Coffee ripeness monitoring using a UAV-mounted low-cost multispectral camera

Coffee beverage quality is highly correlated with the degree of fruit ripeness. In this sense, monitoring fruit ripeness is of utmost importance for harvest planning and, especially for obtaining high-quality beverages. Currently, this process is carried out through manual counts of unripe fruits, which is laborious and limited to a few plants within the field. This study aimed at evaluating the potential of a low-cost multispectral camera for coffee ripeness monitoring in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. For that, five fields of Arabica coffee with distinct characteristics were evaluated. During the coffee ripeness period, four flights were carried using a Phantom 4 Pro quadcopter equipped with a Mapir Survey 3W camera for imagery acquisition. After that, nine vegetation indices (VIs) were obtained. For the same dates, the percentage of unripe fruits was obtained using an irregular grid in all fields. The data was split into two ripeness classes: suitable for harvest (R) with?<?30% of unripe fruits; and not suitable for harvest (U), with?>?30% of unripe fruits. Then, a principal component analysis was used to infer the importance of the VIs to discriminate plants with unripe fruits from those with ripe fruits. The first two principal components explained?>?75% of the variance in the datasets from all coffee fields. The VIs were able to discriminate the ripeness classes (U and R) in most fields; however, their performance was directly influenced by the crop yield and canopy volume.

     

Semantic segmentation of citrus-orchard using deep neural networks and multispectral UAV-based imagery

Precision Agriculture - Accurately mapping farmlands is important for precision agriculture practices. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) embedded with multispectral cameras are commonly used to map...     

Performance and characteristics of carcass and non-carcass components of lambs fed peach-palm by-product

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of supplying the by-product of peach-palm (Bactris gasipaes) on performance and characteristics of carcass and non-carcass components of feedlot lambs. Twenty Santa Ines lambs of 150 days average age and 22.4?±?3.4 kg body weight were confined in individual pens. A completely randomized design was utilized with four experimental diets composed of: fresh peach-palm by-product enriched with urea, fresh peach-palm by-product + concentrate, silage of peach-palm by-product + concentrate, and silage of peach-palm by-product enriched with 15 % corn meal + concentrate. Intake was evaluated daily, and at the end of 42 days of experiments, lambs were slaughtered and the characteristics of carcass and non-carcass parts were evaluated. Performance and carcass characteristics showed differences between the animals’ intake of total mixed rations (TMR) and only the diet with roughage. For the lambs that intaked TMR, the form of utilization of roughage (fresh or as silage) affected animal performance but did not change the carcass characteristics. Dry matter intake and feed conversion were influenced by the form of utilization of the silage (with and without additive). Providing fresh by-product plus concentrate improves lamb performance but does not interfere in the carcass characteristics, compared with the use of by-product in the form of silage.     

Rectal atresia in a newborn donkey

A case of a type I rectal atresia (also known as membranous rectal atresia) in a newborn donkey is reported. Clinical examination, survey radiographs and barium enema radiographs suggested rectal atresia. An exploratory laparotomy was performed; however, surgical correction of the defect was not possible due to the narrow pelvic cavity. Euthanasia was performed. At necropsy, it was possible to observe a fibrous cord connecting the small colon to a residual rectal ampulla, which opened to a normal anus. The radiographic and anatomical characteristics enabled the classification of the defect as type I rectal atresia, which is a rare congenital anomaly that is difficult to correct through surgery. This report contributes to the study of rectal atresia in newborn equids, alerts for the occurrence in donkeys and is, to our knowledge, the first to be reported in this species in Brazil.     

European pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) from Portugal: Chemical composition of essential oil and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of extracts and essential oil

There is a growing interest of industry to replace synthetic chemicals by natural products with bioactive properties from plant origin. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition of European pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) essential oil and to characterize the in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of its water (hot and cold) and ethanolic extracts and of the essential oil. The essential oil revealed menthone, pulegone and neo-menthol as the main constituents, comprising 35.9, 23.2 and 9.2% of the essential oil, respectively. The hot water extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and phenol content. In contrast, the extracts were not very effective to inhibit the growth of the seven foodborne spoilage and pathogenic bacteria tested, but the essential oil showed antibacterial activity against all bacterial strains. In conclusion, extracts and essential oil of M. pulegium from Mediterranean origin have huge potential as an alternative to chemical additives for the food industry.     

Early development and allometric growth in hatchery‐reared characin Brycon orbignyanus

The characin piracanjuba, Brycon orbignyanus (Valenciennes, 1850), has been recognized as a candidate species for aquaculture. The early morphological development and allometric growth of hatchery‐reared piracanjuba were studied from hatching to the juvenile stage, at water temperature of 27.9 ± 0.6°C. Growth, in total length (TL), was linear during that period. At hatching (3.4 ± 0.2 mm TL), the non‐pigmented free embryo had most functional systems not fully differentiated. The primordial finfold was almost completely absorbed, except the preanal segment, in individuals measuring 9.1 ± 0.4 mm TL. Retinal pigmentation occurred as early as 24 hours posthatching (hph). The yolk sac was no longer observed after 60 hph. Body proportion and growth rates changed considerably during early morphological development. The head experienced positive allometric growth in length throughout the interval of study, and at the inflexion point of 6.6 mm TL, head growth had reduced significantly, but still remained allometrically positive. Trunk length showed negative allometric growth throughout the period of study. The growth of the postanal length was allometrically positive until the inflexion point at 7.1 mm TL, and thereafter decreased to near isometric. The allometric growth changes in the piracanjuba during initial life likely result from selective organogenesis directed towards survival priorities.     

Early biochemical biomarkers for zinc in silver catfish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhamdia quelen</Emphasis>) after acute exposure

Contamination of aquatic ecosystems by metals causes various biochemical changes in aquatic organisms, and fish are recognized as indicators of environmental quality. Silver catfish were exposed to six concentrations of zinc (Zn): 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 and 12.5 mg/L for 96 h to determine the mean lethal concentration (LC₅₀). The value obtained was 8.07 mg/L. In a second experiment, fish were exposed to concentrations of 1.0 or 5.0 mg/L Zn and a control for 96 h. Afterward, the tissues were collected for biochemical analysis. Lipid peroxidation, as indicated by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS), decreased in the liver and brain for all Zn concentrations tested, while in the gills TBARS levels increased at 1.0 mg/L and declined at 5.0 mg/L. Zn increased protein carbonyls in the muscle of silver catfish and decreased it in the other tissues. The enzyme superoxide dismutase increased in both exposed groups. However, catalase did not change. Glutathione S-transferase decreased in the liver and increased in the gills (1.0 mg/L), muscle (5.0 mg/L) and brain (1.0 and 5.0 mg/L). Nonprotein thiols changed only in brain and muscle tissue. Zn exposure inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the brain at both concentrations tested, but did not change it in muscle. Exposure to Zn inhibited the activity of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase in the gills and intestine at both concentrations tested. Our results demonstrate that Zn alters biochemical parameters in silver catfish and that some parameters such as AChE and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase could be considered as early biomarkers of waterborne Zn toxicity.