A Feasibility Study on the Use of a Structured Light Depth-Camera for Three-Dimensional Body Measurements of Dairy Cows in Free-Stall Barns

Frequent checks on livestock\u2019s body growth can help reducing problems related to cow infertility or other welfare implications, and recognizing health\u2019s anomalies. In the last ten years, optical methods have been proposed to extract information on various parameters while avoiding direct contact with animals\u2019 body, generally causes stress. This research aims to evaluate a new monitoring system, which is suitable to frequently check calves and cow\u2019s growth through a three-dimensional analysis of their bodies\u2019 portions. The innovative system is based on multiple acquisitions from a low cost Structured Light Depth-Camera (Microsoft Kinect\u2122 v1). The metrological performance of the instrument is proved through an uncertainty analysis and a proper calibration procedure. The paper reports application of the depth camera for extraction of different body parameters. Expanded uncertainty ranging between 3 and 15 mm is reported in the case of ten repeated measurements. Coef\ufb01cients of determination R2> 0.84 and deviations lower than 6% from manual measurements where in general detected in the case of head size, hips distance, withers to tail length, chest girth, hips, and withers height. Conversely, lower performances where recognized in the case of animal depth (R2 = 0.74) and back slope (R2 = 0.12)

Conservative precision agriculture: first economic and energetic assessments within the Agricare project

The integration of conservation tillage techniques with the principles of site-specific management characterising precision agriculture is an innovative feature aimed to achieve better economic and environmental sustainability, increasingly required by Community agricultural policies

Integrated approach for prediction of centrifugal fertilizer spread patterns

The present paper proposes a numerical approach for prediction of behavior of those fertilizers spreaders based on centrifugal disc functioning. In particular results from finite element multi-body simulations provided by commercial software are used in order to define boundary conditions of field tests carried out concurrently. Results are then integrated into a mathematical model to rapidly generate distribution charts and distribution diagrams. Such integrated approach can be implemented to effectively calibrate a theoretical model which provides simulations on different machine settings conditions: as a final point simulations allow fast testing of different distribution conditions, helping definition of those which minimize the variability of the distribution itself

Last generation instrument for agriculture multispectral data collection

In recent years, the acquisition and analysis of multispectral data are gaining a growing interest and importance in agriculture.  On the other hand, new technologies are opening up for the possibility of developing and implementing sensors with relatively small size and featuring high technical performances.  Thanks to low weights and high signal to noise ratios, such sensors can be transported by different types of means (terrestrial as well as aerial vehicles), giving new opportunities for assessment and monitoring of several crops at different growing stages or health conditions.  The choice and specialization of individual bands, within the electromagnetic spectrum ranging from the ultraviolet to the infrared, plays a fundamental role in the definition of the so-called vegetation indices (eg. NDVI, GNDVI, SAVI, and dozens of others), posing new questions and challenges in their effective implementation.  The present paper firstly discusses the needs of low-distance-based sensors for indices calculation and then focuses on development of a new multispectral instrument, namely MAIA, specially developed for agricultural multispectral analysis.  Such instrument features high frequency and high resolution imaging through nine different sensors (1 RGB and eight monochromes with relative band-pass filters, covering the range from 390 to 950 nm).  The instrument allows synchronized multiband imaging owing to integrated global shutter technology, with a frame rate up to 5 Hz, and the exposure time can be as low as 1/5000 s.  An applicative case study is eventually reported on an area featuring different materials (organic and non-organic), to show potential of the new instrument.

Evaluation of the GreyWater Footprint Comparing the Indirect Effects of Different Agricultural Practices

Increasing global food demand and economic growth result in increasing competition over scarce freshwater resources, worsened by climate change and pollution. The agricultural sector has the largest share in the water footprint of humanity. While most studies focus on estimating water footprints (WFs) of crops through modeling, there are only few experimental field studies. The current work aims to understand the effect of supposedly better agricultural practices, particularly precision agriculture (variable rate application of fertilizers and pesticides) and conservation agriculture (minimum, strip, or no-tillage), on water deterioration and water pollution. We analyzed the results from an experimental field study in the northeast of Italy, in which four different crops are grown across three years of crops rotation. We compared minimum, strip, and no-tillage systems undergoing variable to uniform rate application. Grey WFs are assessed based on a field dataset using yield maps data, soil texture, and crop operations field. Leaching and associated grey WFs are assessed based on application rates and various environmental factors. Yields are measured in the field and recorded in a precision map. The results illustrate how precision agriculture combined with soil conservation tillage systems can reduce the grey water footprint by the 10%. We assessed the grey Water Footprint for all the field operation processes during the three-year crop rotation