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Humane stunning or stun/killing in the slaughter of wild-caught finfish: The scientific evidence base
Get PDFAn estimated 0.9 to 2.5 trillion individual wild finfish, destined for human or animal consumption, are captured globally each year by commercial fisheries. The majority of wild-caught fish die either from asphyxiation or evisceration; slaughter methods considered inhumane. Humane stunning or stun/killing may improve the welfare of wild-caught fish at the time of slaughter by rendering fish immediately insensible to pain, stress and suffering. Reducing fish stress during slaughter may also improve product quality. This study systematically mapped and narratively evaluated scientific research regarding humane stunning or stun/killing of wild finfish caught for food and feed on a commercial scale. Multiple knowledge gaps were identified: Key humane stunning parameters have only been scientifically tested, in terms of fish welfare and/or flesh quality, for a minority of wild-caught fish species and stunning methods. More species-specific protocols and use of brain activity measurements to accurately assess state of consciousness on application of the stunning method are required. More scientific testing of stunning methods in commercial wild-capture settings is needed to validate findings of controlled laboratory studies and ensure the methods are practical in fisheries. Research is needed to better understand the potential economic benefits of humane stunning for fishermen. From a donor perspective this review highlights the need to support more primary research into the feasibility and implementation of humane stunning or stun/killing in wild-capture fisheries
Studying Forficula auricularia and Eriosoma lanigerum interactions in apple orchards to better understand their distribution for improved crop protection
Get PDFMalus domestica (Bork; apple), is one of the most important fruit crops worldwide. The woolly apple aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum; Hausmann) has emerged as a serious pest of apple trees over the last 20 years thanks in part to the withdrawal of organophosphate insecticides. Information on the control of E. lanigerum by natural enemies is therefore valuable to apple growers. One important predator of E. lanigerum is Forficula auricularia (L.; common European earwig). This species has been shown to be an effective predator of E. lanigerum in apple orchards, but the control of E. lanigerum provided by F. auricularia appears to be inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of E. lanigerum and F. auricularia, their interactions, and potential methods to discover more about the ecology of F. auricularia. Commercial apple orchards in Kent (United Kingdom) were surveyed for the presence or absence of F. auricularia and E. lanigerum from individual trees. Generalised linear modelling was used to investigate which characteristics of trees and orchards were associated with the presence of each species. Molecular gut content analysis was also carried out to determine the frequency of F. auricularia predation of E. lanigerum. Evidence was found for a positive contribution by F. auricularia to E. lanigerum control, but only in conventionally managed orchards. Bare earth in the row bed of the orchards was associated with F. auricularia presence. Detectable DNA was only present in 5% of F. auricularia guts sampled. Unfortunately, the primers used for the molecular gut content analysis amplified Ropalosiphum padi DNA, so the precise frequency of predation of E. lanigerum could not be determined. The impact of artificial F. auricularia shelters on the abundance of F. auricularia and E. lanigerum was investigated. The presence of artificial shelters led to an increase in the number of F. auricularia found during night-time searches, but did not lead to a measurable decrease in the number of E. lanigerum colonies. Different glues were tested to determine their efficacy for attaching tags to F. auricularia, as well as their potential toxicity. Cyanoacrylate based glues are likely toxic to F. auricularia, but also the most effective for attaching tags. Thermoplastic glue was the most effective glue without an apparent toxic effect. Prototype mesocosms were designed and tested for their ability to collect data on F. auricularia behaviour using radio frequency identification (RFID). Minimal movement was detected in the prototype mesocosms, possibly as a result of flaws in the design, or due to the phenological stage of the individuals used for the study. This study has shed light on the interactions of F. auricularia and E. lanigerum interactions within apple orchards. More research is required to understand the variable population dynamics of F. auricularia. Remote monitoring of F. auricularia in the field seems challenging using current technology but there are opportunities to study F. auricularia using mesocosm experiments
Supporting the adoption of digital technology on-farm: ten tips for Extension
No full textWe held a symposium to exchange lessons from United States and European experts on how Extension can be best designed to support adoption of digital agricultural innovation. We highlight ten tips for an Extension audience in the United States: (1) ensure connectivity between all actors involved in agricultural innovation, (2) utilize the private sector, (3) advocate for adoption costs, (4) shape an enabling digital ecosystem, (5) create a service, not just a technology, (6) update extension agent digital skills, (7) support farmer-led innovation, (8) capture everyday farmer practices, (9) monitor and evaluate progress, and (10) offer long-term support
What evidence exists on how biodiversity is affected by the adoption of carbon footprint-reducing agricultural practices? A systematic map
Get PDFBackground
The global agriculture sector is expected to contribute towards carbon net zero by adopting interventions to reduce/offset greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration/removal. Many of these interventions require change to land management and agriculturally associated habitats, subsequently impacting biodiversity. This relationship is important as the Convention on Biological Diversity has also pledged to reverse nature decline. To understand this relationship, a systematic map was developed to collate evidence relating to the impacts of carbon footprint reducing interventions on agriculturally associated biodiversity. This systematic map collated studies from temperate farming systems including northern Europe, North America and New Zealand.
Methods
A protocol was published to define the methodology. Potentially relevant articles were identified by searching three academic databases using a predefined search string. Also, nine organisational websites were searched using key words. All potentially relevant articles were exported into EPPI-Reviewer-Web. Following deduplication, the remaining articles were screened at title and abstract level, partially with the aide of machine learning, before full text screening and extraction of metadata.
Review findings
Screening began with 67,617 articles that ended with an evidence base of 820 primary research studies and 82 reviews. The evidence base includes studies from 1978 to April 2024, of which 81% were studies that lasted less than 5 years. Whilst microorganisms ( n = 328), arthropods ( n = 190), worms ( n = 121) and plants ( n = 118) were well represented in the evidence base, other groups such as birds ( n = 32), gastropods ( n = 16), mammals ( n = 13), amphibians ( n = 1) and reptiles ( n = 1) were represented less well. The most studied interventions were to increase soil organic carbon through reduced tillage ( n = 227) and cover cropping ( n = 136). However, there were less than five studies in total for the following land management objectives: avoiding soil compaction ( n = 2), precision farming ( n = 2) and renewable energy production. Study authors reported carbon footprint-reducing practices to positively impact biodiversity in 65% of studies, to have mixed effects in 11%, negative in 8% and no effect in 16% of studies. As no critical appraisal was carried out on the included studies, we recommend further study validation and synthesis in order to support these findings.
Conclusions
The evidence base has highlighted evidence clusters and gaps on how farming practices that can reduce the carbon footprint of a farm impacts agriculturally associated biodiversity. There are many areas for further research including studies investigating the long-term relationship of interventions that alter habitats over a long period such as rewetting peat soils and increasing tree cover. Future research should observe abundance and diversity of multiple species to generate a better understanding of an intervention’s impact. The review evidence base largely matched the primary evidence base, however none were conducted with systematic methodologies. This systematic map is intended to direct further primary and secondary research to improve the understanding of how carbon footprint reducing practices impact biodiversity, thus contributing towards meeting the legally binding global environmental targets in concert
Evaluating the accuracy – labour trade-off between alternative grassland monitoring methods by rising plate meters
No full textAbstract
Production efficiency of pasture-based livestock production systems is primarily driven by the level of pasture utilisation, and, as such, regular monitoring of herbage mass (HM) provides essential information to assist on-farm decision making. Unfortunately, this practice is seldom carried out on commercial farms, likely due to the time commitment required across the entire grass-growing season. Recent studies have shown, however, that even moderately inaccurate HM data can improve the system-side profitability compared to enterprises with no data, warranting further investigations into the trade-off between the accuracy and cost associated with HM measurements. Using a weekly multi-paddock dataset from the North Wyke Farm Platform research site in Devon, UK, this study evaluated the technical validity and labour-saving potential of a simplified ‘pasture walk’ protocol for rising plate meters, under which only data along the diagonal transect – rather than the industry-standard W-shaped pathways – of the paddock are collected. Across 234 temporal-paddock combinations, the mean absolute difference in HM estimates between diagonal and W-transects was 106 kg DM/ha, a scale far too small to alter sward or animal management. The presented statistical analysis, together with a supplementary spatial simulation experiment, supported the generality of the findings across the full grass-growing season. With a 51.2% reduction in labour time (1.2 min/ha rather than 2.5 min/ha) across paddocks of various sizes and shapes, the proposed method is likely to facilitate uptake of evidence-based grazing management amongst farmers who currently do not quantify HM at all
Between two furrows: soil bulk density from non-invasive seismology
Get PDFSoil is a critical resource for global food security. However, traditional physical analyses of soil samples and geophysical imaging techniques are often labour intensive and time-consuming. This study investigates the potential of ultra high-frequency (> 500 Hz) hammer-source seismology to characterise the physical properties of soil at the decimetre scale. We conducted experiments within a long-term field experiment near Harper Adams University (UK) aimed at comparing Conservation and Conventional agriculture. We surveyed two meter-and-a-half sections of each agricultural treatment with 16 geophones and collected soil samples with the same horizontal resolution. Our estimates of the P-wave velocity ( v p ) and bulk density in the upper 40 cm of the soil reveal a strong and statistically significant correlation. Consistent correlation of bulk density and v p throughout the depth profile were observed between the seismic images and interpolated bulk density data derived from physical soil samples. Our work demonstrates that ultra-high frequency seismic analysis is a promising, cost-effective tool for estimating soil bulk density, in support of agronomic and land-management decision making, and improving the accuracy of soil carbon stock quantification
Is Wheat Yield Truly Low in Japan?: Examining Yield Formation Efficiency in Comparison With Northwest Europe
Get PDFABSTRACT
From a perspective of food security, the agricultural sector worldwide has a responsibility to improve crop yields. Wheat yield in Japan is about half that of high‐yielding countries in Northwest Europe. Explanations offered so far—such as high temperatures and a rainy summer season shortening wheat's growth period, or comparatively underdeveloped breeding and cultivation techniques—remain speculative. This lack of clarity risks misdirecting research efforts on wheat cultivation in Japan and possibly other parts of the world. To address the issue, the present study focused on the efficiency of yield formation, rather than yield itself, across Japan and Northwest Europe. The efficiency of yield formation, derived from the division of actual yield by sunshine hours during the specific growth period from ear emergence to maturity, was compared between two geographical regions while factoring in climate variables. Despite the large yield difference, there was no significant difference in the efficiency of yield formation of wheat between the two regions. This indicates that Japan's low yield is largely due to climatic adversity for wheat, that is, high temperature, high precipitation and short sunshine hours during the critical growth phase for yield formation of the crop. The implication is that improvements in breeding and cultivation techniques alone are not likely to significantly increase wheat yield in Japan. A fruitful direction for future research endeavors in wheat production in monsoon Asia was discussed
A Comparison of Biomass Production and Quality of Congo and Rhodes Grasses in Nigeria
Get PDFThe yield and quality of biomass produced in a growing season determine feed allocation, livestock performance, and system capacity and resilience. Congo grass (Urochloa ruziziensis, UR) and Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana, CG) are important grass species for livestock in Sub-Saharan Africa, where their high yield potential and adaptability provide leverage to mitigate persistent feed gaps. This study investigated the morphological traits, biomass yield, and nutritive value of UR and CG in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria over three years (2019–2021) to assess their biomass yield and quality responses to successive harvests. We hypothesised that UR would outperform CG in yield and quality over the study period. Grasses were established in 2019, with multiple harvests annually from four replicate plots per species. UR consistently produced more tillers and leaves per tussock and achieved significantly higher biomass and crude protein (CP) yields at each harvest (p < 0.001), averaging 32.2% and 38.4% greater biomass and CP, respectively, compared to CG. Nutritional analysis revealed that CG contained 19.4% less CP, 23.4% less metabolisable energy, and 22.7% less ash than UR, while having higher fibre fractions (p < 0.001). Overall, UR demonstrated superior productivity and nutritional value under the tested conditions, highlighting its potential as a more reliable forage option for farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria
Farmers' Mental Health in the Fourth Agricultural Revolution
Get PDFSo-called “agriculture 4.0” (or “fourth agricultural revolution”) technologies, such as artificial intelligence, drones, and robotics and automation, may have a key role to play in the future of farming. There is a burgeoning literature in the social sciences that explores the distributional justice associated with so-called agriculture 4.0, namely how benefits and costs may be unevenly distributed (de Boon et al., 2023). Several themes have emerged from this work, including the potential impacts of agriculture 4.0 on corporate control and power, data ownership, farmer autonomy, job satisfaction, the farm workforce, and uneven rates of adoption. However, there has been relatively little work directly linking technology and mental health of farmers. Understanding better the factors affecting farmer mental health is important because global research consistently shows high rates of stress, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in some parts of the farming community. This chapter reviews current work that either directly explores digital technology and farmer mental health, or that may indirectly provide insights on the topic because the study considers the impact of technology on a known factor that influences mental health. Although further research is needed to unpack this topic, the clear message from the chapter concerns the “double-edged sword” nature of emergent technologies and the fact that knowledge is situated. For some farmers, new technologies can enhance mental health by improving the attractiveness of farming, job satisfaction, and lifestyles, and improve succession rates. For others, particularly those unable to invest or adopt, or those who hold different views on the attractiveness of farming and connection to land and animals, agriculture 4.0 may not lead to more positive mental health. Further research is needed in this under-explored area
A Brief Discussion of Research Philosophies for Higher Education Students
Get PDFStudents developing their theses/dissertations can find it difficult to justify their methodologies from a philosophical perspective.
The objective of this article was to provide guidance to higher education students and to help them to select the right philosophical framework for their chosen methodological approach. For this purpose, a simple and concise description of key research philosophies currently used for either qualitative, quantitative or mixed method research is provided