Journal articles on the topic 'Rain-feed'
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Schütz, KE, KV Clark, NR Cox, LR Matthews, and CB Tucker. "Responses to short-term exposure to simulated rain and wind by dairy cattle: time budgets, shelter use, body temperature and feed intake." Animal Welfare 19, no. 4 (November 2010): 375–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0962728600001858.
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AbstractOur objective was to examine how short-term exposure to wind or rain, or the combination of wind and rain, influences behavioural and physiological responses and the motivation for shelter. Twenty-four, non-lactating, pregnant Holstein-Friesian cows were individually housed and allocated one of four treatments (control, wind, rain, wind and rain) created with fans and sprinklers. Feed intake and behavioural and physiological variables were recorded for 22 h. Motivation to use the shelter was assessed by creating a tradeoff between time spent feeding while exposed to the weather treatments and time spent in the shelter. Feeding times were manipulated by placing frames with three different mesh sizes over the feed; the purpose of the smaller mesh was to increase the time spent feeding. However, shelter use was unchanged by these costs. Cows reduced their feed intake by 62% when exposed to rain and the combination of rain and wind. Cows spent approximately 50% of their time in the shelters in all weather treatments and spent little time lying, especially under wet conditions (5.9, 4.4, 2.8, and 1.1 [± 1.4 h] per 22 h for control, wind, rain, and wind/rain treatments, respectively; mean [± SED]). Rain alone, and in combination with wind, decreased skin temperature by 26%, on average. The short-term response to wet conditions was characterised by a marked decline in lying time, feed intake and skin temperature. Wind alone had little effect on these responses, but magnified the effect of simulated rain on feeding behaviour. These results indicate that protection from both rain and the combination of rain and wind is likely to be important for animal welfare, but future work is needed to understand when and how to provide protection to pastured dairy cattle.
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Mostafa, H., S. I. S. Hassan, J. S. Mandeep, M. F. Ain, and H. A. Khedher. "Study of the Effect of Simulated Rain on the Offset Parabolic Antenna at Ku-Band with Different Elevation Angles." International Journal of Antennas and Propagation 2007 (2007): 1–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2007/87525.
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Effect of rain on the receiver antenna is a major factor to degrade the system performance in a frequency above 10 GHz. This paper deals with the wet antenna attenuation at Ku-band with three different frequencies at different rain rates. During the Ku-band propagation experiment, it was discovered that rain water on the antenna caused a significant attenuation. It is necessary to estimate the losses caused by water on the antenna in order to separate these losses from the atmospheric propagation losses. The experiment was done at USM Engineering Campus to study the attenuation for these physical parameters. A Ku-band RF signal was generated by a signal generator and transmitted via horn antenna. The signal was received using a smooth offset antenna of 60 cm by 54 cm (Astro dish) and measured using spectrum analyzer. In order to simulate a rain, pipes with bores of a same distance were implemented. Three cases were considered: in the first case one pipe was used to simulate low rain rate, the second case two pipes were used to simulate medium rain rate, and the third case three pipes were used to simulate heavy rain rate. In addition, the tap was used to control the flow of water in order to get more values of rain rate. The total attenuation of RF signals due to water layer on the feed and on the reflector feed was found to be 3.1 dB at worst case. On the other hand, the attenuation of RF signal due to the feed only was 2.83 dB, so the major attenuation occur was due to feed.
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Manuel Tumanda Tabada Jr. and Michael Estela Loretero. "Innovative Configuration Design of Two-Wire Tip Mechanisms for a Tipping-Bucket Rain Gauge." International Journal of Engineering and Technology Innovation 10, no. 2 (April 1, 2020): 156–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.46604/ijeti.2020.4772.
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This paper evaluates the measurement accuracy of the three designs of an innovative Tipping-Bucket Rain Gauge (TBRG) tip mechanism. A water-level detecting circuit is used to replace the conventional reed switch sensor, which addresses the disadvantages of the magnetic sensing method that became a factor in quantification uncertainties. The TBRG configuration designs were the bucket-feed, which detects the presence of water inside the bucket, and the bottom-feed and the center-feed, which use the tip-impact method in measuring rainfall. The constant flow method is used in the experimentation. The bucket-feed shows potential in precision rainfall measurement for having -3.84% and -2.68% accuracy errors at 6 mL/min and 11 mL/min respectively, without correction algorithm applied. The tip-impact application for the bottom-feed and the center-feed resulted in a higher error percentage from the volumetric flow samples. The result indicates that actual detection in the bucket brings more measurement accuracy than the tip-counting technique.
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Irekhore, Oluwakemi, Akintunde Akinsoyinu, and Kazeem Bello. "The growth performance and nutrient digestibility of pigs fed rain tree (Albizia saman) pods as a replacement for maize." Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Belgrade 67, no. 3 (2022): 285–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/jas2203285i.
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The growth performance and nutrient digestibility of pigs fed diets containing rain tree pods (RPs) were evaluated using 20 pigs. Five diets were formulated with RP replacing maize in the control diet at 10, 20, 30 and 40%. The pigs were randomly allotted to the 5 dietary treatments, with 4 replicates of one (1) pig per replicate, and fed ad libitum for eight weeks. Data were collected on initial weight, final weight (FW), daily feed intake (DFI), daily weight gain (DWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), cost per kilogram feed (CKF), and feed cost per kilogram weight gain. At week eight, the pigs were moved into individual metabolic crates for a digestibility trial. Rain tree pods, feed and fecal samples were analyzed for proximate composition, and metabolic energy was calculated following standard procedures. The apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, ash, and nitrogen-free extract were calculated. Data generated were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance. The growth performance of pigs fed a 10% RP diet was similar to those fed a control diet. As the dietary inclusion of RP increased, the DFI, DWG and FW of the pigs decreased (p<0.001). The FCR increased while CKF reduced significantly (p<0.001) with an increasing level of RP in the diets. Apparent nutrient digestibility was depressed (p<0.01) with the inclusion of RP in the diets of pigs. This study concluded that the inclusion of 10% RP as a replacement for maize in the diet of growing pigs gave optimal growth performance and reduced feed cost.
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Sánchez-Cohen, Ignacio, Palmira Bueno-Hurtado, Gerardo Esquivel-Arriaga, and Miguel A. Velásquez-Valle. "Impact of crop sensitivity to water stress in rain feed areas of Mexico." Revista Chapingo Serie Zonas Áridas XIV, no. 1 (June 2015): 61–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.5154/r.rchza.2015.05.005.
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Nihayatu Aslamatis Solekah and Ulfi Kartika Oktaviana. "Penguatan Pengelolaan Ternak Wakaf Hibah Produktif melalui Fermentasi Pakan Ternak sebagai Alternatif Pemberdayaan Santri menuju Pesantren Yatim yang Mandiri." Engagement : Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat 1, no. 2 (November 30, 2017): 170–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.29062/engagement.v1i2.13.
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Strengthening of productive wakaf livestock management on Himmatun ayat foundation in the form of goat farming which originally amounted to 31 tail to 80 tails and 2 cattle, given the geographical condition of the cracked city that the land is limestone, the main problem is the availability of feed. Because the managers are orphaned students themselves then the initial get goat grant, a lot of goats are dead. The problem is quite serious is during the rainy season lack of supply of animal feed. In the dry season orphaned santri living herding goats in rain-fed rice fields that are not cultivated because it is a rain-fed rice field. Goat and cattle feed in the rainy season is a fermentation of mixed kale leaves, bran and yeast. So there is a symbiosis of mutualism in which the survival of orphaned santri is dependent on the productive grant of goats as well as vice versa. Some potentials that can be empowered to benefit from the social, economic and environmental aspects (1) It is necessary to analyze the feasibility level of goat farm management, especially the fulfillment of animal feed for productive grants, so that the farm will continue to grow so that the boarding school can be independent from the aspect of fulfilling the needs of the orphans living in the pesantren. (2) The need for fermented animal wakaf fermentation training for orphan students so as to create the fulfillment of animal wakaf feed throughout the year. (3) The need for assistance in the management of endowment grants productive goat farming, especially aspects of marketing and human resources aspects so that it will form the spirit of entrepreneurship orphan students to independently manage wakaf productive grant goat and cattle farms.
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Treby, Donna L., Alan Horsup, and Peter J. Murray. "Field evaluation of supplementary feed and water for the northern hairy-nosed wombat, Lasiorhinus krefftii." Wildlife Research 34, no. 2 (2007): 149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr05116.
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The northern hairy-nosed wombat, Lasiorhinus krefftii, is listed as critically endangered in Australia and is restricted to a single population of ~90 animals in central Queensland. The area receives low rainfall and is regularly subjected to periods of drought and therefore is at risk from wildfire. There is a clear link between good wet seasons and higher levels of reproductive activity. A long-term management goal of the L. krefftii recovery program has been to determine preferred feed of wombats and to gain acceptance of supplementary feed and water by L. krefftii in order to mitigate the effects of drought and wildfire and potentially increase fecundity and survivorship rates in the population. Prior to this study, there had been several unsuccessful attempts to induce L. krefftii to take supplementary feed and water, but the current study, which was of a longer duration, has shown that L. krefftii will readily take supplementary feed and water. In addition, L. krefftii prefers certain feed types (Complete-O (primarily steam-flaked barley with molasses and lucerne and oaten chaff), and Town and Country pellet mix (primarily wheat, barley and sorghum, with canola and soybean meal)) and will visit sources of feed and water on a nightly basis. Visits by L. krefftii to supplementary feed and water sites were related to the occurrence of rainfall, with visits declining after rain.
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Rockström, Johan. "Water for food and nature in drought–prone tropics: vapour shift in rain–fed agriculture." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 358, no. 1440 (November 18, 2003): 1997–2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2003.1400.
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This paper quantifies the eco–hydrological challenge up until 2050 of producing food in balance with goods and services generated by water–dependent ecosystems in nature. Particular focus is given to the savannah zone, covering 40% of the land area in the world, where water scarcity constitutes a serious constraint to sustainable development. The analysis indicates an urgent need for a new green revolution, which focuses on upgrading rain–fed agriculture. Water requirements to produce adequate diets for humans are shown to be relatively generic irrespective of hydro–climate, amounting to a global average of 1300 m 3 cap −1 yr −1 . Present food production requires an estimated 6800 km 3 yr −1 of consumptive green water (5000 km 3 yr −1 in rain–fed agriculture and 1800 km 3 yr −1 from irrigated crops). Without considering water productivity gains, an additional 5800 km 3 yr −1 of water is needed to feed a growing population in 2050 and eradicate malnutrition. It is shown that the bulk of this water will be used in rain–fed agriculture. A dynamic analysis of water productivity and management options indicates that large ‘crop per drop’ improvements can be achieved at the farm level. Vapour shift in favour of productive green water flow as crop transpiration could result in relative water savings of 500 km 3 yr −1 in semi–arid rain–fed agriculture.
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Deeming, D. C. "Effect of Winter Climatic Conditions on the Behaviour of Adult Ostriches (Struthio Camelus) on a British Farm." Animal Welfare 7, no. 3 (August 1998): 307–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s096272860002073x.
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AbstractOstrich welfare on farms of is great importance, particularly because little is known about appropriate husbandry conditions for these birds in a northern European environment. Rain has been shown to influence the pattern of behaviour during the spring months. This study examined the effects of four different climatic conditions (raining, dull but overcast, bright but overcast and sunny) on the behaviour of ostriches during the winter. Compared with dry conditions, there was a significantly higher rate of sitting during rainy periods — apparently at the expense of foraging (from pasture) and pacing (around the perimeter). The rate of sitting was much lower than that reported for the same birds during rain in the spring. During all climatic conditions, feeding (on concentrate feed provided) and foraging were the most dominant behaviours. Feeding was not significantly affected by rain but the frequency of foraging was reduced. Standing was a common behaviour. There were significant gender differences for standing (males > females) and foraging (females > males). These results show that winter conditions require ostriches to feed and forage at higher rates than during the spring or summer, presumably to consume more energy for thermoregulation. Gender differences in pacing and feeding behaviours previously observed in breeding birds were absent in non-breeding ostriches (presumably because males were not defending territories); although non-breeding males appeared to be more vigilant than females and needed to consume more food. Improvements in ostrich husbandry should take into account the need to provide both adequate shelter and more concentrate rations during the cold weather of winter. Energy requirements will be higher at this time, yet the ability of the birds to forage will be diminished. Without such considerations, ostrich welfare during the winter in northern Europe will be compromised.
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Stewart, A. H., T. Acamovic, A. G. Taylor, and H. Fraser. "An evaluation of wheat specific weight as a determinant of nutritive value for pigs and poultry." Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 1997 (1997): 66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1752756200595076.
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The north east of Scotland has seen poor harvest seasons in five out of the last ten years. The 1995 season was predicted to be one of the highest yields for a number of years, however, 14 days of continuous rain at harvest resulted in a high proportion of poor quality, sprouted and shrivelled grains, which, if not properly dried, were of dubious micro-biological status. The price of feed wheat is usually determined by the specific weight if it falls below the minimum standard of 72 kg/hl, however, de Lange et al (1993) expressed concern that bushel weight was not a good indicator of DE content. The objective of this experiment was to determine how the commercial assessment of such grains linked to feed value in poultry and the performance of pigs.
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Song, Yang, Dawei Han, and Miguel A. Rico-Ramirez. "High temporal resolution rainfall rate estimation from rain gauge measurements." Journal of Hydroinformatics 19, no. 6 (August 24, 2017): 930–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/hydro.2017.054.
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Abstract Rainfall rates derived from tipping bucket rain gauges generally ignore the detailed variation at a finer temporal scale that particularly occurs in light rainfall events. This study extends the exploration of using artificial neural networks (ANNs), in comparison with the conventional linear interpolation method (LIM) and the cubic spline algorithm (CSA) for rainfall rate estimation at fine temporal resolution using rain gauge data based on a case study at Chilbolton and Sparsholt observatories, UK. A supervised feed-forward neural network integrated with the backpropagation algorithm is used to identify the complex nonlinear relationships between input and target variables. The results indicate that the ANN considerably outperforms the CSA and LIM with higher Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency, lower root mean square error and lower rainfall amount differences when compared to the disdrometer observations when the model is trained within a broad span of input values. Consistent stability in accurately estimating rainfall rate in different sites shows the intrinsic advantage of ANNs in learning and self-adaptive abilities in modelling complex nonlinear relationships between the inputs and target variables.
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Adams, N. R., D. G. Masters, A. C. Schlink, G. Mata, and T. O'Dea. "Is there a specific weakness in staple strength around the break of season?" Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 39, no. 4 (1999): 401. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea98056.
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In a Mediterranean climate the weak point of the staple normally occurs at the break of season in autumn, but it is not clear whether the staple simply breaks at the minimum fibre diameter or whether there is a specific weakness at this time. Three hypotheses were tested to determine if specific environmental effects on staple strength could be detected under field conditions. First, environmental stresses associated with rainfall and low temperature, resulting in a sudden disruption of warm summer–autumn conditions and lack of feed, may cause follicle shutdown. Second, the sudden decline in feed available following the rain event and the response of sheep to chase the green pick rather than eat the available dry feed may reduce the flow of nutrients to wool. Third, the slow adaptation by rumen microorganisms to changes in the diet from dry to green pasture may result in a further reduction of nutrients available to the wool follicle. We compared a group of sheep managed to minimise nutrient intake fluctuations at the break of season with a group grazing under normal farm practice and tested the hypothesis that a specific lowering of staple strength is associated with the break of season. On 2 April (3 days after the first rains of the season), 120, 18-month-old Merino wethers were allocated to 2 groups, paddock and yard. The paddock group comprised sheep following normal farm practice. The yard group was confined to yards and fed to maintain liveweight, to determine whether the break in the staple was associated with the rainfall event or with the subsequent changes in feed intake. These animals were left off feed for 4 days beginning 24 April. Within each group, 2 separate treatments were imposed. The paddock group was split, and half were moved into covered pens inside a shearing shed on 15 May, a few days before a second major rainfall event, to examine directly stresses associated with rainfall. The sheep from the yard group were kept as a single mob until 3 June, when they were split into 2 groups, sudden and gradual, in relation to their release onto green pasture, to examine the effect of adaptation time to green feed on the flow of nutrients to wool and staple strength. The sudden group was released onto green pasture, while the gradual group was given access to the pasture for increasing periods over the next week. The point of break was delayed by moving sheep into yards after the initial rainfall, suggesting that the rain event per se was not the direct cause of the break in the staple in this experiment. Furthermore, protecting the paddock sheep against the second major rainfall event by shedding half of them did not affect staple strength. The point of break in the staple in the yard group occurred after an accidental 4-day feed deprivation period. This indicates that even short periods of liveweight loss from feed deprivation due to poor or inattentive management when sheep are in low nutritional condition at this time of the year may precipitate the point of break. The rate of release onto green feed after yarding did not significantly affect staple strength and we conclude this was not an important factor. We conclude that neither stress associated with rainfall nor adaptation of ruminal microorganisms to the change in feed weakened the wool.
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Bordson, Gary O., Gavin L. Meerdink, Karla J. Bauer, and Mike E. Tumbleson. "Effects of Drying Temperature on Fumonisin Recovery From Feeds." Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL 78, no. 5 (September 1, 1995): 1183–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jaoac/78.5.1183.
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Abstract A number of corn and feed samples submitted for fumonisin analysis contain high levels of moisture. The high moisture content can interfere with grinding during sample preparation and, if samples are held at room temperature, may promote fungal, bacterial, and/or other microbial growth. To inhibit possible sample deterioration, wet corn and feed samples routinely are stored in a freezer. Prior to grinding, the sample, or a representative portion, is dried. Using a fumonisin-positive, rain-soaked, pelleted mixed feed, we found that prolonged drying at temperatures above 50°C results in decreased fumonisin recoveries. Therefore, we carried out a study to assess the effect of drying times and temperatures on recoveries of fumonisins FB1 and FB2. A fumonisin-positive corn sample and the pelleted mixed feed were dried for various periods up to 24 h at 30°, 50°, or 110°C. Duplicate samples were dried for 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, or 24 h at each temperature. Samples were extracted with solvent, and an aliquot of each extract was cleaned up with Cie Sep-Pak cartridges. Extracts were derivatized with fluorescamine and analyzed by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. During the 24 h drying period, recoveries of fumonisins FB1 and FB2 from samples dried at 110°C exhibited a nonlinear decrease. Recoveries from samples dried at 30° and 50°C showed no real change.
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Sufiyan, Ibrahim, M. K. Dahiru, and Mohammed Alkali. "GEOSPATIAL TREND ANALYSIS OF RAIN-FED AND IRRIGATION PRACTICES FOR CROPS YIELD IMPROVEMENT IN KURA AND MINJIBIR, KANO SATE, NIGERIA." Tropical Agrobiodiversity 3, no. 1 (2022): 16–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.26480/trab.01.2022.16.20.
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One of the advancements in Agriculture in recent time is the boost of crop yield to increase the number of output and feed the growing Nigerian population. The higher the output the less cost of food items and the more the food security. Kano State is one of the focal point not only on rain fed Agriculture alone but in irrigation farming. Irrigation was adopted coupled with soil fertility. most major crops such as Sorghum Bicolor, Maize, Millet, Beans and Groundnuts are typically grown during rainy season, while market garden crops such as Tomatoes, Pepper, Onion and Rice are now cultivated during the dry period in large hectares of land. This study focuses on different crops yield and its spatial distribution; to calculate the total crop yield per hectare and ascertain the duration of bumper harvest using trend analysis and normal probability. The result indicated more turn-out of farmers with double output of both rain fed and irrigation crops from 2019 and 2020 in two major local government area of Kano State Nigeria
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Marshall, Donna A., James M. Spiers, and Kenneth J. Curry. "(373) Use of Calcium Foliar Feed Fertilization to Reduce Rain-related Splitting in Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush Blueberry." HortScience 40, no. 4 (July 2005): 1059A—1059. http://dx.doi.org/10.21273/hortsci.40.4.1059a.
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Calcium is commonly known to affect the developmental processes of many plants, and its role as a major nutrient has been interpreted in terms of its interaction with components of the cell wall and membrane. A 2-year study was conducted to assess the affects of calcium foliar feed fertilization applied at bloom and throughout floral development on the reduction of rain-related splitting in blueberries. Foliar-applied calcium at 0.2% or 0.9% concentration did not successfully decrease splitting in blueberries to a statistical and, more importantly, an economically significant level. Calcium sprays also had no adverse affects on the fruit firmness, quality, or calcium concentrations within the fruit.
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Folorunso, O. R., E. A. O. Laseinde, and G. E. Onibi. "Performance, haematology and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens given water from different sources." Nigerian Journal of Animal Production 39, no. 1 (January 16, 2021): 104–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.51791/njap.v39i1.2264.
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n eight week study was conducted to assess the performance, carcass characteristics and haematological indices of broiler chickens provided water from different sources. One hundred and fifty day - old broiler chicks (Arbor acre) were randomly allocated to five treatment groups (rain, stream, pipe borne water, well and borehole water respectively) in a completely randomized experimental design. The borehole water was obtained from a residential building, about 500 m to the experimental site (Federal College of Agriculture (FECA), Akure, Nigeria). Rainwater was harvested when it rained and was stored in plastic containers before it was used. It was not stored for more than three days before use. Stream water was obtained from a stream that flowed close to the students' residential area of FECA. It is sometimes drunk and is typical of streams that flow in a typical village community. Well water was obtained from a well sunk within the premises of the FECA. It was a well from where people fetched water for domestic use and was provided to the birds without prior treatment. Pipe borne water was obtained from the Water Corporation Mains that supplies FECA and Ijapo Estate, Akure. Results from the experiment revealed that there were no significant (P>0.05) differences among the treatments in terms of water intake, feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, carcass characteristics, relative weight of some organs, muscle dimensions and haematological parameters. Pipe borne water had the highest numerical values (P>0.05) for most of the performance and carcass characteristic indices measured, such as daily water intake (181.53±14.6), cumulative water intake (8.90±.71), daily feed intake (106.27±4.15), cumulative feed intake (5.21±0.20), daily weight gain (38.53±2.38), total weight gain (1.89±0.12), final weight gain (1.98±0.12), percent dressed weight (97.11±0.16%), percent eviscerated weight (81.86±3.26%), relative weights of drumstick (99.37±5.43g/kg), wings (89.10±9.69g/kg), chest (170.08±6.59g/kg) and back (159.40±18.90g/kg live weight) respectively. Water from different sources (rain, well, pipe borne water, borehole and stream) had no significant (P>0.05) effect on the performance indices, considered in the study for broiler chickens. This implies that the aforementioned water sources can be used to raise broiler chickens provided such water is free from any contaminants that could impair the health of the birds.
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Rosa, Lorenzo, Davide Danilo Chiarelli, Matteo Sangiorgio, Areidy Aracely Beltran-Peña, Maria Cristina Rulli, Paolo D’Odorico, and Inez Fung. "Potential for sustainable irrigation expansion in a 3 °C warmer climate." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 47 (November 9, 2020): 29526–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2017796117.
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Climate change is expected to affect crop production worldwide, particularly in rain-fed agricultural regions. It is still unknown how irrigation water needs will change in a warmer planet and where freshwater will be locally available to expand irrigation without depleting freshwater resources. Here, we identify the rain-fed cropping systems that hold the greatest potential for investment in irrigation expansion because water will likely be available to suffice irrigation water demand. Using projections of renewable water availability and irrigation water demand under warming scenarios, we identify target regions where irrigation expansion may sustain crop production under climate change. Our results also show that global rain-fed croplands hold significant potential for sustainable irrigation expansion and that different irrigation strategies have different irrigation expansion potentials. Under a 3 °C warming, we find that a soft-path irrigation expansion with small monthly water storage and deficit irrigation has the potential to expand irrigated land by 70 million hectares and feed 300 million more people globally. We also find that a hard-path irrigation expansion with large annual water storage can sustainably expand irrigation up to 350 million hectares, while producing food for 1.4 billion more people globally. By identifying where irrigation can be expanded under a warmer climate, this work may serve as a starting point for investigating socioeconomic factors of irrigation expansion and may guide future research and resources toward those agricultural communities and water management institutions that will most need to adapt to climate change.
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Færgemand, Jacob. "Variation in the operating income and the environmental impact of trout culture from a Danish fish farm utilising different production strategies." Water Science and Technology 31, no. 10 (May 1, 1995): 249–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1995.0384.
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The age at which fish are transferred to seawater and the feeding strategies employed during the breeding season affect the economics underlying production of rain trout, as well as the environmental loading of phosphorus and nitrogen. An experiment was undertaken to evaluate the effects of i) age at seawater transfer, ii) feeding level and iii) use of a finishing feed, upon production economics. Monosex female rainbow trout (500-900g grown to 3500g) transferred to seawater at either 1 or 2 years of age, were examined. Feeding level was either that normally used by the farm or reduced by 20%. A commercial feed type with a protein-fat content of 48-28% was used throughout the experiment. Seven weeks prior to slaughter, fish were placed on a finishing diet with a protein-fat content of 60-9%. A set of economic-environmental models were established to evaluate the effects of the different production protocols upon farm profitability. Calculations were based upon fish performance evaluated as daily growth rate (% body wt/d), feed conversion rate, mortality, and weight data by means of visceral loss and gonadal development. The results of the present study illustrate that it is not possible to optimize both environmental impact and economic benefit during the production of trout.
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Alshikh, Mohammed Abd Almahamoud, Hassn Ibrahim M., Salah Abdel Rahman Salih, Ali Hussien Kadhim, and Khalid Abd Almageed M. "Adapatation of Sowing Date for Improving Sorghum Yield in Rainfed Areas in Sudan Using AQUACROP Model." Journal of Agricultural Science 9, no. 8 (July 18, 2017): 220. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/jas.v9n8p220.
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Due to the rapid growth in world population, the pressure on water resources to feed the growing population is increasing. The Nile water share of Sudan is almost exploited; and agricultural production by rained water is threatened by the pressure of climate change. It is inevitable that the production per unit water consumed, the water productivity, must be increased to meet this challenge. This research therefore focuses on the benchmarking of physical water productivity in rain fed areas and gaining a better understanding of the temporal and spatial variations and the scope for possible improvement. A review of the available records and sources that provide measurements of crop-water productivity was consulted to assess plausible ranges of water productivity levels for rain fed Sorghum crop and to provide a first explanation for the differences that are found using AQUACROP model. As such this study may be considered as crucial step was to establish a water productivity database for the rain fed sorghum crop in the country. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) which is the most important cereal crop in Sudan has been constrained by the detrimental effect of drought which has often caused food shortages. Almost 90% of the total sorghum cropped area is rain-fed, and 60% of that is in drought prone soil conditions. Spatial information on water use, crop production and water productivity will play a vital role for water managers to assess where scarce water resources are wasted and where in a given region the water productivity can be improved. Hence, a methodology has been developed in this study to quantify spatial variation of crop yield, evapotranspiration and water productivity using the AQUACROP model in five stations. The AQUACROP model is used to investigate optimum sowing date that result in maximization of grain yield.Benchmarking of rain fed Sorghum actual and potential grain efficiency in different agro-climate zones was made for the year 1979 to 2013. AQUACROP model was applied at five locations (Gedaref, Damazin, Dalang, El Fashir, and El Obyied) each representing an agro-climate zone. Causes of poor yield performance were investigated and consequently measures needed to improve performance were identified. The study indicates that increase in sorghum yields under historical climate conditions in the different studied stations is possible when early sowing is used and initial rain showers are utilized, yield decrease by 43% when sowing date is delayed from July 15 (the recommended date) to August 1. Stations with high rain fall (Damazin, Gadaref and Dalang) show little variations in inter-annual yields but with a tendency towards high yields, 3536, 3741, 3737 kg/fed for the above stations respectively compared to 2266 and 1086 kg/fed for El Obyied and El Fashir respectively at 15 June. The obtained WUE is lower in the driest regions (El Fashir, and El Obyied) and higher for those of high rain fall. To aid decision makers and crop growers in rain fed areas a set of recommendations for policy making and for future research were identified.
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Majak, W., T. J. Lysyk, G. J. Garland, and M. E. Olson. "Efficacy of Alfasure™ for the prevention and treatment of alfalfa bloat in cattle." Canadian Journal of Animal Science 85, no. 1 (March 1, 2005): 111–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/a04-082.
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Alfalfa was grazed at early stages of growth to test the efficacy of field application of the pluronic detergent Alfasure™. Bloat was prevented under optimal weather conditions in the absence of rain but heavy rains could disperse the water-soluble product. A new route of administration of Alfasure™ was also examined for the treatment of bloat. Intraruminal injection of Alfasure™ was completely effective in the treatment of bloat, as was intraruminal injection of an industry standard product but on average the response time of Alfasure™ was significantly faster. Key words: Steers, frothy bloat, Medicago sativa L., feed supplements, Alfasure™
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Tapiador, F. J., A. Berne, T. Raupach, A. Navarro, G. Lee, and Z. S. Haddad. "Objective Characterization of Rain Microphysics: Validating a Scheme Suitable for Weather and Climate Models." Journal of Hydrometeorology 19, no. 6 (June 1, 2018): 929–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-17-0154.1.
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Abstract Improving the atmospheric component of hydrological models is beneficial for applications such as water resources assessment and hydropower operations. Within this goal, precise characterization of rain microphysics is key for climate and weather modeling, and thus for hydrometeorological applications. Such characterization can be achieved by analyzing the evolution in time of the particle size distribution (PSD) of hydrometeors, which can be measured at ground using disdrometers for validation. The estimation, however, depends on the choice of the PSD form (the shape) and on the parameters to define the exact shape. In the case of modeling rain microphysics, two approaches compete: the use of the number concentration of drops decoupled from the shape of the distribution (the [NT, E(D), E(D2)] and the {NT, E(D), E[log(D)]} models), and the (N0, Λ, μ) model that embeds in N0 both the shape of the distribution and the number concentration of drops. Here we use a comprehensive dataset of disdrometer measurements to show that the NT-based approaches allow a more precise characterization of the drop size distribution (DSD) and also a physically based modeling of the microphysical processes of rain since NT is analytically independent of the shape of the DSD {parameterized by E(D), and E(D2) or E[log(D)]}. The implication is that numerical models would benefit from decoupling the number of drops from the shape of distribution in their modules of precipitation microphysics in order to improve outputs that eventually feed hydrological models.
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Ayabagabo, Jean de Dieu, Paul Anthans Onjoro, Perminus Karubiu Migwi, and Marie Christine Dusingize. "Effects of nutrients supply on milk yield, composition, and enteric methane gas emissions from smallholder dairy farms in Rwanda." Journal of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine 6, no. 2 (April 30, 2021): 93–104. http://dx.doi.org/10.31248/jasvm2021.261.
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This study investigated the effects of feed on milk yield and quality through feed monitoring and quality assessment, and the consequent enteric methane gas emissions from smallholder dairy farms in drier areas of Rwanda, using the Tier II approach for four seasons in three zones namely; Mayaga and peripheral Bugesera (MPB), Eastern Savanna and Central Bugesera (ESCB), and Eastern plateau (EP). The study was carried out using 186 dairy cows with a mean live weight of 292 Kg in three communal cowsheds. The milk quality analysis was carried out on 418 samples. Data collected were subjected to ANOVA.The dry matter intake was lower (p<0.05) in the long dry season (7.24 Kg) with the ESCB zone having the highest value of 9.10 Kg. The Dry matter digestibility varied between seasons and zones ranging from 52.5 to 56.4% for seasons and from 51.9 to 57.5% for zones. The daily protein supply was higher (p<0.05) in the long rain season with 969 g. The mean daily milk production of lactating cows was 5.6 L with a lower value (p<0.05) during the long dry season (4.76 L) and MPB zone having the lowest value of 4.65 L. The yearly milk production per cow was 1179 L. The milk fat varied from 3.79 to 5.49% with a seasonal and zone variation. No variation was observed with milk protein. The seasonal daily methane emission varied from 150 g for the long dry season to 174 g for the long rain season (p<0.05). The mean emission factor was 59.4 Kg of methane/year. The methane emission per unit of milk production was lower in EP zone (46.8 g/L). Farmers should use high-quality feeds to increase the milk yield and reduce the methane gas produced per unit of milk
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Gonz�lez, A. E., A. T. Mart�nez, G. Almendros, and J. Grinbergs. "A study of yeasts during the delignification and fungal transformation of wood into cattle feed in Chilean rain forest." Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 55, no. 3 (March 1989): 221–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00393851.
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Roychoudhury, N., S. Sambath, Nitin Kulkarni, and K. Joshi. "A note on Paectes subapicalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): A potential Sal defoliator in Madhya Pradesh." Indian Journal of Forestry 30, no. 4 (December 1, 2007): 463–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.54207/bsmps1000-2007-iv33zo.
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The present paper reports the findings of field study on the status of a Sal defoliator, Paectes subapicalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Euteliinae), in Madhya Pradesh. Observations clearly revealed that sudden population outburst of this insect occur in Sal forest with the onset of rain in the month of June during the season of leaf flushing and causes epidemic defoliation of Sal tree. The insect showed overlapping generations. Larval incidence was recorded to be about cent per cent. Larvae were observed to be voracious feeder, principally feed on young foliage of Sal. Some observations on the biology and feeding behaviour of this potential Sal defoliator were investigated and discussed in the light of the present findings.
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Abebe, Belete. "The Dietary Use of Pigeon Pea for Human and Animal Diets." Scientific World Journal 2022 (January 24, 2022): 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/4873008.
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Pigeon pea (PP) [Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth] plays an important role in preserving poor smallholders’ major source of income in the tropics and subtropics by improving food and feed security, particularly protein intake. In the meantime, protein deficiency is frequent in tropical and subtropical regions due to rapidly increasing human populations and the high cost of animal-origin proteins. As a result, pulse crops should be their primary source of protein. Among these, PP is the most important pulse crop utilized as a food component in rain-fed agricultural conditions with the lowest costs, and it is the best source of protein supplements in typical cereal-based diets to fill the nutritional deficit. Despite this, it is the world’s least-used pulse crop. Therefore, the primary goal of this review was to provide and synthesize scientifically confirmed and up-to-date information on the dietary usage of pigeon pea for food and feed. Protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and essential amino acids are all present in reasonable amounts in both mature and immature PP seeds. PP has the most potential for usage as food and feed, and its nutrients are comparable to those of soybeans and maize. PP’s green leaves, roots, seeds, and pods are high in phenolic compounds, which have anti-inflammation, antibacterial, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and antidiabetic properties, as well as the ability to cure diseases like measles, smallpox, chicken pox, sickle cell anemia, fever, dysentery, hepatitis, and antimalarial medications for the body. Furthermore, the addition of pigeon pea and its by-products improves ruminant and nonruminant animal feeding performance significantly. In general, PP products such as dried grain, fresh (aerial portion), and green pods are used as a low-cost (low-cost) source of high-quality and quantity of protein food and feed for tropical and subtropical populations’ livelihoods.
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French, P., K. O. Driscoll, B. Horan, and L. Shalloo. "The economic, environmental and welfare implications of alternative systems of accommodating dairy cows during the winter months." Animal Production Science 55, no. 7 (2015): 838. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/an14895.
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Pasture grazed in situ is one of the most competitive and sustainable feeding systems for dairy cows globally because of a low environmental footprint, the potential for excellent animal welfare and the relatively low cost in the production and utilisation of the feed. However, because of seasonal variation in grass production and inclement weather conditions, dairy cattle may have to be accommodated and/or fed off pasture. There are numerous infrastructural options for achieving this and the focus of the present paper was to review the research and discuss the merits of these alternate animal accommodation systems, focussing on the impact that they have on the environment, animal welfare and farm profitability relative to pasture-only systems. Research data showed that dairy cow welfare can be protected in a range of well managed alternative winter accommodation. In a temperate climate, such as that which pertains in Ireland, adequately fed adult cattle will not use extra feed energy to maintain body temperature when accommodated outdoors and exposed to the effects of wind, rain and low temperatures, as the heat produced from the digestion of feed is in excess of the requirement to maintain body temperature. The main welfare challenge of a wintering system in such conditions is to provide suitable lying facilities for cows to express normal lying behaviour and provide adequate feed. The primary economic focus of pasture-based systems should be to maximise the length of the grass-grazing season and, consequently, to minimise the period off paddock. Provided that body condition targets can be met, there will be minimal effect of wintering system on dairy cow productivity and the only economic differences will be in costs. The cost analysis should combine the capital costs of construction financed over its useful life and the annual operating costs, including labour.
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Bell, J. G., and I. Abodu. "DYNAMICS OF VILLAGE POULTRY PRODUCTION IN THE KEITA REGION OF NIGER." Nigerian Journal of Animal Production 22, no. 2 (January 10, 2021): 141–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.51791/njap.v22i2.2428.
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The dynamics of the village poultry population was studied in the region of Keita in Niger. A weekly survey was carried out for 8 weeks in the dry season and 8 weeks in the rainy season in 47 families chosen at random in five villages. The principal species raised were: chickens, guinea fowl, pigeons and ducks. In 85% of cases, poultry was owned by men and in 15% by women. Pigeons were kept by children. Feed and housing were rudimentary. Mortality was essentially due to predation of chicks and of growers while other losses were through trampling, drowning and rain. Mortality due to disease was negligible during the periods of the survey. Mortality and predation were responsible for 83% of offtakes from chickens and 43% from guinea fowl. A greater proportion of guinea fowl (57%) were consumed and sold than chickens (14%).
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Rödel, Mark-Oliver, Friederike Range, Janne-Tuomas Seppänen, and Ronald Noë. "Caviar in the rain forest: monkeys as frog-spawn predators in Taï National Park, Ivory Coast." Journal of Tropical Ecology 18, no. 2 (March 2002): 289–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467402002195.
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The high predation pressure in aquatic environments is generally assumed to be the ultimate cause of terrestrial breeding in anurans (Downie 1993, Magnusson & Hero 1991, Poynton 1964, Yorke 1983). It has evolved multiple times and is presently found in most anuran families (Bogart 1981, Duellman 1992). It is often associated with higher humidity and thus lower desiccation risk in tropical forests (Duellman & Trueb 1986). Most clutches that are oviposited terrestrially are either hidden in subterranean refuges or attached more or less exposed to vegetation (Duellman & Trueb 1986, Lamotte & Lescure 1977). Exposed clutches however, face the risk of desiccation, even in rain-forest environments (Rödel pers. obs.) and are still vulnerable to predation. Such disparate groups as various arthropods (Villa 1977, 1980; Villa & Townsend 1983, Vonesh 2000), frogs (Crump 1974), snakes (Roberts 1994, Scott & Starrett 1974, Warkentin 1995) and birds (Brosset 1967), have been reported to feed on these clutches. The foam nests,which occur in at least six tropical anuran families, seem to provide better protection. Their drying surface and their more or less liquid interior offers the tadpoles an aquatic environment that is well protected against desiccation and predation (Duellman & Trueb 1986, Seymour & Loveridge 1994). In addition the bubbles of the foam facilitate oxygen diffusion within the nest and may even provide a capacious oxygen store for eggs and hatched tadpoles (Seymour & Loveridge 1994). Few predators have been reported to feed on foam nests, one of which,paradoxically, is a frog (Drewes & Altig 1996). In the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast, we discovered a quite unexpected group of predators preying on foam nests and frog clutches exposed on leaves: monkeys.
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Oduguwa, O. O. "Utilization of whole pods of Albizia saman in diets of growing rabbits." Nigerian Journal of Animal Production 33, no. 2 (January 9, 2021): 197–202. http://dx.doi.org/10.51791/njap.v33i2.925.
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The effect of graded levels of whole pods of Albizia saman (Rain tree) on the performance nutrient utilization and haematology of growing rabbits were studied. Four experimental diets were formulated which contained 100, 200 and 300g whole pods of A. saman of diet. Forty-eight growing hybrid rabbits with average initial weight of 828.2g were used for the experiment. They were alloted on weight equalization basis to four dietary treatments that is 12 animals per treatment. The animals were housed individually and fed ad libitum with the respective diets through the eight weeks experimental period. Data on body weight, feed intake, feed to gain ratio and protein efficiency ratio were monitored. Metabolic trials were also carried out in the course of the experiment and the digestibility of dry matter and the proximate contents of the feed were determined. Some haematological indices of the experimental animals were also assayed, these include: packed cell volume, haemoglobin, red blood cells, white blood cells, serum total protein, serum albumin and serum creatine. Results showed that the dietary treatments had significant effect (P<0.05) on body weight, feed intake, feed to gain ratio and protein efficiency ratio. Rabbits fed 100g kg-1 A. saman diet had similar performance with those on the control diet (0g kg-1 A. saman) and performed better (P<0.05) than those fed 200g kg-1 and 300g kg-1 A. saman diets. The digestibility values of dry matter and other proximate fractions of the dietary treatments were not significantly different (P>0.05). However, when only the A. saman diets were considered, rabbits fed 100g kg-1 had the highest but non-significant digestibility values for all the measurement taken. The mean values for packed cell volume, haemoglobin, serum total protein and serum albumin decreased with increasing level of inclusion of A. saman. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in the values of red blood cells and serum creatine. It was concluded that inclusion of whole pods of A. saman up to 100g kg-1 level in the diets of growing rabbits gave best results with no adverse effect on performance and nutrient digestibility.
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Hamer, K. C., J. K. Hill, S. Benedick, N. Mustaffa, V. K. Chey, and M. Maryati. "Diversity and ecology of carrion- and fruit-feeding butterflies in Bornean rain forest." Journal of Tropical Ecology 22, no. 1 (December 21, 2005): 25–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467405002750.
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Tropical rain forests are well known as centres of insect diversity and much effort has focused on the role of larval host plant specificity in generating and maintaining this diversity, but fewer studies have examined the exploitation of different food resources by adults in this context. Tropical butterflies feed as adults on a wide range of resources and we examined the diversity and ecology of species feeding on rotting fruit and carrion in a tropical lowland rain forest in Sabah, Borneo. We found that species richness and diversity were significantly higher on carrion than on fruit, and that this pattern was repeated at genus and family level. There was little similarity in species assemblages on the two substrates and β-diversity between carrion and fruit comprised 33% of the total diversity of butterflies feeding on decaying matter. β-diversity between canopy gap and shade microhabitats comprised 21% of total species diversity on carrion but only 7% of the total on fruit, indicating greater functional diversity on carrion in terms of light preferences. Captures were strongly male-biased on carrion but not on fruit, and recapture rates were much lower on carrion than on fruit. Species from two subfamilies (Nymphalinae and Charaxinae) exploited both substrates and for Charaxinae, there was evidence from adult flight morphology that species on carrion were capable of faster more-powerful flight. These results support the notion of a distinctive carrion-feeding fauna comprising more mobile species, which may use carrion to meet additional nitrogen requirements resulting from greater musculature. However there was no relationship between flight morphology and substrate choice in the Nymphalinae, and carrion-feeding may not have a unitary explanation.
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Purnawan, Irfan, Sutrasno Kartohardjono, Levana Wibowo, Annisa Faiza Ramadhani, Woei Jye Lau, and Arifina Febriasari. "Effect of Absorbents on NOx Removal through Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Hollow Fiber Membrane Modules." International Journal of Chemical Engineering 2021 (August 16, 2021): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/8277082.
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NOx (NO and NO2) are air toxins that endanger life and represent a hazard to the environment, such as photochemical smog, global warming, acid rain, ozone depletion, and the occurrence of respiratory infections. Some technological strategies to diminish NOx emissions to meet regulations depend on two techniques: the dry process and the wet process. This study applies polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane modules as a medium to remove NOx from solutions containing several absorbents such as hydrogen peroxide and nitric acid (H2O2-HNO3) solutions, sodium chlorite and sodium hydroxide (NaClO2-NaOH) solutions, and sodium chlorate and sodium hydroxide (NaClO3-NaOH) solutions. The experimental results showed that the oxidant’s strength influences NOx removal efficiency, where the absorbent solutions containing hydrogen peroxide had the highest removal efficiency as hydrogen peroxide is the most potent oxidant, followed by sodium chlorite and sodium chlorate. The three pairs of absorbents also gave a high NOx removal efficiency (above 90%), which means that all the absorbents used in the study are very potential to be used to diminish NOx via the wet process. NOx removal efficiency at the same feed gas flow rate increased as the number of fiber and absorbent concentrations is increased. However, NOx removal efficiency is reduced as the feed gas flow rate is increased at the same membrane module and absorbent concentration.
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Chen, J., and M. B. Beck. "Operational control of storm sewage at an activated sludge process." Water Science and Technology 43, no. 7 (April 1, 2001): 131–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2001.0407.
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Operational control of storm sewage at a wastewater treatment plant has attracted intensive concern over the last decade in the context of river basin management. The focus is on the exploitation of the full capacity of the wastewater treatment plant in attenuating storm sewage, and minimizing a direct storm sewage bypass to the river. Attention is particularly paid to the surge of storm water on the activated sludge process. Based on two typical rain events, this paper discusses the performance of several practical controllers in achieving an optimal effluent performance under storm loadings, without risking internal biomass stability and sludge overflow. The control algorithms tested include various controls of recycle rate, step-feed and step-sludge. Prediction errors of influent characteristics and process responses are also under consideration in the assessment. The results illustrate well the desirability, effectiveness and robustness of the tested controllers.
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Rosa, Lorenzo, Davide Danilo Chiarelli, Maria Cristina Rulli, Jampel Dell’Angelo, and Paolo D’Odorico. "Global agricultural economic water scarcity." Science Advances 6, no. 18 (April 29, 2020): eaaz6031. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz6031.
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Water scarcity raises major concerns on the sustainable future of humanity and the conservation of important ecosystem functions. To meet the increasing food demand without expanding cultivated areas, agriculture will likely need to introduce irrigation in croplands that are currently rain-fed but where enough water would be available for irrigation. “Agricultural economic water scarcity” is, here, defined as lack of irrigation due to limited institutional and economic capacity instead of hydrologic constraints. To date, the location and productivity potential of economically water scarce croplands remain unknown. We develop a monthly agrohydrological analysis to map agricultural regions affected by agricultural economic water scarcity. We find these regions account for up to 25% of the global croplands, mostly across Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. Sustainable irrigation of economically water scarce croplands could feed an additional 840 million people while preventing further aggravation of blue water scarcity.
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Goopy, J. P., D. Korir, D. Pelster, A. I. M. Ali, S. E. Wassie, E. Schlecht, U. Dickhoefer, L. Merbold, and K. Butterbach-Bahl. "Severe below-maintenance feed intake increases methane yield from enteric fermentation in cattle." British Journal of Nutrition 123, no. 11 (March 25, 2020): 1239–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007114519003350.
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AbstractThe relationship between feed intake at production levels and enteric CH4 production in ruminants consuming forage-based diets is well described and considered to be strongly linear. Unlike temperate grazing systems, the intake of ruminants in rain-fed tropical systems is typically below maintenance requirements for part of the year (dry seasons). The relationship between CH4 production and feed intake in animals fed well below maintenance is unexplored, but changes in key digestive parameters in animals fed at low levels suggest that this relationship may be altered. We conducted a study using Boran yearling steers (n 12; live weight: 162·3 kg) in a 4 × 4 Latin square design to assess the effect of moderate to severe undernutrition on apparent digestibility, rumen turnover and enteric CH4 production of cattle consuming a tropical forage diet. We concluded that while production of CH4 decreased (1133·3–65·0 g CH4/d; P < 0·0001), over the range of feeding from about 1·0 to 0·4 maintenance energy requirement, both CH4 yield (29·0−31·2 g CH4/kg DM intake; P < 0·001) and CH4 conversion factor (Ym 9·1–10·1 MJ CH4/MJ gross energy intake; P < 0·01) increased as intake fell and postulate that this may be attributable to changes in nutrient partitioning. We suggest there is a case for revising emission factors of ruminants where there are seasonal nutritional deficits and both environmental and financial benefits for improved feeding of animals under nutritional stress.
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Novotny, Vojtech, Anthony R. Clarke, Richard A. I. Drew, Solomon Balagawi, and Barbara Clifford. "Host specialization and species richness of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in a New Guinea rain forest." Journal of Tropical Ecology 21, no. 1 (January 2005): 67–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467404002044.
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Frugivorous dacine fruit flies were studied in a lowland tropical rain forest in Papua New Guinea to determine their host specificity, abundance, and the number of species attacking various plant species. Plant species hosted 0–3 fruit fly species at median (1–3 quartile) densities of 1 (0–17) fruit flies per 100 fruits. Fruit flies were mostly specialized to a single plant family (83% species) and within each family to a single genus (88% species), while most of the species (66%) were able to feed on >1 congeneric plant species. Only 30 from the 53 studied plant species were colonized by fruit flies. The plant–fruit fly food web, including these 30 plant species and the total of 29 fruit fly species feeding on them, was divided into 14 compartments, each including 1–8 plant species hosting mutually disjunct assemblages of fruit flies. This structure minimizes indirect interactions among plant species via shared herbivores. The local species pool was estimated at 152±32 (±SE) fruit fly species. Forty per cent of all taxonomically described species known from Papua New Guinea were reared or trapped in our study area. Such a high proportion indicates low beta-diversity of fruit flies. Steiner traps were highly efficient in sampling the lure-responsive fruit fly species as they re-collected 84% of all species trapped in the same area 5 y before. Fruit fly monitoring by these traps is a cheap, simple and efficient method for the study of spatial and temporal changes in rain-forest communities.
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Attallah, Mustafa, Jalil Kianfar, and Yadong Wang. "Impact of High Resolution Radar-Obtained Weather Data on Spatio-Temporal Prediction of Freeway Speed." Sustainability 14, no. 22 (November 11, 2022): 14932. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su142214932.
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Inclement weather and environmental factors impact traffic operations resulting in travel delays and a reduction in travel time reliability. Precipitation is an example of an environmental factor that affects travel conditions, including traffic speed. While Intelligent Transportation Systems services aim to proactively mitigate congestion on roadways, these services are often not sensitive to weather conditions. This paper investigates the application of high-resolution weather data in improving the performance of proactive transportation management models and proposes short-term speed prediction models that fuse real-time high-resolution weather surveillance radar data with traffic stream data to conduct spatial and temporal prediction of the speed of roadway segments. Extreme gradient boosting weather-aware speed prediction models were developed for a 7-km segment of Interstate 270 in St. Louis, MO, USA. The performance of the weather-aware models was compared with the performance of weather-insensitive speed prediction models that did not take precipitation into account. The results indicated that in the majority of instances, the weather-aware models outperformed the weather-insensitive models. The extreme gradient boosting models were compared with the K-nearest neighbors algorithm and feed-forward neural network models. The extreme gradient boosting model consistently outperformed the other two methods. In addition to speed prediction models, van Aerde speed-flow traffic stream models were developed for rain and no-rain conditions to study the impact of precipitation on the traffic stream across the corridor. Results indicated that the impact of precipitation is not identical across the corridor, which was mirrored in the results obtained from weather-aware speed prediction models.
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Narra, Haribabu. "Retention of B-Carotene from Leafy Vegetables." Plantae Scientia 3, no. 6 (December 30, 2020): 99–103. http://dx.doi.org/10.32439/ps.v3i6.99-103.
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During the present investigations, effect of table salt on retention of ?-carotene from leafy vegetables from Marathwada was studied. Getting vegetables throughout the year is obscure in rain feed area like Marathwada. Retention of nutrition from vegetables is important for health in absence of in adequate preservation techniques. Five different green leafy vegetables which are consumed by the peoples on large scale have been tried during the present piece of work. These vegetables are Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), Shepu (Anathum graveolens L.) and Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) which are commonly consumed in Marathwada region. These vegetables were soaked with solution of common Table salt i.e. Sodium Chloride (NaCl) at different concentrations. After analysis it was noted that in Spinach, Coriander, Trigonella and Anthem. The results obtained during the work clearly indicate that, the common salt can act as excellent preservative for retention of ?-carotene from leafy vegetables.
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Jagatheesan, Mounica, and G. Janaki. "Weather Monitoring System using IoT for Smart Farming." ECS Transactions 107, no. 1 (April 24, 2022): 17439–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1149/10701.17439ecst.
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In most countries, agriculture is considered a major primary sector and a principal source of income. It is estimated that by the year 2050, the world’s population is expected to reach 9.1 billion people. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food production would need to expand by almost 70% to feed the growing population. As a result, the increase in agricultural productivity is critical in ensuring high crop yields and farm profitability. The proposed work aims to design an automated, fast-processing, real-time weather monitoring system for sustainable development in smart farming against climatic action. The proposed weather monitoring system is based on IoT technology designed using proteus simulation tool which collects necessary environmental data by using a Temperature sensor (LM35), Pressure sensor (BMP180), Soil moisture sensor, Rain sensor, and Raspberry Pi (RPI3) and the data are fed to ThingSpeak platform to predict the suitable condition for crop growth and better crop yield.
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Thomson, E. F., S. Rihawi, and N. Nersoyan. "Nutritive Value and Yields of Some Forage Legumes and Barley Harvested as Immature Herbage, Hay and Straw in North-West Syria." Experimental Agriculture 26, no. 1 (January 1990): 49–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0014479700015398.
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SUMMARYThe nutritive value and yield of forage legumes and barley harvested as immature herbage, hay and straw were measured in two experiments. The voluntary feed intake of peas at all stages of maturity and immature herbage from woollypod vetch was substantially lower than that of common vetch and chickling. At each stage of maturity barley was less digestible than all the forages except immature peas. Despite exceptionally cold weather in February/March 1985, yields of common vetch were higher in 1984/85 than in 1985/86 when there was less rain. Peas yielded the most hay, and chickling yielded less seed and straw than common vetch, peas and barley. Yields of digestible dry matter from straw and seed exceeded those from hay but protein yield at the two stages was similar. Mechanical baling substantially reduced the yields of baled hay but these losses would be reduced to less than 10% if the residues were grazed.
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Adriansz, TD, JLM Hardy, JTB Milton, CM Oldham, and D. Real. "Near infrared analysis for nutritive attributes of tedera (Bituminaria bituminosa var. albomarginata)." Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy 25, no. 3 (June 2017): 215–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0967033517712133.
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Tedera ( Bituminaria bituminosa var. albomarginata) is a perennial legume native to Lanzarote, an island within the Canary Islands; known for its dry environment. It is a plant known as a grazing option within that island. Tedera was tested for its potential as an optional feed source for sheep grazing under Western Australian conditions, also known for its frequent periods of drought stress. Four sets each of 35 seasonal samples were taken from seven accessions of the legume, in an area known to have less than 600 mm of rain each year. Milled leaf – stem samples were analysed for a series of nutritive attributes and calibrations were developed using information in near infrared spectra. This paper presents findings, which demonstrate that some sound calibrations are possible for major nutritive attributes including acid detergent fibre, crude protein, calcium and chloride; for these attributes the ratio of performance to deviation exceeded a value of 4.5.
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H R, Dhanalaxmi, Anitha G S, and Sunil Kumar A V. "Short Term Renewable Energy Forecasting Based on Feed Forward Back Propagation Neural Network Strategy." International Journal of Circuits, Systems and Signal Processing 16 (August 24, 2022): 1109–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.46300/9106.2022.16.134.
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The fundamental inputs used as a renewable energy source are wind speed and solar radiation. Both parameters are very nonlinear and depending on their surroundings. As a result, reliable prediction of these characteristics is required for usage in a variety of agricultural, industrial, transportation, and environmental applications since they reduce greenhouse gas emissions and are environmentally benign. In this study, we used a Feed Forward Back Propagation Neural Network (FFBPN) technique to predict proper data such as temperature, relative moisture, sun radiations, rain, and wind speed. The FFBPN will be trained in such a way that it can conduct hybrid forecasting with little changes to the programming codes, ranging from hourly (short term forecasting) to daily forecasting (medium term forecasting). This feature is one of the significant improvements, showing the suggested hybrid renewable energy forecasting system's high robustness. Because the hybrid forecasting system is a unique approach, the system's accuracy will be determined by comparing the findings to the corresponding values of the persistent model, a stand-alone forecasting model. Finally, the completely created system package could be sold and/or used in future research initiatives to help researcher’s analyses, validate, and illustrate their models across a variety of areas.
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de Coning, E., and E. R. Poolman. "South African Weather Service operational satellite based precipitation estimation technique: applications and improvements." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions 7, no. 6 (November 12, 2010): 8837–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hessd-7-8837-2010.
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Abstract. Extreme weather related to heavy or more frequent precipitation events seem to be a likely possibility for the future of our planet. While precipitation measurements can be done by means of rain gauges, the obvious disadvantages of point measurements are driving meteorologists towards remotely sensed precipitation methods. In South Africa more sophisticated and expensive nowcasting technology such as radar and lightning networks are available, supported by a fairly dense rain gauge network of about 1500 gauges. In the rest of southern Africa rainfall measurements are more difficult to obtain. The availability of the local version of the Unified Model and the Meteosat Second Generation satellite data make these products ideal components of precipitation measurement in data sparse regions such as Africa. In this article the local version of the Hydroestimator (originally from NOAA/NESDIS) is discussed as well as its applications for precipitation measurement in this region. Hourly accumulations of the Hydroestimator are currently used as a satellite based precipitation estimator for the South African Flash Flood Guidance system. However, the Hydroestimator is by no means a perfect representation of the real rainfall. In this study the Hydroestimator and the stratiform rainfall field from the Unified Model are both bias corrected and then combined into a new precipitation field which can feed into the South African Flash Flood Guidance system. This new product should provide a more accurate and comprehensive input to the Flash Flood Guidance systems in South Africa as well as southern Africa. In this way the southern African region where data is sparse and very few radars are available can have access to more accurate flash flood guidance.
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Nashrulloh, Faruq, Muhammad Sulaiman, and Rachmawan Budiarto. "Analysis of Potential and Feasibility of Hydropower Energy from Sepaku Semoi Dam in Penajam Paser Utara Regency." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 927, no. 1 (December 1, 2021): 012016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/927/1/012016.
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Abstract This paper will present a techno-economic potential and feasibility analysis in the planning of renewable hydropower energy from Sepaku Semoi Dam in Penajam Paser Utara (PPU) Regency. The dam was planned to be built to support the water needs of Indonesia’s prospective capital. The analysis was done based on the last twenty years’ rainfall intensity data history from Sepaku rain station and Sepinggan rain station and digital elevation model (DEM) from DEMNAS with support of the river basin agency of Kalimantan Timur. The result of dependable discharge calculation of Sepaku Semoi river using FJ Mock Method is 2.45 m/s2. And the head of the hydropower power plant is 15.85 meters. The total potential electricity generated from hydropower reached 2,593,140 kWh/year. The assessment of feasibility indicators in this research took into account the technology and economic aspects. The technology aspects help evaluate the technical planning of installations that are possible to build in the dam. The economic aspect of feasibility evaluates the net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and the payback period of renewable energy installation. This analysis aimed to get a comprehensive insight from the potential hydropower energy that exists at the research locations and conduct a feasibility study based on techno-economic analysis to develop renewable energy. The results showed that 15.85 meters had the most significant potential of hydropower by generating 290 kW continuous power with a feed-in tariff of 0.054 USD/kWh. The electricity was feasible to offer to the government electrical company. Moreover, this project had a payback period of 8 years, and NPV of 64,005 USD, and an IRR Project of 11.86%.
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Mpanza, Thamsanqa Doctor Empire, Abubeker Hassen, and Abiodun Mayowa Akanmu. "Evaluation of Stylosanthes scabra Accessions as Forage Source for Ruminants: Growth Performance, Nutritive Value and In Vitro Ruminal Fermentation." Animals 10, no. 11 (October 22, 2020): 1939. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani10111939.
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Feed shortage is the main cause of poor production performance in livestock under smallholder farmer’s in South Africa. Therefore, this study evaluated the growth performance, nutritive value and in vitro ruminal fermentation of Stylosanthes scabra accessions in climatic condition of Pretoria, South Africa as potential forage sources in order to improve feed quality and subsequently livestock production. Stylosanthes scabra accessions were planted in 6 m2 plots following a complete randomized block design with three replicates per accession. The plants were allowed to grow to full maturity after which forage was harvested and yield, chemical composition, phenolic compounds, in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) and in vitro ruminal fermentation characteristic were determined. Forage yield of accessions ranged between 4.3 to 5.3 t ha−1 in dry matter (DM), and only twelve accessions were identified to be adaptable over the three-year evaluation under rain-fed. Accessions 140, 9281, 11,252, 11,595, 11,604 and 11,625 were consistent in terms of forage yield over the three years. Significant differences among accessions were observed for crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), IVOMD, metabolizable energy, metabolizable energy yield, gas production, total phenols, total hydrolysable tannins and total condensed tannins. Principal component and clustering analysis showed that accessions 11,255 and 11,625 are distinct in their characteristics as compared to the rest of the accessions, and both accessions are suitable forage source for animals since they contain low NDF with good forage production and crude protein content. However, there is a need for further study to integrate these accessions into the feeding systems in order to improve livestock production.
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Veens, Thomas, Hwan Namkung, and Steven Leeson. "Limits to Protein in Layer Diets Relative to Mitigating Ammonia Emission." Avian Biology Research 2, no. 3 (August 2009): 143–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.3184/175815509x12473925659835.
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Ammonia emissions from poultry farms currently contribute to air pollution and acid rain. There are no regulations in North America regarding emissions of ammonia although regulations are being drawn up in the USA and there is concern about the impacts of animal agricultural on the environment. Low crude protein (CP) diets can be an effective contributor to strategies of ammonia mitigation. Since virtually all ammonia originates from nitrogenous compounds in feed, then any attempt at ammonia mitigation must involve scrutiny of the levels of nitrogen, protein and amino acids (AA). Reducing dietary nitrogen/CP leads to reduced nitrogen in the excreta with less potential for microbial conversion to ammonia. Using low CP diets may be an economical strategy for ammonia emissions since the concept involves no special feed additives other than replacement AAs. Although AA requirements for layer hens are well known, the minimal amount of CP required is less clearly defined. AA requirements should be independent of diet CP, assuming there is adequate nitrogen for protein synthesis. However, the birds/ response in terms of reduced egg numbers and growth or change in egg composition, suggest that our estimates of amino acid supply are incorrect under these dietary regimes. Independent of bird age and AA supply, more problems are recorded when CP levels are <14-15%. It is timely to redefine the maintenance AA requirements of layers. Since the composition of eggs should give us direct estimates of needs for production, the only other unknown in formulating low CP diets is the efficiency of utilisation of free amino acids versus intact proteins.
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Kumar, A. Hemantha, G. Subba Rao, and T. Rajmohan. "Comparison of Optimum Cutting Parameters for AISI1042 in Turning Operation by Genetic Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization." Applied Mechanics and Materials 813-814 (November 2015): 285–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.813-814.285.
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In metal cutting surface finish is a crucial output parameter in determining the quality of the product. Good surface finish not only assures quality, but also reduces manufacturing cost. Surface finish is an important parameter in terms of tolerances, it reduces assembly time and avoids the need for secondary operation, thus reduces operation time and leads to overall cost reduction. It is very important to select optimum parameters in metal operations. Traditionally, the experience of the operator plays a major role in the selection of optimum metal cutting conditions. However, attaining optimum values each time by even a skilled operator is difficult. The non-linear nature of the machining process has compelled engineers to search for more effective methods to attain optimization. The main aim of the present work is to build a model to solve real world optimization problems in manufacturing processes.The selection of optimal cutting parameters are speed, feed and depth of cut. are important for all machining process. Experiments have been designed using Taguchi technique, dry and single pass turning of AISI No. 1042 (EN-41B) steel with cermet insert tool performed on PSG A141 lathe. By using signal to noise (S/N) ratio and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) are performed to find the optimum level and percentage of contribution of each parameter. A mathematical model is developed using regression analysis for surface roughness and the model is validated.Moreover, the proposed algorithm, namely GA and PSO were utilized to optimize the output parameter Rain terms of cutting speed, feed and depth of cut by using MATLAB.
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Bøe, Knut Egil, and Rebecca Ehrlenbruch. "Thermoregulatory behavior of dairy goats at low temperatures and the use of outdoor yards." Canadian Journal of Animal Science 93, no. 1 (March 2013): 35–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/cjas2012-028.
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Bøe, K. E. and Ehrlenbruch, R. 2013. Thermoregulatory behavior of dairy goats at low temperatures and the use of outdoor yards. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 93: 35–41. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of roof cover and location of feed on thermoregulatory behavior and the goat's use of an outdoor yard under different weather conditions. A total of four groups of five pregnant dairy goats (20 goats in total) were allocated to a 4×4 Latin square experiment with four groups, four treatments and four experimental periods. Each treatment period lasted for 7 d. The goats were exposed to the following treatments: roof covering of outdoor yard (yes or no) and location of feed (indoors or in yard). The goats were video recorded for two 24-h periods at the end of each experimental period (totally 32, 24-h periods). When the air temperature dropped and when there was rain or snow, the goats spent less time in the outdoor yard (P<0.0001), but total lying time (P=0.47) and time spent feeding (P=0.77) were not affected by weather conditions. Lying in the outdoor yard was reduced as the air temperature decreased (P<0.001) and time spent standing/walking inside increased (P<0.001). Irrespective of weather conditions, the goats spent significantly more time in the outdoor yard in pens when the outdoor yards were covered with a roof (P <0.01), but time spent lying was not affected by roof cover (P=0.12) or feed location (P=0.40). We conclude that even if the outdoor yard was less used at decreasing temperatures, the time spent lying and feeding was not affected by inclement weather. Hence, a housing system with an inside resting area and an outside activity area provides adequate environmental protection for the goats even at low temperatures. A roof covering the outdoor yard had only a limited positive effect.
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Dubois, Normand R., and Jack H. Barger. "Effects of Simulated Acid Rain on Bacillus Thumngiensis Residual Against GYPSY Moth, New Haven County, Connecticut, 1990." Insecticide and Acaricide Tests 16, no. 1 (January 1, 1991): 273. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/iat/16.1.273a.
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Abstract Three-yr-old potted white oak seedlings were sprayed with SAN 415 SC 32LV formulation of the NRD-12 strain of B. thuringiensis Berliner, at 1.6 and 8.0 billion international units (BIU)/acre equivalent. Bond at 2% v/v was used as a sticker. At 1, 3, and 7 DAT, plants were subjected to simulated acid rain (SAR) episodes (pH 3.0; pH 4.2; none) to determine if insecticidal efficacy of B. thuringiensis against 2nd-instar GM larvae was affected. Each SAR event delivered 1.3 cm (0.5 inch) in 40 min (3.8 cm; 1.5 inch total). SAR solutions were made by adjusting the pH of Millipore grade water with 2 parts H2S04 and 1 part HN03. SAR mineral content was adjusted to reflect average content of ambient rain for the Northeast. Seedlings were sprayed with B. thuringiensis and treated with SAR using an enclosed spray tower (3.5 m diam; 6.0 m ht) equipped with a rotating platform (10 rpm). A modified Beeco Mist spray nozzle rotated at 75-100 rpm and was positioned 3.7 m (12 ft) above the plants. For the 1.6 and 8 BIU dose, the spray droplet size ranged from 640-1800 um in diam; the volume median diam was 1332 urn. Spray deposit density averaged 2.3 drops/cm2 for both doses. Plants were housed in a shaded greenhouse before and after treatment with SAR. At the appropriate DAT date and SAR episode, a small stem containing 5-7 leaves (bouquet) was harvested from each seedling and placed in a bioassay chamber where 10 GM larvae were placed on each bouquet and allowed to feed for 5 d. Percent larval mortality was determined on each bioassayed bouquet and pooled for each B. thuringiensis spray/SAR episode combination. Data were analyzed by ANOVA. Means were separated by DMRT and data transformed by arcsine before analysis.
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Math, RajinderKumar Mallayya, and Nagaraj V. Dharwadkar. "An Intelligent Irrigation Scheduling and Monitoring System for Precision Agriculture Application." International Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Information Systems 11, no. 4 (October 2020): 1–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/ijaeis.2020100101.
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In spite of technological advancements, the farm productivity of Indian agriculture is still on the lower side. The underlying reason for poor farm productivity in India is due to the inefficient usage of agricultural inputs, resulting in low or poor-quality agricultural yields. Water happens to be one of such imperative agricultural input that has a huge impact on agricultural productivity. Precision agriculture systems can take care of irrigation requirements by optimally and efficiently using irrigation water for producing crops having superior quality and quantity. This work proposes a smart irrigation system that can efficiently manage the water requirements of the crop for its optimal growth. The irrigation schedules are developed using a feed forward neural network model that can predict the variation in the soil moisture considering the environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, and the rain. The results indicate the effectiveness of the developed system in predicting the soil moisture with mean square error as low as 0.13 and the R value as high as 0.98.
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Hill, RD, DJ Missen, and RJ Taylor. "Use of glyphosate to prevent development of reproductive tillers and extend vegetative growth of bent grass (Agrostis castellana)." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 36, no. 6 (1996): 661. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea9960661.
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The effect of glyphosate on seedhead development of bent grass (Agrostis castellana) was evaluated in an experiment at 2 sites in south-western Victoria.Application of glyphosate at 0.1350.225 kg a.i./ha on 7 November and 7 December 1993 prevented the formation of seedheads and stimulated the plant into renewed vegetative growth in response to following summer rain. The treatment with 0.135 kg a.i./ha of glyphosate, applied on 7 November, increased digestible dry matter of the regrowth by 20% and protein content by 70% compared with the unsprayed control which was dominated by seedheads. These results reflect the amount of new growth in treated plots and thus should not be confused with either the 'spraytopping' technique which aims to sterilise seeds after seedhead emergence or 'hay freezing' which and aims to preserve the feed value of existing vegetation by 'chemically curing' standing hay. We conclude that application of glyphosate at 0.135 kg a.i./ha in early November has the potential to reduce the dominance of bent grass, creating an opportunity for follow up fertiliser and management techniques to maintain productive pastures.