL17REL (−2.93 logFC) were downregulated. The higher expression of HSP genes underscores their vital role in immune responses. Conclusion: Comprehension of these genes’ interactions is essential for regulating viral replication and immune responses during infections, potentially aiding in the identification of candidate genes for poultry breed improvement amidst NDV challenges.