September sees the European Poultry Nutrition Symposium being hosted in the beautiful city of Dubrovnik, and I hope to see many members attending the conference. The WPSA will be holding their annual board meeting just prior to this event, as are other allied associations, taking advantage of the availability of delegates to attend other meetings as well as the sessions. So, if you haven’t already registered, please show your support for the organisers and the sponsors by doing so.

The current issue of the WPSJ includes papers covering topics related to nutrition and specialist feed ingredients, disease and vaccination, laying hens and egg production, reproductive physiology and a comprehensive review of performance factors. The increase in reviews regarding alternatives to antibiotics continues unabated, due to the impending bans for in-feed disease control expected across countries outside of the EU in the next few years, and in the editorial office we are expecting this trend to continue. Human disease from consumption of poultry meat remains a headline-grabber in the popular and academic media, and the industry is very proactive in putting control measures into place, even when the main issue of gastroenteritis in humans is, in reality, a problem from red meat and poor hygiene in the kitchen, as previous WPSJ reviews have ably demonstrated. Other pertinent issues in the poultry world include welfare and animal care – and we always welcome more review papers on these topics from authors – so please send them in.

Again, and I know I have mentioned this before, all authors need to ensure their summary is a true summary of the findings from their review, including average doses, responses, benefits etc. The summary is the first point of contact with people searching online for relevant papers and information. If they are not members, then they can only see the summary, so this must be comprehensive in order to maximise downloads of the complete papers or citation based on the summary. All journals are graded by their impact factor, which is calculated from the number of times a paper is cited in one year after publication or as a five-year average. To keep our impact factor competitive, maximising information from summaries is essential.

Dr Lucy Waldron

Editor

China has been the world's largest producer of eggs for the last 30 years. There have been considerable recent changes in the structure of the egg industry due to rapid economic growth, improved supply chains and favourable prices. Since 2012, revenue from poultry has increased by 8.7% on average. Annual growth rate of egg production has been approximately 0.6 million tonnes per year from 2000 to 2016 (FAO, 2017), and 2016 saw the total eggs produced reaching a peak of 31 million tonnes. Egg production in China continues to provide the population with a significant proportion of their intake of high quality dietary protein. Egg consumption is expected to continue to increase with the rise in the urban population. It is probable that the highest increase in demand for eggs will be for ‘out of home’ consumption and in processed food products. These levels of production are associated with the spread of intensive systems. The poultry sector is no longer dominated by hundreds of millions of smallholders keeping birds as a side-line activity and many small farmers have ceased production. Chinese consumers are becoming more focused on the quality and safety of eggs. Future developments in the egg production are expected to concentrate on quality, safety and traceability of eggs.

This review provides a synopsis of nutritional strategies used to improve the efficiency of feed efficiency (FE) of broilers at a given nutrient density. A small reduction in feed intake can improve FE as a function of improved nutrient digestibility and or post-absorptive metabolism. Restriction of nutrient intake to slow down growth during the mid-growth period followed by reinstatement of conventional feed afterwards, may lead to compensatory growth and improved FE. Replacement of part of the dietary starch with a slowly digested starch source has been shown to help improve growth performance and FE, perhaps by sparing amino acid catabolism by enterocytes, and/or through more synchronised uptake of glucose and nitrogen by the systemic circulation. Development of a larger, more functional gizzard, through provision of feed with coarser particles or structural fibre has been shown to improve digestibility and efficiency of nutrient utilisation. Although broilers are often fed pelleted diets which achieve better growth performance than a mash counterpart, the particulars of the process, including pellet quality, pelleting temperature, and particle size within pellets are important determinants of the magnitude of the pelleting response. Use of the high doses of phytase, often referred to as phytase super-dosing, targeting more complete phytate destruction have been shown to improve FE of broiler fed commercial diets. It can be speculated that combined use of these strategies could potentially help improve FE by between 8 to 10 points (0.08-0.1).

Agroindustry wastes from tomato, olive, date and sunflower processing have valuable nutritional characteristics, and could be included in poultry rations to facilitate reducing feeding costs. By-products of tomato and olive processing can be supplemented in the diet of broilers and laying hens by up to 10% without detrimental effects on production, whilst improving the biochemical blood profile and enhancing the oxidative status of birds. Published research has shown that feeding sunflower and date wastes could be successfully added to diet at high inclusion levels (up to 30 and 40%, respectively) resulting in heavier broiler carcasses and increased number of eggs produced by laying hens. In this paper, applications of agricultural wastes and by-products in poultry feeding is reviewed, and the documented and novel findings related to their influence on poultry production, health and gut microbiota are discussed.

Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing cytosine-phosphate-guanosine sequence (CpG) is considered as an immune stimulator when it is fed to animals. These synthetic molecules mount different immune responses in the animals including mice, chickens, ducks, dogs and horses. CpG ODNs induce specific antigenic immunity against co-administered vaccines and are well tolerated in healthy individuals and are capable of stimulating toll-like receptors (TLRs) such as TLR-9 to activate innate immunity. The CpG ODNs can be used as an adjuvant in different vaccines synthesised specifically for poultry diseases caused by viruses and bacteria. In chickens, CpG ODNs stimulate TLRs involved in humoral immunity. CpG ODNs have been used as mucosal vaccine adjuvants against several pathogens, including avian influenza and Newcastle disease. The CpG ODNs function to protect the chickens from Newcastle disease by producing plasma dendric cells (pDCs) which ultimately produce interferons (INFs). The inoculation of CpG ODNs along with the cationic microparticles and DNA vaccine for infectious bursal disease virus result in the influx of T cells and a reduction of antigen load. When CpG ODNs are used against avian leucosis, they result in significantly higher antibody titres. In many other vaccines e.g., infectious laryngotracheitis, infectious bronchitis, herpes, viral enteritis, Marek's disease virus, E. coli and Salmonella spp. including CpG ODNs exhibit immunostimulatory effects. In conclusion, CpG ODNs may be used as effective adjuvants in viral, bacterial and parasitic vaccines in poultry.

Origanum vulgare is a natural, less toxic, residue free feed supplement for poultry when compared to other synthetic ingredients. It contains key bioactive components, including as thymol and carvacrol. O. vulgare as a poultry feed supplement has had an antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, immunomodulatory and antiparasitic effect. The potential advantages of utilising oregano extracts, in poultry diets include improved feed intake and feed conversion, enhanced digestion, expanded productive performance, down-regulated disease incidence and economic losses. From the available literature, average inclusions of oregano essential oil up to 600 mg/kg in broiler diets increased body weight gain. Using 1% oregano oil in broiler diets improved feed conversion ratio and feed utilisation. Moreover, oregano can induce a marked improvement on the intestinal microbiota and ileal villus height of broilers when combine with attapulgite by ratio 15 mg/kg of oregano. Broilers fed 300 ppm oregano oil in their diet display higher IgG titres relative to those reared on control (without supplementation) diet. Including 240 mg oregano supplementation per kg diet appears to give an optimum level for protecting broiler chickens from C. perfringens infections. Bioactive components extracted from O. vulgare parts could be used in poultry diets levels of 10 to 30 g/kg. This review includes information on the use of O. vulgare and its derivatives in poultry nutrition. To maximise the overall productivity of poultry, oregano may be used as a natural alternative to antibiotics and drugs due to the absence of side effects and residues.

Artificial insemination (AI) technology use in poultry production has enabled the rapid dissemination of genetic material from a small number of superior males to a high number of females. Excellent fertility in poultry can be obtained by AI compared to natural mating. Successful application of this technique needs good quality semen that should be inseminated very close to the sperm storage tubules in the female to obtain the optimum fertility in chicken. Since the 1950s, AI has been used in commercial poultry production, initially in Israel and Australia, followed by the USA. Doses of spermatozoa required for AI increases with storage time or that obtained from aged bird. The average volume of semen is between 0.05-0.50 ml in light chicken breeds and 0.1-0.9 ml in heavy males. In light turkeys, volume is 0.08-0.30 ml, whereas in heavy-weight males it is 0.1-0.33 ml. Quality evaluation of semen gives an indication of the male reproductive potential and is the major determinant of fertility and subsequently hatchability of eggs. Semen from cockerels contains between 3-7 billion sperm cells/ml. Among the several factors that influence the semen quality, sperm motility is a primary determinant of fertility in domestic fowls; however, visual examination of semen cannot be ignored for successful AI under field conditions. Dilution of low and viscous volume of avian semen is essential for handling and storage, and chicken semen typically requires a two to three-fold dilution. Collected samples should be preserved at 2-8°C for avian species, ideally with turkey sperm stored at 4-8°C, and chicken semen at 7-8°C for good fertility. Currently, the technique of AI in most of the poultry species is well developed; however, there is a need for successful development programme of this technique in non-domesticated birds to assist in creating viable, self-sustaining populations of critically endangered species.

In the last few decades, there has been growing interest in the use of agricultural wastes as feed ingredients in poultry diet to maximise their potential output. Many wastes of the agroindustry (e.g. citrus, grape, pomegranate and apple processing) have significant antioxidant properties, due to their bioactive compounds (polyphenols, flavonoids). It has been reported that citrus and grape wastes can be successfully included in broilers diets up to 3%, which increases carcass and meat yield and reduces abdominal fat (by 10% on average). Pomegranate can be included up to 2% supplementation and is associated with improved feed efficiency (by 12% in broilers). Apple by-products can be formulated up to 5% in diets for meat-type broilers and up to 10% in laying hens diet to reduce oxidative stress. Therefore, the application of these by-products in poultry diets could combine the positive effects of improving the qualitative characteristics of animal products as well as human health with reducing concerns related with their disposal into the environment. In this review, the findings on the effects of some agricultural wastes, from typically-cultivated products originating in Mediterranean and Middle East regions on poultry performance, carcass characteristics, immune response, plasma constitutes, intestinal microbiota and enzyme activity are reviewed and discussed.

Royal Jelly (RJ) is product from bees that is used to feed larvae in the hive as well as a main nutritional source for the queen honey bee. It has various important biological activities including as an antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cholesterol-lowering, and growth promoter activities and has the ability for inhibition of certain enzymatic degradation. It can be used for the improvement of growth performance, gut health and quality and safety of animal products in poultry due to its antioxidant and immune modulating properties. The antioxidant activity of RJ is mainly due to the presence of polyphenolic compounds. It is an excellent source of B and C vitamins and folic acid. The mineral profile of RJ is useful as it contains major macro and micro minerals. Studies conducted on supplementation with RJ in poultry diets have shown a significant increase in body weight, egg production, and immune levels and is especially useful in organic production. Supplementation of RJ at the level of 10 and 15 mg/kg in layer diets positively influenced egg weight (by 5.0% and 4.8% respectively), egg production (10.5% and 11.0% respectively), weight gain of hens (7.0% and 6.5% respectively) and yolk pigmentation (9.5% and 9.7% respectively). Total leukocyte and erythrocyte counts in the diet containing 200 mg/kg RJ were significantly higher than the diet contained 100 mg/kg or the unsupplemented control group. However, the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio and heterophil percent were reduced in RJ-fed groups. Supplementing poultry diets with RJ offers an opportunity to maximise profit from safe and high quality poultry production.

In the adult hen, the oviduct receives the ovum from the ovary and provides the biological environment for the formation and potential fertilisation of the egg. During egg formation, albumin, from the magnum is deposited around the yolk, followed by the eggshell membranes from the isthmus, which subsequently surround the egg. As the yolk traverses through the oviduct, calcium is deposited on to it, from the uterus, forming a hardened eggshell. Ovalbumin, avidin and ovomucin secreted from magnum provides content and antimicrobial activity in the egg-white. Collagen X and fibrilin 1 from the isthmus make up the fibrous eggshell membranes. Calbindin 1, ovocleidin-116 and secreted phosphoprotein 1 secreted from the shell gland contribute in calcium ion remodelling for eggshell mineralisation. This review summarises the expression pattern and functional role of genes having a leading role in the egg formation.

Birds have evolved in direct contact with natural nanoparticles (NPs) that are identical to artificial trace-element NPs. This relationship, the high action potential and their ability to reduce environmental pollution make NPs a promising component of bird diets. However, from available published studies there is no unity in justifying the applied dosages of NPs and their calculations. NPs are used in the studies in various doses, for example: Cu 0.5-50 mg/kg, Ag 10-1000 mg/kg, Se 0.2-5 mg/kg, Cr 500-1500 ppb. Therefore, universal approaches and criteria of NP investigations are necessary for the establishment of their use in feed.

The mechanisms of action of the trace elements in artificial NPs in birds vary from the those of ionic forms of trace elements, which determine the differences in the productive effect. According to data from different authors, chickens receiving NPs in feed have higher chickens body weight by 13-24%. Such benefits have increased interest in sources of trace-element NPs significantly over the past two decades. The design of trace-element NPs has led to promising developments in the safe use of NPs for poultry nutrition, such as coating NPs with inert substances and adjusting their size. However, constraining circumstances determined by the difficulty of predicting the toxic properties of nanostructures exist, even though artificial trace-element NPs are a relatively safe class of nanostructures due to their production requirements, and metal NPs are already used in human food and medicine. The following review discusses the benefits and potential hazardous effects of NPs and the possibility of using them as feed supplements for poultry.

Pigeon pea (PP), Cajanus cajan, is a plant that is cultivated for human food and animal feed. It exists as a wide range of cultivars, and their flexibility for use in animal rearing systems have made PP popular, especially for small-scale farmers. PP is grown widely in India and in parts of Africa and Central America. The main producers of PP in the world are India, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia, Mozambique, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the West Indies in the Caribbean and Latin America region, Indonesia and the Philippines and Australia. Analysis has shown that PP contains 17.9-24.3% crude protein (CP) in whole grain, and 21.1-28.1% in split seeds, and high protein genotypes contain 32.5%. Optimal levels of utilisation have been shown to improve broiler performance and may reduce daily feed cost. However, PP contains anti-nutritional factors that negatively affect feed efficiency. The use of processing methods such as fermentation, boiling, milling, soaking, and roasting can minimise any harmful effects and improve its nutritive quality, positively enhancing performance parameters. Studies on the use of PP suggested that it can be included at 7.5% of the diet or as 50% substitution for soybean meal in broiler diets.

Compared to 2009, total poultry population in 2016 decreased by 8.63% in Croatia. In this period, the number of hens decreased by 42.50%, turkeys by 12.31%, geese by 66.23%, ducks by 51.06%, and the number of other poultry species decreased by 90.92%. Consumption of poultry meat in all European Union countries combined is estimated at 22 kg per capita per year, which is 59.10% more than in Croatia, where poultry meat is consumed at an average level of 9 kg per capita. A similar pattern relates to the consumption of table eggs, which is 20.67% lower in Croatia than the average yearly consumption of 12.1 kg of eggs per capita in all European Union countries combined. Croatia produces 661 million eggs per year. Out of the total number of table egg producers, most of them use extensive production systems and have less than 4,999 birds at their farms, and only three producers have production capacity which exceeds 100,000 birds. The management of laying hens is mostly by using enriched caged systems. In future, the production of indigenous breeds (Zagorje turkey and Hrvatica hen) is anticipated to have an important role in Croatian poultry production, as these breeds are resistant and endurable, and have the potential to assure self-sustainability of small poultry producers.

The World’s Poultry Science Journal is indebted to Prof J.A. Castello, Prof D.K. Flock, Dr M. Tixier-Boichard, Dr S. Cherepanov and Prof N. Yang for the translations of these summaries.

Professor Dr Rose-Marie Wegner was born on 16 March 1924 in Pegnitz/Tilsit. After an apprenticeship in agriculture from 1943 to 1945 she studied general agriculture in Halle/Saale and in Bonn. She received her Diploma in Agricultural Science from the University of Bonn in 1950 and graduated at the same University in 1952. Thereafter she was employed as a scientific assistant at the Institute of Animal Husbandry and moved in 1961 into the special field of Poultry and Small Animal Sciences. After five years of research and teaching in poultry, rabbits and fur animal production, she was appointed Professor and head of the Breeding and Management of Small Animals section. From January to June 1966 she was guest professor at the poultry science department of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. In 1976 she accepted the position of Director of the Federal Institute for Small Animal Research in Celle, where she worked until her retirement in 1989.

Rose-Marie Wegner joined the WPSA in 1952 when the German Branch was first established. She was elected as board member of the German Branch in 1962 and as secretary in 1972. In 1984 she was elected as secretary of WPSA and served in this position until 1996. She worked very hard over these years for the Association and it was not easy in those days as the automatisation level was low and the financial position of WPSA was poor, resulting in her personal sponsorship of the international organisation over many years. For this the WPSA has great respect for her work and contribution to the association.

In the beginning of her scientific career, Rose-Marie Wegner worked in poultry nutrition. Later she focused on rural work on poultry management systems. As a member of the working group IX, Poultry Welfare and Management, of the European Federation of WPSA she was in close cooperation with colleagues of other countries. In 1985 she organised the International Symposium on Poultry Welfare in Celle. She was actively involved in the development of non-cage systems for laying hens, including get-away cages and aviaries. Under her leadership the Institute of small animals in Celle became an important centre for the development of management systems. At that time the welfare of laying hens was a highly political issue in Germany and Europe, and as director of the research station, Rose-Marie Wegner was exposed to criticism from welfare oriented NGOs as well as of public media and egg industry. By virtue of her friendly but resolute approach, she was able to act as mediator between welfare organisations, farmer organisations and governmental authorities.

As a scientist and secretary of WPSA she was in continuous contact and shared ideas and information with many poultry institutes worldwide. On the basis of her scientific work and her merits as secretary of the WPSA she was accepted in the International Poultry Hall of Fame at the World`s Poultry Congress in Montreal 2000. To acknowledge the meritorious service as secretary of the Association she received also the Macdougall Award in Glasgow in 1994. Furthermore she was awarded the Order of merits of the Federal Government of Germany.

After her retirement she became an Honourable Member of the German Branch and continued participating in the activities and meetings of WPSA.

Rose-Marie Wegner passed away 13 April 2018 at 94 years of age.

Dr Leo S. Jensen passed away on May 23rd at his home in Athens, Georgia, USA. He was born in Bellingham, Washington in 1925. He obtained a B.Sc. at Washington State University in 1949 and a PhD degree in animal nutrition at Cornell University in 1954. His education was interrupted by Army service in World War II and was the recipient of the Purple Heart and French Legion of Honor medals.

He served on the Animal Science faculty at Washington State University for 20 years where he rose to full professor and Chairman of the Graduate Program in Animal and Human nutrition. In 1973 he joined the Poultry Science faculty at the University of Georgia and he retired a D. W. Brooks Distinguished Professor of Poultry Science in 1991. During his career he received several national awards for his research including the Merck Award in 1979. He was also awarded the University of Georgia Creative Research Medal. He served as president of the Poultry Science Association and of the USA branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association.

He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Sylvia Brown Jensen and four children, Peter Jensen (Katrina), Eric Jensen (Rebecca), Kristen Moehring (Jim), and Carol Brightwell (Joe), as well as 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.