In recent years there has been much focus on the use of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) fine genome mapping to identify causative mutations for traits of interest; however, many studies focus only on the marginal effects of markers, ignoring potential gene interactions. Simulation studies have show that this approach may not be powerful enough to detect important loci when gene interactions are present. While several studies have examined potential gene interaction, they tend to focus on a small number of […]

In the last years has been a great interest in the irrigation of pastures and the engineering issues, cost of equipment, cost of maintenance of electricity, demand for water and electricity, management irrigation and fertigation. This interest has increased the demand for information and practical advice to help clarify the important aspects as the choice of irrigation system, the potential evapotranspiration (ETo), the culture of coefficient (Kc), the evapotranspiration of the crop (ECc), the shift of water (SW), the selection […]

Precision livestock involves innovative technologies to monitor the animal within its pastoral environment. Understanding ingestive behaviour is fundamental to management decisions based upon animal and vegetation monitoring. The way such information can be used is not yet clear. In precision agriculture, the governing principle has been to correct or manage variability so as to homogenise yield at maximized levels. If the same reasoning is applied in livestock production, it can foster classical mistakes in grazing management. However, if precision livestock […]

Precision livestock production (PLP) is the augmentation of precision agriculture (PA) concepts to include all components of agroecosystems, particularly animals and plant-animal interactions. Soil, plants and soil-plant interactions are the subjects of PA or site-specific farming, where the main principle is to exploit natural spatial heterogeneity to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. For the most part, PA has been studied and developed for intensive cropping systems with little attention devoted to pastoral and agropastoral systems. PLP focuses on the […]

Sustainability is an actual theme and very present in all discussion in the tropical agriculture world, including Brazil. This country experienced high taxes of development in agribusiness, increasing exportation trading, producing foods of better quality and raising incoming rates of farmers. However, two mains aspects call the attention in respect to sustainability: excessive soil preparation with monoculture of annual crops and pasture degradation. These situations have brought losses in crop and livestock yields, increased soil degradation and collapse of natural […]

The grazing management system based on the intensive pasture utilization result in a high animal and area yield. In order to that to be possible, it should be used a management criteria aiming to control, simultaneously the quality and the amount of forage, maintaining the sustainability of the system. The grazing intensity is dynamic, it never keeps the same status, it can be changed with the animals rate intake, and also by the plants growth, changing every hour and day, […]

In the early 1970’s research was initiated by the cooperative USDA-ARS and University of Nebraska grass breeding program to develop perennial grasses adapted to the mid-continental USA with improved forage quality. The initial breeding and animal evaluation work focused on switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) but has since expanded to several other warm-and cool-season perennial grasses. The in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) test was selected as the measure of forage quality that was used in the breeding work because of its […]

In recent years, the use of microbial inoculants has been increased in Brazil, although the number of trials is still behind the international standards, mainly regarding animal performance data. In corn and sorghum silages studies, homofermentative bacteria represented the exclusive source of inoculants evaluated, which in turn, were also the major inoculant used for tropical grass silages research, whereas in sugar cane silages predominated heterofermentative bacteria. Usually, the application of homofermentative bacteria showed favorable results only for corn and grass […]

Minerals, including trace-elements, and vitamins are currently introduced into the pig diet in order to obtain suitable performances for the modern pig genotype bred in confinement. Most of the mineral and vitamin contents of cereals and usual protein compounds are characterized by their poor and variable availability. Supplemental diets are then usually needed. This paper, based on literature data, reviews the pig requirement for minerals and vitamins in order to ensure economic and profitable performance. Recent research has focused on […]

Nutritional advances as discussed in these proceedings embrace historical perspective as well as futuristic perspectives. Indeed, we must have a clear understanding of the past to identify key “advances” that will mold the future of poultry nutrition. Early nutrition research is discussed with reference to in ovo nutrition and nutritional needs up to day seven post-hatch. In addition, the nutrition of the hen is key in early nutrition of chicks. Key advances that have impacted diet formulation are energy and […]