8 research outputs found
SheepIT, an E-Shepherd System for Weed Control in Vineyards: Experimental Results and Lessons Learned
Weed control in vineyards demands regular interventions that currently consist of the use of machinery, such as plows and brush-cutters, and the application of herbicides. These methods have several drawbacks, including cost, chemical pollution, and the emission of greenhouse gases. The use of animals to weed vineyards, usually ovines, is an ancestral, environmentally friendly, and sustainable practice that was abandoned because of the scarcity and cost of shepherds, which were essential for preventing animals from damaging the vines and grapes. The SheepIT project was developed to automate the role of human shepherds, by monitoring and conditioning the behaviour of grazing animals. Additionally, the data collected in real-time can be used for improving the efficiency of the whole process, e.g., by detecting abnormal situations such as health conditions or attacks and manage the weeding areas. This paper presents a comprehensive set of field-test results, obtained with the SheepIT infrastructure, addressing several dimensions, from the animals’ well-being and their impact on the cultures, to technical aspects, such as system autonomy. The results show that the core objectives of the project have been attained and that it is feasible to use this system, at an industrial scale, in vineyards.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Tecnologias IoT para pastoreio e controlo de postura animal
The unwanted and adverse weeds that are constantly growing in vineyards,
force wine producers to repeatedly remove them through the use of mechanical
and chemical methods. These methods include machinery such
as plows and brushcutters, and chemicals as herbicides to remove and
prevent the growth of weeds both in the inter-row and under-vine areas.
Nonetheless, such methods are considered very aggressive for vines, and, in
the second case, harmful for the public health, since chemicals may remain
in the environment and hence contaminate water lines. Moreover, such
processes have to be repeated over the year, making it extremely expensive
and toilsome. Using animals, usually ovines, is an ancient practice used
around the world. Animals, grazing in vineyards, feed from the unwanted
weeds and fertilize the soil, in an inexpensive, ecological and sustainable
way. However, sheep may be dangerous to vines since they tend to feed
on grapes and on the lower branches of the vines, which causes enormous
production losses. To overcome that issue, sheep were traditionally used to
weed vineyards only before the beginning of the growth cycle of grapevines,
thus still requiring the use of mechanical and/or chemical methods during the
remainder of the production cycle.
To mitigate the problems above, a new technological solution was investigated
under the scope of the SheepIT project and developed in the
scope of this thesis. The system monitors sheep during grazing periods on
vineyards and implements a posture control mechanism to instruct them to
feed only from the undesired weeds. This mechanism is based on an IoT
architecture, being designed to be compact and energy efficient, allowing it to
be carried by sheep while attaining an autonomy of weeks.
In this context, the thesis herein sustained states that it is possible to
design an IoT-based system capable of monitoring and conditioning sheep’s
posture, enabling a safe weeding process in vineyards. Moreover, we support
such thesis in three main pillars that match the main contributions of this
work and that are duly explored and validated, namely: the IoT architecture
design and required communications, a posture control mechanism and
the support for a low-cost and low-power localization mechanism. The
system architecture is validated mainly in simulation context while the posture
control mechanism is validated both in simulations and field experiments.
Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility of the system and the contribution
of this work towards the first commercial version of the system.O constante crescimento de ervas infestantes obriga os produtores a manter
um processo contínuo de remoção das mesmas com recurso a mecanismos
mecânicos e/ou químicos. Entre os mais populares, destacam-se o uso de
arados e roçadores no primeiro grupo, e o uso de herbicidas no segundo
grupo. No entanto, estes mecanismos são considerados agressivos para as
videiras, assim como no segundo caso perigosos para a saúde pública, visto
que os químicos podem permanecer no ambiente, contaminando frutos e
linhas de água. Adicionalmente, estes processos são caros e exigem mão de
obra que escasseia nos dias de hoje, agravado pela necessidade destes processos
necessitarem de serem repetidos mais do que uma vez ao longo do
ano. O uso de animais, particularmente ovelhas, para controlar o crescimento
de infestantes é uma prática ancestral usada em todo o mundo. As ovelhas,
enquanto pastam, controlam o crescimento das ervas infestantes, ao mesmo
tempo que fertilizam o solo de forma gratuita, ecológica e sustentável. Não
obstante, este método foi sendo abandonado visto que os animais também
se alimentam da rama, rebentos e frutos da videira, provocando naturais
estragos e prejuízos produtivos.
Para mitigar este problema, uma nova solução baseada em tecnologias
de Internet das Coisas é proposta no âmbito do projeto SheepIT, cuja espinha
dorsal foi construída no âmbito desta tese. O sistema monitoriza as ovelhas
enquanto estas pastoreiam nas vinhas, e implementam um mecanismo de
controlo de postura que condiciona o seu comportamento de forma a que se
alimentem apenas das ervas infestantes. O sistema foi incorporado numa
infraestrutura de Internet das Coisas com comunicações sem fios de baixo
consumo para recolha de dados e que permite semanas de autonomia,
mantendo os dispositivos com um tamanho adequado aos animais.
Neste contexto, a tese suportada neste trabalho defende que é possível
projetar uma sistema baseado em tecnologias de Internet das Coisas,
capaz de monitorizar e condicionar a postura de ovelhas, permitindo que
estas pastem em vinhas sem comprometer as videiras e as uvas. A tese
é suportada em três pilares fundamentais que se refletem nos principais
contributos do trabalho, particularmente: a arquitetura do sistema e respetivo
sistema de comunicações; o mecanismo de controlo de postura; e o suporte
para implementação de um sistema de localização de baixo custo e baixo
consumo energético. A arquitetura é validada em contexto de simulação,
e o mecanismo de controlo de postura em contexto de simulação e de
experiências em campo. É também demonstrado o funcionamento do
sistema e o contributo deste trabalho para a conceção da primeira versão
comercial do sistema.Programa Doutoral em Informátic
Livestock Monitoring: Approaches, Challenges and Opportunities
This survey presents approaches and technologies for livestock identification, vital signs monitoring and location tracking. It first introduces the related concepts. Then, provides an analysis of existing solutions and highlights their strengths and limitations. Finally, it presents key challenges in the field, and discusses recent trends that must be factored in by researchers, implementers, and manufacturers towards future developments in the area.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Evaluation of rice straw and eucalyptus leaves mulching for weed management in vineyards
Mestrado em Engenharia de Viticultura e Enologia. Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior de Agronomia. Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de CiênciasVineyards (Vitis vinifera L.) are typical of Portuguese rural landscapes and a crop with
high socioeconomic relevance across Mediterranean Europe and the world. Vineyard
rows and inter-rows support usually large and diverse plant communities that frequently
need to be controlled due to the interference with the vines, or indirectly as a refuge for
pests and disease agents. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the potential of
two organic mulches (0,25 cm rice straw, RS, 0,15 cm eucalyptus leaves, EL) to control
vineyard weeds. The experimental trial took place at two vineyards of the ISA campus,
Lisbon and two vineyards in Quinta do Pinto, Torres Vedras (QDP), in 'Alvarinho' and
'Syrah' varieties in both locations, with three replicates. The usual soil management of
ISA/QDP was used as Control (C). Floristic surveys (n=216) were carried out from March
to September 2022 and indicators of abundance, frequency, and diversity were
calculated and compared by descriptive statistics and ANOVA between locations, monthly observations, and treatments. We found 59 taxa from 24 families. The most
frequent and abundant species was Convovulus arvensis which prevail in all treatments,
locations and monthly observations. RS was significantly different from EL and C with
lower species richness, diversity and abundance indicators. RS had higher dominance
values due to C. arvensis prevalence. There were some floristic differences between
locations and seasons, but the difference between RS and EL/C was maintained for all
indicators. RS followed by EL had much higher costs than C, however, costs were not
optimized, and the beneficial effects of weeds must be considered. Therefore, EL was
considered the most sustainable option for soil management. Future research should
include mineral and biological soil analysis, tests for the longevity and the benefits of
mulching in the field, and analysis of the mulch composition.As vinhas (Vitis vinifera L.) são culturas características das paisagens rurais
portuguesas, de grande relevância socioeconómica na Europa mediterrânica e no
mundo. As linhas e entrelinhas das vinhas suportam, geralmente, um grande e diverso
número de plantas que frequentemente necessitam de ser controladas, devido à
interferência com a cultura, ou por serem refúgio de pragas e agentes fitopatogéneos.
O principal objetivo deste estudo é a avaliação do potencial de dois tipos de coberturas
orgânicas mortas (0,25 cm palha de arroz, RS; 0,15 cm folhas e ramos de eucaliptos,
EL) para controlo de infestantes das vinhas. O ensaio experimental teve lugar em duas vinhas do campus do Instituto Superior de Agronopmia (ISA), Lisboa e em duas vinhas
na Quinta do Pinto, Torres Vedras (QDP) das castas 'Alvarinho' e 'Syrah' em ambos os
locais, com três réplicas. A gestão do solo usual no ISA/QDP foi usada como Controlo
(C). Foram realizados inventários florísticos mensais (n=216) desde março a setembro
de 2022 e calculados indicadores de abundância, frequência e diversidade. Efetuou-se
a comparação por estatística descritiva e por ANOVA entre locais, observações mensais
e tratamentos. Observaram-se 59 taxa florísticos pertencentes a 24 famílias. A espécie
mais frequente e abundante foi Convovulus arvensis. RS foi significativamente diferente
de EL e C com reduzida riqueza específica, diversidade e indicadores de abundância.
RS teve maior valor de dominância devido à prevalência de C. arvensis. Detetaram-se
diferenças florísticas entre locais e estações do ano. Os maiores custos foram com RS,
seguidos de EL e de C. No entanto, estes custos podem ser otimizados e devem ser
incluídos os benefícios ecológicos das coberturas. Assim, EL foi considerada a opção
mais sustentável para a gestão do solo. Estudos futuros deverão incluir a análise
química das coberturas, análises biológicas e minerais do solo e testes de longevidade
das coberturas no campo.N/
Extensive Sheep and Goat Production: The Role of Novel Technologies towards Sustainability and Animal Welfare
[EN] Sheep and goat extensive production systems are very important in the context of global food security and the use of rangelands that have no alternative agricultural use. In such systems, there are enormous challenges to address. These include, for instance, classical production issues, such as nutrition or reproduction, as well as carbon-efficient systems within the climate-change context. An adequate response to these issues is determinant to economic and environmental sustainability. The answers to such problems need to combine efficiently not only the classical production aspects, but also the increasingly important health, welfare, and environmental aspects in an integrated fashion. The purpose of the study was to review the application of technological developments, in addition to remote-sensing in tandem with other state-of-the-art techniques that could be used within the framework of extensive production systems of sheep and goats and their impact on nutrition, production, and ultimately, the welfare of these species. In addition to precision livestock farming (PLF), these include other relevant technologies, namely omics and other areas of relevance in small-ruminant extensive production: heat stress, colostrum intake, passive immunity, newborn survival, biomarkers of metabolic disease diagnosis, and parasite resistance breeding. This work shows the substantial, dynamic nature of the scientific community to contribute to solutions that make extensive production systems of sheep and goats more sustainable, efficient, and aligned with current concerns with the environment and welfareSIThe CECAV authors acknowledge financial support of the research unit, which was financed by the National Funds from FCT, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), project number UIDB/CVT/00772/2020. Financial support from FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Lisboa, Portugal) in the form of infrastructural funding to LEAF (UID/AGR/04129) and PhD grants SFRH/BD/143992/2019 (DM Ribeiro) and 2021.07638.BD (L Sacarrão-Birrento). Author L.E.H.C. acknowledges funding from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Spain) (RYC2019- 027064-I/AEI/10.13039/501100011033
Improving the use of natural and semi-natural grasslands in Mediterranean ruminant systems: issues, options and perspectives
Mediterranean small-ruminant systems (MSRS) have undergone an intensification process triggered by local and global changes. Recent research suggests that such tendency should be reversed. This paper provides insight about how increasing the contribution of grasslands (including natural and semi-natural, improved or temporary grasslands) to the feeding system can improve MSRS’ sustainability. Products from grazing animals are ethically appreciated and display good nutritional quality, specific organoleptic characteristics and possibly a longer shelf-life; they can be traced, and thus differentiated. The large surface area of natural and semi-natural grasslands (including areas with shrubs and trees) gives MSRS a head start in terms of carbon sequestration, which can be increased further by an appropriate grazing and feeding management. Technical options to increase grazed grass in MSRS include: (1) producing locally-adapted seed mixtures for grasslands; (2) increasing the proportion of legumes in grasslands; (3) managing grazing in order to maximize the amount and quality of intake; (4) matching the diversity of natural and semi-natural grasslands to animal requirements and/or providing strategic supplementation; (5) reconsidering the value of trees and the interest of foliage as forage. Digital technologies can help to improve farmers’ working conditions and build the ecological knowledge necessary to implement adaptive management strategies. At a socio-political level, it is important to recognize the peculiarities of silvopastoral systems, value the ecosystem services provided, foster collective management solutions and facilitate interconnection with other activities.ForageGrasslandsFeeding systemManagementAnimal performanceProduct qualityEcosystem servicePublishe
Extensive Sheep and Goat Production: The Role of Novel Technologies towards Sustainability and Animal Welfare
ReviewSheep and goat extensive production systems are very important in the context of global
food security and the use of rangelands that have no alternative agricultural use. In such systems,
there are enormous challenges to address. These include, for instance, classical production issues, such
as nutrition or reproduction, as well as carbon-efficient systems within the climate-change context.
An adequate response to these issues is determinant to economic and environmental sustainability.
The answers to such problems need to combine efficiently not only the classical production aspects,
but also the increasingly important health, welfare, and environmental aspects in an integrated fashion. The purpose of the study was to review the application of technological developments,
in addition to remote-sensing in tandem with other state-of-the-art techniques that could be used
within the framework of extensive production systems of sheep and goats and their impact on
nutrition, production, and ultimately, the welfare of these species. In addition to precision livestock
farming (PLF), these include other relevant technologies, namely omics and other areas of relevance
in small-ruminant extensive production: heat stress, colostrum intake, passive immunity, newborn
survival, biomarkers of metabolic disease diagnosis, and parasite resistance breeding. This work
shows the substantial, dynamic nature of the scientific community to contribute to solutions that
make extensive production systems of sheep and goats more sustainable, efficient, and aligned with
current concerns with the environment and welfareinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Extensive Sheep and Goat Production: The Role of Novel Technologies towards Sustainability and Animal Welfare
New technologies have been recognized as valuable in controlling, monitoring, and managing farm animal activities. It makes it possible to deepen the knowledge of animal behavior and improve animal welfare and health, which has positive implications for the sustainability of animal production. In recent years, successful technological developments have been applied in intensive farming systems; however, due to challenging conditions that extensive pasture-based systems show, technology has been more limited. Nevertheless, awareness of the available technological solutions for extensive conditions can increase the implementation of their adoption among farmers and researchers. In this context, this review addresses the role of different technologies applied to sheep and goat production in extensive systems. Examples related to precision livestock farming, omics, thermal stress, colostrum intake, passive immunity, and newborn survival are presented; biomarkers of metabolic diseases and parasite resistance breeding are discussed