University of Kragujevac Digital Archive

VITAMIN E AND SELENIUM IN THE PREVENTION OF NUTRITIONAL MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY IN LAMBS

2026-04-15T17:59:23Z

Title: VITAMIN E AND SELENIUM IN THE PREVENTION OF NUTRITIONAL MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY IN LAMBS Authors: Dosković, Vladimir; Metlić, Milica; Bogosavljević-Bošković, Snežana; Petrović, Milun; Rakonjac, Simeon; Stojanović, Bojan Abstract: The study investigates nutritional muscular dystrophy in lambs and the impact of selenium and vitamin E supplementation in their diet on the occurrence and prevention of this disease. Vitamin E and selenium play crucial roles in the animal body in relation to growth and development, reproduction, production performance, health status, and immunity. The physiological importance of selenium and vitamin E for living organisms is based on their strong antioxidant activity. Nutritional muscular dystrophy, also known as white muscle disease (myopathy, NMD), frequently occurs in lambs and older categories of sheep as a result of selenium and/or vitamin E deficiency in the diet. This deficiency, together with a high intake of unsaturated fatty acids, increases the concentration of peroxides in the body. The consequence is degeneration of skeletal and cardiac muscles. Increased serum concentrations of the enzymes aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase, along with low selenium and vitamin E levels and reduced glutathione peroxidase activity, are the most reliable indicators of nutritional muscular dystrophy in lambs.

EFFECT OF LAYING HEN GENOTYPE ON EGG QUALITY IN A FLOOR REARING SYSTEM

2026-04-15T17:19:32Z

Title: EFFECT OF LAYING HEN GENOTYPE ON EGG QUALITY IN A FLOOR REARING SYSTEM Authors: Rakonjac, Simeon; Bogosavljević-Bošković, Snežana; Dosković, Vladimir; Škrbić, Zdenka; Lukić, Miloš; Petričević, Veselin; Petrović, Milun Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of genotype (Isa Brown and New Hampshire) on egg quality in a floor rearing system. Fifteen eggs per group were collected at 32 weeks of age and analyzed for external and internal quality parameters (egg weight, shape index, albumen height, Haugh unit, yolk color, and shell breaking strength), as well as for chemical composition (dry matter, minerals, protein, and lipids). Eggs from Isa Brown hens exhibited greater egg weight, higher shape index, and superior shell breaking strength, whereas New Hampshire eggs had more intensely pigmented yolks. No significant differences were observed in albumen height or Haugh units between the genotypes. Regarding chemical composition, significant differences were found only in lipid content, which was higher in New Hampshire eggs. No significant differences were detected in dry matter, mineral, or protein content.

THE INFLUENCE OF PARAGENETIC FACTORS ON LAMB BIRTH WEIGHT AND PRE-WEANING GROWTH IN SJENIČKA PRAMENKA

2026-04-15T17:16:18Z

Title: THE INFLUENCE OF PARAGENETIC FACTORS ON LAMB BIRTH WEIGHT AND PRE-WEANING GROWTH IN SJENIČKA PRAMENKA Authors: Petrović, Milun; Bogosavljević-Bošković Snežana; Bogdanović, Vladan; Đoković R.; Rakonjac, Simeon; Petrovic, Miloš Ži.; Mijanović, Jelena Abstract: The investigation of the influence of paragenetic factors (farm, year of birth of the ewes, birth order, type of lambing, sex, as well as the interaction between farm and year of birth and between farm and birth order) on lamb body weight at birth and at 30 and 90 days of age was conducted on 268 ewes of the Sjenička Pramenka breed distributed across three farms in the municipality of Gornji Milanovac, born in the period from 2015 to 2023. The study of lamb growth during the suckling period (birth weight and body weight at 30 and 90 days of age) was carried out on a total of 1,399 lambs. Farm, type of lambing, sex of lambs, the interaction between farm and year of birth, as well as the interaction between farm and birth order had a highly significant effect (P<0.01) on lamb body weight at birth and at 30 and 90 days of age. Year of birth had a highly significant effect (P<0.01) only on lamb body weight at 30 days of age, while birth order had no significant effect (P>0.05) on birth weight, but had a highly significant effect (P<0.01) on body weight at 30 and 90 days of age. The coefficients of determination were highly significant (R<0.01), amounting to 0.273 (27.3%) for birth weight, 0.400 (40.0%) for body weight at 30 days of age, and 0.127 (12.7%) for body weight at 90 days of age.

Enviromental performance of agriculture in the western Balkan countries

2026-04-15T13:25:21Z

Title: Enviromental performance of agriculture in the western Balkan countries Authors: Bekić Šarić, Bojana; Paraušić, Vesna; Tanasković, Snežana; Stanković, Ana Tara Editors: Nedeljković, Miroslav; Jeločnik, Marko; Patarlageanu, Roxana Abstract: Unsustainable agricultural practices cause significant ecological harm, contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. This paper aims to monitor progress the environmental performance of agriculture in five Western Balkan countries, identifying similarities and differences among them. The analysis is based on values from the Environmental Performance Index, published by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, using data for 2020, 2022, and 2024. Across the three years analyzed, Serbia consistently ranked highest in environmental performance of agriculture, while Montenegro (2020; 2024) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2022) ranked lowest. Overall, across the analyzed countries, achieving greater sustainability in agriculture requires agroecological and climate measures to be prioritized within agricultural policies, underpinned by fundamental alignment with the European Union Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027.