Department of Animal Nutrition and Husbandry

Scientific research activity

The performance of the research tasks of the department is organisationally, materially and technically supported through VEGA grant projects, APVV grant projects and a project funded by the Structural Funds for the field of basic research in nutritional physiology, metabolism, production quality, nutritional prevention of disorders, and creation of productive health. The research and professional activities in terms of species focus on cattle, especially dairy cows, with a significant extension of scope to pigs and poultry as well as companion and domestic animals. In terms of content and methodology, the research and professional activities of the workplace are aimed at analytical evaluation of the quality and health safety of feed, biological evaluation of the level of nutrition concerning rumen fermentation, quantity and quality of production, biological completeness and health harmlessness of foods, metabolic testing of the nutrition - production relationship through the analysis of energy, protein, and mineral metabolism when evaluating nutritional levels and analysis of the risk of nutritional burden. The research activities also focus on preparing a proposal for a quality evaluation system for bulk feed and TMR for application in the analytical practice of commercial laboratories as well as on the evaluation of the level of nutrition on dairy farms. For monogastric animals, the research aims to verify the most suitable methods for assessing the effects of nutrient composition, mutual interaction relationships of nutrients, and technological treatment of feed on the nutritional and dietary value of feed focusing on protein quality.

Based on the gained knowledge, the research aims to:

• specify the requirements for meeting nutritional and energy needs, focusing on the effective use of proteins and the reduction of the burden on the environment
• extend knowledge of using synthetic amino acids, selected specific active substances and additives for animal production, feed conversion, metabolism, health status, and environment.

The scientific research activities of the workplace aim attention at the diagnosis and aetiology of individual types of pathogenic bacteria causing mastitis in ruminants, their virulence factors and the determination of antioxidant markers in blood and milk. In addition to domestic projects, the department participates in international projects aimed at developing and updating anti-mastitis methodological procedures for breeders and breeding associations of dairy cows, sheep and goats as well as practical recommendations for the supplementation of organic additives, microelements and vitamins for higher antioxidant and immunostimulatory efficiency of the mammary gland.

Projects:

• VEGA 1-2606/08: Influence of the quality of bulk feed on the digestibility and metabolism of nutrients in ruminants. Solution period: 2008-2010
• VEGA 1/0677/08: Nutritional-dietetic evaluation of feeds concerning nutrient metabolism and production indicators in monogastric animals. Solution period: 2008-2010
• VEGA 1-0384-08: Diagnostically significant properties of enterotoxigenic Staphylococus spp. isolated from mastitis and raw milk of ruminants in selected locations in Slovakia. Solution period: 2008-2010
• APVV-0629-07: Aetiology and pathogenesis of ruminant mastitis caused by Staphylococcus sp. and health harmlessness of the produced milk. Solution period: 2008-2010
• APVV-0679-10: Pathogenesis, prevention and suppression of mastitis caused by bacteria of environmental origin and their effect on milk quality. Solution period: 2010-2013
• VEGA 1/0773/11: Analysis and assessment of mineral metabolism in the relationship soil - plant - animal. Solution period: 2011-2013
• VEGA 1/0970/11: Analysis of causes and nutritional prevention of disorders of dairy cows. Solution period: 2011-2013
• VEGA 1/0878/11: Biological evaluation of the nutrition of monogastric animals using specifically active substances in relation to production, health and the environment. Solution period: 2011-2013
• VEGA 1-0449-13: The role of coagulase-negative staphylococci in the aetiology of mastitis of ruminants in Slovakia, some of their diagnostically significant properties and their influence on milk quality. Solution period: 2013-2015
• VEGA 1/0373/15: The level of mineral metabolism of animals in relation to modified feeds. Solution period: 2015-2017
• VEGA 1/0663/15: Effect of feed additives on production health of animals. Solution period: 2015-2017
• VEGA 1/0785/16: Nutritional influence on the regulation of the amount and components of milk in dairy cows. Solution period: 2016-2018
• VEGA 1/0510/16: Prevention and mitigation of ruminant mastitis caused by Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus spp. and the study of their diagnostically significant properties. Solution period: 2016-2018
• EFSA – Grant: 19314410-2018, Aetiology and resistance of bacterial pathogens of mastitis in dairy cows and sheep herds situated in marginal parts of Slovakia. Solution period: 2018
• APVV bilateral SK/PL/18/0088, Influence of environmental causes of mastitis on milk quality and antioxidant status in cows and sheep. Solution period: 2019-2020
• VEGA/1/0529/19, Influence of environmental causes of mastitis on the formation and degree of oxidative stress in production dairy cows and ewes. Solution period: 2019 – 2021
• VISEGRAD FUND: 22010056, Factors determining the occurrence of bovine mastitis in dairy farms situated in marginal regions. Solution period: 2020 – 2022
• VEGA no. 1/0402/20: Effect of additives in the nutrition of monogastric animals on production health, production, product quality and the environment. Solution period: 2020 – 2023.
• Project ŠF Demand-oriented research for sustainable and innovative foods, guarantor SPU Nitra, Activity 10 no. New approaches to reducing the consumption of antibiotics in animal nutrition in the context of strengthening food safety and food quality. Solution period: 2020 – 2023
• NAWA: Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange: PPI-APM-2018-1-00010-U-001 Cultural heritage of small homelands (member of the research team: MVDr. František Zigo, PhD.). Solution period: 2019 – 2021
• SAIA Slovakia - Austria 2022-05-15-001: The effect of udder pathogens on the production and degree of oxidative stress in dairy cows. Solution period: 2022-2023
• VEGA/1/0529/19, Reducing the use of antibiotics in dairy mastitis control programs. Solution period: 2023 – 2026
• APVV-22-0457: Antibiotic-free approaches to control dairy mastitis with increased environmental hygiene on production farms. Solution period: 2023 – 2027