Quality defects associated with poultry muscle development: pale, soft and exudative meat

Pale, soft and exudative (PSE) describes a meat quality defect resulting from an extremely rapid pH drop while the temperature of the carcass is still high. First identified in pigs, the condition has also been observed in turkeys and broilers. Despite the progress in the understanding of the und...

Optimizing the health of poultry layers

Commercial egg production is an important part of poultry production worldwide. Table egg production is facing times of change and transition with focus on animal well-being. Several major global trends have impacted egg production in many ways: 1) housing systems, 2) ban on beak treatments, 3) i...

Supporting smallholder farmers in developing countries to improve postharvest management of staple grains: the role of loss reduction technologies

Smallholder farmers constitute the bulk of staple grain producers in developing countries but there is inadequate support in the postharvest management (PHM) phase of the food supply chain. Several effective PHM technologies have been developed to tackle food grain losses. However, minimum impac...

Assessing alternative protein sources from by-products

This chapter examines the most commonly used protein-based by-product feeds in dairy cattle diets. The chapter focuses on 1) protein quality of by-products; 2) characteristics of grain-sourced by-products; 3) characteristics of oilseed by-products; 4) rendered by-products; 5) environmental impact...

Advances in organic cultivation of vegetables

Organic farming is considered an agroecological system focused on promoting biological cycles, soil biological activity, and biodiversity toward enhancing resource conservation and environmental quality. The global growth of the organic market and production drives the research to improve organic...

Cacao diseases: vascular-streak dieback

‘Vascular-streak dieback’ (VSD) was the name given to a devastating disease of cacao, first described in Papua New Guinea in the 1960s and later found to be caused by a previously undescribed tullasneloid basidiomycete, Oncobasidium theobromae (now Ceratobasidium theobromae). This chapter describ...

Smart distribution to maintain shelf life of horticultural produce

Most fresh horticultural crops in developed countries that are harvested but not consumed (40 to 50%) are wasted because the quality is inadequate for marketing or does not meet consumer quality requirements. Reducing quality deterioration can both extend shelf life and reduce waste of fresh hort...

Understanding the banana industry: monoculture and beyond

The dominance of monoculture in banana cultivation has produced numerous agricultural, social and political problems. This chapter examines the way in which monoculture has affected the banana industry. It outlines the available banana varieties and the dominant Cavendish monoculture, looking at ...

Life cycle assessment and carbon footprint of banana cultivation

This chapter presents concepts and tools around the life cycle assessment (LCA) and carbon footprint (CFP) of the banana value chain. Bananas are the world’s most exported fresh fruit in volume and value and a key crop for millions of households in developing countries providing food, nutrition a...

Assessing inbreeding and genetic diversity in the holstein breed using pedigree and genomic approaches

Various breeding strategies to improve dairy cattle production, conformation, health and, more recently, efficiency, have been developed. However, as selection intensity within these finite populations has increased, so has the relatedness within individual populations. This chapter looks at inb...

Seaweed and microalgae as alternative sources of protein

This collection summarises current developments in utilising seaweed and microalgae as alternative sources of protein. Chapters focus on identifying the different types of macroalgae and microalgae, cultivation and processing, as well as the practical application in human and livestock diets.

Sustainable production of cabbage on plasticulture

Plasticulture with microirrigation enhances vegetable crop competitiveness in two ways: through sustainable production practices for water and nutrient management and increased production system resiliency to climate variability. This chapter introduces sustainable cultivation of cabbage on plast...

Regional strategies in sustainable water management for irrigation: the eco-efficiency approach

This chapter addresses a variety of challenges associated with regional water management, including the resolution of conflicts between sectors in order to resolve ‘demand versus availability’ equation and the symbiosis needed between agronomy and engineering in order to optimize the performance ...

Organic fertilizers and biofertilizers

In recent years, both in the European Union and in the world, there has been intense development of organic agriculture, whose aim is to produce high-quality crops and healthy food while maintaining the biological balance of agroecosystems. An alternative to chemical fertilizers are products of n...

Validating indicators of sheep welfare

Until recently, assessment of sheep welfare has received little attention, perhaps because sheep have traditionally been managed extensively and their relative behavioural freedom has led to perceptions of fewer or lower risks to their welfare. However, extensively managed sheep are still vulnera...

Monitoring trends in diseases of poultry

Disease surveillance is a staple programme in most developed poultry systems and is a cooperative effort between individual poultry companies, regional and national disease control agencies and programmes, public and private diagnostic laboratories, research universities, wildlife agencies and al...

Reusing food waste: the importance of mycotoxin detection and decontamination

This chapter reviews the range of techniques available for sustainable re-use of food waste. It addresses the critical safety issue of mycotoxin contamination of food waste. The chapter reviews factors affecting mycotoxin growth and the particular problem of masked mycotoxins. It also methods for...

Understanding consumer attitudes to environmental sustainability issues in agricultural and food production

Assessing the effects of no-till cultivation practices on soil health

The goal of this chapter is to assess the effect of no-till (NT) practices on soil health. NT is a long-established method for controlling erosion, and has been increasingly recognized as improving soil physical, chemical, and biological health without compromising yield. This chapter explores t...

Insects as alternative sources of protein for food and feed

This collection reviews the wealth of current research on the use of insect species as sources of protein in both human and animal diets. The book considers recent advances in the production and application of black soldier flies, yellow mealworms and other insects primarily as feed for swine, po...

Agroforestry practices: windbreaks

Windbreaks, also known as vegetative environmental buffers (VEB) or shelterbelts, are a common feature of agricultural systems around the world. These strips of trees, shrubs, and other perennial or annual vegetation perform a number of functions, including providing protection from the wind for ...

Using proximal electromagnetic/electrical resistivity/electrical sensors to assess soil health

Soil health assessment can be understood as a synthetic approach using complex indicators including a variety of soil physical and biological characteristics. The electrical/electromagnetic properties, whilst limited in number, are directly linked with some of the most relevant soil parameters ch...

The role of pasture in the diet of ruminant livestock

Grazed pasture is the single most important forage feed for ruminants due to its low unit cost and widespread global availability. However, there is a growing use of arable crops in ruminant rations, which may exceed that used by humans by 2050. This chapter describes the ways in which grazed pa...

Supporting smallholders in organic crop cultivation: the case of east africa

The value chains of several vegetables and other crops in Eastern Africa are growing in volume and value and are potentially making an impact on the livelihood of the involved producers, processers, transporters, retailers and sales-sites. This chapter reports the outcomes of selected ProGrOV cas...

Tea cultivation under changing climatic conditions

Predicted climate change is likely to pose a major threat to normal tea cultivation. This chapter reviews the effects that climate change is likely to have on which regions are suitable for tea production and the duration of the plucking period. We consider how tea production might be improved by...

Management of dairy cows in transition and at calving

Most of the clinical disease events in a dairy cow’s life occur during the transition period, defined as the period three weeks before and after calving. It is believed that almost all cows experience some immune dysfunction during the peripartum period, and that this combined with nutritional di...

Double strand break (dsb) repair pathways in plants and their application in genome engineering

In genome engineering, after targeted induction of double strand breaks (DSBs) researchers take advantage of the organisms’ own repair mechanisms to induce different kinds of sequence changes into the genome. Therefore, understanding of the underlying mechanisms is essential. This chapter will re...

Developing animal feed products

This volume reviews key research and the challenges faced in developing new livestock feed products that promote growth whilst also enhancing both product quality and safety. This collection also summarises recent key developments in the sector, including a better understanding of gut function an...

Achieving sustainable cultivation of wheat volume 1

This book reviews advances in breeding techniques as well as their application to produce drought-resistant and other improved varieties. It also discusses wheat nutritional quality. Finally it reviews developments such as disease-resistant varieties and other techniques to combat pests and disea...

Enhancing phosphorus-use efficiency in crop production

Enhancing acquisition and utilization of applied phosphorus by crops will help to conserve limited rock phosphate reserves and minimize off-site transport of applied phosphorus. Understanding plant root growth and the release of substances that can solubilize mineral and organic phosphorus in res...

Insect pests affecting oil palms

Monocultures – including oil palm – are known to induce strong parasitic pressure. Coleoptera and Lepidoptera are the main insect pests affecting oil palms in all continents where it is cultivated. This chapter offers an overview of the major types of oil palm pests (23 species) that have been se...

Enhancing the flavour of poultry meat

Understanding the chemistry of poultry meat flavour and factors affecting poultry meat flavour is vital in order to produce the most flavourful and consistent product possible by preserving and/or enhancing the flavour of poultry meat. This chapter describes different mechanisms and chemical comp...

The role of no or minimum mechanical soil disturbance in conservation agriculture systems

Minimum mechanical soil disturbance is one of the pillars of Conservation Agriculture (CA). It is the core concept, which distinguishes CA as a sustainable farming system from tillage-based systems. This chapter introduces concepts of tillage and soil disturbance and the issues and solutions rela...

Mapping and exploiting the citrus genome

The citrus gene pool displays a huge diversity for useful traits such as fruit quality, resistance to diseases and abiotic stress adaptation. Efficient exploitation of this germplasm by conventional citrus breeding requires the developments of early selection methods, particularly the one based o...

Advances in root architectural modeling

Root architectural (RSA) models have become important tools in root research and plant phenotyping for studying root traits, processes, and interactions with the environment. The models have been used to simulate how various root traits and processes influence water and nutrient uptake. At a more...

Instant insights: septoria tritici blotch in cereals

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews of septoria tritici blotch in cereals.

Optimizing product quality in soilless culture systems (scs)

In a soilless culture system (SCS), quality parameters of produce may be improved by better control of the environmental and technical factors involved. This chapter focuses on the main factors through which it is possible to influence and improve the quality profile of soilless horticultural pro...

Conserving and exploiting biodiversity in crop cultivation in sub-saharan africa

Under relentless global population growth the key challenge is to increase agricultural production while preserving biodiversity and reducing the pressure on ecosystems and natural resources. As a first step, the development of sustainable agricultural practices requires thorough understanding of...

Advances in understanding species ecology: phenological and life cycle modeling of insect pests

The modeling of insect phenology has been an important component of IPM decision support systems for several decades. This chapter describes general concepts and methods of the systems approach using applied phenology modeling as an example. The authors outline the steps of model construction fro...

Biostimulant action of protein hydrolysates on crops

Protein hydrolysates are a category of plant biostimulants containing a mixture of polypeptides, oligopeptides and amino acids that are manufactured from animal or plant derived-protein sources using partial hydrolysis. Protein hydrolysates are used for foliar applications and to a lesser extent ...

Improving monitoring and forecasting in integrated management of fruit arthropod pests

The efficient and accurate monitoring of insects and mites is a cornerstone of integrated pest management (IPM). Pheromone-baited traps are probably the best known, most convenient and specific method used for monitoring in orchards. However, mating disruption strategies have complicated the inte...

Understanding the contribution of milk constituents to the texture of dairy products: cheese

Milk is an important part of the human diet. Milk constituents have excellent nutritional and technological properties and can be easily processed into a wide variety of products. Cheese is produced throughout the world and is available in a great diversity of flavours and textures. During cheese...

Dairy herd health management: an overview

The importance of ensuring animal welfare and food security, of combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and of increasing food production, all contribute to the need for preventative medicine. Herd health management (HHM) involves the delivery of a more coordinated approach, where management int...

Supporting smallholders in achieving more sustainable cocoa cultivation: the case of west africa

Sustainability initiatives, including associations, platforms and networks, voluntary sustainability standards, corporate and non-governmental and civil society initiatives, have all been developed as solutions to the multiple, long-running challenges facing cocoa growers and producers. Largely i...

Sustainable use of seaweed for biofuel

In the last two decades, biofuel research has intensified as they are being increasingly considered as a viable replacement for crude oil derivatives. In comparison to crude oil reserves, biological feedstocks for bio-fuel production are globally widespread. On the other hand, biofuel production ...

Assessing the impact of pesticides on natural capital and biodiversity

Pesticides used prophylactically in intensive farming negatively affect non-target organisms, contributing to the acceleration of species extinction. This chapter considers key issues of pesticide toxicity that harm biodiversity and the natural world, including the adjuvant problem and the cockta...

The use of marker-assisted selection in developing improved varieties of soybean

Marker-assisted selection (MAS) for soybean improvement is based on over two thousand mapped loci. In genetics databases there are thousands of mapped loci that underlie quantitative traits, oligogenic traits and simple traits. This chapter describes examples of methods for developing and using D...

Achieving sustainable cultivation of coffee

Coffee is one of the most widely-traded commodities in the world. This volume summarises research addressing key challenges in coffee cultivation, including genetic diversity and breeding improved varieties. Other chapters discuss how to measure and improve quality traits.

Biodiversity and ecosystem services in tropical forests: recent findings and implications for sustainable forest management (sfm)

Tropical forests are some of the biologically richest areas on Earth. The biodiversity in tropical forests, specifically species and functional groups and the ecological processes resulting from species behaviors and interactions provide important ecosystem services. These ecosystem services are...

Nutritional, nutraceutical and functional properties of soybeans

Soybeans have desirable nutritional properties, since they contain about twice the protein of other legumes per serving. Some soybean protein ingredients have protein digestibility corrected amino acid scores commensurate with proteins thought to be optimal to meet human protein needs. This chapt...

Packaging systems for beef retailers and their effects on visual quality and palatability

Packaging is one of the most vital processes in beef production, but is often overlooked by beef researchers. In addition to protecting the product, packaging is largely responsible for maintaining myoglobin in the bright red, oxygenated state in the retail case as expected by American consumers....

Other viral pathogens of banana

In this chapter, minor viral pathogens of banana, plantain and abacá are discussed. Some such as banana bract mosaic virus and the abacá strain of sugarcane mosaic virus have the potential to cause much more serious problems if they are allowed to spread unchecked around the world. Other viruses ...

The role of agroforestry in sustainable forest management (sfm) of tropical forests

In this chapter we review to what extent agroforests that are classified as forests are in line with the objectives of sustainable forest management, focusing on biodiversity conservation, supply of forest products and carbon capture. We use shifting cultivation as a case study, given its pantrop...

Nematodes in banana

Banana production is threatened by nematodes that parasitize the root system. The damage that nematodes inflict when feeding destroys the banana’s root system, limiting nutrient and water uptake, and reducing the efficiency of the root system to anchor the plant, resulting in toppling, especially...

The global avocado industry

This chapter highlights the significant evolution of the global avocado industry, which has experienced extraordinary growth in the last very few decades, both in the American continent where the fruit was originated, and in the other continents. The chapter indicates the important avocado produc...

The role of beef in human nutrition and health

Beef is an important source of both macronutrients and micronutrients. Nevertheless, concerns have been raised regarding the effects of eating red and processed meat on human health. In this chapter, we review the nutrients available in beef and then assess the concerns raised about the health im...

Competitive exclusion treatment to control pathogens in poultry

Competitive Exclusion (CE) describes the protective effect of the intestinal microflora against colonization of pathogenic bacteria. This review presents the background and current use of the CE concept to prevent Salmonella infections in poultry, by administration of cultures of intestinal origi...

Advances in understanding plant root responses to root-feeding insects

This chapter presents an overview of the interactions between plant roots and root-feeding insect herbivores, focussing on changes in growth and physiology and crucially how roots are defended against insect attack. Several reviews have covered the ecology and management of insect root herbivores...

Agroforestry for the cultivation of nuts

Row crop agriculture covers over 1.28 billion ha of land globally. Though extremely productive in terms of yield, annual cropping systems rely on external inputs of energy, nutrients and pesticides, leading to a suite of ecological consequences. This chapter focuses primarily on the opportunities...

Organic mango production: a review

In recent years the demand for organic mango, along with the health concerns of consumers, has increased. Few technologies are currently available to support organic mango production systems in the main mango-growing regions. This chapter explains current technologies for field sustainable and or...

Safe handling and movement of cocoa germplasm for breeding

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) originated in South America, but is now cultivated in various parts of the tropics. Movement of cocoa germplasm is often required in breeding programmes to increase the genetic diversity pool or to test clones/progeny in the field. However, such movement brings with it ...

Instant insights: understanding and tackling fusarium wilt of banana

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology of Fusarium wilt of banana, the role of monoculture in its spread, as well as best practices to control future outbreaks, including specialised breeding programmes and genetic engineering.

Understanding and improving protein traits in maize

Improving the nutritional quality of maize is necessary to meet the growing demands of maize consumption. Maize could be the main source of protein. Several parameters, however, limit the supply and quality of corn protein. This chapter reviews the mechanisms that determine these limitations, inc...

Monitoring postharvest attributes: instrumental techniques for measuring harvest maturity/fruit quality

Measurement precedes management. In this chapter, measurement technologies relevant to postharvest management are reviewed, both in context of technologies in current industry use and those with apparent promise for future use. A brief description of these techniques is made in relation to their ...

The use of nutrigenomics in poultry breeding for sustainable production

Selection for economic phenotypic traits has significantly improved poultry productivity over the past 70 years. However, there have been a number of undesirable changes in the regulation of energy homeostasis, fat deposition (mainly in breeders), increased sensitivity to high environmental tempe...

Advances in data security for more effective decision-making in agriculture

There are two types of precision agriculture systems – those that have been hacked, and those that will be. Connectivity and information flow are the two key enabling factors for successful operation of the digital farm. These elements also represent the most vulnerable aspects open to cyber-atta...

Management of rice insect pests

Rice farmers face many abiotic and biotic constraints in their quest to increase rice production. In conjunction with the introduction of new high yielding drought and flood tolerant rice varieties, increasing yields will require a reduction in losses to insect pests. This chapter discusses curre...

Optimising pig welfare at the weaning and nursery stage

The welfare of pigs at the nursery stage is an area of special concern because of the manifold influencing factors that have the potential to decrease seriously the piglets’ wellbeing. Especially the separation from their mother sow in combination with a very young weaning age in modern pig farmi...

Ensuring beef safety through consumer education

For food safety in the US beef industry, 1993 was a watershed year because of the large outbreak of food-borne illnesses that were linked to ground beef. More than two decades later, microbial issues persist as areas of concern. While the industry has made great strides in reducing bacteria on ra...

Advances in energy-efficient lighting and ventilation for food production systems

Estimates are that 15 percent of agricultural production costs are energy related. The best way to lower these costs and cut energy consumption is by becoming energy smart. This chapter highlights energy-efficient lighting, considers potential of novel UV technology, acknowledges ventilation adva...

Consumer perception of apple quality

Apples are a global commodity worth $7.78 billion USD in international trade. Apple quality is a complex interdisciplinary topic. In studying consumer perception of apple quality, it is important to consider not only fruit characteristics, but other consumer-related and social environment-related...

Advances in dairy cattle breeding to improve fertility/reproductive efficiency

The decline in fertility over the last few decades, especially in high milk producing dairy cows, is a major concern in many countries with modern dairy industries. Fertility is a compound trait of many events leading up to successful calving and subsequent lactation. Fertility traits in cattle h...

The environmental impact of food loss and waste (flw)

This chapter addresses how food loss and waste can impact the environment. It begins by defining what food loss and waste is and provides an overview of how food production can contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The chapter then highlights the problems for food waste accounting and the...

Ecological network approaches for promoting pollinators in agriculture

Interactions between plants and pollinators, and thus pollination, are network-based processes. Many early studies of plant-pollinator networks focused on interactions within agroecosystems, providing a substantial knowledge-base around agricultural pollinators and how they can be promoted. There...

Ruminal fibre digestion

Since ruminants obtain most of their energy from their symbiotic microbiota, the efficiency of feed conversion and end-product meat and milk quality in bovines is tightly linked to the dynamics and function of the rumen microbiome. In this chapter, we give an overview of the role of the microbiot...

Diseases affecting grain legumes and their management

Legume plants are peculiarly susceptible to diseases due to their association with Rhizobium bacteria, their large seeds and stress intolerance. Specific and generalist disease species are well documented, but pathogen virulence evolves rapidly making management a continual challenge. This challe...

Weed management in organic crop cultivation

Managing weeds in organic production systems is critical to the economic success of organic farmers, as well as long-term ecological sustainability. Problems with weeds are a major reason why organic operations fail, or never get started. This chapter provides an overview of the range of tools an...

Instant insights: pesticide residues in agriculture

This collection features three peer-reviewed literature reviews on pesticide residues in agriculture.

Advances in cultivation of almonds: effects of genotypes, environment and cultural techniques

The chapter is an overview of the recent research advances in almond scion and rootstock genotypes, orchard management, including irrigation and fertilization, emphasizing an integrated approach including the environment. The chapter looks ahead to areas for further research in almond tree eco-ph...

Advances in understanding plant root uptake of phosphorus

At a global scale, phosphorus (P) deficiency comprises a large area of cropland, while P has also been used in excess of crop requirements in many other regions. Improved crop P-acquisition efficiency would allow lower target critical soil P values and provide savings in P-fertiliser use. At the ...

Advances in understanding the role of phytate in phosphorus and calcium nutrition of poultry

In plant seeds, the primary storage form of phosphorus (P) is phytic acid (InsP6), which is usually present in salt form (phytate). Utilization of P from InsP6 and lower forms of InsPx by animals requires stepwise cleavage of P from the inositol ring by phytases. In broiler chickens, the potentia...

Factors affecting fat content and distribution of fat in cattle and carcasses

Beef cattle are highly efficient at depositing fat, and they deposit fats in a specific order: first abdominal, then seam (intermuscular), then subcutaneous and finally marbling (intramuscular, interfascicular) fat. The development and composition of these fat deposits are influenced by the diet ...

Modelling the effects of cropping systems on weed dynamics: the trade-off between process analysis and decision support

Models are essential to synthesize knowledge on weeds and to design integrated weed-management strategies. These models must rank cropping systems as a function of weed infestation, and account for variability in effects to estimate probabilities of success or failure. Three case studies are pres...

Advances in integrated plant nutrient management

Integrated plant nutrient management (IPNM) based on the combined use of organic amendments and mineral fertilisers was designed to address the concerns of deteriorating soil health and negative yield trends commonly observed with long-term fertiliser use. Yield of most crops obtained by followin...

Optimising udder health in dairy cattle

In this chapter several aspects of udder health are discussed. Mastitis, inflammation of the mammary gland, which is generally caused by bacterial infections, is one of the most important and most studied diseases in dairy cattle. Diagnostic approaches are discussed with specific attention for th...

Developing corn hybrids with improved performance under water deficits

This chapter reviews the key stages in corn plant development when water deficits can most impact on productivity. It reviews progress made in genotyping and phenotyping that enable selection for improved productivity in water-limited growing conditions. Technical approaches to experimental desig...

The role of food safety in food waste and losses

Food loss and waste from the initial stages of food production to consumption is causing a growing concern. As yet, no food safety issues have been linked to food loss and waste, but numerous incidences of failure to comply with regulatory criteria have resulted in outbreaks of foodborne disease ...

Assessing the overall impact of the dairy sector

Dairy is the number one agricultural commodity by value, provides livelihoods for 1 billion people and is key to enriching diets the world over. Yet, global consumption of dairy falls short of national dietary guidelines. Increasing dairy consumption to match dietary guidelines could save billion...

Rehabilitating degraded and abandoned agricultural lands with conservation agriculture systems

Soil degradation worldwide is a serious concern since global demands for food production and security and environmental preservation have increased substantially. In Brazil, intensive tillage, low soil cover and residue input, monocropping, soil organic matter depletion, erosion, compaction and s...

Weed-plant interactions

Crops or desired plant species co-occur with undesired species, and the co-occurring species thereby come to be classed as weeds. This human-imposed classification is based on the perception that there is an interaction that results in some negative effect of the weed on the crop or desired speci...

Genetic and genomic dairy cattle evaluations in developing countries

Genetic improvement programmes have delivered huge economic returns in developed countries. Supporting these successful genetic improvements are efficient genetic evaluation systems (GES) for the accurate evaluation of animals on which selection is based. Thus, GES is not only an integral and imp...

The nutritional and nutraceutical/functional properties of mangoes

Mangoes can be considered a major source of bioactive compounds, notably vitamin C, phenolics (mainly gallic acid) and carotenoids, among which many are provitamin A. This chapter describes the claimed health benefits associated with the antioxidant properties of these compounds, which potentiall...

The english grain aphid sitobion avenae

The English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae (Fabricius), is an economically important insect pest on cereal crops worldwide. Damage by this aphid can be destructive for cereal crops due to its ability to transmit yellow dwarf viruses, and its control often relies on routine application of synthetic ...

Advances in understanding of indigenous milk enzymes

Milk contains a complex set of enzymes of varying classes, along with in many cases substrates, zymogens, activators and inhibitors constituting in some instances whole systems, like the plasmin system. Some of the indigenous enzymes are present due to the way in which milk is secreted, and some...

Improving the welfare of ewes

Ewes are often grazed in large flocks in extensive pastoral production systems, and it is relatively uncommon for ewes to be individually identified or tallied. Given the relatively low economic value of adult ewes, health or production problems may go unnoticed for some time. Health problems aff...

Processing techniques to optimize digestibility and nutritional value of animal feed

This chapter reviews the effects of feed manufacturing processes on the nutritional value of feed. It discusses the effects of particle size reduction and pelleting on feed digestibility and the overall performance of pigs/swine and broiler chickens.

Diversity and genome evolution in coffee

While the worldwide production of coffee relies on a small number of cultivars with reduced diversity, wild coffee trees represent huge reserves of genetic diversity that could help to mitigate the effects of unstable climate and plant diseases, as well as modify the wealth of health-related chem...

Improving photosynthesis in rice: from small steps to giant leaps

Current strategies for boosting rice productivity encounter diminishing returns as rice crops approach yield ceilings. This chapter describes how improvement of photosynthetic efficiency is needed to boost yield ceilings. This can be in the context of C3 photosynthesis, overcoming single limitati...