Aspects Of Agriculture Research Articles

Insight into husbandry conditions, health, and behavior of pet ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) among German-speaking ferret owners

Few data are published about different ferret husbandry practices in terms of housing, enrichment, feeding, social management, and the health status of ferrets. However, these factors are crucial for animal welfare and influence animal behavior. A comprehensive online survey was conducted among 573 German-speaking ferret owners to gain insight into these aspects of husbandry, the occurrence of behaviors potentially indicative of good or impaired welfare and associations between environmental conditions and ferret behavior. To reduce reactance in participants, a forced choice answer format was avoided; therefore, the sample size varied. Ferrets were on average 3.3 ± 2.3 (mean ± SD) years old. 56% were male and 44% were female. 89% of the male and 83% of the female ferrets were neutered. Many ferrets enjoyed good health. Most (73.7%, n = 425) ferrets were not diagnosed with a ferret-typical illness. A high percentage of animals were housed in a dedicated ferret room (32.7%) or unconfined in the flat or house (34.5%). The vast majority had various enrichment items in their main living area (e.g., tubes: 98.1%, boxes: 84.4%, climbing items: 81.3%). Potential stressors and welfare issues were also identified [e.g., single housing (4%), recent bite injuries (4.6%) from other ferrets, ferret-typical diseases, such as cardiac disease and adrenal tumors (6% each), or recent signs of ill health such as diarrhea (7.1%) or parasites (6.2%) and potential problem behaviors, which might strain the human-animal relationship, such as defecation outside the toilet area (daily in 27%)]. The mean age of the latest deceased ferret was 5.8 ± 2.6 years, hinting at a shorter life span than often predicted. Both housing type and recent changes in the pair or group composition, that is, in the social environment, were shown to have an effect on behavior. For instance, repetitive nibbling was reported more often in ferrets living in indoor enclosures compared with animals kept in ferret rooms, unconfined in the flat/house or outdoor enclosures (P < 0.05). If a new ferret had been introduced within the last six months, more agonistic behaviors (hissing, high-pitched screaming, defecating during interaction) were reported (P < 0.05). In sum, according to owner reports, many ferrets enjoyed good health, enriched living conditions, and companionship. However, potential stressors and welfare issues were also identified and associations between husbandry conditions and signs of impaired welfare can built the basis for owner education.

Urban agriculture in the making or gardening as epistemology

ABSTRACT This paper explores the production of Prairie Urban Farm, an urban agricultural initiative in the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta. Motivated by our involvement in the initiative and guided by a broader interest in the evolving meaning and politics of urban agriculture, the paper presents Prairie Urban Farm as a negotiated and emergent social space. Rather than limit understandings of the initiative to official representations and discourses, the analysis draws on interviews with regular volunteers as well as personal reflections to emphasise everyday urban agriculture – those practices, understandings, and motivations often subsumed under official framings or tropes that together characterise the everyday, lived aspects of urban agriculture. The paper pursues tensions between Prairie Urban Farm understood as a sustainability and food security initiative and more ambivalent understandings. We ask, is Prairie Urban Farm, officially presented as an urban agriculture and food security project, not simply a community garden by another name? Obscuring these boundaries through a detailed ethnographic and qualitative analysis, we make an argument for finding value in urban agriculture beyond discursive tropes and in relation to the reflexive possibilities engendered within a view of gardening as epistemology.

Concentration Distribution and Analysis of Urinary Glyphosate and Its Metabolites in Occupationally Exposed Workers in Eastern China.

Background: There are few published studies concerning occupational exposure to glyphosate (GLY), and these are limited to spraying, horticulture and other agricultural aspects. Therefore, the concentration of glyphosate and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), in the urine of workers exposed to glyphosate during glyphosate production was determined, and the relationship between internal (urinary glyphosate and AMPA concentration) and external exposure dose (time weighted average (TWA) value of glyphosate in the air of workplace) was analyzed. Methods: To avoid the influence of preparations, we selected people who were only involved in GLY production (without exposure to its preparations) as our research subjects. We collected 134 urine samples of workers exposed to GLY (prototype, not preparation). The urinary concentrations of GLY and AMPA (internal exposure dose) were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The subjects’ exposure to the amount of GLY in the air (external dose) was determined using ion chromatography. Conventional statistical methods, including quartiles, t-tests and regression analysis, were applied for data processing. Results: An on-site investigation revealed that the workers involved in centrifugation, crystallization, drying, and packaging and feeding were exposed to GLY. The TWA value of GLY in the workshop air was <0.02 mg/m3–34.58 mg/m3. The detection rates of GLY and AMPA in the urine samples were 86.6% and 81.3%, respectively. The concentration of urinary GLY was <0.020–17.202 mg/L (median, 0.292 mg/L). The urinary AMPA concentration was <0.010 mg/L–2.730 mg/L (median, 0.068 mg/L). The geometric means were 0.262 mg/L and 0.072 mg/L for GLY and AMPA, respectively. There was a correlation between the urinary concentration of GLY and AMPA and the TWA value of exposed workers (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.914 and 0.683, respectively; p < 0.01). Furthermore, there was a correlation between the urinary concentration of GLY and AMPA in the exposure group (r = 0.736, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The urinary concentration of GLY and AMPA of workers was correlated with the TWA value of workers’ exposure, which could reflect the actual exposure of the workers.

A review of remote sensing applications in agriculture for food security: Crop growth and yield, irrigation, and crop losses

The global population is expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. There is an exponential growth of food production to meet the needs of the growing population. However, the limited land and water resources, climate change, and an increase in extreme events likely to pose a significant threat for achieving the sustainable agriculture goal. Given these challenges, food security is included in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since the advent of Sputnik, followed by the Explorer missions, satellite remote sensing is assisting us in collecting the data at global scales. In this work, we review how satellite remote sensing information is utilized to assess and manage agriculture, an important component of ecohydrology. Overall, three critical aspects of agriculture are considered: (a) crop growth and yield through empirical models, physics-based models, and data assimilation in crop models, (b) applications pertaining to irrigation, which include mapping irrigation areas and quantification of irrigation, and (c) crop losses due to pests, diseases, crop lodging, and weeds. The emphasis is on satellite sensors in optical, thermal, microwave, and fluorescence frequencies. We conclude the review with an outlook of challenges and recommendations. This paper is the first of a two-part review series. The second part reviews the role of satellite remote sensing in water security, wherein we discuss the aspects of water quality and quantity along with extremes (floods and droughts).

Spatial variation in long‐lead predictability of summer monsoon rainfall using a time‐varying model and global climatic indices

AbstractLong‐lead prediction of summer monsoon rainfall in India is a challenging task, especially at finer spatial scale. The spatial variability in the long‐lead (one or two season in advance) prediction plays a vital role in planning of hydrological and agricultural aspects of the society. One of the major issues in this field is the climate‐induced time‐varying characteristics (non‐stationarity) that lead to a deteriorating model performance as the time passes by after the model calibration. This study proposes the use of time‐varying approaches in order to check such deteriorating performance over time. Considering the time‐varying association between Indian summer monsoon rainfall and large‐scale climatic indices (e.g., El Niño‐Southern Oscillation, Equatorial Indian Ocean Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and El Niño Modoki Index), a time‐varying approach based on hybrid graphical modelling (GM) and vine copula (GM‐Copula) is demonstrated for rainfall prediction over five homogeneous monsoon regions (HMRs) in India. The time‐varying characteristic is imparted in the GM‐Copula approach by recursively updating the model inputs and the corresponding model parameters at a regular time interval (τ) through recalibration. In the time‐varying framework, the parameter τ is referred to as optimum recurrence interval of model recalibration and it is identified as 5 years for the regions with moderate rainfall and 3 years for regions with above and below moderate rainfall. The developed time‐varying approach is able to yield reasonably good prediction performance (mean absolute percentage error being within 4–10% across HMRs) with a prediction lead time of 5 months. HMR‐wise seasonal rainfall predictions with such quality and lead time are expected to be highly useful.

Perkembangan Kabupaten Solok setelah otonomi daerah tahun 1998-2019

&lt;p&gt;This study aims to describe the economic changes and social and cultural development in Solok Regency after regional autonomy. The approach used in this study is a qualitative approach. Data collection is done by interview, observation, and documentation. Data analysis techniques used in this study are as proposed by Milles and A. Huberman which consists of several stages, namely data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. There are economic changes and development in Solok Regency from the aspects of agriculture, housing and electricity. While changes that occur in social and cultural aspects are seen from the activities of handling people with social welfare problems and activities that support cultural preservation such as arts and cultural festivals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Comprehensive ecological risk assessment for semi-arid basin based on conceptual model of risk response and improved TOPSIS model-a case study of Wei River Basin, China

Comprehensive ecological risk assessment is of great significance for the restoration of watershed ecosystem health, and the appropriate and effective assessment method is the premise of ecological risk assessment. In this study, the conceptual model of risk response was developed by identification of ecological risk sources, stressors, endpoints and the corresponding response mechanism as well as the improved TOPSIS model based on Canberra distance and the combinatorial weighting method based on AHP and Critic were combined for the assessment. According to the three aspects of agriculture, industrial and urbanization, the occurrence mechanism of comprehensive ecological risk of rivers in semi-arid areas was analyzed. Furthermore, twenty-four indexes were selected to establish the index system and the Wei River Basin was taken as an example to verify the model. The results of comprehensive ecological risk assessment and stressor analysis showed that the deterioration of water quality (enrichment of heavy metals) and the decrease of benthos integrity were the two main risk factors for the increase of comprehensive ecological risk in Wei River Basin. And the regulation of ecological risk for the Wei River Basin is improvement of water quality and biotic integrity.

Cellular agriculture in the UK: a review

This review details the core activity in cellular agriculture conducted in the UK at the end of 2019, based upon a literature review by, and community contacts of the authors. Cellular agriculture is an emergent field in which agricultural products—most typically animal-derived agricultural products—are produced through processes operating at the cellular level, as opposed to (typically farm-based) processes operating at the whole organism level. Figurehead example technologies include meat, leather and milk products manufactured from a cellular level. Cellular agriculture can be divided into two forms: ‘tissue-based cellular agriculture’ and ‘fermentation-based cellular agriculture’. Products under development in this category are typically valued for their environmental, ethical, and sometimes health and safety advantages over the animal-derived versions. There are university laboratories actively pursuing research on meat products through cellular agriculture at the universities of Bath, Newcastle, Aberystwyth, and Aston University in Birmingham. A cellular agriculture approach to producing leather is being pursued at the University of Manchester, and work seeking to produce a palm oil substitute is being conducted at the University of Bath. The UK cellular agriculture companies working in the meat space are Higher Steaks, Cellular Agriculture Ltd, CellulaRevolution, Multus Media and Biomimetic Solutions. UK private investors include CPT Capital, Agronomics Ltd, Atomico, Backed VCs, and Breakoff Capital. The UK also has a strong portfolio of social science research into diverse aspects of cellular agriculture, with at least ten separate projects being pursued over the previous decade. Three analyses of the environmental impact of potential cellular agriculture systems have been conducted in the UK. The first dedicated third-sector group in this sector in the UK is Cultivate (who produced this report) followed by Cellular Agriculture UK. International groups New Harvest and the Good Food Institute also have a UK presence.

Agricultural Research and Development Expenditure, Productivity and Adoption as a Panacea to Improved Rural Livelihoods; A Review of Literature

Myriad of studies have been undertaken to evaluate contribution of agricultural research and development to improved rural livelihoods. Whether be it through influencing farm productivity, rural household income, employment creation and consumer welfare, agriculture research and development has been idealised to have a significant impact on livelihoods. This paper reviews past studies that have been undertaken in relation to agricultural research and development expenditure, factor input productivity and adoption by the rural poor in different agricultural aspects. The study identifies that there are some consistencies in reported findings of research and development expenditure having impact on improving agricultural output. Equally so, findings have also been consistent of agricultural productivity increasing at the instigation of research and development as well as the existence of an array of socio-economic factors having major influences on research and development innovation adoption. Despite the existence of spatial as well as temporal variations however, there do appear loopholes within the literature. Expenditure influences on output have appeared aggregated, with few studies, mainly from global research institutes, trying to subdivide how project specific expenditure has tended to influence the specified projects. Furthermore, studies on productivity measures of research and development despite being aggregated, have concentrated on how output has changed vis-à-vis changes in inputs utilised induced by research and development. A short fall however are studies based on the dynamism of the inputs relative to changes in output that they do instigate. Even the socio-economic variables tending to influence research and development output adoption appear to vary from technology to technology, in some instance having a positive influence and in other instances otherwise. Each project is thus unique and no array of diversification of socio-economic variables can be prescribed even though commonality could be identified.

Prediction and experimental evaluation of soil-water retention behavior of skeletal calcareous soils

Skeletal calcareous soils refer to soils consisting of skeletal remains of marine organisms. Although calcareous deposits are prevalent along coastal plains throughout the world, there is no study which investigates their behavior in unsaturated conditions. In these conditions, soil-water retention capacity is a fundamental parameter in relation to many geotechnical, environmental, and agricultural aspects. Water retention capacity of a soil is expected to be influenced by intra-particle pores unique to calcareous soils. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) used in the current study clearly revealed this special microstructural characteristic. To study water retention and hydraulic hysteresis behavior of skeletal calcareous soil (obtained from the Hormuz Island of Iran) compared with a reference silicate soil (obtained from the Netherlands), a series of tests were conducted using pressure plate and controlled-suction oedometer apparatuses. Test results showed that in similar grain-size distribution of these soils, water retention curves of calcareous and silica soils are almost the same in low suctions, but calcareous soil retains more water at higher suctions due to its intra-particle voids. In addition, owing to these microstructural pores, ratio of Sr reduction on wetting path of a hysteresis loop was found to be more for calcareous soil than for silicate soil. Besides, to find and/or modify a prediction method for water retention curve of calcareous soil with acceptable accuracy, several existing pedotransfer functions were evaluated. Results showed that models proposed by Zapata et al. (Geotech Spec Publ 99:84–124, 2000) and Saxton et al. (Soil Science Society of America Journal 50(4): 1031–1036, 1986) after some simple modifications provide accurate estimations for water retention curve of calcareous soils.

Integrating agricultural statistical operations for optimal data collection1

In countries with less developed national statistical systems (NSS), agricultural censuses (ACs) and sample surveys are not conducted regularly. This means that both structural data (sourced from censuses) and current statistics (sourced from sample surveys) are not readily available or up-to-date for informed decision-making on agricultural and rural development. In such countries, because of the sheer needs, when a census of agriculture is planned, stakeholders exert pressure on the census agency to collect both structural and non-structural data (atypical for a census), overburdening the census questionnaire and ultimately jeopardizing the quality of the census operation. An increasing number of countries are making efforts towards better integrating statistical activities. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations leads the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 (WCA 2020) which advocates the development of an integrated multiyear programme of statistical operations involving AC, current surveys and other data collection operations. By integrating these operations, the AC can focus on collecting essential structural items (i.e. aspects of agriculture that change relatively slowly over time), while regular agricultural sample surveys and administrative registers can focus on collecting non-structural data needed more frequently.

Omics Studies and Systems Biology Perspective towards Abiotic Stress Response in Plants

Plant abiotic stress responses are vital yield-restricting aspect in agriculture. Recent technology in plant biology allows research of such stress responses at a molecular scale in plants. Network analysis provides in-depth knowledge regarding omics information visualisation as it reduces the intrinsic intricacy of such data. The use of integrated functional genomics helps to understand the relationship between the genomic profile and the phenotypic profile in different environmental conditions of an organism. Plants’ responses to abiotic stress are often considered as a complex process. Systems biology approaches allow visualising and understanding how plant life works to overcome abiotic stress. The combination of integrated functional genomics along with bioinformatics will put a hand in additional in-depth research knowledge on stress tolerance to plants by exploiting available genetic information and continuously improving techniques and strategies. Most of the omics technologies are high throughput with very rapid data generation rates and humongous outputs. These technologies have made noticeable contributions to the modern-day improvements in our knowledge of plant biology. So, in this review, omics studies and the system biology approach towards abiotic stress tolerance in plants are highlighted.

Cadastral appraisal of lands: agricultural aspect

A methodology for information preparation for cadastral valuation of agricultural lands is proposed. The methodology was tested during agricultural lands appraisal in Samara Region. The current results were compared to previous ones. Average variation in the region between maximum and minimum yields in districts is 1.95, given that the maximum variation is 2.58 (Yelkhovsky District) and the minimum is 1.44 (Bogatovsky District). In 6 districts the ranking created based on ‘cadastral appraisal’ indicator does not coincide with rankings based on other indicators. Though in 21 districts both rankings are in line with each other.

The Problem of Comprehensive Analysis of Organic Agriculture as a Factor of Environmental Safety

Abstract The paper analyses certain aspects of organic agriculture and emphasises the need for an integrated approach in its research. The necessity of using ecologically safe agricultural production as a component of the development of modern civilized states is pointed out in the paper. The method of direct conductometry has been used to study the total mineral composition of plowed soils, which is considered as a component of “green” chemistry methods. The electrical conductivity of aqueous extracts of arable soils, in which mineral and organic fertilizers are applied, is measured. The obtained data vary between 10 and 220 μS. In the paper, for the first time, the regularities of fluctuations of the data of electrical conductivity of aqueous extracts of arable soils, in which various plant cultures had been grown, were revealed and mineral nitrogen fertilizers or organic fertilizers were introduced. Lower data of electrical conductivity are characteristic of plowed soils, in which mineral fertilizers are applied, which indirectly indicates their depletion. The advantage of using organic fertilizers as a necessary component of organic agriculture has been confirmed. It is noted that a promising area of the research is a complete use of an integrated approach to the organic agriculture being farmed in various European countries.

Identification of BoLA DRB3.2 Alleles Present in White Fulani and Muturu Cattle Breeds

Cattle production is an important aspect of animal agriculture. Disease predisposition in cattle can lead to lowered productivity and poor animal welfare. To select and breed for the fittest cattle population, it is expedient that we understand the genetic basis of disease tolerance/resistance. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a vital component of the immune system in vertebrates. Its genes are crucial determinants for immune response and resistance to infectious diseases. The bovine MHC is referred to as Bovine Lymphocyte antigen (BoLA) with its most functional and highly variable region located in the exon 2 (BoLA-DRB3.2). Over 100 alleles of BoLA-DRB3.2 have been identified in cattle and many studies have associated polymorphism in this region with disease resistance/susceptibility. In this study, we investigated the polymorphic nature of BoLA-DRB3.2 in the White Fulani and Muturu cattle breeds using a single PCR-sequence based typing. We identified 26 and 25 alleles in White Fulani and Muturu breeds, respectively, with only six alleles being mutual in the two breeds. Some of the alleles identified in this study have been noted as markers for disease status in cattle. BoLA-DRB3*014:01:01, BoLA-DRB3*011:01, and BoLA-DRB3*008:01 alleles have been associated with Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) resistance in cattle. BoLA-DRB3*014:01:01, BoLA-DRB3*001:01, and BoLA-DRB3*011:01 were linked with mastitis resistance in Japanese Holstein cows. While no inference can be drawn in terms of association with disease status, this study confirms the highly polymorphic and diverse nature of BoLA-DRB3 in White Fulani and Muturu cattle breeds.

Characteristics of climate-smart and commercially astute agricultural extension professionals

ABSTRACT Sixteen of the world's hottest years since 1860 were in the last 17 years. Greenhouse gases cause global warming and climate change (CC). Climate change puts agriculture at a crossroads. The industry must adapt in order to feed a global population projected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100. Adapting to CC requires agriculturalists at all levels to devise appropriate mitigation strategies. Business cannot be as usual. Climate change adds complexity to agriculture. To remain relevant, agricultural practitioners must be climate-smart (CS) in order to continue producing adequate, affordable, nutritious and safe food and fibre. Furthermore, agriculture is a business. It involves inputs, outputs, profit, loss, and is tied to the economic factors of production, land, labour, capital, and entrepreneurship. Therefore, the astute Agricultural Extension Professional/s (AEP/s) must be conversant not only with scientific and technical aspects of agriculture, its business and art, but also with emerging CC issues. The AEP must have relevant hard and soft skills that enable him/her to assist farmers adapt. This paper discusses the essential characteristics of a CS and commercially astute AEP in changing climate. Keywords: Extension agent, Climate change, Skills

Product-service systems in direct crop-livestock relationships

A major restructuring of the agricultural sector will soon occur that will result in a strong disconnect between stakeholders in the agricultural sector and the location of agricultural production and natural resource utilisation. Moreover, current issues related to economic and social-environmental aspects of agriculture justify the need to change the business model to one where sustainability is the main strategy of agricultural development. A new paradigm of the functionality-based economy - concretised by the product-service system (PSS) approach - has been built around the notion of consumption not being focused on goods, but rather on the services provided by goods. This article analyses seven case studies on the relationships between growers and breeders living in the same territory. It shows that these new organisational models are an interesting alternative that can change farming practices toward greater sustainability through the provision of services that aims to reduce environmental impact and improving eco-efficiency.

Sentinel-2 imagery utilization for small-plot agricultural studies

In terms of mitigation the negative aspects of agriculture on the environment, various advancements were achieved during the past few decades. Precision agriculture and related remote sensing enable canopy properties to be monitored and evaluated timely and non-destructively. Although remote sensing is nowadays widely utilized in agricultural studies with significant results, there are still certain constraints. The spatial resolution of source imagery is one of them. This study deals with this issue by evaluating Sentinel-2 imagery and it’s utilization on a small-plot experiment. Four spectral indices were derived using open-source software SNAP and compared with leaf chlorophyll content data obtained during terrestrial measurements. Correlation analysis gave ambiguous results ranging from r = 0.64 (Green Chlorophyll Index) to r = -0.47 (Triangular Chlorophyll Index). Based on this observation it was concluded that this issue requires to be investigated more thoroughly to define the relation of pixel size and size of the surface unit.

Smoking Treatment in Enhancing Banana Ripening and its Effects on Physical and Biochemical Attributes of Ambul Banana (Musa acuminate, AAB)

Journal of Food and Agriculture is a half yearly publication by the Faculty of Agriculture and Plantation Management and Faculty of Livestock fisheries and Nutrition of the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka which provides a valuable forum for scientists endeavoring in research and development aspects in agriculture, food and nutrition. Full text articles available.

Soil Urea Estimation using Embedded Systems

With the advancements in technology constant efforts are being made towards making agriculture sustainable. Green Revolution made extensive use of chemical fertilizers to increase the crop yield, which gave the desired outputs, but high usage of fertilizers led to soil degradability, ground water contamination etc. Precision farming techniques are currently being used to make agriculture sustainable and profitable. Lot of automation is involved in the techniques used for irrigation, harvesting, soil testing etc. Soil testing is an important aspect in agriculture as it decides the crops that can be grown in a particular type of soil and also todecide how much external inputs can be applied to give a good crop yield. Precision farming involves techniques which are real time based. The paper discusses the design and development of a novel soft core embedded platform on Altera FPGA for estimation of urea in soil. RF spectra of five different constituents found in soil are recorded using a scalar network analyzer consisting of Signal Hound tracking generator TG44A and Signal Hound spectrum analyzerUSB-SA124B and a dielectric cell. The samples for recording the RF spectra are prepared in the laboratory by mixing five different constituents namely urea, potash, phoshate, salt and lime taken in the study in distilled water in different proportions. The spectra obtained are then passed through a multivariate system ported on FPGA for the estimation of an unknown concentration of urea in a sample. The multivariate analysis is done using Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) technique and is implemented using SIMPLS algorithm developed in C. The results obtained show that the estimated values of urea have percentage error of around 5% which is acceptable. Even if the sample concentrations lie outside the confidence interval i.e CI, the estimated results are still satisfactory.