Quality of milk in Manchego sheep flocks. A review

Esta obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional.-- et al.[EN]: Improvement of milk quality is one of the principal objectives in dairy sheep production systems. Regulator Council of PDO Manchego Cheese and National Association of Manchega Breeders take part in some milk quality research projects from Dairy Laboratory of the Regional Selection and Animal Reproduction Center, belonging to the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, has developed. The study aims are to find the relationship between the management characteristics of the farms and the quality of bulk tank sheep milk (in differential features of composition, microbiology and technological components). Knowledge of these relationships informs about the main aspects to consider (preservation of milk, feeding systems of sheep, associations, etc.) in sheep milk production for cheese making.[ES]: La mejora de la calidad de la leche es uno de los objetivos fundamentales en los actuales sistemas de producción del ovino lechero. La Fundación Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Queso Manchego y la Asociación Nacional de Criadores de Ganado Ovino Selecto raza Manchega participan en los Proyectos de Investigación en materia de calidad de la leche desarrollados por el Laboratorio de Lactología del Centro Regional de Selección y Reproducción Animal de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha. Estos trabajos tienen como objetivo principal el estudio de las relaciones entre las características productivas de las ganaderías y la calidad integral de la leche de oveja (composición, microbiología diferencial y componentes tecnológicos). Los resultados de estos trabajos incluyen el análisis de factores tales como la conservación de la leche, la alimentación de las ovejas de ordeño, el nivel de asociacionismo, etc, en la producción de leche de oveja destinada a la elaboración de queso.Peer Reviewe

Agronomic Behavior of Cenchrus purpureus Varieties Tolerant to Salinity

A study was made at the Experimental Station of Pastures and Forages, at the Jorge Dimitrov Agricultural Research Institute to determine the effect of cutting age (60, 90, 120 days), and cultivar (CT-500 and CT-115) of new varieties of Cenchrus purpureus on some yield components . The effects of cutting age (3), cultivar (2), and their interaction (3 x 2), on yields and some agronomic variables were controlled by a randomized block design. Interaction did not to affect the morphological variables of leaves and stems, though it did affect plant height. The cultivars had significant differences (P < 0.001) for the ages of 60 and 90 days; whereas for the number of basal shoots and percent of dry matter in the whole plant, CT-115 was significantly higher at 60 and 120 days, respectively. The total growth rate and biomass duration significantly phased out at 90 days, in favor of CT-500. Both varieties showed potential for high dry matter production per hectare, and only differed (P < 0.001) from the 120 days in the forage areas with saline soils. These results must be considered as preliminary data for the design of a variety structure in saline forage areas

Semantic segmentation of major macroalgae in coastal environments using high-resolution ground imagery and deep learning

Macroalgae are a fundamental component of coastal ecosystems and play a key role in shaping community structure and functioning. Macroalgae are currently threatened by diverse stressors, particularly climate change and invasive species, but they do not all respond in the same way to the stressors. Effective methods of collecting qualitative and quantitative information are essential to enable better, more efficient management of macroalgae. Acquisition of high-resolution images, in which macroalgae can be distinguished on the basis of their texture and colour, and the automated processing of these images are thus essential. Although ground images are useful, labelling is tedious. This study focuses on the semantic segmentation of five macroalgal species in high-resolution ground images taken in 0.5 x 0.5 m quadrats placed along an intertidal rocky shore at low tide. The target species, Bifurcaria bifurcata, Cystoseira tamariscifolia, Sargassum muticum, Sacchoriza polyschides and Codium spp., which predominate on intertidal shores, belong to different morpho-functional groups. The study explains how to convert vector-labelled data to raster-labelled data for adaptation to convolutional neural network (CNN) input. Three CNNs (MobileNetV2, Resnet18, Xception) were compared, and ResNet18 yielded the highest accuracy (91.9%). The macroalgae were correctly segmented, and the main confusion occurred at the borders between different macroalgal species, a problem derived from labelling errors. In addition, the interior and exterior of the quadrats were correctly delimited by the CNNs. The results were obtained from only one hundred labelled images and can be performed on personal computers, without the need to resort to external servers. The proposed method helps automation of the labelling process.SIFundación Biodiversidad, the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y 383 el Reto Demográfico through the Pleamar program, co-funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), call 2018; and Xunta de Galicia for human resources and competitive reference groupsFundación Biodiversidad, the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y 383 el Reto Demográfico through the Pleamar program, co-funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), call 2018; and Xunta de Galicia for human resources and competitive reference groupsMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades -Gobierno de Españ

Metric potential of a 3D measurement system based on digital compact cameras

P. 4178-4194This paper presents an optical measuring system based on low cost, hogh resolution digital cameras. Once the cameras are synchronised, the portable and adjuntable system can be used to observe living beings, bodies in motion, or deformations of very different sizes. Each of the cameras has been modelled individually and studied with regard to the photogrammetric potential of the system. We have investigated the photogrammetric precision obtained from the crossing of rays, the repeatability of results, and the accuracy of the coordinates obtained. Systematic and random errors are identified in validity assessment of the definition of the precision of the system from crossing of rays or from marking residuals in images. The results have clearly demonstrated the capability of a low-cost multiple-camera system to measure with sub-millimetre precision.S

Forage Yields and Structure of Moringa oleifera cv Nicaragua at Different Cutting Frequencies

The effect of the cutting frequency (45 and 60 days) on the morphological and productive behavior of Moringa oleifera Lam vc Nicaragua with irrigation and organic fertilization, on little differentiated fluvisols in Cauto Valley, in 2012. A randomized block design with four repetitions was applied. The cutting frequency affected the morphological variables (P≤ 0.001), but not DM from leaves, stems, and total yields (P≥ 0.05). The cutting times for both frequencies predisposed great variability between the first (February-March) and the third (June-July) cuts. The best plant height values were achieved in 60 days (P≤0.001), in comparison to 45 days, whereas the number and thickness of leaves per shoots varied (P≤ 0.001) at different cutting times based on innate plant features, not on the cutting frequency. Leaf proportion was higher (P≤0.001) in the 45-day frequency, and the DM yields ha-1 from leaves and DM ha-1 only differed in the first 45-day cut, in comparison to the other averages within the same cutting frequency, and the 60-day cut. The structure and productive behavior of Moringa were influenced by the cutting frequencies and times, whereas the cutting frequency alone just modified the structural variables

Effect of Ecotype and Cutting Frequency on Forage Yields of Moringa oleifera Lam in the Cauto Valley

The study took place at the Experimental Station of Pastures and Forages to evaluate the effect of the cut frequency (45 and 60 days) on forage yields of Moringa oleifera ecotypes Nicaragua and Criolla, with irrigation and organic fertilization, on fluvisol, in the Cauto Valley. A randomized block design with 2x2 factorial design and four replicas was used. The plants were cut 10 cm high from the ground, and variables plant height, shoot amount and thickness, number of leaves, leaf/stem ratio, total dry matter (DM) yields, and dry leaves and stems, were determined. Except for the number of shoots, all the variables were significant for the cutting frequency (P < 0.001). The number of leaves was the only variable with a difference for the ecotype factor (P < 0.05). The highest yields in total dry matter were achieved at 60 days (3.8 t.ha-1). However, the experiment only lasted 180 days with gradual reduction in production, caused by the competition between M. oleifera and invading graminaceae. The study concluded that the cutting frequency of 60 days produced increased yields of DM. However, the cutting height favored the presence of invading plants, with decreasing yields and sustainability of forage production

Metric Potential of a 3D Measurement System Based on Digital Compact Cameras

This paper presents an optical measuring system based on low cost, high resolution digital cameras. Once the cameras are synchronised, the portable and adjustable system can be used to observe living beings, bodies in motion, or deformations of very different sizes. Each of the cameras has been modelled individually and studied with regard to the photogrammetric potential of the system. We have investigated the photogrammetric precision obtained from the crossing of rays, the repeatability of results, and the accuracy of the coordinates obtained. Systematic and random errors are identified in validity assessment of the definition of the precision of the system from crossing of rays or from marking residuals in images. The results have clearly demonstrated the capability of a low-cost multiple-camera system to measure with sub-millimetre precision

Exploring the relationships between coagulation, composition, and hygienic quality of bulk tank milk from Manchega sheep

Milk from Manchega sheep is the raw material for the elaboration of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Queso Manchego, a hard-pressed cheese with one of the most established quality marks on the market worldwide. For this reason, milk quality control in this breed is one of the main targets of the dairy sheep sector. However, pricing systems still continue to apply criteria based only on milk composition and the current legislation on food hygiene. The aim of this study is to explore bulk tank sheep milk quality, estimating milk coagulation properties and their relationship with composition, somatic cell counts, and differential microbiological quality. For this purpose, 308 bulk tank milk samples were collected with seasonal periodicity, and analyses were performed for the aforementioned traits. The obtained results highlight the variability in composition, microbiology, and coagulation properties in different samples, which prevents clear relationships between milk quality parameters. However, there was evidence of a group of milk samples whose coagulation would be desirable for cheesemaking, based on values for fat, protein and total solids. Outcomes also stand out casein content as an important parameter to affect curd yield, proving the interest of using casein as trait for genetic improvement in dairy sheep breeds

Utilización de GPS RTK en entornos costeros: aplicación a la playa de Samil (Vigo-Pontevedra)

P. 36-38El objetivo principal consiste en desarrollar un método o forma de trabajo para la realización de levantamientos altimétricos y planimétricos, utilizando equipos GPS, para la obtención de altos rendimientos en el número de puntos tomados por unidad de tiempo sobre un arenal, que permiten hacer competitivo este método. Desarrollar una forma de trabajo, que con los datos tomados en campo nos permitan elaborar un MOdelo Digital del Terreno (MDT), en arenales utilizando equipos GPS, sobre el que se podrán realizar diversos estudiosS

Comportamiento agronómico de cultivares de Cenchrus purpureus tolerantes a la salinidad

Con el objetivo de determinar el efecto de la edad de corte (60, 90 y 120 días) y del cultivar (CT-500 y CT-115), sobre algunos componentes del rendimiento en nuevas variedades de Cenchrus purpureus, se desarrolló un estudio en la Estación Experimental del Pastos y Forrajes del Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias Jorge Dimitrov. Según diseño de bloques al azar y en arreglo factorial se controlaron los efectos edad de corte (3), el cultivar (2) y su interacción (3 x 2), sobre el rendimiento y algunas variables agronómicas que definen el mismo. Se observó que la interacción no afectó las variables morfológicas de hojas y tallos, pero si la altura de la planta, los cultivares mostraron diferencias significativas (P < 0,001) para las edades de 60 y 90 días, mientras que, para el número de hijos basales y el porcentaje de materia seca en la planta íntegra, el CT-115 fue significativamente superior en las edades de 60 y 120 días, respectivamente. La tasa de crecimiento absoluto y duración de la biomasa se desfasaron significativamente a los 90 días a favor del CT-500. Ambas variedades demostraron el potencial productivo de materia seca por hectárea y solo se diferenciaron (P < 0,001) para la edad de 120 días en condiciones de áreas forrajeras con limitantes de salinidad en el suelo. Se recomienda considerar los resultados del presente estudio como datos preliminares para el diseño de la estructura varietal de áreas forrajeras salinizadas. ABSTRACTTo determine the effect of cutting age (60, 90, 120 days), and cultivar (CT-500 and CT-115) on some yield components in new varieties of Cenchrus purpureus, a study was made at the Experimental Station of Pastures and Forages, at the Jorge Dimitrov Agricultural Research Institute. The effects of cutting age (3), cultivar (2), and their interaction (3 x 2) on yields and some agronomic variables were controlled by a randomized block design. Interaction did not to affect the morphological variables of leaves and stems, though it did affect plant height. The cultivars had significant differences (P < 0.001) for the ages of 60 and 90 days; whereas for the number of basal shoots and percent of dry matter in the whole plant, CT-115 was significantly higher at 60 and 120 days, respectively. The total growth rate and biomass duration significantly phased out at 90 days, toward CT-500. Both varieties showed potential for high dry matter production per hectare, and only differed (P < 0.001) from the 120 days in the forage areas with saline soils. These results must be considered as preliminary data for the design of a variety structure in saline forage areas.