Agricultura Scientia

Rockerbot

Matteo Zinzani — 2024-06-01

Crop inspection plays a significant role in modern agricultural practices as it enables farmers to evaluate the condition of their fields and make informed decisions regarding crop management. However, existing methods of crop inspection are often labor-intensive, leading to slow and costly processes. Therefore, there is a pressing need for more efficient and cost-effective approaches to crop inspection to improve agricultural productivity, sustainability, and to deal with labor shortage. In this study, we present Rockerbot, a novel agricultural robot designed as a compact rover capable of navigating and surveying maize fields in their early growth stages. This technology is essential for timely landscape adjustments to ensure optimal crop production. The document offers a comprehensive review of the decisions made during the hardware and software development stages. The hardware section is centered around design choices influenced by the rover’s kinematics, while the software section outlines the tasks that Rockerbot can perform using mobile perception, such as mapping, sensing, and detection.

Genetic Background of Cattle Temperament

Jože Smolinger — 2024-06-02

Animal temperament describes behavioural differences between individuals that are consistent over time and across different circumstances. Knowledge of the animal's temperament has a major effect on the safety of handling and caring for the animals as well as on the adaptation of the animals to changing rearing conditions. To understand animal temperament, we need to know not only the genetic basis of temperament, but also the influence of the environment on its expression. Similarly the temperament of dairy cows can be defined as the animal's response to environmental or social stimuli. In this review article, chromosomes with genomic regions containing QTLs, genes and candidate genes responsible for the expression of temperament traits in cattle are presented. Knowledge of the genetic background of temperament expression in cattle and its variability in these traits allows temperament to be included in the selection index.

Supplemental Role of Fodder Tree Legumes in Dwarf Sheep and Goats Feeding Systems

Oladapo Ayokunle Fasae — 2024-06-02

The potential of fodder tree legumes (FTL) as a promising and nutritional strategy to minimize the problem of insufficient supply of forages, especially during the dry season, in West African dwarf sheep and goats’ production systems was reviewed. For more sustainable agricultural systems, including expanding the use of locally produced available feedstuffs, FTL species with a focus on Leucaena leucocephala, Gliricidia sepium, and Enterolobium cyclocarpum represent an interesting strategy to provide dietary nitrogen and improve feed digestibility, weight gain, and nitrogen retention, thus enhancing dwarf sheep and goats’ productivity. They also contain concentrations of biologically active compounds with nutraceutical value that assist in slowing down the infections with parasitic nematodes of the gastrointestinal tract and mitigating enteric methane emissions from these animals. The dietary crude protein and tannin content ranged from 16.20 to 26.79% and 0.95 to 2.92%, respectively across the FTL species. Mean weight gain (g/day) of 43.23 to 48.59 and 32.46 to 40.87, respectively were reviewed for dwarf sheep and goats fed FTL supplementary diets. Haematological and serum biochemical variables monitored were within the permissible range for healthy animals and showed the adequacy of nutrient supply from FTL species with nutrient utilization to improve productivity. The review concluded that the combination of excellent nutritive value reported for FTL provides important opportunities for sustainable dwarf sheep and goat feeding systems.

Robot for Navigation in Maize Crops for the Field Robot Event 2023

David Iván Sánchez-Chávez — 2024-07-09

Navigation in a maize crop is a crucial task for the development of autonomous robots in agriculture, with numerous applications such as spraying, monitoring plant growth and health, and detecting weeds and pests. The Field Robot Event 2023 (FRE) continued to challenge universities and other research teams to push the development of algorithms for agricultural robots further. The Universidad Autónoma Chapingo has been developing a robot for various agricultural tasks, aiming to provide a low-cost alternative to work with Mexican farmers in the future. For this edition of the FRE, a navigation algorithm was created using an encoder, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), an RPLIDAR (Rotating Platform Light Detection and Ranging), and cameras to collect data for decision-making. The algorithm was developed in ROS Melodic, dividing the task into steps that were tested to determine the robot's actual movements. The system navigates by using ROIs (regions of interest) and the mass center to guide the robot between maize rows. It calculates the mean of the final orientation values before reaching the end of a row, which is detected using an RPLIDAR. For turns and straight-line movements to reach the next row, the orientation is used as a guide. To detect plants for spraying, lasers located on each side of the vehicle are employed. Obstacle detection relies on a YOLOv5 (You Only Look Once) trained model and a laser, while reverse navigation uses a rear camera. During the competition, the robot faced challenges such as dealing with grass, the small size of the plants, and the need to use a different power source, which affected its performance.