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Automated prediction of spawning nights using machine learning analysis of flatfish behaviour
Get PDFSenegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) broodstock exhibit distinct behaviours (Rest the Head, Guardian, Follow, and Locomotor activities) that are important for breeding success. Understanding and monitoring these behaviours are essential to understand successful breeding of Senegalese sole. However, manually analysing these behaviours represents a significant challenge for human observers and is a labour-intensive process. Moreover, due to reproductive dysfunctions in Senegalese sole, aquaculture operations currently depend on wild origin breeders for successful spawning a reliance that is unsustainable in the long term. Therefore, to address these limitations, this study introduces a custom-designed framework based on computer vision and machine learning techniques. The model integrates object detection and tracking mechanisms to recognize and monitor reproductive behaviours of Senegalese sole within aquaculture environments. By combining advanced tracking algorithms, our model effectively extracts and analyses behavioural patterns from video datasets. The automated model behavioural analyses compared with manual analyses demonstrated strong performance, with accuracy, precision, and specificity exceeding 87 %, and a Pearson correlation of R = 0.99 between manual observation data and automated data. The model analysed videos to accurately identify behaviours with minimal human intervention, thereby saving a substantial number of hours and opened up the possibility to analyse behaviours over longer periods, generating more data. This is the first study to automatically analyse reproductive behaviours across full-night video recordings in Senegalese sole, providing new insights into how behavioural patterns relate to spawning. These behavioural changes in relation to spawning enable the model to effectively predict spawning and non-spawning nights with accuracies ranging from 70 % to 100 %. Such predictive capability can reduce dependence on wild origin breeders, support timely gamete collection, improve reproductive planning, and serve as a potential tool for hatchery automation.The study was funded by the European Union’s Programme H2020, project NewTechAqua GA862658, the Spanish project INIA – FEDER (RTA2014–00048) and the AGAUR research group 2021SGR-00111: "ASCLEPIUS: Smart Technology for Smart Healthcare". The participation of Abdul Qadir was supported by a Marti-Franquès 2020MFP-COFUND-18 EU Fellowship. We thank all researchers and IRTA technicians that helped with the generation of the videos from Fatsini et al. [10], which were used in this study.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Complementariedad entre sensores satelitales y proximales para optimizar la agricultura de precisión en el cultivo del arroz
No full textPara facilitar la transición hacia tecnologías más eficientes, este estudio evalúa la complementariedad entre los datos satelitales proporcionados por Sentinel-2 y uno de los sensores proximales más utilizados (Greenseeker), proponiendo el uso de los datos satelitales como una alternativa de mayor cobertura, rápida adquisición, menor coste y fácil manejo. El ensayo se efectuó en campos de arroz del delta del Ebro entre los años 2016 y 2023.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Monitorización del suelo, planta y atmósfera para el manejo del riego en frutales
Get PDFEl riego, aportar agua a los cultivos , es una de las operaciones más complejas y con mayor influencia en su respuesta productiva. La agricultura de regadío, en comparación con la de secano, tiene una menor dependencia de las condiciones ambientales, favorece la estabilidad productiva, permite la diversificación de los cultivos y consigue aumentos importantes de los rendimientos. En este artículo se trata en concreto la optimización del riego en los frutales.Esta investigación contó con el apoyo del Proyecto “Demo Gestsequera.“Gestió hídrica dels cultius en diferents escenaris de sequera" del Departamento de Acción Climática, Alimentación y Agenda Rural (DACC) de la Generalitat de Catalunya, en el marco de la grave sequía vivida en 2023.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Se puede decir, pero no pensar, que la meteorología es una anécdota
No full textinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Assessing the Potential of Fecal NIRS for External Marker and Digestibility Predictions in Broilers
Get PDFThis study evaluated fecal near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) potential to predict three
external markers (Yb, Ti, and polyethylene glycol (PEG)) and dry matter digestibility
(DMD) calculated from these markers and fiber fractions. A total of 192 fecal samples
were collected from 576 Ross 308 male chicks supplemented with TiO2 (2 g/kg), Yb2O3
(50 mg/kg), and PEG (5 g/kg) for 8 d. Reference values for Ti and Yb were obtained
using an inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometer, for fiber fractions via
ANKOM, and for PEG content using an ad hoc fNIRS model. Prediction models were
developed in external validation with 25% of the samples. Good and fair prediction models
were built for Ti and Yb, respectively, and considered adequate for rough screening. The
DMD models based on Yb and ADF were unreliable, whereas the model based on Ti was
suitable for rough screening. The PEG prediction model built during the adaptation period
performed exceptionally well; however, the DMD prediction based on PEG highlighted
limitations due to diet differences during both the adaptation and experimental periods. In
conclusion, fNIRS shows promise for screening Ti and Yb fecal content and DMD using Ti.
However, tailored PEG prediction equations need to be developed for each specific diet.Oussama Tej received a research fellowship from the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM)—Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (IAMZ-CIHEAM). Carmen L. Manuelian received funding from the Ramon y Cajal program of the Spanish Ministry of Science (Spain; Grant Ref. RYC2023-042902-I).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Nanopore versus Illumina to study the gut bacterial diversity of sows and piglets between farms with high and low health status
No full textBackground
Antibiotics are used in animal husbandry to control infectious diseases. Different stressors can compromise animal health, leaving piglets vulnerable to pathogens, especially enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), which causes post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD), the major source of mortality and morbidity in swine production. Furthermore, PWD is a recurrent disease for certain farms, suggesting a link between gut microbial composition and animal health. The aim of this study was to identify the intestinal microbiota of pigs on farms with high health status (HHS) and low health status (LHS) to determine the relationships between sanitary status and gut health. Therefore, three pig farms with LHS presenting recurrent problems of PWD and three farms with HHS were selected to characterise the intestinal microbiome of sows and their piglets. 16 S rRNA gene sequencing technology was used to determine the associations of the gut microbiome with health. With the aim of bringing the MinION Nanopore device to the field for its portability and taxonomic resolution, the results obtained with Illumina were compared to those obtained with Nanopore.
Results
Overall, the results indicated remarkable differences in intestinal microbial communities between animals from LHS farms and those from HHS farms, suggesting that the microbiomes of LHS animals were enriched with potential pathogenic microorganisms, mainly from the Pseudomonadota phylum, such as the genus Escherichia-Shigella, and their associated related species. Moreover, animals from HHS were enriched with beneficial microorganisms, such as Lactobacillus spp., Christensenellaceae R7 group, Treponema, Acetitomaculum and Oscillospiraceae UCG-005.
Conclusions
This study identifies potential microorganisms that may contribute to health and disease in pig farms with HHS and LHS, suggesting that tracking their occurrence might provide insight into sanitary conditions. Moreover, this research highlights the compatibility between Illumina and Nanopore sequencing platforms, justifying the use of MinION Nanopore device in field applications for in situ studies of PWD. This application has the potential to enhance sustainable economic growth in swine farms by enabling more effective monitoring and management of animal health.This study was funded by the I + D + I National Program PID2021-125641OB-C22 and PID2021-125641OB-C21. We also acknowledge the CERCA program (Generalitat de Catalunya). Carla Tort-Miró is a PhD student from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Microbiology Program, with an IRTA fellowshipinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
CFD application to poultry crate design improving internal airflow velocities
No full textPoultry transport represents a significant animal welfare challenge, particularly when birds are exposed to heat stress during travel, a condition that can compromise physiological stability, performance, and survival. Despite the relevance of this issue, research on engineering improvements to poultry transport crates remains limited. In this study, four virtual models of poultry transport crates were evaluated to assess their potential to improve the thermal comfort internal airflow conditions. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted under three transport speeds, complemented by wind tunnel experiments using reduced-scale prototypes fabricated by additive manufacturing. The results demonstrated that the alternative crate 3 (AC3) model presented exhibited superior internal average airflow velocities (IAFV) across all speeds, including a 32.85% increase compared to the conventional crate at 60 km/h. Wind tunnel testing confirmed significant differences among crate designs. AC3 showed lower air temperature than AC1 and reduced relative humidity compared to CC and AC2. Thermal comfort indices supported these findings, with AC3 presenting the lowest THI and enthalpy, indicating a less stressful microclimate. In terms of airflow, AC2 and AC3 achieved higher IAFV (19.27 ± 8.49 m/s and 19.30 ± 4.80 m/s) than CC and AC1. AC3 also had the lowest dynamic pressure, suggesting reduced airflow resistance and more efficient aerodynamics. Therefore, improved crate geometry and increased ventilation surface can enhance airflow distribution, potentially reduce heat accumulation and improve animal welfare. However, further studies involving live birds, realistic stocking densities, and full-scale trailer simulations are required to validate these benefits under commercial transport conditions.This research was funded by ALA—Latin American Poultry Association and “The APC” was funded by National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)—Project n° 442480/2023-7.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Adaptació del model RIMPRO per millorar el control del mildiu de la vinya
No full textUna de les problemàtiques més importants de la vinya és el míldiu. Aquesta malaltia té una alta incidència econòmica
i és un dels punts crítics que condicionen la viabilitat del cultiu de la vinya, especialment en producció ecològica, degut
a la limitació de productes disponibles pel seu control. En el cas concret de la producció ecològica, el control d'aquesta
malaltia es realitza estrictament amb el tractament amb formulats de coure. Aquest fet té dues implicacions, la
primera és la limitació de la quantitat de coure per campanya que es pot utilitzar, i la segona és que en anys propicis
pel míldiu, el control pot arribar a ser insuficient suposant pèrdues de collita molt significatius. En aquest context, ja
hi ha eines disponibles que poden ajudar en aquest sentit, com són els models de predicció de risc, tanmateix un dels
problemes dels models de predicció de risc és que s'han d'ajustar a les condicions climàtiques de cada lloc per evitar
sobreestimar el risc, i per tant, tractar més del necessari. En aquest projecte s'ha ajustat el model de risc per adequarlo
a les condicions concretes incorporant la modelització de l'inòcul primari, aconseguint un bon control de la malaltia
i aconseguint una reducció significativa, de fins el 30%, en comparació a l'estratègia basada en el model estàndard,
o del 17% en el cas del model GOIDANICH. Aquest estudi posarà les bases per poder implementar el model a nivell
comercial a les diferents zones vitivinícoles, com la DO Empordà o la DO Penedès.El projecte ha estat finançat pel Departament d’Agricultura,Ramaderia,Pesca i Alimentació de la Generalitat de Catalunya a través de l’ajut per incentivar la recerca aplicada en matèria de producció agroalimentària ecològicainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Examination of type material links Pyxidicula compressa with Nitzschia granulata but cannot establish whether they are conspecific
No full textIt has recently been questioned whether Tryblionella compressa (Bailey) Poulin (formerly Pyxidicula compressa Bailey, then Nitzschia compressa (Bailey) Boyer) has been correctly interpreted. In the past, it has even been questioned whether the epithet applies to a diatom or a dinoflagellate (most recently as Prorocentrum compressum (Bailey) J.D. Dodge). The lectotype illustration shows an elliptical diatom with an almost flat valve face, whereas the recent concept of Tryblionella/Nitzschia compressa has been of an apiculate diatom with a strongly folded valve, as in William Smith’s T. punctata. Specimens of a diatom agreeing well with the P. compressa lectotype in morphology and provenance were studied in exsiccatae distributed by H.L. Smith, which are designated as isoepitypes and may represent original material. The results confirm that P. compressa has been misinterpreted and does not have punctata-like morphology. Instead, it has a combination of characteristics long considered to be diagnostic of Nitzschia granulata: an elliptical outline, very coarse striation on the valve face (< 10 striae in 10 μm), a 1:1 relationship of fibulae and the transapical ribs, no central raphe endings, a flat valve face, and, critically, a change from uniseriate striae to bi- or even triseriate striae towards the distal edge of the valve face and on the distal mantle. To check and document the morphology and identity of N. granulata, material authenticated by Grunow was studied and a lectotype designated. However, although the Bauplan of the valve is the same in P. compressa and N. granulata, type material cannot answer the question of whether the two are conspecific. The specimens present in the two type materials and two other historical materials (one of P. compressa var. minor and a second of N. granulata) differed in size and striation, contrasting with the constancy of such characters in the similar and apparently related Tryblionella navicularis. Possibly, then, P. compressa and N. granulata are just two of several or many species with compressa–granulata morphology. However, a survey of published descriptions and images does not give provide clear evidence of species boundaries. It is recommended that P. compressa and N. granulata are not treated as conspecific but retained as Nitzschia compressa and N. granulata, for coarse and fine variants respectively, until such time as (1) species boundaries can be defined with confidence in the compressa–granulata complex and (2) the generic limits of Nitzschia and related genera can be agreed. Meanwhile, authors should wherever possible record metric data and images when documenting the occurrence of compressa–granulata morphologies.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Optimizing genomic selection models for wheat breeding under contrasting water regimes in a mediterranean environment
No full textBread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a vital global crop, supplying 20% of the protein in the human diet. Improving its productivity and resilience, particularly under water-limited conditions, is a major breeding priority. Genomic selection offers a promising approach to accelerate genetic gains by predicting complex traits using genome-wide marker data. This study evaluated the performance of various genomic selection (GS) models in predicting key agronomic traits under contrasting well-watered (WW) and water-stressed (WS) conditions, with the goal of enhancing drought adaptation in wheat breeding programs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio