Quantile regression forests-based modeling and environmental indicators for decision support in broiler farming

An efficient and sustainable animal production requires fine-tuning and control of all the parameters involved. But this is not a simple task. Animal farming is a complex biological system in which environmental parameters and management practices interact in a dynamic way. In addition, the typical non-linear response of biological processes implies that relationships across parameters that are critical to assure animal welfare and performance are difficult to determine. In this paper a novel decision support system based on environmental indicators and on weights, leg problems and mortality rates is proposed to address this issue. The data-driven modeling process is performed by a quantile regression forests approach that allows estimating growth, welfare and mortality parameters on the basis of environmental deviations from optimal farm conditions. Resulting models also provide confidence intervals able to deal with uncertainty. They are deployed in farm, offering an accessible tool for farmers, veterinarians and technical personnel. Experimental results involving 20 flocks of broiler meat chickens from different farms show the validity of the system, obtaining robust prediction intervals and high accuracy, namely over 81% for every model. The in-field use of the proposed approach will facilitate an efficient and animal welfare-friendly production management.This project was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity, General Directorate for Science and Technology, National Research Program ’Retos de la Sociedad’ Project #AGL2013-49173-C2-1-R P.I. Inma Estevez and #AGL2013-49173-C2-2-R. The authors wish to thank to AN and the farmers for facilitating access to their farms for data collection

Ganadería de precisión, una revisión a los avances dentro de la avicultura enfocados a la crianza de pollos de engorde.

Poultry production is one of the industries with the best development within the Panamanian agricultural system, however, for the next few years a growth in food demand caused by population growth is expected. This has led to solutions such as encouraging the emergence of a greater number of producers and boosting intensive animal production. Faced with this problem, a new field of research has emerged called Precision Livestock Farming (PLF), which is defined as the ability to monitor and track in real time the welfare, production, reproduction, environmental impact and health of livestock, using new technologies in artificial intelligence, automation, internet of things and information systems. This article aims to be a review on the fundamentals of precision livestock farming in broiler breeding, gathering current works and their work trends, from bibliographic research bases, with a view to the adoption of this field in future projects within Panama. As a result of this review, it was found that European countries such as Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Italy have the largest number of researchers and works related to this branch, being projects based on sensors, machine learning, artificial vision and sound analysis the current research trends, it was also found that ethical dilemmas related to animal care and welfare are still being discussed within this field.La producción avícola es una de las industrias con mejor desarrollo dentro del sistema agropecuario panameño, sin embargo, para los próximos años se espera un crecimiento en la demanda de alimentos causado por el crecimiento de la población. Esto ha planteado soluciones como fomentar la aparición de un mayor número de productores y potenciar la producción animal intensiva, ante esta problemática ha surgido un nuevo campo de investigación denominado Ganadería de precisión (PLF), este es definido como la capacidad de monitorizar y de dar seguimiento en tiempo real al bienestar, producción, reproducción, impacto ambiental y salud del ganado, empleando nuevas tecnologías en Inteligencia artificial, automatización, internet de las cosas y sistemas de información. Este artículo tiene por objetivo ser una revisión sobre los fundamentos de la ganadería de precisión en la crianza de pollos de engorde, reuniendo trabajos de actualidad y sus tendencias de trabajo, desde bases de investigación bibliográficas, con miras a la adopción de este campo en los proyectos futuros dentro de Panamá. Como resultado de esta revisión se encontró que los países europeos como Bélgica, Países Bajos, Reino Unido e Italia tienen la mayor cantidad de investigadores y trabajos relacionados con esta rama, siendo proyectos basados en sensores, machine learning, visión artificial y análisis del sonido las actuales tendencias de investigación, también se encontró que aún se discuten dilemas éticos relacionados con el cuidado y bienestar animal dentro de este campo

The sequential behavior pattern analysis of broiler chickens exposed to heat stress.

Abstract. Broiler productivity is dependent on a range of variables; among them, the rearing environment is a significant factor for proper well-being and productivity. Behavior indicates the bird´s initial response to an adverse environment and is capable of providing an indicator of well-being in real-time. The present study aims to identify and characterize the sequential pattern of broilers´ behavior when exposed to thermoneutral conditions (TNZ) and thermal stress (HS) by constant heat. The research was carried out in a climatic chamber with 18 broilers under thermoneutral conditions and heat stress for three consecutive days (at three different ages). The behavior database was first analyzed using one-way ANOVA, Tukey test by age, and Boxplot graphs, and then the sequence of the behaviors was evaluated using the generalized sequential pattern (GSP) algorithm. We were able to predict behavioral patterns at the different temperatures assessed from the behavioral sequences. Birds in HS were prostrate, identified by the shorter behavioral sequence, such as the {Lying down, Eating} pattern, unlike TNZ ({Lying down, Walking, Drinking, Walking, Lying down}), which indicates a tendency to increase behaviors (feeding and locomotor activities) that guarantee the better welfare of the birds. The sequence of behaviors 'Lying down' followed by 'Lying laterally' occurred only in HS, which represents a stressful thermal environment for the bird. Using the pattern mining sequences approach, we were able to identify temporal relationships between thermal stress and broiler behavior, confirming the need for further studies on the use of temporal behavior sequences in environmental controller

The Proceeding Of The 1st International Conference Technology on Biosciences and Social Science 2016: “Industry Based On Knowledges

The Proceeding Of The 1st International Conference Technology on Biosciences and Social Science 2016  Theme: “Industry Based On Knowledges” 17th– 19th November 2016, Convention Hall, Andalas University, Padang, West Sumatera, Indonesia Organized by  Animal Science Faculty of Andalas University and Alumbi Center of Universiti Putra Malaysia  &nbsp

African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation

This open access book discusses current thinking and presents the main issues and challenges associated with climate change in Africa. It introduces evidences from studies and projects which show how climate change adaptation is being - and may continue to be successfully implemented in African countries. Thanks to its scope and wide range of themes surrounding climate change, the ambition is that this book will be a lead publication on the topic, which may be regularly updated and hence capture further works. Climate change is a major global challenge. However, some geographical regions are more severly affected than others. One of these regions is the African continent. Due to a combination of unfavourable socio-economic and meteorological conditions, African countries are particularly vulnerable to climate change and its impacts. The recently released IPCC special report "Global Warming of 1.5º C" outlines the fact that keeping global warming by the level of 1.5º C is possible, but also suggested that an increase by 2º C could lead to crises with crops (agriculture fed by rain could drop by 50% in some African countries by 2020) and livestock production, could damage water supplies and pose an additonal threat to coastal areas. The 5th Assessment Report produced by IPCC predicts that wheat may disappear from Africa by 2080, and that maize— a staple—will fall significantly in southern Africa. Also, arid and semi-arid lands are likely to increase by up to 8%, with severe ramifications for livelihoods, poverty eradication and meeting the SDGs. Pursuing appropriate adaptation strategies is thus vital, in order to address the current and future challenges posed by a changing climate. It is against this background that the "African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation" is being published. It contains papers prepared by scholars, representatives from social movements, practitioners and members of governmental agencies, undertaking research and/or executing climate change projects in Africa, and working with communities across the African continent. Encompassing over 100 contribtions from across Africa, it is the most comprehensive publication on climate change adaptation in Africa ever produced

Interaction of fertilization and soybean genotype on number of pods, weight of 1000 grains and grain yield

In the last few decades, new soybean varieties with different characteristics, grain quality and purpose have been created, contributing to its expansion and increase in the cultivation area. Thanks to good agronomic characteristics, soybean has found its place in sustainable production systems. In order to increase the yield and quality of grain in sustainable soybean growing systems, different foliar treatments with different active substances have been increasingly applied. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of the application of EM Aktiv with effective microorganisms on the number of pods per plant, weight of 1000 grains and grain yield of different soybean cultivars grown in an integrated cultivation system. The research was conducted in the period 2016-2019 in the experimental field of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Novi Sad. Varieties from three maturing groups Galina (0 group), Sava (I group) and Rubin (II group) were grown. Variants of fertilization application were: T1 control, T2 EM Aktiv was applied to the soil before sowing 20 l.ha-1, and later in vegetation 6 l.ha-1 (the first foliar treatment in the phase of three to four trefoils and the second before flowering in the budding phase), T3 NPK 8:15:15 300 kg.ha-1 in basic treatment and T4 combination of T2 and T3 treatments

In vitro antioxidant activity of Satureja kitaibelii Wierzb. ex Heuff. subcritical water extract

Satureja kitaibelii Wierzb. ex Heuff. or Rtanj tea is an endemic species of the Carpathian mountain chain on the Balkan Peninsula. It grows in Eastern Serbia, Northwest Bulgaria, and Southwest Romania. As traditional remedy, it is used for treatment of different stomach discomforts such as pains in the lower abdomen, upset stomach, diarrhoea and nausea, for the regulation of the menstrual cycle and fertility, for muscle relaxation, and in the treatment of the upper respiratory tract infections. Therefore, the aim of this research was to examine the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of S. kitaibelii in form of subcritical water extract (SWE). HPLC analysis of SWE of S. kitaibelii showed the presence of ten compounds in a total concentration of 89.33 mg/g of the extract. It was demonstrated that the polarity of subcritical water was the most selective for extracting syringic acid (37.88 mg/g), caffeic acid (18.06 mg/g), and epicatechin (10.04 mg/g). Flavonoids like rutin, luteolin, and apigenin were the least abundant in this extract (<2 mg/g). Additionally, this study investigated in vitro antioxidant activities of S. kitaibelii SWE by five antioxidant assays. Four assays present radical scavenging activity while the last assay indicates transitional metal reduction. The highest scavenging abilities were observed against superoxide anion and ABTS•+ radicals (437.35 and 412.09 μmol TE/g), followed by lipid radicals (69.61 μmol TE/g), and DPPH• (32.28 μmol TE/g)

Impact of substrate volume on the cucumber seedling quality

In the production of vegetable crops and flowers, the size of the growing space, i.e. volume of container cells or pots, has a direct impact on water and air properties of the substrate, nutrient availability, and consequently the plant growth. Reactions differ depending on the plant species. Plants belonging to the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) have the root system which is very sensitive to mechanical injuries and which has weak regeneration abilities. Therefore, the volume of the substrate in which their seedlings will be grown is very significant in the seedling production. Finding the optimal substrate volume has an impact on the seedling quality and later on the production itself, but it is also very significant from the economic point of view. Therefore, studies were conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade with the aim to define the optimal substrate volume which would provide the seedlings of the highest quality in the shortest time possible. The cucumber seedlings (Darina F1) were grown in grow chambers at day/night intervals of 14/10h and air temperature of 25/18oC. The seedlings were grown in pots of different volumes: 100, 200, 300, 500 and 1000 cm3. The pots were filled with the substrate TKS 1 (Floragard)

Invasive insect species importance and possible pathways of their spreading in Serbia

Invasive insect species are alien species that have significant impact on biodiversity of certain area or specific country, and also can cause severe damage to cultivated plants. Many insects spread actively, but very often benefit from human activities and use transport of trades and passengers to travel all around the globe. Directions and stopover of these stowaways are usually unpredictable hence the importance of insect monitoring and investigation of their spreading pathways are of great importance for the country, and even for the whole potentially endangered region. One of the currently most important Hemipteran species, recorded for the first time in 2015 in Serbia, is Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys Stål (Pentatomidae). The species has been monitored for five consecutive years and nowadays it is considered as well established in the country. On the other side, another cosmopolitan Hemipteran species, in Serbia known as tobacco white fly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Aleyrodidae) was recorded on the territory of Serbia in 2016 and 2017, but since then specimens of this species have not been recorded neither outside nor in green houses during regular monitoring, why it is considered as not established