A case of onion poisoning in a cow.
Abstract Extract There are recorded cases (Cheeke and Schull, 1985) of onion poisoning in cattle and horses that have eaten onions, Allium cepa, but none in New Zealand (Connor, 1977). In this country pigs (Anon, 1978) and a dog (Smith and Ellison, 1986) have been reported as having been poisoned by eating onions. This letter reports a case of poisoning by that plant.
Onion toxicity in farmed animals
Abstract extract Feeding cull onions (A llium cepa) to livestock is practised in onion growing regions around the world. While sheep are able to tolerate onions in their diet, cattle are susceptible to toxicity. Onion poisoning has recently been reported in dairy cows in New Zealand (Carbery, 1999). Given the recent seasonal abundance of onions available for feeding to stock, it seems timely to draw attention to this syndrome.
Investigations on the rôle of organic matter in plant nutrition
1. As the result of decomposition of green manure in a swamp soil, the coarse fractions (including coarse and fine sand) of the surface layer (first 3 inches) decreased by 11·2 per cent. while the fine ones (silt+clay) increased by 9·8 per cent. in the course of 43 days. The effect was less pronounced in the manured soil maintained at 60 per cent. saturation, while no alteration was to be noticed in the case of the unmanured specimens. 2. Treatment with dilute hydrochloric acid prior to dispersion had no appreciable effect on the estimates of mechanical composition obtained in the different cases. Loss in solution was also comparatively small. 3. The silica-sesquioxide ratio increased slightly as the result of decomposition of green manure in swamp soil. The composition of the fine fractions was also altered, the total percentages of the oxides of iron, aluminium and silicon increasing from 90·5 to 99·3 in the course of 71 days. 4. The practical significance of the above and related observations has been discussed.