Agricultural Science Commons^™

Nutrient Uptake Of Maize Affected By Nitrogen And Potassium Fertility In A Humid Subtropical Environment, H. Arnold Bruns, M. Wayne Ebelhar

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) fertility management of maize (Zea mays L.) in the humid subtropical Mississippi Delta may differ from a temperate climate because of its use in rotation with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), soil temperatures rarely falling to 0 °C, and heavy winter rains that facilitate nutrient losses. An experiment to determine the [N] (concentration = [ ]), phosphorus [P], [K], calcium [Ca], magnesium [Mg], iron [Fe], manganese [Mn], zinc [Zn], and copper [Cu] and their total contents plant^-1 of maize grown in rotation with cotton, using N fertility levels of (134, 179, 224, 269, …

Effect Of Foliar Applied Plant Elicitors On Microbial And Nematode Populations In The Root Zone Of Potato, H. P. Collins, D. A. Navare, E. Riga, F. J. Pierce

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a process whereby a plant that successfully
resists a pathogen becomes highly resistant to subsequent infection not only by the original pathogen but also by a wide variety of pathogens. Most SAR research has focused on resistance in leaves, so much less is known about the effectiveness of foliar applications of SAR compounds in the protection of plant roots and associated microorganisms in soil. This study was conducted to determine if foliar SAR-inducing applications (BTH or harpin) negatively impact the potato root system beneficial rhizosphere microbial populations and activity or influence pathogenic nematode populations. Foliar …

Un-Ionized Ammonia Exposure In Nile Tilapia: Toxicity, Stress Response, And Susceptibility To Streptococcus Agalactiae, Joyce J. Evans, David J. Park, Gregg C. Brill, Phillip H. Klesius

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A series of experiments were conducted to determine the toxicity, behavior, blood glucose stress response, and disease susceptibility in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus following un-ionized ammonia (UIA) exposure. The acute toxicity of un-ionized ammonia to Nile tilapia was measured in a 96-h static test. The median lethal concentration (LC50) was 1.46 mg/L UIA at 24 and 48 h postexposure, 1.33 mg/ L at 72 h postexposure, and 0.98 mg/L at 96 h postexposure. No mortalities were noted in unexposed (0 mg/ L) control fish or fish exposed to 0.5 mg/L UIA. However, 93–100% mortalities were observed within 24 h among …

International Shipping Of Fumonisins From Maize Extracts On C18 Sorbent, R. T. Riley, O. A. Torres, E. Palencia

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Fumonisins are mycotoxins found in maize. In developing countries, the resources required for analysis are often lacking, and the shipping of maize between countries can be difficult since the importation of plant materials requires permits/ inspection to prevent the entry of pests that frequently infest maize. A simple, safe and legal method for shipping maize extracts to the USA was needed to conduct a survey of fumonisins in Central America. The objective was to develop a method for isolating and shipping maize extracts for fumonisin analysis so as to facilitate a survey of fumonisin exposure. The results indicate that fumonisins …

Improvements In Channel Catfish Growth After Two Generations Of Selection And Comparison Of Performance Traits Among Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish, And Hybrid Catfish Fingerlings In An Aquarium Rack System, Brian C. Small

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A 9-week growth study was conducted to compare the fingerling performance of two genetic groups of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus (United States Department of Agriculture [USDA] 103 and USDA303) with that of blue catfish I. furcatus and their hybrid in an aquarium rack system. Fish of approximately 20 g were randomly selected from multifamily populations and acclimated to the aquarium rack system for 2 weeks prior to the start of the 9-week study. Differences in growth indices, feed and protein efficiency, nitrogen retention, whole-body proximate composition, and plasma cortisol levels were determined at the completion of the study. The USDA303 …

Restoration Of Spermatogenesis And Male Fertility By Transplantation Of Dispersed Testicular Cells In The Chicken, Pavel Trefil, Alena Micáková, Jitka Mucksová, Jiń Hejnar, Martin Poplstein, Murray R. Bakst, Jirí Kalina, Jean-Pierre Brillard

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Transplantation of male germ cells into sterilized recipients has been widely used in mammals for conventional breeding and transgenesis purposes. This study presents a workable approach for germ cell transplantation between male chickens. Testicular cells from adult and prepubertal donors were dispersed and transplanted by injection directly into the testes of recipient males sterilized by repeated gamma irradiation. We describe the repopulation of the recipient seminiferous epithelium up to the production of heterologous sperm in about 50% of transplanted males. In comparison to males transplanted with testicular cell preparations from adult donors, in which the first ejaculates with sperm were …

Human Emanations And Related Natural Compounds That Inhibit Mosquito Host-Finding Abilities, Ulrich R. Bernier, Daniel Kline, Kenneth H. Posey

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

One mechanism by which the action of semiochemicals can be classified is based on the behavioral impact within or external to the species of interest. As such, one can classify a chemical as one of the following^2,3:

1. Pheromone, if it results in response between insects of the same species
2. Kairomone, if it results in response in another species that benefits the species receiving the chemical cue
3. Allomone, if it results in response in another species that benefits the species releasing the chemical cue

However, the distinctions can be more specific by classification of chemical cues …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Avian Odors For Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Attraction, S. A. Allan, Ulrich R. Bernier, D. L. Kline

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Attraction of Culex quinquefasciatus Say, Culex tarsalis Coquillett, Culex nigripalpus Theobald, and Aedes aegypti (L.) to avian and other host odors was investigated in a dual-port olfactometer. Although attraction to a human arm was high for Ae. aegypti (>80%) and low for all Culex spp. (<25%), all species responded similarly to a chicken (55.3-73.6%). Responses of Ae. aegypti, Cx. quinquefasciatus, and Cx. nigripalpus to feathers were low (<20%) but greater than to controls. There was no difference in attraction of Cx. tarsalis to feathers or controls. Responses to CO₂ (5 ml/min) were low for all species (<15%) except Cx. tarsalis, which were moderate (24.5%). When feathers were combined with CO2, the resulting attraction was additive or lower than responses …

Genetic And Hybridization Evidence Confirms That A Geographic Population Of Gonatocerus Morrilli (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) From California Is A New Species: Egg Parasitoids Of The Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Homalodisca Coagulata (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), Jesse H. De León, Walker A. Jones, Mamoudou Sétamou, David J. W. Morgan

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

We investigated the differentiation and reproductive isolation among different geographic populations of Gonatocerus morrilli, egg parasitoids of the glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca coagulata), to confirm previous observations that there may exist a cryptic species complex or a new species. Two mitochondrial genes [cytochrome oxidase subunits I (COI) and II (COII)] and the internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2) of several individuals per population were sequenced. G. morrilli populations from Texas (TX), Florida (FL), California (CA), and an outgroup (G. ashmeadi) were analyzed. For comparison, a population from Argentina (G. annulicornis) morphologically similar to G. …

Early-Successional Plants Regulate Grassland Productivity And Species Composition: A Removal Experiment, H. Wayne Polley, Brian J. Wilsey, Justin D. Derner, Hyrum B. Johnson, Joaquin Sanabria

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Grime’s (1998) ‘‘mass-ratio’’ hypothesis holds that ecosystem processes depend in the short term on functional properties of dominant plants and in the longer term on how resident species influence the recruitment of dominants. The latter of these effects may be especially important among early-successional species in disturbed ecosystems, but experimental tests are few. We removed two groups of early-successional species, an annual forb Gutierrezia dracunculoides (DC.) S. F. Blake and annual species (mostly grasses) that complete growth early in the growing season [early-season (ES) species], from a heavily-grazed grassland in central Texas, USA dominated by a C₄ perennial grass. …

Effect Of Various Photoperiods On Testicular Weight, Weekly Sperm Output And Plasma Levels Of Lh And Testosterone Over The Reproductive Season In Male Turkeys, Jérôme Noirault, Jean-Pierre Brillard, Murray R. Bakst

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The effects of duration and variation in photoperiod on testis weight, testicular sperm production, semen output, and hormone status over the reproductive season in male turkeys were investigated. In Experiment 1, four groups of males raised from 17 to 23 wk of age under a constant short photoperiod were subjected to a constant short (Group 1: 7L:17D; Group 2: 10.5L:13.5D), constant long (Group 3: 14L:10D) or progressively increasing photoperiod (Group 4: 7L:17D to 14L:10D) up to 60 wk of age. In Experiment 2, four groups of males first raised as in Experiment 1 up to 23 wk of age were …

Registration Of ‘Hallam’ Wheat, P. Stephen Baenziger, B. Beecher, Robert A. Graybosch, D. D. Baltensperger, Lenis Alton Nelson, Y. Jin, J. E. Watkins, J. H. Hatchett, Ming-Shun Chen, Guihua Bai

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

‘Hallam’ (Reg. no. CV-983, PI 638790) is a hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar developed cooperatively by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA-ARS and released in 2005 by the developing institutions. Hallam was released primarily for its superior adaptation to rainfed wheat production systems in eastern Nebraska. The name Hallam was chosen to honor Hallam, NE, a town and its people rebuilding after a tornado.

Hallam was selected from the cross ‘Brule’ (Schmidt et al., 1983)/‘Bennett’ (Schmidt et al., 1981)//‘Niobrara’ (Baenziger et al., 1996) that was made in 1992. The F₁ generation was grown in …

Suppression Of House Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) In Florida Poultry Houses By Sustained Releases Of Muscidifurax Raptorellus And Spalangia Cameroni (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), Christopher Geden, Jerome Hogsette

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Weekly releases of Muscidifurax raptorellus Kogan and Legner and Spalangia cameroni Perkins were made for 12 wk after house cleanouts in Florida pullet houses in either spring/summer (May-August) or fall (September-December). Releases were made by weekly placement of 62,500 and 85,000 pupae parasitized by M. raptorellus and S. cameroni, respectively, which produced an average of 79,049 and 32,841 adult female parasitoids per week. House fly (Musca domestica L.) pupal mortality, as measured by sentinel pupae, was about twice as high in the release house (40.2%) as in the two control houses (21.5 and 21.8%) in the summer release. …

Prevention Of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) And House Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) From Entering Simulated Aircraft With Commercial Air Curtain Units, David A. Carlson, Jerome Hogsette, Daniel Kline, Chris D. Geden, Robert Vandermeer

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Commercially available air curtain units were used to create air barriers to prevent mosquitoes and house flies from entering a simulated aircraft doorway together with passengers. Two assemblies of simulated passenger bridge and aircraft were constructed, and airflow measurements were recorded to confirm airflow characteristics for several combinations of commercial units. Three mosquito species were selected for different host-seeking characteristics, and house flies were selected to represent a large, strong-flying insect. Batches of 20 or 200 insects of four species were released into the passenger bridge just before 25 persons passed through the assembly, then insects that entered the aircraft …

Book Review: Identification And Geographical Distribution Of The Mosquitoes Of North America, North Of Mexico, Daniel L. Kline

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Although much of this edition is a verbatim rehash of the first edition (1980), some very important changes have been made to Darsie and Ward's book that make it a valuable resource. This book is the only book that incorporates many of the recent changes in nomenclature, new species listings, and updates of geographic distributions of North American mosquitoes. Twelve species have been added to the book since the first edition. Changes to the text were necessary because of new species (e.g. Aedes albopictus and Ochlerotatus japonicus japonicus) invading different parts of North America (Sprenger and Wuithiranyagool 1986, Peyton …

Loss Of Nitrate-Nitrogen By Runoff And Leaching For Agricultural Watersheds, M. A. Elrashidi, M. D. Mays, A. Fares, C. A. Seybold, J. L. Harder, S. D. Peaslee, Pam Vanneste

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The loss of nutrients in runoff and leaching water from agricultural land is a major cause of poor water quality in the United States. Scientists (NRCS) developed a technique to estimate the impact of agricultural watersheds on natural water resources. The objectives were to apply the technique on Wagon Train (WT) watershed in Nebraska to predict: (i) loss of water by surface runoff and subsurface leaching, (ii) loss of nitrate-N from soils by runoff and leaching, and (iii) nitrate-N loading for WT reservoir. The annual loss of water was estimated at 4.32 million m³ for runoff and 0.98 million …

Comparison Of Glomalin And Humic Acid In Eight Native U.S. Soils, K. A. Nichols, S. F. Wright

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Two important extractable fractions of soil organic matter (SOM) are humic acid (HA) and glomalin-related soil protein (glomalin). Optimizing the purity of each fraction is necessary to correlate fraction quantity and molecular characteristics with soil quality. Manipulation of extraction sequence and controlled precipitation of HA were used to evaluate co-extraction of HA and glomalin. Eight bulk soil samples (0 to 10 cm depth) were collected from four U.S. states (Colorado, Nebraska, Maryland, and Georgia). In Experiment 1, glomalin extraction (50 mM citrate, pH 8.0, at 121 'C) was followed by HA extraction (0.1 N NaOH at room temperature), and Experiment …

Effects Of Common Forage Phenolic Acids On Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Viability In Bovine Feces, J. E. Wells, E. D. Berry, V.H. Varel

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Ruminant animals are carriers of Escherichia coli O157:H7, and the transmission of E. coli O157:H7 from cattle to the environment and to humans is a concern. It is unclear if diet can influence the survivability of E. coliO157:H7 in the gastrointestinal system or in feces in the environment. Feces from cattle fed bromegrass hay or corn silage diets were inoculated with E. coliO157:H7, and the survival of this pathogen was analyzed. When animals consumed bromegrass hay for <1 month, viable E. coliO157:H7 was not recovered after 28 days postinoculation, but when animals consumed the diet for >1 month, E. coli …

Developmental Sequences For Simulating Crop Phenology For Water-Limiting Conditions, Gregory S. Mcmaster, Wally Wilhelm, A. B. Frank

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The timing, duration, and pace of developmental events, or phenology, are among the many responses of plants to limited soil water. Understanding and predicting plant responses to availability of soil water are important in improving the efficacy of management practices. However, the first steps towards gaining this understanding, summarizing the complete developmental sequence of the shoot apex and correlating the timing of these events, have rarely been reported. Also, the effect of water-limiting conditions on crop phenology and shoot apex development is variable. The objective of this paper is to present the developmental sequence of the wheat (Triticum aestivum …

Insect Trap: United States Patent, Hogsette Et Al.- November 2005, Jerome Hogsette, David Carlson

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A safe, indoor trapping device for trapping and killing flying insects can be used in areas containing food, containing animals, for food preparation, etc. The device includes at least one removable trap body, a toxicant panel, and an insect collector.

Corn Stalk Nitrate Concentration Profile, W. Wilhelm, G. E. Varvel, J. S. Schepers

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The end-of-season nitrate test provides a method of assessing the N available to the corn (Zea mays L.) crop during the latter part of the season. This study was conducted to determine how stalk nitrate test results and interpretations are affected by sample composition. Stalks were collected from three filed sites and separated into phytomers (node plus internode above), which were subdivided into three or five segments after length was measured. Nitrate-N concentration of phytomers decreased linearly from the soil to the ear. Within a phytomer, segments also decreased acropetally (from base to apex). Node tissue NO₃-N …

Corn Stalk Nitrate Concentration Profile, Wally Wilhelm, Gary E. Varvel, James S. Schepers

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The end-of-season stalk nitrate test provides a method of assessing the N available to the corn (Zea mays L.) crop during the latter part of the season. This study was conducted to determine how stalk nitrate test results and interpretations are affected by sample composition. Stalks were collected from three field sites and separated into phytomers (node plus internode above), which were subdivided into three or five segments after length was measured. Nitrate-N concentration of phytomers decreased linearly from the soil to the ear. Within a phytomer, segments also decreased acropetally (from base to apex). Node tissue NO_{3 …}

Managing Yaupon With Fire And Herbicides In The Texas Post Oak Savannah, Rob B. Mitchell, James C. Cathey, Brad Dabbert, Ron Sosebee, Dale F. Prochaska, Stephanie Dupree

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The Post Oak Savannah Ecological Region in Texas was once an open grassland savannah maintained by periodic fires. The Post Oak Savannah can support mid- and tall grasses, such as little bluestem, indiangrass, Texas wintergrass, and purpletop. Today, the savannahs have been replaced by oak woodlands with dense yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) understories that limit grass and forb production and species diversity (Fig. 1). Restriction of fires in conjunction with poor grazing management and periodic droughts are often credited for the dense thickets that occur in the Post Oak Savannah.

Yaupon is a native component of the Post Oak …

Characterization Of Waxy Grain Sorghum Lines In Relation To Granule-Bound Starch Synthase, J. F. Pedersen, S. R. Bean, R. A. Graybosch, S. H. Park, M. Tilley

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The waxy phenotype, associated with endosperm containing little or no amylose, has been recognized in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) since 1933. Although variants of the waxy gene are well characterized in other cereals, the waxy trait has been assumed to be controlled by a single allele, wx, in sorghum. Recent improvements in technologies encourage re-examination of the waxy sorghums. The objectives of this research were therefore to identify and characterize sorghum lines with differing waxy alleles and to describe the actions of those alleles in crosses. Grain of eight waxy sorghum lines (BTxARG1, BTx630, Tx2907, B.9307, 94C274, …

Biotinylation Of K12 In Histone H4 Decreases In Response To Dna Double-Strand Breaks In Human Jar Choriocarcinoma Cells1,2, Nagarama Kothapalli, Gautam Sarath, Janos Zempleni

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

We tested the hypothesis that biotinylation of K12 in histone H4 plays a role in the cellular response to double-strand breaks (DSB) of DNA in human cells. DSB were caused by treating choriocarcinoma JAr cells with etoposide. Biotinylation of K12 in histone H4 decreased by 50% as early as 10–20 min after initiation of treatment with etoposide. Biotinylation returned to initial levels 30–40 min after the addition of etoposide to the medium. Temporal patterns of K12-biotinylation were similar for human lymphoma cells. Phosphorylation of S14 of histone H2B and poly(ADP-ribosylation) of glutamate residues on histone H2A are known markers of …

Analysis Of Expressed Sequence Tags And The Identification Of Associated Short Tandem Repeats In Switchgrass, Christian M. Tobias, Paul Twigg, Daniel M. Hayden, Kenneth P. Vogel, Robert B. Mitchell, Gerard R. Lazo, Elaine K. Chow, Gautam Sarath

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Switchgrass is a large, North American, perennial grass that is being evaluated as a potential energy crop. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated from four switchgrass cv. ‘‘Kanlow’’ cDNA libraries to create a gene inventory of 7,810 unique gene clusters from a total of 11,990 individual sequences. Blast similarity searches to SwissProt and GenBank non-redundant protein and nucleotide databases were performed and a total of 79% of these unique clusters were found to be similar to existing protein or nucleotide sequences. Tentative functional classification of 61% of the sequences was possible by association with appropriate gene ontology descriptors. Significant differential …

Portable Probes To Measure Electrical Conductivity And Soil Quality In The Field, S.L. Arnold, John W. Doran, James S. Schepers, Brian J. Wienhold, Daniel Ginting, Brigid Amos, S. Gomes

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Soil electrical conductivity (EC) is a useful indicator in managing agricultural systems, but tools for convenient and inexpensive measurements in the field are generally lacking. Handheld conductivity probes were designed to evaluate in-field naturally occurring and human-induced total soluble electrolyte levels in soil and water. The probes were used to survey and monitor EC in the field and to assess soil and water quality as related to environmental stability and sustainable food production. A pencil-sized 16-cm probe (PP) was connected to a handheld Hanna (DiST WP 4) conductivity meter, resulting in an economical, compact, and easy to use device. The …

K4, K9 And K18 In Human Histone H3 Are Targets For Biotinylation By Biotinidase, Kenya A. Kobza, Gabriela Camporeale, Brian Rueckert, Alice Kueh, Jacob B. Griffin, Gautam Sarath, Janos Zempleni

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Histones are modified post-translationally, e.g. by methylation of lysine and arginine residues, and by phosphorylation of serine residues. These modifications regulate processes such as gene expression, DNA repair, and mitosis and meiosis. Recently, evidence has been provided that histones are also modified by covalent binding of the vitamin biotin. The aims of this study were to identify biotinylation sites in histone H3, and to investigate the crosstalk among histone biotinylation, methylation and phosphorylation. Synthetic peptides based on the sequence of human histone H3 were used as substrates for enzymatic biotinylation by biotinidase; biotin in peptides was probed using streptavidin peroxidase. …

Molecular Serotyping Of Escherichia Coli O26:H11, Lisa M. Durso, James L. Bono, James E. Keen

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Serotyping is the foundation of pathogenic E. coli diagnostics; however, few laboratories have this capacity. We developed a molecular serotyping protocol that targets, genetically, the same somatic and flagellar antigens of E. coli O26:H11 used in traditional serotyping. It correctly serotypes strains untypeable by traditional methods, affording primary laboratories serotyping capabilities.

Evaluating Modeling Techniques For Cattle Heat Stress Prediction, T. M. Brown-Brandl, David D. Jones, Wayne Woldt

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Researchers have traditionally predicted animal responses by means of statistical models. This study was conducted to evaluate modeling techniques. One hundred and twenty-eight feedlot heifers were observed during a 2-month period during the summer of 2002. Respiration rate and surface temperature were taken on a random sample of 40 animals twice a day. Five different models (two statistical models, two fuzzy inference systems, and one neural network) were developed using 70% of this data, and then tested using the remaining 30%. Results showed that the neural network described the most variation in test data (68%), followed by the data-dependent fuzzy …