- develops recommendations for public and private animal husbandry sectors to reduce the dose load to population in contaminated areas,
- works out new ways and approaches to limit the transfer of radionuclides from feed rations to animal products,
- studies the effects of veterinary drugs and feed supplements of mineral and organic origin on the concentrations of radionuclides in animal products,
- develops new and adapts the existing cattle farming techniques with taking into account specific radioactive conditions of a farmland,
- is involved in radioecological monitoring of reference animal-farming sites in the BelNPP surveillance zone,
- provides scientific followup of local initiatives towards social and economic development of the areas affected by the Chernobyl accident,
- provides practical assistance and scientific consultations to public farms and individual farmers in contaminated areas on the specifics of animal keeping, breeding, feeding, reproduction techniques and other associated subjects.
Contact
Phone: +375 232 349 739
E-mail: a.tsarenok@tut.by
Head
Aleksander TSARENOK, PhD AgriScs
Lab Staff
MAKAROVETS Ivan, researcher
NAUMCHIK Aleksander, researcher
GONCHAROV Sergei, researcher
GVOZDIK Aleksander, junior researcher
Background
Founded in 1986 (in former RIR), the Laboratory of Animal Husbandry Problems in Contaminated Territories became immediately involved in elaborating and implementing agricultural protective measures in the animal farming sector of contaminated areas to ensure the safety of locally produced animal products and reduce individual and collective radiation doses to population.
The first decade of research was mainly focused on studying the relations between animal keeping and feeding techniques (quality and composition of forages) and the transition of radionuclides into animal products; physiological state and reproductive functions; long-term radiation effects to the thyroid gland of animals etc.
Since its reorganization in 2012, the lab has been functioning under the present name while preserving and adapting its traditional lines of research to the changing conditions, needs and contemporary demands.
Scientific and practical results
- Monograph “Animal Husbandry under Radioactive Contamination Conditions”;
- Monograph “Americium and Plutonium in Agroecosystems”;
- Catalogue “Innovations and Innovative Technologies in Agrarian Sector”;
- Criteria for conversion from dairy to specialized beef cattle farming;
- Recommendations on keeping domestic water birds (geese, ducks) in personal farmsteads and private farms in contaminated areas;
- Recommendations for beef cattle breeders in contaminated areas;
- Recommendations for dairy goat farmers under radioactive contamination;
- Recommendations on production of standard-compliant, marketable horsemeat in contaminated areas;
- Standard procedure for environmentally safe and competitive production of marketable horsemeat in contaminated areas;
- Recommendations on safe beef production in contaminated areas with keeping 137Cs contamination levels under 160 Bq/kg;
- Recommendations on beef production compliant with the Russian safety standards for 90Sr concentration levels in beef products;
- Recommendations on the use of new recipes of mineral supplements based on rottenstone (aka tripoli) in complex feeds for the dairy and beef cattle raised in contaminated areas;
- Recommendations on optimizing mineral nutrition for young cattle in contamination areas;
- Specifications on “Combined concentrated animal feeds with sapropel” (ТУ ВУ002–2014; ТУ BY 400068342.005-2018);
- Specifications on “Compound lick-bricks with “Ferrocene” adsorbent for the cattle and small ruminants” (ТУ BY 4000683432.001-2014);
- Specifications on “Combined concentrated feeds with “Ferrocene” for the cattle” (TУ ВY 400068342.004-2018).
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Monograph: Full Balanced Diets for High–Yielding Cows
The monograph examines the physiological foundations of cicatricial digestion, metabolism and the role of the liver in metabolic processes in ruminants, dietary specifics for heifers, dry and dairy cows during lactation periods. It contains biochemical criteria for assessing the ration balance and its impact on the quality of milk, effectiveness of the feed mixtures used and the ways to improve the forage reserves and profitability of milk. The book also describes the prevention measures for alimentary diseases in cows and details what challenges may occur for milk production in radionuclide-contaminated areas. The book is intended for agricultural professionals, researchers, graduate and post-graduate students, and all those interested in animal production industries. |
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Monograph: Animal Husbandry under Radioactive Contamination Conditions
The monograph focuses on the recovery issues in the agroindustrial complex of Belarus following the Chernobyl nuclear accident and the resulting large-scale radioactive contamination of farmlands, such as tackling the damages, development of countermeasures in animal husbandry, rational use of farmlands and many others. The book also details on the Simmental breed of cattle raised in contaminated farm areas for beef purposes, presenting its productivity and beef quality characteristics in terms of the age of animals, contamination densities of lands, cesium-137 levels in feed rations and other impacting factors. |
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Monograph: Americium and Plutonium in Agroecosystems
This monograph is dedicated to the transuranic elements – americium and plutonium – and their transition in the ‘soil-to-plants-to-animals-to-agricultural produce’ biological chain. It amasses the results of post-Chernobyl studies carried out directly by the authors of the book, as well as analyses and summarizes the data taken from other reference sources. The book is intended for ecologists, radiobiologists, radiation safety professionals and agricultural specialists, as well as for educators, under-graduate and post-graduate students in the relevant academic fields. |
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Recommendations on lamb meat production in agricultural enterprises, farms and personal households located in radiation-affected territory
Recommendations are intended for managers of agricultural businesses, veterinary medicine specialists, farm owners and household keepers engaged in sheep farming in the homeland territories affected by radioactive contamination following the Chernobyl nuclear accident. |
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Recommendations on the optimization of mineral nutrition of rations for young cattle raised in radionuclide-contaminated territories
The authors study and analyze the levels of macro and microelements in typical feed rations intended for young cattle animals raised in all of contaminated districts of Gomel region and four contaminated districts of Mogilyov region of Belarus. The authors propose targeted recommendations for agricultural business in Gomel and Mogilyov regions on how to optimize the mineral composition of young cattle rations taking into account the local specifics such as deposition densities, feed crops contamination, available forage resources and other factors. |
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Recommendations on the use of new mineral supplement formulas based on rottenstone (tripoli) in complex feed rations for dairy and beef cattle raised in contaminated areas
Recommendations are designed to be used by dairy farm specialists in the areas of radioactive contamination to optimize mineral nutrition of cattle diets and minimize transition of strontum-90 from rations to milk. |
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Recommendations on the use of phosphogypsum-based compound mineral additives in feed rations for lactating cows raised in contaminated areas
This edition analyzes the levels of macro and microelements in typical feed rations for lactating cows in contaminated areas of Gomel region and gives recommendations on the use of mineral supplements made using the phosphogypsum. The recommendations are designed for managers and veterinary medicine specialists of agricultural businesses and farms located in Gomel region territories contaminated with the Chernobyl-origin radionuclides. |
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Combined concentrated animal feeds with sapropel. Technical specification
This document is designed for animal feed manufacturers and offers a comprehensive technical specification for the production of sapropel-based concentrated animal feeds found to contribute to the balanced mineral nutrition of cattle animals and reduce the transfer of radionuclides from feeds to the animal body. |
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Compound lick-bricks based on Ferrocene adsorbent for the cattle and small ruminants. Technical specification
This document is designed for animal feed manufacturers seeking to produce targeted feed additives for the optimization of mineral nutrition of cattle and small ruminants and minimization of the transfer of radionuclides from feeds to the animal body. |
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Combined concentrated feeds with Ferrocene for the cattle. Technical specification
The technical specification is intended for animal feed manufacturers interested in producing Ferrocene-based feed additives to reduce the transfer of cesium-137 from feeds to milk and meat products. |
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Combined concentrated feeds with rottenstone for the cattle. Technical specification
The technical specification is designed for animal feed manufacturers interested in producing rottenstone (tripoli)-based combine feeds intended to optimize mineral nutrition of the cattle and reduce the transfer of cesium-137 and strontium-90 to the animal body. |
Services
- measurements of live animals;
- radiological and zoo-technical analyses of animal feeds and rations followed by specific recommendations on how to optimize mineral nutrition of animals;
- assistance with the optimization of keeping and feeding technologies to improve the quality of animal products and their profitability;
- calculation of well-balanced and nutritional cattle rations with the use of a special software tool “Korall”;
- improvement of reproductive performance in animal farms of contaminated areas;
- open for scientific cooperation and collaborative research in the field of radiobiology and radioecology of animals.
Publications
(The following list features only a few for a quick reference. Details can be made available on request.)
- Levakhin V., Tsarenok A., Droganov I. Animal Husbandry under Radioactive Contamination Conditions. Monograph. Saarbrucken, Germany: Palmarium Academic Publishing, 2014.
- Concentration of 137Cs in muscle tissue of specialized meat breeds of Limousine and Charolais when using paddock grazing method on the territory of radioactive contamination (in Russian). I.V. Yanochkin, A.V. Naumchik, A.F. Gvozdik. Scientific papers collection No. 50. Zootechnical Science of Belarus, Zhodino, 2015. P. 321.
- 3. Gorlov I.F., Levakhin V.I., Tsarenok A.A., Azhmuldinov E.A. Method for Producing Environmentally Safe Meat in Radioactively Contaminated Area. Asian Journal of Animal Sciences 10 (1): p. 99-105, 2016. Knowledgia Review, Malaysia.
- The use of fodder additive based on local sources of mineral raw materials in feeding young fattening cattle within the area of radioactive contamination (in Russian). Makarovets I., Nilova E., Borisenko S. Animal Husbandry and Feed Production, All-Russian Research Institute of Meat Cattle Breeding, Orenburg, 2017. P. 161–167.