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Local Binary Pattern Based Algorithms For The Discrimination And Detection Of Crops And Weeds With Similar Morphologies, Vi Nguyen Thanh Le

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In cultivated agricultural fields, weeds are unwanted species that compete with the crop plants for nutrients, water, sunlight and soil, thus constraining their growth. Applying new real-time weed detection and spraying technologies to agriculture would enhance current farming practices, leading to higher crop yields and lower production costs. Various weed detection methods have been developed for Site-Specific Weed Management (SSWM) aimed at maximising the crop yield through efficient control of weeds. Blanket application of herbicide chemicals is currently the most popular weed eradication practice in weed management and weed invasion. However, the excessive use of herbicides has a detrimental impact …

The Effects Of Woody Vegetation Encroachment And Removal Within A Coastal Fen, Joseph Saler

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Early successional wetland habitat is being lost in temperate regions worldwide as a result of changes in disturbance regimes that allow for the establishment and dominance of woody species. In particular, this phenomenon is pronounced in fens, which harbor high numbers of rare herbaceous species that require early successional habitat. I investigated the relationship between woody vegetation encroachment and herbaceous species diversity within a Northern California coastal fen that has been undergoing encroachment by woody vegetation for ca. 80 years by recording species richness and cover data from 338 permanent plots throughout the fen. I also investigated the effect of …

Distribution Of Invasive Plant Species On Debris Cones At Mount Rainier National Park, Shaun Morrison

All Master's Theses

Invasive plant populations within Mount Rainier National Park are a biological and ecological threat to the unique mountain landscape. A better understanding of their distribution and transport within the landscape is needed to improve invasive species monitoring for National Park Service management. This study investigates how invasive plant populations in Stevens Canyon are utilizing the debris cone disturbances and associated geomorphic processes to facilitate movement within the park. Vegetation transects were performed along Stevens Canyon Road (to observe the roadside community composition) and on the debris cone features (to observe species movement from the roadside). These vegetation observations are presented …

Managing Forest Disturbances: Effects On Mule Deer And Plant Communities In Montana's Northern Forests, Teagan Ann Hayes

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are frequently the focus of population and habitat management in the western United States. Land and wildlife managers use disturbance to reset forests to earlier successional stages and improve the quality and quantity of forage available to mule deer. However, the effects of management practices on nutrition and selection vary widely, so the implementation of management practices raises ecological as well as management-related concerns. This work investigated how disturbance from wildfire, prescribed fire, and timber harvest influences the spatial and temporal distribution of nutritional resources in mule deer summer range, and therefore, how the …

Evaluation Of The Influence Of Dicamba Exposure On Crop Injury And Canopy Closure Of Glufosinate Resistant Soybean, Zachary K. Perry

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Dicamba-resistant soybean along with lower volatility dicamba formulations have been introduced in an attempt to control herbicide resistant weeds such as Amaranthus palmeri. This introduction has increased the amount of dicamba being applied later in the growing season increasing the prevalence of dicamba off-target movement. Dicamba damage was simulated by applying low rates of dicamba directly on soybeans at rates (0.5 g ae ha^-1, 1 g ae ha^-1 and 5 g ae ha^-1 dicamba) and five-exposure timings from June 1 to July 10. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications at …

Improving The Biological Control Of Persicaria Perfoliata (Polygonaceae) Using Rhinoncomimus Latipes Korotyaev (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Jaewon Kim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Persicaria perfoliata (L.) H. Gross (Polygonaceae; Mile-a-minute weed) is a rapid-growing invasive vine introduced from eastern Asia to northeastern United States in the 1930s. This vine has been invaded in disturbed areas and reforestation sites in 15 states in the U.S. and forms dense, monocultural patches that may inhibit natural forest regeneration. To control this weed, a host-specific biocontrol agent, Rhinoncomimus latipes Korotyaev (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has been released in the P. perfoliata invaded states in the U.S. during the past 15 years. Currently, R. latipes is released by hand to the invaded area where the presence of the weed is …

Small Mammal Communities In Grasslands At The Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, Usa, Lynda R. Lafond, Elizabeth H. Rave, Kathryn A. Yurkonis

The Prairie Naturalist

Small mammals are important in grasslands but are often overlooked in management and reconstruction efforts. We sampled small mammals in three sites on the Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) located in central Grand Forks County, North Dakota, USA. The study sites varied in their management history and represented the three major types of grasslands (reconstructed prairie, old field, and hay field) within Grand Forks County. We captured 463 individuals of six species with Sherman live traps in summer (June, July, August) 2014 and 2015. We captured the most individuals and species (295 individuals of 5 species), including all shrews …

Wood Frogs (Rana Sylvatica) In Southwestern Roberts County And Western Grant County, South Dakota, Dennis R. Skadsen, Drew R. Davis

The Prairie Naturalist

Historically, only six records of Wood Frogs (Rana sylvatica) existed from South Dakota, all represented by museum specimens. A single specimen was collected from Hartford Beach on Big Stone Lake, Roberts County in 1922 (National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution [USNM] 65452) and five Wood Frogs were collected near the outlet of Blue Dog Lake, Day County in 1929 (USNM 312618– 312622; Fig. 1). After the 1920s, no other Wood Frogs were reported in South Dakota for the next six decades, and the species was presumed extirpated. Over (1923, 1943) reported the species was common in the …

Trends In A Greater Prairie Chicken Population Established By Translocation In North Dakota, Gary Huschle, John E. Toepfer

The Prairie Naturalist

In 1992, an effort was undertaken by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGFD), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and North Dakota Chapter of the Wildlife Society to reestablish a viable population of greater prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus; hereafter prairie chickens) in northeast North Dakota. The release area was centered on the Prairie Chicken Wildlife Management Area located 22.5 km northwest of Grand Forks, North Dakota, in the northern part of Grand Forks County. Topography consists of poorly drained, saline flats and swells separated by poorly drained swales and sloughs in the Red River Valley (Beringer 1995). Permanent …

Patterns And Potential Causes Of Changing Winter Bird Distributions In South Dakota, David L. Swanson, Reza Goljani Amirkhiz, Mark D. Dixon

The Prairie Naturalist

Average winter temperatures in the north-central United States have been increasing since the 1970s, and this warming might influence winter distributions of birds in the region. Species potentially influenced by such winter warming include short-distance migrants for which the northern boundary of the winter range is influenced by temperature, such as hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus), yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata), and fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca). We examined winter records during 1974–2017 from a citizen-science bird observation database for South Dakota to determine recent trends in winter records for these three species. We compared their occurrence patterns with those for three benchmark …

Application Of Advanced Algorithms And Statistical Techniques For Weed-Plant Discrimination, Saman Akbar Zadeh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Precision agriculture requires automated systems for weed detection as weeds compete with the crop for water, nutrients, and light. The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of machine learning methods to classify weeds/crops in agriculture. Statistical methods, support vector machines, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are introduced, investigated and optimized as classifiers to provide high accuracy at high vehicular speed for weed detection.

Initially, Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms are developed for weed-crop discrimination and their accuracies are compared with a conventional data-aggregation method based on the evaluation of discrete Normalised Difference Vegetation Indices (NDVIs) at two different …

Can Precision Farming Technologies Be Applied To Grazing Management?, S. Mark Rutter

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In arable farming, precision is used to monitor and manage crop variability. The same precision approach can be used to manage grassland, by using crop sensing, targeted fertilizer/herbicide/pesticide application and forage yield measurement when it is harvested mechanically. An additional challenge in grassland agriculture is developing precision approaches to manage the grazing process. This requires technologies to determine where an animal is, when, what and how much it is grazing which the system then needs to use in conjunction with other sources of information to control where the animal grazes next. This paper reviews the existing technologies in these …

Manipulation Of The Spatial Grazing Behaviour Of Livestock In Extensive Grassland Systems, Derek W. Bailey, Mitch B. Stephenson, Milton G. Thomas, Juan F. Medrano, Gonzalo Rincon

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Spatial behaviour of livestock is a critical factor in grassland management. Recent and ongoing research suggests that new approaches can be used to manipulate where cattle graze. The combination of strategic supplement placement and low-stress herding can be used to target cattle grazing and potentially may be useful for managing fine fuels. A phenotype to genotype association study of cattle spatial behavior suggests that use of rugged terrain and areas far from water is inherited. Although more research is needed, selection for animals specifically adapted for mountainous terrain or extensive paddocks may be an alternative for managing grasslands in the …

Case Studies Which Demonstrate The Financial Viability Of Precision Dairy Farming, Ian Yule, Hayden Lawrence, Craige Mackenzie, Carolyn Hedley, Miles Grafton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A number of case studies are used to demonstrate the financial viability of precision farming methods for intensively managed pastures. Precision farming has sometimes been criticized as being technology-led where the management goals and desired outcomes are sometimes poorly defined. Case studies presented in this paper demonstrate a strong management approach where appropriate technologies are selected to contribute to the financial success of the farm. The first case study farm has increased milk production by 70% in four years, increased pasture production by 43%, reduced fertilizer costs to 43% of previous levels and has successfully predicted annual production to within …

Opportunities For Improving Livestock Production With E-Management Systems, Dave L. Swain, Rebecca N. Handcock, Greg J. Bishop-Hurley, Don Menzies

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There is increased interest in hardware and software that can support e-Management for grassland-based livestock industries. Managers of grazing livestock were early adopters of radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies automatically monitoring individual animal performance. Recent developments of remote sensing, automated individual recording and management, location based systems, improved data transfer and technologies that can be used in more extensive grazing systems are providing new opportunities for the development of e-Management systems. There is a need for better data integration and systems that can provide the best available information to enable better decision-making. For greater industry adoption of more integrated e-Management …

Growth Of Bali Bulls Fattened With Forage Tree Legumes In Eastern Indonesia: Leucaena Leucocephala In Sumbawa, Tanda Panjaitan, Muhammad Fauzan, H. Dahlanuddin, Michael J. Halliday, H. Max Shelton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The contribution of West Nusa Tenggara Province to domestic beef supply in Indonesia is relatively small, however, beef cattle are very important for the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the region.

Bali cattle (Boss javanicus) are the predominant breed as they are adapted to harsh nutritional conditions, are highly fertile and have low calf mortality (Toelihere 2003). While genetically capable of achieving a growth rate of 0.85 kg/d (Mastika 2003), Panjaitan (2012) identified poor nutrition as a severe limitation to animal growth in traditional village systems. Improving feed quality and supply is vital to increasing growth rates and …

Effect Of High Se And Co Alfalfa Forage On Animal Production, Xiao-Lei Jie, Xiao Guo, Hua-Feng Hu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Total and available selenium (Se) and cobalt (Co) concentrations are low in Chinese soils, especially those found in mainly in temperate humid sub-humid conditions in the northeast to the southwest band across China (Tan et al. 2002). The levels of Se and Co are marginally deficit in the brown soil of the Yellow River region which causes lower production level and quality in forage and crop plants. Application of Se and Co fertilizers to arable lands is essential to produce high Se and Co forages. Henan is a Province where produce high-quality grass forages are used to support dairy …

Pre-Conditioned Cattle Sales For Forage-Based Cow-Calf Management Systems, C. P. Bagley, L. S. Dale, B. C. Housewright

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Demand for preconditioned feeder cattle continues to increase in the beef industry as value-based marketing and information flow expands indicating preconditioned forage-raised calves require less management, fewer losses due to illness and deaths, and increased profitability to both buyer and seller. The goal of a preconditioning program is to increase the value of weaned cattle (Bailey, 2002). The Northeast Texas Beef Improvement Organization (NET-BIO) is comprised of commercial cow/calf and stocker operators and various agribusinesses with the same interest. The objective of this study is to determine if prices received for preconditioned NETBIO stocker cattle increase the net income above …

Performance, Carcass Characteristics And Meat Quality Of Grazing Lambs Finished On Tropical Grasses, Cesar H. E. C. Poli, Samuel Carnesella, Fernando M. Souza, Concepta Mcmanus, Zélia M. S. Castilhos, Liris Kindlein, Jaime U. Tarouco

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Brazil is a country of continental size, and more than seven million ha are occupied with tropical pasture. Worldwide animal production from tropical pastures is also very significant where Cynodon, Panicum and Paspalum are important genus. These grasses are widely used in the production of cattle, and are growing in importance for sheep production, but their potential for producing quality lamb is not fully known.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of two tropical grasses for finishing lambs in autumn to reduce the seasonality of production of lamb for meat.

Alternative Pasture Development System And Breeding Weight For Beef Heifers, H. A. Lardner, Daalkhaijav Damiran, Steve Hendrick, Kathy Larson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Proper development of replacement beef heifers is critical and needs to be accomplished at lower costs without sacrificing reproductive performance. The current recommendations indicate heifers should reach approximately 65% of mature body weight (MBW) at breeding for successful reproduction (Patterson et al. 1992; NRC 1996). Meeting heifer maintenance and gestation nutrient requirements are getting more economically challenged for beef producers in western Canada. Therefore, producers are moving from drylot development systems where cattle are housed and fed in pens to the adoption of extensive grazing systems (Kelln et al. 2011) in field paddocks. Limited research has been conducted …

Variation Of Rumen Bacterial Diversity In Steers After The Beginning Of Grazing, Miwa Nakano, Satoshi Haga, Masanori Tohno, Kazuhiro Matoba, Ryuichi Uegaki, Hiroshi Ishizaki

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Holstein heifers before or after puberty often are herded on public pastures in Japan. The herbage intake and rumen fermentation of grazing heifers that are not adapted for fresh herbage decreases due to a change of feed from stall-fed dried forage to fresh herbage. This limits their performance during the first several weeks on pasture. Thus, the feeding program such as supplementation before and after the beginning of grazing is important. An increase in ammonia concentration and a decline in fibre degradation in the rumen of a heifer (both of which occur simultaneously with low herbage intake and rumen fermentation) …

Forage Systems Effect On Forage-Fed Beef Production, Guillermo Scaglia, Basu Bhandari, Jeffrey M. Gillespie, Jim J. Wang

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Locally produced forage-finished beef offers high value while enhancing economic, environmental, and social sustainability. It enhances environmental quality and the natural resource base, and makes good use of resources both on and off-farm. On the farm, it makes the most of the ability of cattle to convert grass to meat in a low-input system, making efficient use of solar energy, improving soil nutrient cycling, conserving soil and water, and limiting reliance on non-renewable resources (DeRamus 2004). Although the major causes of increased greenhouse gas emissions are due to population growth and industrialization, agriculture contributes to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through …

Activity, Physiology And Milk Production Of Yaks And Two Different Yak Crossbreds Grazing Himalayan Pasture Sites At 4700 M And 3000 M, Shanker R. Barsila, Naba R. Devkota, Michael Kreuzer, Svenja Marquardt

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Yaks (Bos grunniens) and crossbreds of yaks with different local cattle breeds are important for the livelihood of local herders in the Himalayas. They are often kept in a system of transhumance comprising the use of different pasture sites for grazing along an altitudinal gradient throughout the year. The animals are moved upwards to the high altitude pastures in spring/early summer and gradually moved downwards in late summer/autumn. Yaks are suitable for very high altitudes as they are especially adapted to low oxygen partial pressure, forage scarcity and cold and harsh environment (Wiener et al. 2003). However, …

Fatty Acid Metabolism On Pasture- And Feedlot-Finished Cattle, Cuk T. Noviandi, Robert E. Ward, Jong-Su Eun, Dale R. Zobell, Rusty D. Stott, Blair L. Waldron, Mike D. Peel

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Feeding high-grain diets to finishing beef cattle results in high proportions of saturated fatty acids (SFA) in the beef, which is considered to confer negative impacts on human health. In contrast, pasture-finished cattle produce lower proportion of SFA, greater n-3 and less n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and higher conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) compared to high grain-finished beef (Noviandi et al. 2012). Increased n-3 PUFA, especially C18:3 n-3, can reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension, inflammation, and mammary cancer, and lower cholesterol concentration in blood (De Deckere et al. 1998; Tapiero et al. 2002).

Nitrogen fertilisation …

Development Of Feeding System Based On Azolla (Azolla Pinnata) And Sheanut Cake (Vitellaria Paradoxa) For Nellore Sheep Reared In Different Production Systems, K. Sarjan Rao, Y. Ravindra Reddy

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Since protein sources such as ground nut cake and soya bean are too expensive to feed as supplements to livestock in India, steps have been taken to reduce cost by utilizing alternative feedstuffs to replace the traditional sources in ration formulation (Parashuramului et al. 2013). Azolla which is a free-floating nitrogen fixing water fern has a potential to be used as a protein supplement for ruminants (Ahirwar and Leela, 2012). Sheanut cake (Vitellaria paradoxa) which is produced after extraction of fats use in cosmetics and as a cocoa butter substitute in chocolate making, is also a rich …

Lca Study On Sheep Milk Production In Sardinian Farms At Different Input Levels, Enrico Vagnoni, Antonello Franca, Leo Breedveld, Claudio Porqueddu, Pierpaolo Duce

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper illustrates a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study carried out with the purposes of comparing the environmental impacts of sheep milk production from three different dairy farms in Sardinia, Italy, characterized by different production systems.

Forage Allowance And Cow Genotype, Tools To Increase Animal Production In Native Pastures, Pablo Soca, Mariana Carriquiry, Martín Do Carmo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In eight plots (four per block) the effects of two FA per two cow genotypes were tested from August 2007 to March 2010, on a Campos grassland (major species were Axonopus affinis, Oxalis sp., Cyperus sp., Cynodon dactylon, Eryngium nudicaule, Gaudinia fragilis, Chevreulia sarmentosa, Stipa setigera, Paspalum notatum and Coelorhachis selloana) in Uruguay (32º 20` S, 54º 26` W). Forage allowance varied seasonally, in HIGH (5, 3, 4 and 4 kg DM/kg LW) and LOW (3, 3, 2 and 2 kg DM/kg LW) during autumn, winter, spring and summer; respectively. Continuous stocking method was …

Herbage Accumulation And Animal Performance On Xaraes Palisade Grass Subjected To Intensities Of Continuous Stocking Management, A. Hernández-Garay, Valéria P. B. Euclides, Sila C. Da Silva, Denise B. Montagner, Nayana N. Nantes, Domicio Nascimento Jr., C. O. Soare

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The large majority of species used in Brazil belong to the Brachiaria and Panicum genus, with marandu paladisadegrass (Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich) cv. Marandu) being the main cultivated forage grass species (Santos Filho 1996). Brachiaria brizantha cv. xaraés (xaraes palisade grass) was released as an option for diversifying forage species, and it had the advantages of fast regrowth and herbage yield, favouring larger stocking rates and animal productivity (Euclides et al. 2008; 2009).

The objective of this study was to evaluate herbage accumulation and animal performance of beef cattle steers grazing continuously stocked xaraes …

Herb And Clover Mixes Increase Average Daily Gain (Adg) Of Finishing Lambs In Different Seasons, Sharini C. Somasiri, Paul R. Kenyon, Peter D. Kemp, Patrick C. H. Morel, Stephen T. Morris

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Approximately half of the usable land area in New Zealand is under grasslands (Saggar 2001). Production of lamb meat is seasonal in New Zealand (Fisher 2004) with the majority of lambs born in the spring and slaughtered in late summer and autumn depending on the international demand (Clemens and Babcock 2004) and pasture growth pattern. Finishing lambs outside this window using high quality pastures would help to facilitate a continuous supply of meat to the domestic and international markets. Charlton and Belgrave (1992) and Kemp et al. (2010) reported that the use of herb-clover mixes instead of perennial ryegrass/white …

Cultivar Influences Milk Production Of Grazing Dairy Cows, Mary Mcevoy, Michael O’Donovan, Emer Kennedy, John Paul Murphy, Luc Delaby

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Perennial ryegrass is considered one of the most important forage grass species used in temperate ruminant animal production systems. Maximizing milk production from grazed grass is a major objective of pastoral-based dairy systems. While DM yield is an important trait, it fails to define the ultimate value of a grass cultivar, which is its potential to improve animal performance from a pasture sward (Reed 1994). The majority of cultivar evaluation trials are conducted under cutting, so therefore inferior cultivars from an animal production perspective may not be identified until commercialisation when animals graze a pasture sward. Reed (1978) reported that …