176 Application of growing degree day to predict diet crude protein in rangeland beef cows

Abstract We used a fecal near infrared spectroscopy (FNIRS) calibration for cattle diet crude protein (CP) to evaluate the efficacy of growing degree day (GDD) as a remotely-sensed method to monitor grazing animal nutrition. Composite fecal samples representing a herd of 24 cross bred beef cows grazing native range pastures in southwest Texas were collected along with GDD and precipitation data from April 2018 to September 2019. Regression analyses were performed to determine relationships between FNIRS-predicted diet CP and GDD within year and growing season. In 2018, FNIRS-predicted diet CP ranged from a minimum of 7.05% in August to a maximum of 9.69% in July. 2018 cumulative precipitation was 28% and 94% of the 20-year average for January-April and May-August, respectively. In 2019, FNIRS-predicted diet CP ranged from a minimum of 6.85% in September to a maximum of 12.01% in May. 2019 cumulative precipitation was 74% and 102% of the 20-year average for January-April and May-August, respectively. There were no significant (P > 0.1) simple linear relationships identified between FNIRS-predicted diet CP and GDD. There were, however, cubic exponential relationships identified in both 2018 (y = 7E-10x3 - 5E-06x2 + 0.0106x + 2.9603; R² = 0.7261; P = 0.1271) and 2019 (y = 1E-09x3 - 6E-06x2 + 0.0062x + 9.2923; R² = 0.7659; P = 0.0493). As expected, perennial range grass phenology/nutritive value (i.e. cattle diet CP) was influenced by accumulation of heat units (i.e. GDD) and precipitation. Although FNIRS is an established non-invasive method to monitor grazing animal nutrition, a remotely-sensed method to accomplish this task, such as GDD, has the potential to facilitate large-scale monitoring of grazing animal nutritional status. Our results indicate that complementary research using data from multiple locations and for more than 2 years is needed to fully evaluate these techniques.

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Rapid evaluation of pasture quality for a critically endangered mammal, the northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii)

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr00050 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 91 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Andrew P. Woolnough ◽

William J. Foley

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Nitrogen Concentration ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Soluble Carbohydrates ◽

Dry Matter Digestibility ◽

Acid Detergent Fibre

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to predict the nutritive value of forage species available to the critically endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii). Nutritive attributes of the forage successfully estimated included total nitrogen concentration, fibre (including neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre and acid lignin), organic matter, water soluble carbohydrates and in vitro dry matter digestibility. The reported results demonstrate the seasonal variability of the forage resource available to L. krefftii in its tropical savanna habitat. Multivariate modelling of the spectra enabled the nutritive value of forage samples to be estimated with coefficients of determination (r2) of 0.770–0.995 and standard errors of the cross-validation of 0.070–2.850 using a modified partial least-squares analysis technique. The standard error of the laboratory was 0.02–1.42. This study demonstrates that broad-based NIRS predictive equations can be used to predict the nutritive value of a number of plant types available to a herbivore over time. By using NIRS the analyst can rapidly analyse large numbers of samples with limited reduction of precision, thereby enabling large-scale ecological applications that may have previously been impeded by time and costs.

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Growing Degree Day: Noninvasive Remotely Sensed Method to Monitor Diet Crude Protein in Free-Ranging Cattle

Rangeland Ecology & Management ◽

10.1016/j.rama.2019.12.001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 73 (2) ◽

pp. 234-242

Author(s):

Douglas R. Tolleson ◽

Jay P. Angerer ◽

Urs P. Kreuter ◽

Jason E. Sawyer

Keyword(s):

Crude Protein ◽

Remotely Sensed ◽

Degree Day ◽

Free Ranging

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282 Nutritional Monitoring of Prenatally Stressed and Translocated Brahman Heifers

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skab235.271 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. 148-148

Author(s):

Doug R Tolleson ◽

Ron D Randel ◽

George A Perry ◽

Jose M Diaz ◽

Heath D Starns ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Crude Protein ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Bos Indicus ◽

Annual Precipitation ◽

Animal Nutrition ◽

Digestible Organic Matter ◽

Prenatally Stressed ◽

Drought Mitigation ◽

Transportation Stress ◽

Nutritional Monitoring

Abstract One drought mitigation strategy is transporting livestock to non-drought locations. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of prenatal stress and translocation on growing Bos indicus heifers. Twelve heifers born in spring 2019 at Overton, TX (1245 mm annual precipitation) were transported ~700 km to Sonora, TX (610 mm annual precipitation) in April 2020. Six heifers (283±10 kg) were born to dams subjected to transportation stress during mid-gestation (PNS) and 6 (279±17 kg) were born to non-stressed dams (CON). Heifers grazed a series of 24-ha native range pastures (aboveground forage biomass; 1508±390 kg/ha) and were sampled (non-shrunk BW/BCS score, feces) at 2-wk intervals from May through September. Fecal samples were collected from the ground or the rectum of each animal and stored at -20o C until processed for near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and prediction of diet crude protein (CP) and digestible organic matter (DOM). Inputs to a grazing animal nutrition model for prediction of BW included diet CP and DOM, age, and weather. Differences between groups for BW and nutritional parameters were determined by analysis of variance or paired t-test. Both groups gained BW (22±4 kg) throughout the study, there were no differences (P > 0.1) due to treatment. Diet CP and DOM were affected by date (P < 0.01) as diet quality declined from spring to fall. Percent diet CP was greater (P < 0.05) in PNS than CON, especially during July and August (6.94±0.10 vs 6.23±0.17, respectively). Corresponding values for diet DOM were (59.53±0.55 vs 59.14±0.43, respectively; P = 0.09). Observed vs model-predicted weight was different (P < 0.05) for both groups when using CP-based outputs, but not when using metabolizable protein-based outputs (P > 0.1). In summary, PNS heifers selected a diet of greater CP than CON, and tended to select a diet greater in DOM.

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Winter weathering effects on corn grown for grazing in a short-season area

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/p01-202 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 83 (2) ◽

pp. 333-341

Author(s):

V. S. Baron ◽

H. G. Najda ◽

D. H. McCartney ◽

M. Bjorge ◽

G. W. Lastiwka

Keyword(s):

Zea Mays ◽

Short Stature ◽

Crude Protein ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Zea Mays L ◽

Forage Quality ◽

Beef Cows ◽

Early Maturity ◽

Winter Grazing

Winter grazing can reduce over-winter feeding costs of beef cows and, recently, the selection and marketing of corn (Zea mays L.) varieties for grazing has increased the interest of Alberta beef producers. The objective of this study was to compare grazing corn varieties with early conventional corn hybrids for winter grazing potential. Five corn varieties (one grazing, one short-stature and three conventional types) were compared for whole-plant yield and forage quality at Lacombe and Brooks, AB, at four harvest times (two in September, one in December and one in January), in each of 2 yr. Forage quality analyses were in vitro digestible organic matter (IVDOM), neutral (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) and crude protein concentration. Averaged over varieties and years, yield decreased (P ≤ 0.05) by 13% between September and January at Lacombe, and by 39 and 16% at Brooks in 1999 and 2000, respectively. At Brooks, yield losses from September to January, averaged over years were 38 to 18% for a grazing and a conventional variety, respectively. At Lacombe, IVDOM concentration declined (P ≤ 0.05) by 6.3 and 3.6% between September and January during 1999 and 2000, respectively; NDF concentration increased (P ≤ 0.05) by 10% over the same interval for both years. At Lacombe there were no differences among varieties for nutritive value by January harvests. Trends for reduced forage quality with harvest were not clear at Brooks but the grazing-type variety had higher (P ≤ 0.05) NDF and ADF concentrations than the other varieties after the first harvest. In general, projected energy and crude protein concentrations of corn during winter exceeded minimum requirements an were adequate, respectively, for non-lactating, pregnant beef cows. Grazing and short stature corn varieties were not superior to early conventional corn genotypes for winter grazing potential. Thus, choice of variety for winter grazing should be made on the basis of cost of production and early maturity. Key words: Weathering, corn, Zea mays L., nutritive value, yield loss, winter grazing potential

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Real-Time Quantification of Crude Protein and Neutral Detergent Fibre in Pastures under Montado Ecosystem Using the Portable NIR Spectrometer

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app112210638 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (22) ◽

pp. 10638

Author(s):

Emanuel Carreira ◽

João Serrano ◽

Shakib Shahidian ◽

Julio Nogales-Bueno ◽

Ana Elisa Rato

Keyword(s):

Reference Values ◽

Crude Protein ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Calibration And Validation ◽

Neutral Detergent Fibre ◽

Starting Point ◽

Information Diversity ◽

Vegetative Cycle ◽

Montado Ecosystem

The Montado is a Mediterranean agro–forestry–pastoral ecosystem. Knowledge of pastures' nutritional value is critical for farm managers’ decision-making. Laboratory determinations are very expensive, destructive and costly, in terms of time and labour. The objective of this experimental work was to calibrate and validate a portable near-infrared spectrometer (micro-NIR) to predict the nutritive value (neutral detergent fibre, NDF and crude protein, CP) of pastures in the peak of spring 2021. Thus, a total of 87 pasture samples were collected at eight experimental fields located in the Alentejo, Southern region of Portugal. The results show good correlations between in-situ micro-NIR measurements and pasture NDF reference values (R2 of 0.73 and 0.69 for calibration and validation models, respectively), and a moderate correlation between micro-NIR measurements and pasture CP reference values (R2 of 0.51 and 0.36 for calibration and validation models, respectively). These results show the potential of this tool for the quick evaluation of pasture quality and constitute a starting point for future work, which should include the monitoring of temporal variability (throughout the entire vegetative cycle of the pasture) and spatial (with geo-referenced information) diversity of pastures characteristic of the Montado ecosystem in the Mediterranean region.

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Influence of summer cutting and fertilizer application on Altai wild rye in winter

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps92-017 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 72 (1) ◽

pp. 173-179 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

W. D. Willms

Keyword(s):

Plant Height ◽

Crude Protein ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Sampling Period ◽

Beef Cows ◽

Fertilizer Application ◽

Forage Yield ◽

Acid Detergent Fiber ◽

Winter Grazing

The effects of summer cutting and fertilizer application treatments on Altai wild rye (Elymus angustus Trin.) yield and nutritive value in winter were examined in a 3-yr study in the Chernozemic Black soils of the foothills region in southwestern Alberta. Regrowth after harvest had significantly decreased acid detergent fiber (ADF) and increased crude protein (CP), phosphorus (P), and calcium (Ca) by January but decreased forage yield and plant height in regrowth after cutting. Fertilizer application significantly (P < 0.05) increased dry matter yields and the concentration of CP, P, and Ca, while decreasing the concentration of ADF. Forage decreased in nutritive value, as determined by the concentration of each constituent, until November; after that, changes were no longer significant (P < 0.05). However, the effects of either fertilizer or cutting treatments on the nutritive value were generally maintained to the end of the sampling period in March. Fertilizer application made access to standing forage easier for cattle in winter, as defined by plant height, but summer cutting reduced it. Cutting and fertilizer application can be used to improve the nutritive value of forage in winter to meet the requirements of dry pregnant beef cows, but this requires substantial fertilizer application. Rather than applying high rates of fertilizer, it may be advantageous to supplement nutrients to livestock on winter pasture.Key words: Winter grazing, forage quality, weathering losses

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Grazing Animal Nutrition

Forages ◽

10.1002/9781119436669.ch45 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 815-826

Author(s):

Gregory Lardy ◽

Richard Waterman

Keyword(s):

Animal Nutrition ◽

Grazing Animal

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An optical observational cluster mass function at z ∼ 1 with the ORELSE survey

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ◽

10.1093/mnras/stab300 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 502 (3) ◽

pp. 3942-3954

Author(s):

D Hung ◽

B C Lemaux ◽

R R Gal ◽

A R Tomczak ◽

L M Lubin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo ◽

Large Scale ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Function Analysis ◽

Voronoi Tessellation ◽

Cosmological Parameters ◽

Mass Range ◽

Mass Function ◽

Cluster Mass ◽

Theoretical Mass

ABSTRACT We present a new mass function of galaxy clusters and groups using optical/near-infrared (NIR) wavelength spectroscopic and photometric data from the Observations of Redshift Evolution in Large-Scale Environments (ORELSE) survey. At z ∼ 1, cluster mass function studies are rare regardless of wavelength and have never been attempted from an optical/NIR perspective. This work serves as a proof of concept that z ∼ 1 cluster mass functions are achievable without supplemental X-ray or Sunyaev-Zel’dovich data. Measurements of the cluster mass function provide important contraints on cosmological parameters and are complementary to other probes. With ORELSE, a new cluster finding technique based on Voronoi tessellation Monte Carlo (VMC) mapping, and rigorous purity and completeness testing, we have obtained ∼240 galaxy overdensity candidates in the redshift range 0.55 < z < 1.37 at a mass range of 13.6 < log (M/M⊙) < 14.8. This mass range is comparable to existing optical cluster mass function studies for the local universe. Our candidate numbers vary based on the choice of multiple input parameters related to detection and characterization in our cluster finding algorithm, which we incorporated into the mass function analysis through a Monte Carlo scheme. We find cosmological constraints on the matter density, Ωm, and the amplitude of fluctuations, σ8, of $\Omega _{m} = 0.250^{+0.104}_{-0.099}$ and $\sigma _{8} = 1.150^{+0.260}_{-0.163}$. While our Ωm value is close to concordance, our σ8 value is ∼2σ higher because of the inflated observed number densities compared to theoretical mass function models owing to how our survey targeted overdense regions. With Euclid and several other large, unbiased optical surveys on the horizon, VMC mapping will enable optical/NIR cluster cosmology at redshifts much higher than what has been possible before.

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Principal component analysis tomography in near-infrared integral field spectroscopy of young stellar objects – I. Revisiting the high-mass protostar W33A

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ◽

10.1093/mnras/stab358 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 503 (1) ◽

pp. 270-291

Author(s):

F Navarete ◽

A Damineli ◽

J E Steiner ◽

R D Blum

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Rotation Axis ◽

Principal Component ◽

Young Stellar Objects ◽

High Mass ◽

Continuum Emission ◽

Rotating Disc ◽

Stellar Objects ◽

K Band

ABSTRACT W33A is a well-known example of a high-mass young stellar object showing evidence of a circumstellar disc. We revisited the K-band NIFS/Gemini North observations of the W33A protostar using principal components analysis tomography and additional post-processing routines. Our results indicate the presence of a compact rotating disc based on the kinematics of the CO absorption features. The position–velocity diagram shows that the disc exhibits a rotation curve with velocities that rapidly decrease for radii larger than 0.1 arcsec (∼250 au) from the central source, suggesting a structure about four times more compact than previously reported. We derived a dynamical mass of 10.0$^{+4.1}_{-2.2}$ $\rm {M}_\odot$ for the ‘disc + protostar’ system, about ∼33 per cent smaller than previously reported, but still compatible with high-mass protostar status. A relatively compact H2 wind was identified at the base of the large-scale outflow of W33A, with a mean visual extinction of ∼63 mag. By taking advantage of supplementary near-infrared maps, we identified at least two other point-like objects driving extended structures in the vicinity of W33A, suggesting that multiple active protostars are located within the cloud. The closest object (Source B) was also identified in the NIFS field of view as a faint point-like object at a projected distance of ∼7000 au from W33A, powering extended K-band continuum emission detected in the same field. Another source (Source C) is driving a bipolar $\rm {H}_2$ jet aligned perpendicular to the rotation axis of W33A.

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Gram-scale synthesis of a neodymium chelate as a spectral CT and second near-infrared window imaging agent for visualizing the gastrointestinal tract in vivo

Journal of Materials Chemistry B ◽

10.1039/d0tb02276d ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pengrui Zhuang ◽

Ke Xiang ◽

Xiangxi Meng ◽

Guohe Wang ◽

Ziyuan Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastrointestinal Tract ◽

Fluorescence Imaging ◽

Large Scale ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Imaging Agent ◽

Spectral Ct ◽

Green Method ◽

Infrared Window

A facile and green method was developed to fabricate Nd-DTPA on a large scale without byproducts for CT/spectral CT and NIR II fluorescence imaging of the gastrointestinal tract in vivo.

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