scholarly journals A Review of Precision Technologies for Optimising Pasture Measurement on Irish Grassland

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 600
Author(s):  
Darren J. Murphy ◽  
Michael D. Murphy ◽  
Bernadette O’Brien ◽  
Michael O’Donovan
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Precise Measurement ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Sampling Techniques ◽  
Optimal Sampling ◽  
Labour Costs ◽  
Grassland Production

The development of precision grass measurement technologies is of vital importance to securing the future sustainability of pasture-based livestock production systems. There is potential to increase grassland production in a sustainable manner by achieving a more precise measurement of pasture quantity and quality. This review presents an overview of the most recent seminal research pertaining to the development of precision grass measurement technologies. One of the main obstacles to precision grass measurement, sward heterogeneity, is discussed along with optimal sampling techniques to address this issue. The limitations of conventional grass measurement techniques are outlined and alternative new terrestrial, proximal, and remote sensing technologies are presented. The possibilities of automating grass measurement and reducing labour costs are hypothesised and the development of holistic online grassland management systems that may facilitate these goals are further outlined.

scholarly journals Ruminant grassland production systems in Ireland

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. O’Donovan ◽  
D Hennessy ◽  
P Creighton
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Grassland Production ◽  
System Sustainability ◽  
Supplementary Feed ◽  
Management Capabilities ◽  
Stocking Rates

In Ireland grazing systems provide the basis of sustainable livestock production, as grazed grass is the cheapest feed source of nutrients for ruminants. The main future objective for these systems is to achieve high grass utilisation, ensure system sustainability and maintain extremely high animal health and welfare. There is no reason why all three cannot be combined together. Ireland’s national farm policy targets growth in exports to €19 billion per annum by 2025. This figure represents an 85% increase from the current 3-yr average. There are major improvements required in the areas of grassland management and its conversion into milk and meat to fulfil such a target. While every farm situation is unique due to varying soil types, climatic conditions, stocking rates and management capabilities, herbage production and utilisation is below optimum on most farms. Irish farms, especially dairy farms, are expanding and will continue to do so over the next number of years. Increasing stocking rates and more compact calving and lambing has resulted in increased spring feed demand. Extra grass needs be grown and utilised in this period to minimise the use of supplementary feed. This paper outlines the importance of grassland on Irish farms, and where farms can improve grassland management, to increase output, lower farm costs and improve further farm system sustainability.

scholarly journals Remote Sensing of Grassland Production and Management—A Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1949
Author(s):  
Sophie Reinermann ◽  
Sarah Asam ◽  
Claudia Kuenzer
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Production Traits ◽  
Management Information ◽  
Sensing Applications ◽  
Grassland Production

Grasslands cover one third of the earth’s terrestrial surface and are mainly used for livestock production. The usage type, use intensity and condition of grasslands are often unclear. Remote sensing enables the analysis of grassland production and management on large spatial scales and with high temporal resolution. Despite growing numbers of studies in the field, remote sensing applications in grassland biomes are underrepresented in literature and less streamlined compared to other vegetation types. By reviewing articles within research on satellite-based remote sensing of grassland production traits and management, we describe and evaluate methods and results and reveal spatial and temporal patterns of existing work. In addition, we highlight research gaps and suggest research opportunities. The focus is on managed grasslands and pastures and special emphasize is given to the assessment of studies on grazing intensity and mowing detection based on earth observation data. Grazing and mowing highly influence the production and ecology of grassland and are major grassland management types. In total, 253 research articles were reviewed. The majority of these studies focused on grassland production traits and only 80 articles were about grassland management and use intensity. While the remote sensing-based analysis of grassland production heavily relied on empirical relationships between ground-truth and satellite data or radiation transfer models, the used methods to detect and investigate grassland management differed. In addition, this review identified that studies on grassland production traits with satellite data often lacked including spatial management information into the analyses. Studies focusing on grassland management and use intensity mostly investigated rather small study areas with homogeneous intensity levels among the grassland parcels. Combining grassland production estimations with management information, while accounting for the variability among grasslands, is recommended to facilitate the development of large-scale continuous monitoring and remote sensing grassland products, which have been rare thus far.

scholarly journals Evolution and accumulation of C-CO2 in biogenic and physiogenic aggregates of different agroecological management systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 494-500
Author(s):  
Luiz Alberto Silva Rodrigues Pinto ◽  
Octávio Vioratti Telles Mendonça ◽  
Celeste Queiroz Rossi ◽  
Marcos Gervasio Pereira ◽  
Fabiana Costa Barros
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Agroforestry System ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Formation Pathway ◽  
No Till ◽  
Testing Parameter ◽  
Mineralizable Carbon ◽  
The City ◽  
Som Decomposition

Determination of mineralizable carbon (C) is based on the evolution of C-CO2, reflecting the activity of soil biota in soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, and can be used as a testing parameter in agroecological production systems. The objective of the present work was to quantify mineralizable C in aggregates of different biogenic and physiogenic formation pathways in agroecological management systems in the city of Seropédica, state of Rio de Janeiro. Five sampling areas were selected: (1) 10-year agroforestry system (AFS), (2) 15-year full sun coffee (C-SUN), (3) 15-year shaded coffee (C-SHA), (4) 10-year phlegm alleles (FLE), and (5) 6-year no-till planting system with corn and eggplant (NT) in Red-Yellow Argissolo in Seropédica-RJ.Morphological patterns were used to identify the formation pathway (biogenic and physiogenic) of aggregates.  In these, fertility, total organic carbon (TOC), and total nitrogen (TN) were evaluated.  The evolution and accumulation of C-CO2were determined in the laboratory after 35 days of incubation. The NT area under agroecological management present higher C-CO2 accumulation between the systems with biogenic aggregates and less accumulation in the physiogenic aggregates. 

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Online Learning: A SWOT Analysis of Users’ Perspectives on Learning Management System of University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 382-401
Author(s):  
Dandy George Dampson ◽  
Richardson Addai-Mununkum ◽  
Stephen Kwakye Apau ◽  
Joseph Bentil
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Sampling Techniques ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Learning Management ◽  
The University

This study investigated users’ perceptions of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) Learning Management Systems (LMS) based on SWOT. The study adopted the explanatory sequential mixed methods which sampled 3272 students and 20 lecturers by using the stratified and purposive sampling techniques, respectively. The study used questionnaires and semi-structured interview guides to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed using Means and Standard Deviations, Independent Samples t-test, and ANOVA. The qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The study found that UEW LMS is perceived to have elements of weaknesses and threats as well as strengths and opportunities. The study further found that the users of LMS differ in their perceptions in terms of SWOT based on students’ age. The students, however, did not differ significantly in their perceptions of SWOT based on gender. The study recommended that the management of UEW LMS need to educate both lecturers and students about the benefits that LMS offers to its users. Management of the UEW should make the usage of the LMS compulsory for teaching and learning while taking into consideration the age, level as well as the programme of study in the design and implementation of subsequent online platforms for students and lecturers.

Alternatives to Atrazine for Weed Management in Processing Sweet Corn

Weed Science ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 531-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zubeyde Filiz Arslan ◽  
Martin M. Williams ◽  
Roger Becker ◽  
Vincent A. Fritz ◽  
R. Ed Peachey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Sweet Corn ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Application Timing ◽  
Production Areas

Atrazine has been the most widely used herbicide in North American processing sweet corn for decades; however, increased restrictions in recent years have reduced or eliminated atrazine use in certain production areas. The objective of this study was to identify the best stakeholder-derived weed management alternatives to atrazine in processing sweet corn. In field trials throughout the major production areas of processing sweet corn, including three states over 4 yr, 12 atrazine-free weed management treatments were compared to three standard atrazine-containing treatments and a weed-free check. Treatments varied with respect to herbicide mode of action, herbicide application timing, and interrow cultivation. All treatments included a PRE application of dimethenamid. No single weed species occurred across all sites; however, weeds observed in two or more sites included common lambsquarters, giant ragweed, morningglory species, velvetleaf, and wild-proso millet. Standard treatments containing both atrazine and mesotrione POST provided the most efficacious weed control among treatments and resulted in crop yields comparable to the weed-free check, thus demonstrating the value of atrazine in sweet corn production systems. Timely interrow cultivation in atrazine-free treatments did not consistently improve weed control. Only two atrazine-free treatments consistently resulted in weed control and crop yield comparable to standard treatments with atrazine POST: treatments with tembotrione POST either with or without interrow cultivation. Additional atrazine-free treatments with topramezone applied POST worked well in Oregon where small-seeded weed species were prevalent. This work demonstrates that certain atrazine-free weed management systems, based on input from the sweet corn growers and processors who would adopt this technology, are comparable in performance to standard atrazine-containing weed management systems.

Simulation of chromatic and achromatic assessments for camouflage textiles and combat background

2022 ◽  
pp. 154851292110677
Author(s):  
Md Anowar Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Image Processing ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Color Difference ◽  
Optical Signal ◽  
Color Measurement ◽  
Pixel Intensity ◽  
Variation Versus ◽  
Processing Software ◽  
Imaging Sensor

Chromatic and achromatic (AC) assessments of camouflage textiles have been critical to the defense researchers for concealment, detection, recognition, and identification (CDRI) of target signature against multidimensional combat background (CB). AC assessment and camouflage measurement techniques are simulated and experimented for assessment of camouflage textiles against CB. This model has been demonstrated for color measurement spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), digital imaging, hyperspectral imaging, and image processing software (ImageJ) for the advancement and establishment of AC camouflage textiles assessment. The chromatic variations of 48 artificial target objects (TOBs) have been synthesized by image processing; the technique can be implemented for defense CB-CDRI assessment. Microstructural variation versus optical signal of woodland, desertland and stoneland CB materials have been elucidated by SEM magnification. The achromatic variation of CB materials have been demonstrated for the replacement of optical signal against modern remote sensing device to the imaging sensor. Color difference (Δ E), microstructural variations, pixel variations to imaging signal and standard deviation of CB materials have been represented for remote sensing surveillance of defense applications against TOB-CB-CDRI. Technical simulation of color, texture, gloss, and pixel intensity has been derived for AC-CDRI assessment of camouflage textiles in TOBs-CB environment.

scholarly journals Food service compliance with ISO 14001 and ISO 22000

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Lyra Santos ◽  
Rita de Cássia Coelho de Almeida Akutsu ◽  
Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho ◽  
Renata Puppin Zandonadi
Keyword(s):  
Safety Management ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Food Services ◽  
Safety Management Systems

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess food service environmental and food safety management systems according to two checklists based on ABNT ISO 22000 and 14001. METHODS: This exploratory and descriptive study investigated a-la-carte food services of the Federal District, Brazil. Two checklists were developed to investigate ISO 14001 and 22000 compliance. A total of 37 food services were selected from the list of the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants by simple random sampling. Checklist results were analyzed according to ANVISA resolution nº 275/2002. RESULTS: Only five food services employed dietitians to supervise meal production. These establishments achieved the highest ISO compliance. However, no establishment had more than 50% ISO 14001 or 22000 compliance. Restaurants showed little concern for the environment and disobeyed waste disposal laws by not separating recyclables from non-recyclables. CONCLUSION: The study food services do not have safe meal production systems, evidenced by non-conformity with the reference standards. Additionally, they do not attempt to reduce the environmental impact of their wastes. Food services supervised by dietitians are better prepared to produce safe foods.

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