• Title/Summary/Keyword: agricultural innovation

Search Result 277, Processing Time 0.037 seconds

Net micromineral requirements for maintenance and growth of ewe lambs at the latter fattening period

  • Jin, Ya Qian;Ding, Na;Diao, Xiao Gao;Yu, Sheng Chen;Zhao, Jun Xing;Zhang, Jian Xin
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
    • /
    • v.33 no.9
    • /
    • pp.1421-1429
    • /
    • 2020
  • Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the net micromineral (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) requirements for maintenance and growth of Dorper×Jinzhong crossbred ewe lambs at their latter fattening period. Methods: Thirty 1/2 Dorper × 1/2 Jinzhong crossed F1 ewe lambs (35±0.5 kg of body weight [BW]) were used and divided into five groups in a randomized design for a comparative slaughter trial. At the beginning of the experiment, six lambs were randomly selected and slaughtered at 35 kg BW to determine their initial body composition. When their BWs reached 43 kg, another six lambs fed ad libitum were slaughtered to serve as an intermediate slaughter group. The retained eighteen lambs were randomly distributed into three groups and offered one type of feed at 100%, 65%, and 40% of the ad libitum intake. When the lambs fed ad libitum reached a BW of 50 kg, the three groups were slaughtered. The body composition (muscle, fat, bone, blood with viscera, skin, and wool) were weighted, ground, mixed, and subsampled for mineral content analysis. Results: The net maintenance requirements of Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn were 0.017, 0.160, 0.004, and 0.067 mg/kg BW/d, respectively, and the net growth requirements per 100 grams of average daily gain ranged from 0.48 to 0.51 mg of Cu, 2.63 to 2.17 mg of Fe, 0.12 to 0.15 mg of Mn, and 2.07 to 2.00 mg of Zn, respectively, for Dorper × Jinzhong crossed ewes from 35 to 50 kg BW. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the micromineral requirements for both maintenance and growth of Dorper × Jinzhong crossbred ewe lambs were quite different from the recommendations of NRC (2007), except for Zn.

Innovative Agribusiness. Which strategy for a dynamic development?

  • Rangone, Adalberto
    • Agribusiness and Information Management
    • /
    • v.11 no.2
    • /
    • pp.5-15
    • /
    • 2019
  • The world of smart agribusiness is still far from being fully and effectively applied by the Italian entrepreneurial fabric. In part, this is due to the fact that its potential and important connections with the technological world of reference are not fully known. The imperative is therefore: to learn how to manage all the processes that characterize the agricultural chain in a synergistic way, from production to the sale of the product to the final consumer. It is therefore essential to know every minimum aspect of the supply chain considering the current strengths on which to leverage but especially the weaknesses on which to intervene thanks to the use of technology available on the market. Today, the supply chain is still considered as a set of phases, one consecutive to the other, as if they were detached from each other. However, in order to operate efficiently, each step should be interconnected: from the farmer's decision to produce an agricultural good to the choice of production factors, from the implementation of harvesting and post-harvest operations to processing, from the selection of goods suitable for sale to the logic of distribution on the target territory. This work investigates the potential strategy using digital technologies in order to make dynamic the agribusiness supply chain, especially because in Italy the agri-food is one of the most important economic sectors but it is far from the most innovative trends available on the market.

Reproductive Performance of Arabian and Thoroughbred Mares under Subtropical Conditions of Pakistan

  • Warriach, H.M.;Memon, M.A.;Ahmad, N.;Norman, S.T.;Ghafar, A.;Arif, M.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
    • /
    • v.27 no.7
    • /
    • pp.932-936
    • /
    • 2014
  • Breeding records of 57 Arabian and 66 Thoroughbred mares were analysed to assess their reproductive performance under the subtropical conditions of Pakistan. The Arabian mares showed significantly higher conception rates (p<0.05) in second mated oestrus and foal heat mated oestrus compared to Thoroughbred mares. However, conception rates for first lifetime mated oestrus were similar in both breeds of mares. Age at first mating ($1,301{\pm}40$ vs $1,500{\pm}32$ days) was significantly (p<0.05) less in Arabian compared to Thoroughbred mares. Both breeds of mares showed significantly (p<0.05) higher frequencies of oestrous cycles and conception rates during the winter (October to March) compared to summer (June to August) months. Age of mares affected the conception rates, as mares at ages 3 to 7 and 8 to 12 years of ages had significantly higher conception rates (p<0.05) than those ${\geq}18$ years old in both breeds. This study demonstrates that i) reproductive performance in Arabians is better than Thoroughbred mares under the subtropical conditions of Pakistan, ii) mares remain cyclic throughout the year and iii) conception rates were higher in mares bred during winter compared to summer months.

A synonymous mutation of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) gene is associated with growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality in rabbits

  • Liu, Wen-Chao;Lai, Song-Jia
    • Journal of Animal Science and Technology
    • /
    • v.58 no.1
    • /
    • pp.3.1-3.6
    • /
    • 2016
  • Background: Uncoupling proteins 2 (UCP2) plays an important role in energy regulation, previous studies suggested that UCP2 is an excellent candidate gene for human obesity and growth-related traits in cattle and chicks. The current study was designed to detect the genetic variation of UCP2 gene, and to explore the association between polymorphism of UCP2 gene and growth, carcass and meat quality traits in rabbits. Results: A synonymous mutation in exon 1 and four variants in the first intron of the UCP2 gene were identified by using PCR-sequencing. The synonymous mutation c.72G>A was subsequently genotyped by MassArray system (Sequenom iPLEXassay) in 248 samples from three meat rabbit breeds (94 Ira rabbits, 83 Champagne rabbits, and 71 Tianfu black rabbits). Association analysis suggested that the individuals with AA and AG genotypes showed greater 70 d body weight (P < 0.05), 84 d body weight (P < 0.01), ADG from 28 to 84 days of age (P < 0.05), eviscerated weight (P < 0.01), semi-eviscerated weight (P < 0.01) and semi-eviscerated slaughter percentage (P < 0.05), respectively. Additionally, the individuals with AA and AG genotype had a lower pH value of longissimus muscle (P < 0.01) and hind leg muscle (P < 0.05) after slaughter 24 h. Conclusions: These findings indicated that UCP2 could be a candidate gene that associated with growth performance, body composition and meat quality in rabbits, and this would contribute to advancements in meat rabbit breeding practice.

Case Study of Business Innovation of Agriculture Venture Firm through Strategic Alignment between Strategy and Infrastructure (전략과 인프라의 전략적 연계를 통한 농업벤처기업 경영혁신 사례 연구)

  • Park, Sang Hyeok;Han, Man Sun;Jeon, Hyoung Kwang
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
    • /
    • v.9 no.2
    • /
    • pp.35-43
    • /
    • 2014
  • Strategic link, to develop the business strategy and to build the infrastructure of the organization, is an important challenge to management activities of the company, it is a major study of management academia. Effective strategy and information systems influence the success of the organization. Strategic alignment model for analyzing linkage was introduced in this study. Strategic alignment model, is composed of business strategy, organization infrastructure, information technology strategy, and information technology infrastructure. We have studied that this models appear in some form in the field of actual companies. Our research subject is a agricultural venture in Chungnam province.

  • PDF

A Review of Recent Developments in Buffalo Reproduction - A Review

  • Warriach, H.M.;McGill, D.M.;Bush, R.D.;Wynn, P.C.;Chohan, K.R.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
    • /
    • v.28 no.3
    • /
    • pp.451-455
    • /
    • 2015
  • The buffalo is an important livestock resource in several countries of South Asia and the Mediterranean regions. However, reproductive efficiency is compromised due to known problems of biological and management origins, such as lack of animal selection and poor nutrition. Under optimal conditions puberty is attained at 15 to 18 months in river buffalo, 21 to 24 months in swamp buffalo and is influenced by genotype, nutrition, management and climate. However, under field conditions these values deteriorate up to a significant extant. To improve reproductive efficiency, several protocols of oestrus and ovulation synchronization have been adopted from their use in commercial cattle production. These protocols yield encouraging pregnancy rates of (30% to 50%), which are comparable to those achieved in buffaloes bred at natural oestrus. The use of sexed semen in buffalo heifers also showed promising pregnancy rates (50%) when compared with conventional non-sexed semen. Assisted reproductive technologies have been transferred and adapted to buffalo but the efficiency of these technologies are low. However, these latest technologies offer the opportunity to accelerate the genetic gain in the buffalo industry after improving the technology and reducing its cost. Most buffaloes are kept under the small holder farming system in developing countries. Hence, future research should focus on simple, adoptable and impact-oriented approaches which identify the factors determining low fertility and oestrus behaviour in this species. Furthermore, role of kisspeptin needs to be explored in buffalo.

A Study on Estimating the Vegetable Cultivation Complex Area using Aerial Photogrammetry (항공사진측량을 이용한 채소주산단지 재배면적 추정 연구)

  • BAE, Kyoung-Ho;HAM, Geon-Woo;LEE, Jeong-Min
    • Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
    • /
    • v.21 no.4
    • /
    • pp.108-118
    • /
    • 2018
  • Recently, agricultural sector apply ICT technology such as Smart Farm to pursue innovation in the changing situation that is emerging as the fourth industrial revolution. However, this innovation requires techniques for forecasting and analyzing in various data bases and spatial information provides such infrastructure data. In this study, the cultivation area of Chinese cabbage, radish, garlic, onion, and red pepper were calculated and analyzed by year. The purpose of this analysis is to cope with sudden changes in vegetable crops and changes in cultivated area caused by weather changes to supply and demand of major vegetables and price instability. As a result of this study, spatial information based on time series information of vegetable complex will be used as efficient agricultural environment observation data, as well as interpretation of various spatial ranges such as the estimation of cultivation area using remote sensing.

Enhancement of skin barrier and hydration-related molecules by protopanaxatriol in human keratinocytes

  • Lee, Jeong-Oog;Hwang, So-Hyeon;Shen, Ting;Kim, Ji Hye;You, Long;Hu, Weicheng;Cho, Jae Youl
    • Journal of Ginseng Research
    • /
    • v.45 no.2
    • /
    • pp.354-360
    • /
    • 2021
  • Background: Protopanaxatriol (PPT) is a secondary intestinal metabolite of ginsenoside in ginseng. Although the effects of PPT have been reported in various diseases including cancer, diabetes and inflammatory diseases, the skin protective effects of PPT are poorly understood. Methods: HaCaT cells were treated with PPT in a dose-dependent manner. mRNA and protein levels which related to skin barrier and hydration were detected compared with retinol. Luciferase assay was performed to explore the relative signaling pathway. Western blot was conducted to confirm these pathways and excavated further signals. Results: PPT enhanced the expression of filaggrin (FLG), transglutaminase (TGM)-1, claudin, occludin and hyaluronic acid synthase (HAS) -1, -2 and -3. The mRNA expression levels of FLG, TGM-1, HAS-1 and HAS-2 were suppressed under NF-κB inhibition. PPT significantly augmented NF-κB-luc activity and upregulated Src/AKT/NF-κB signaling. In addition, PPT also increased phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) ERK, JNK and p38 and upstream MAPK activators (MEK and MKK). Furthermore, transcriptional activity of AP-1 and CREB, which are downstream signaling targets of MAPK, was enhanced by PPT. Conclusion: PPT improves skin barrier function and hydration through Src/AKT/NF-κB and MAPK signaling. Therefore, PPT may be a valuable component for cosmetics or treating skin disorders.

Trade Facilitation and China's Agricultural Products Exports: Empirical Evidence from Japan and Korea

  • Liu, Jing;Wang, Peizhi;Wu, Haomiao
    • Journal of Korea Trade
    • /
    • v.25 no.7
    • /
    • pp.92-107
    • /
    • 2021
  • Purpose - This paper analyzes the relationship between trade facilitation and agricultural products exports and estimates the effects of trade facilitation in importing countries on Chinese agricultural products exports, which is of great significance for promoting agricultural trade between China,Japan and Korea and the governments of the three countries to formulate targeted trade facilitation policies. Design/methodology - Based on Wilson (2003) theoretical framework, this paper sets up its own trade facilitation level measurement system by involving four primary indicators and fifteen secondary indicators to evaluate the trade facilitation levels of Japan and Korea from 2011 to 2018 respectively. The paper selected the data on China's agricultural exports at the HS4 level from 2011-2018 and used a fixed-effects model to estimate the effect of changes in trade facilitation levels in trading partner countries on China's agricultural trade. Findings - Our main findings can be summarized as follows: the level of trade facilitation in importing countries has a significantly positive effect on China's agricultural exports. The higher the level of trade facilitation in trading partner countries, the more Chinese agricultural exports trade, i.e. for every 1 percentage point increase in the level of trade facilitation, the volume of exports will increase by 2.299%.The sub-sample test shows that China's main agricultural products exported to Japan and Korea, such as aquatic products, vegetables, fruits and other perishable fresh products, are particularly significantly affected by the level of trade facilitation. Originality/value - First, from the innovation of the research perspective, which is different from the analysis of the existing paper on the overall trade facilitation of all traded commodities. This article is based on the close trade relations between China, Japan and Korea, and the particularity of agricultural products, from the perspective of China's agricultural exports to Japan and Korea, discuss the impact of importing countries-Japan and Korea's trade facilitation levels on China's agricultural exports;Secondly, in this paper, the hierarchical data of the HS4 quartile is used to avoid the information loss of the industry, and to analyse the impact of the importing country's trade facilitation level on the export of different types of agricultural products more scientifically.

Development of Soil Organic Carbon Storage Estimation Model Using Soil Characteristics (토양 특성을 이용한 토양유기탄소저장량 산정 모형 개발)

  • Lee, Taehwa;Kim, Sangwoo;Shin, Yongchul;Jung, Younghun;Lim, Kyoung-Jae;Yang, Jae E;Jang, Won Seok
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
    • /
    • v.61 no.6
    • /
    • pp.1-8
    • /
    • 2019
  • Carbon dioxide is one of the major driving forces causing climate changes, and many countries have been trying to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from various sources. Soil stores more carbon dioxide(two to three times) amounts than atmosphere indicating that soil organic carbon emission management are a pivotal issue. In this study, we developed a Soil Organic Carbon(SOC) storage estimation model to predict SOC storage amounts in soils. Also, SOC storage values were assessed based on the carbon emission price provided from Republic Of Korea(ROK). Here, the SOC model calculated the soil hydraulic properties based on the soil physical and chemical information. Base on the calculated the soil hydraulic properties and the soil physical chemical information, SOC storage amounts were estimated. In validation, the estimated SOC storage amounts were 486,696 tons($3.526kg/m^2$) in Jindo-gun and shown similarly compared to the previous literature review. These results supported the robustness of our SOC model in estimating SOC storage amounts. The total SOC storage amount in ROK was 305 Mt, and the SOC amount at Gyeongsangbuk-do were relatively higher than other regions. But the SOC storage amount(per unit) was highest in Jeju island indicating that volcanic ashes might influence on the relatively higher SOC amount. Based on these results, the SOC storage value was shown as 8.4 trillion won in ROK. Even though our SOC model was not fully validated due to lacks of measured SOC data, our approach can be useful for policy-makers in reducing soil organic carbon emission from soils against climate changes.