Exploratory inference of the ingestive behavior of pigs in the finishing phase in an air-conditioned environment

The objective of this research is to apply exploratory analysis and modeling associated with abiotic factors, physiological and behavioral variables of swine in the semi-arid region. The experimental design used was completely randomized, in a 3 × 3 factorial scheme, randomly distributed in nine pens, with three animals. The behavior of the animals was recorded using images and analyzed within 10-min interval. The data analysis used was multivariate, using the clustering method (tree diagram) and principal component analysis (PCA), in order to establish the main predictors of swine ingestive behavior, using multiple linear regression models. The PCA showed satisfactory results, in which the lowest eigenvalue observed was 2.82 and the accumulated variance for the treatments ranged from 69.70 to 94% for the first two principal components. Through exploratory data analysis, it was possible to identify the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors with the ingestive behavior of pigs in the finishing phase. Based on the results of the multivariate analysis, the most promising predictor variables for estimating the regression models were determined. Adiabatic evaporative cooling associated with 18 h of light was the combination of factors with the best results, presenting models for eating and drinking behavior, i.e. a complete ingestive characterization.

Vaginal temperature modeling in Holstein cows and cluster analysis by the cophenetic correlation coefficient

The objective was to establish a model for the prediction and characterization of vaginal temperature in Holstein cows, based on environmental predictors and thermal comfort indices, through cluster analysis, validation by the cophenetic correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. The micrometeorological characterization of the site was carried out by recording the air temperature (T_air), the relative humidity (RH), the black globe temperature (BGT), the black globe temperature and humidity (BGHI), and dew point temperature (TDP). The recording of vaginal temperature (Tv) was performed in eight dairy cows using temperature sensors, equipped with data loggers, coupled with intravaginal devices. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and cluster analysis (CA) by using the hierarchical agglomerative method based on the value of the cophenetic correlation coefficient (CCC >0.70), in which representative physiological models were established, characterizing the Tv through multiple regression. In the afternoon the coefficient of variation (CV) was low for all variables, indicating homogeneity of the meteorological variables and efficiency of the ventilation system. The temperature and humidity index (THI) was mild only on the morning. There was a variation of 0.28 °C of Tv between shifts, sufficient to characterize the condition of comfort and stress of the animal, with values above 39 °C indicating animal stress. Tv showed strong correlation with BGT, T_air, TDP and RH, assuming that physiological variables, such as Tv, tend to have greater relationship with abiotic variables. Empirical models were established for estimating Tv based on the analyses performed in this study. Model 1 is recommended for TDP ranges of 14.00-21.00 °C and RH of 30-100%, while model 2 can be used for T_air situations up to 35 °C. The regression models for estimating Tv are promising for characterizing the thermal comfort of dairy cows housed in compost barn systems.

Phenotypic plasticity and behavioral responses of dairy cattle on rotational grazing

Heat stress is one of the most important environmental challenges faced by dairy cattle, with a deleterious effect on animal production and welfare. This research was conducted to evaluate the effects of the thermal environment on the physiological and behavioral responses of dairy cattle in a rotational picket. The research was conducted on an experimental farm, located in the Agreste region of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The animals were managed in a rotational picket system of signal grass, with an occupation and a rest period of 7 and 28 days, respectively, for a stocking rate of 3.2 AU ha^-1. The determination of the effect of stressors on the animals was performed by recording the dry bulb temperature (°C), and the relative humidity, which allowed the characterization of the thermal environment by the temperature and humidity index and by the specific enthalpy (kJ kg^-1). The physiological variables monitored were respiratory rate (mov. min^-1), rectal temperature (°C), and skin temperature (°C). The behavioral responses quantified were activities, walking, ruminating, idling and ingestive behaviors, eating, and drinking, with the percentage of time spent on each activity being recorded. According to the canonical multivariate analysis, the chi-square test, and the variation of physiological patterns, the animals, even in a situation of greater thermal challenge, presented physiological responses within conditions considered normal; however, they reduced grazing activity (eating) during the hottest hours and increased the activities of rumination and idling.

Bioclimatic Zoning for Sheep Farming through Geostatistical Modeling in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has pointed out the high vulnerability of developing countries to climate change, which is expected to impact food and income security. Sheep farming is one of the main animal productions among the families located in the most vulnerable regions of the semiarid region of Pernambuco state, a Brazilian territory known for its high temperatures, low relative humidity, and high net solar radiation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify different regions of Pernambuco that may be more suitable for different breeds of sheep, based on non-parametric statistics and kriging maps of the temperature and humidity index (THI). THI values were determined based on mean annual temperature and wind speed extracted from the TerraClimate remote sensing database. Pernambuco state presented THI values ranging from 66 to 79, with the hair breeds having a high potential for exploitation in almost all territories, including the main meat-producing breeds. The East Friesian breed, a high milk producer, would be well suited to the Agreste mesoregion, a territory that, like the Pajeú and Moxotó microregions, also proved favorable for the introduction of three wool breeds (Suffolk, Poll Dorset, and Texel) known as major meat producers. The kriging maps of the THI values successfully allowed the identification of strategic development regions of Pernambuco state with high potential for sheep breeding.

Investigation of pre and post environmental impact of the lockdown (COVID-19) on the water quality of the Capibaribe and Tejipió rivers, Recife metropolitan region, Brazil

The coronavirus pandemic has seriously affected human health, although some improvements on environmental indexes have temporarily occurred, due to changes on socio-cultural and economic standards. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of the coronavirus and the influence of the lockdown associated with rainfall on the water quality of the Capibaribe and Tejipió rivers, Recife, Northeast Brazil, using cloud remote sensing on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. The study was carried out based on eight representative images from Sentinel-2. Among the selected images, two refer to the year 2019 (before the pandemic), three refer to 2020 (during a pandemic), two from the lockdown period (2020), and one for the year 2021. The land use and land cover (LULC) and slope of the study region were determined and classified. Water turbidity data were subjected to descriptive and multivariate statistics. When analyzing the data on LULC for the riparian margin of the Capibaribe and Tejipió rivers, a low permanent preservation area was found, with a predominance of almost 100% of the urban area to which the deposition of soil particles in rivers are minimal. The results indicated that turbidity values in the water bodies varied from 6 mg. L-1 up to 40 mg. L-1. Overall, the reduction in human-based activities generated by the lockdown enabled improvements in water quality of these urban rivers.

Effect of distance and daily periods on heat-stressed pigs and pre-slaughter losses in a semiarid region

Effective planning animal transport is essential to safeguard animal welfare and reduce production losses. Environmental conditions, specifically extreme temperatures in combination with ranges of relative humidity are highlighted as one of the main risk factors for production losses during transport (e.g., fatalities). The majority of research evaluating both welfare and production impacts of pig transport have been primarily undertaken in Europe and North America, which cover a relatively limited range of distinct climates (e.g., temperate, sub-arctic, etc.). As a result, research on pig transport in semi-arid conditions is lacking. In this study, we evaluated the effects of both distance (short, 30 km; and long, 170 km) and transport daily periods (morning, (05:00-11:00); afternoon (12:00-17:00); and night, (23:00-04:00)) on the preslaughter losses and heat stress of pigs in commercial transport in a semiarid region. Across 19 journeys of standard slaughter-weight pig loads (124.0 ± 2.8 kg), 684 focal animals (36 per journey) were evaluated. For each journey, the load's thermal profile (THI_adj and enthalpy) and physiological responses of individual pigs were recorded. On arrival at designated slaughterhouses, the percentage pig of non-ambulatory non-injured (NANI), non-ambulatory injured (NAI), death on arrival (DOA), and total losses were recorded. Short journeys in the afternoon were shown to be more detrimental to the thermal comfort of pigs, with higher rectal temperatures recorded. The highest percentage of total losses and DOA occurred in afternoon journeys, irrespective of distance, followed by the morning, with the lowest losses observed in pigs transported at night. Additionally, total losses and DOA were further exacerbated by journey distance, with higher rates observed in short journeys. Higher percentage averages of NANI and NAI were observed in shorter journeys, but daily periods effects were only observed for NANI. These results further demonstrate the welfare and production loss risks associated with journey distance and time of day (representing varying environmental conditions) during road transport of pigs, whilst providing novel data in semiarid conditions. Careful and effective planning for pig transportation is essential to minimize heat stress and production losses. Consideration of the thermal environment on the day of travel, as well as providing flexibility to adjust travel times (e.g., early morning or evening), should help to mitigate risks of heat stress and production losses during pig transport.

Influence of meteorological elements on behavioral responses of gir cows and effects on milk quality

This study aimed to analyze the principal components of the meteorological variables, physiological and behavioral response of cows subjected to different cooling times and their influence on milk quality, in the dry and rainfall periods, and to establish multiple regression models for milk quality. The data used in the study came from an experiment conducted in the Agreste Region of Pernambuco. The pre-milking cooling time was 10, 20, 30 min. and the control (without cooling). Sixteen multiparous lactating Gir cows were selected. Data were analyzed by principal component analysis and a multiple regression analysis was applied to determine milk quality. There was a strong relationship between somatic cell count (SCC) and activity of the animal in the shade for dry, and lying for rainfall, with increased SCC in cow milk. It was possible to establish two multiple regression models to determine milk quality in dry and rainfall periods. According to the principal component analysis, the cooling time to meet the thermal requirement of the animals was 20 min., regardless of the season and milking shift.

Biospeckle Laser Technique for mechanical damage assessment in Tommy atkins mango fruits

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of biological activity measured by the Biospeckle Laser technique applied to mangoes (Mangifera indica L.) subjected to mechanical damage at different stages of maturation. The tests were carried out twice a week for twenty-one days, and 40 mangoes of the variety Tommy Atkins were used. The procedure was divided into two stages: the first simulated the impact on fruits, and in the second stage, the laser light was applied to the impacted area. After laser application, the images of all fruits were submitted to graphic processing, in order to obtain maps of biological activity of the fruits. The Biospeckle laser technique associated with image analysis allowed the identification of distinct biological activity levels in the mangoes, certifying its potential application as a non-destructive test tool, in the monitoring of biological activity in fruit samples.

Spatial variability and exploratory inference of abiotic factors in barn compost confinement for cattle in the semiarid

The assessment of environmental conditions in the creation of dairy cattle in feedlots must be carried out to identify possible causes of stress and assist producers in the decision-making process. The objective was to characterize the abiotic factors and bed temperature, in the comfort conditions of dairy cows, through geostatistics and exploratory data inference, in a Compost Barn System in the Brazilian semiarid region. The data were obtained in a milk production unit, located in the municipality of Lajedo, Pernambuco, Brazil. The variables air temperature (Tair), relative humidity (RH), wind speed (WS), illuminance (Lux), skin temperature (Ts), bed temperature (Tb) were recorded and the temperature index was determined and humidity (THI). Data were recorded at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 03:00 p.m., over 5 days in the summer season. For geostatistical analysis, the classic semivariances were determined. The principal component analysis was performed to establish an index that characterized the condition of animal comfort. The variables Tair, RH, Tb, and THI showed a low coefficient of variation for all times. The best fit to the models of the semivariograms was the Gaussian at 9:00 a.m. and 03:00 p.m., and the spherical at 12:00 p.m. The Tb spatial variability was low for all studied hours. Tair showed a strong correlation with Tb, due to the process of heat transfer by convection from the floor to the environment. Geostatistics and exploratory data analysis allowed the establishment of a comfort index for Compost Barn production systems in the Brazilian semiarid region (R² = 0.996; p < 0.0001).

Exploratory data inference for detecting mastitis in dairy cattle

The aim of this study was to employ the principal component technique to physiological data and environmental thermohygrometric variables correlated with detection of clinical and subclinical mastitis in dairy cattle. A total of 24 lactating Girolando cows with different clinical conditions were selected (healthy, and with clinical or subclinical mastitis). The following physiological variables were recorded: udder surface temperature, ST (°C); eyeball temperature, ET (°C); rectum temperature, RT (°C); respiratory frequency, RF (mov. min-1). Thermohygrometric variables included air temperature, AirT (°C), and relative humidity, RU (%). ST was determined by means of thermal images, with four images per animal, on these quarters: front left side (FL), front right side (FR), rear right side (RR) and rear left side (RL), totaling 96 images. Exploratory data analysis was run through multivariate statistical technique with the employment of principal components, comprehending nine variables: ST on the FL, FR, RL and RR quarters; ET, RT; RF, AirT and RU. The representative quarters of the animals with clinical and subclinical mastitis showed udder temperatures 8.55 and 2.46° C higher than those of healthy animals, respectively. The ETs of the animals with subclinical and clinical mastitis were, respectively, 7.9 and 8.0% higher than those of healthy animals. Rectum temperatures were 2.9% (subclinical mastitis) and 5.5% (clinical mastitis) higher compared to those of healthy animals. Respiratory frequencies were 40.3% (subclinical mastitis) and 61.6% (clinical mastitis) higher compared to those of healthy animals. The first component explained 91% of the total variance for the variables analyzed. The principal component technique allowed verifying the variables correlated with the animals' clinical condition and the degree of dependence between the study variables.

AVALIAÇÃO ECONÔMICA DA PRODUÇÃO DE BANANA NOS MUNICÍPIOS DE IGUATU E CARIÚS-CE

A banana é uma das frutas mais importantes do mundo, tanto no que se refere à produção quanto à comercialização. O objetivo do estudo é analisar economicamente a produção de banana nos municípios de Iguatu e Cariús-CE. Utilizaram-se dados obtidos por meio de questionário aplicado a 20 produtores da região. Partindo da análise da receita mensal total, do custo mensal total, do lucro mensal médio e do investimento total, foram obtidas a rentabilidade e a lucratividade de 55,44%, 75,68 e 55,44% 65,98%, respectivamente para os municípios de Iguatu e Cariús-CE. Conclui-se que a atividade da produção de banana nos referidos municípios é rentável economicamente.

Spatial Dependence of Udder Surface Temperature Variation in Dairy Cows with Healthy Status and Mastitis

ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to assess the spatial variability pattern concerning udder surface temperature in dairy cows that were healthy and in those with mastitis. A total of 24 animals were selected - eight healthy, eight with subclinical mastitis, and eight with clinical mastitis. Images were taken with a Flir i60 thermographic camera - resolution of 0.01°C, focal length of 1.0 m, and emissivity adjusted to 0.98 - between 05:00 and 07:00, totaling 96 images, three per animal, of the front and rear, right and left mammary quarters. Analyses were run through geostatistics, with semivariogram adjustment to validate the theoretical model and build kriging maps. The average surface temperature of the mammary quarters with positive classification for subclinical mastitis stood between 33.2 ± 0.67ºC and 34.64± 1.07ºC; for negative quarters, values ranged from 29.3 ± 1.78ºC to 32.24 ± 0.62ºC. The udder surface temperatures of healthy animals were lower than those of animals with subclinical mastitis (29.3ºC ± 1.78 and 31.58ºC ± 0.62). The udder surface temperature of animals with clinical mastitis was higher, between 34.0 and 37.5°C, compared to the other clinical statuses. The scale adopted for image pattern analysis successfully identified the spatial dependence of udder surface temperature, which helped standardize diagnostic procedures for healthy animals, and for those with subclinical and clinical mastitis, by means of geostatistics.

Zootecnia de precisão: princípios básicos e atualidades na suinocultura

Este trabalho foi conduzido com o objetivo de apontar a inserção da Zootecnia de Precisão no atual modelo de produção de suínos, bem como sua potencialidade no aprimoramento do sistema produtivo, baseado nos princípios da engenharia de processos, assim como nos parâmetros fisiológicos, físicos e biológicos dos animais. Foram abordados no texto os princípios tecnológicos fundamentais à tecnologia de precisão e os principais desafios que se colocam ao seu desenvolvimento, bem como a apresentação de vários exemplos concretos da sua prática internacional e no próprio país. Espera-se assim, por meio da divulgação de sistemas interativos e dinâmicos, citar algumas aplicações, tais como a identificação animal, os aspectos comportamentais, o ambiente físico das instalações dos animais e as emissões de gases poluentes, com ênfase no aprimoramento dos índices zootécnicos que respeitem as regras de bem-estar animal.