Search results for "farming"
showing 10 items of 302 documents
Control of freshwater fish louse Argulus coregoni: a step towards an integrated management strategy
2008
Harmful infections by ectoparasites of the genus Argulus occur repeatedly in freshwa- ter fish farming operations where the management has largely been ineffective. Preventative meth- ods and regular monitoring are rarely applied, so that chemical interventions become necessary. According to the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, a sustainable management or control program for a parasite should be based on knowledge of the ecology of the parasite along with adop- tion of several prevention and control methods, the application of which is dependent upon the pre- vailing infection level. The application of multiple management tactics is especially important because parasites can devel…
Welfare status of cage farmed European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax): A comparison between submerged and surface cages
2011
Abstract Submersible sea-cages represent an alternative method to standard surface-based cages, and could help solve several production problems that exist in surface-based farming, such as heavy storms, algal and jellyfish blooms and attacks by predators. In this study, we investigated growth, haematological, biochemical and immunological parameters of European sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ) farmed in surface and submersible cages, to compare the physiological status under different rearing conditions. In addition, we evaluated the use of erythrocyte HSP70 levels as a biomarker of fish welfare. The study was conducted in two submerged and two surface cages filled with D. labrax . No sig…
Investigating on the environmental sustainability of organic animal products? The case of organic eggs
2020
Abstract The organic farming of laying hens is experiencing a growing trend in Italy, following an increase in consumer demand for organic eggs. The present study aimed to investigate the environmental performance of organic egg production for the first time in the Italian context. To this end, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of organic egg production in a farm rearing laying hens located in Northern Italy was performed. The analysis was carried out in a cradle to farm gate perspective, with 1 kg of eggs selected as functional unit. Primary data relating to animal performances and resources consumed was collected on site, and subsequently integrated with secondary data, including estimates …
Extracts deriving from olive mill waste water and their effects on the liver of the goldfish Carassius auratus fed with hypercholesterolemic diet
2014
The present research aims to evaluate the beneficial effects of polyphenols derived from waste water from a olive mill, obtained by non-plastic molecular imprinting device, in a hypercholesterolemic diet on Carassius auratus, commonly known as goldfish that was selected as experimental model. The study was conducted with morphological and histochemical analyses and also the data were supported by immunohistochemical analysis. Results show the beneficial activity of polyphenols with a reduction of the damage in the steatotic group, confirming that they may be suggested in the treatment of diseases by lipid accumulation, and used as any addition in feed for farmed fish, in order to improve th…
Successive Invasion-Mediated Interspecific Hybridizations and Population Structure in the Endangered Cichlid Oreochromis mossambicus.
2013
Hybridization between invasive and native species accounts among the major and pernicious threats to biodiversity. The Mozambique tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus, a widely used freshwater aquaculture species, is especially imperiled by this phenomenon since it is recognized by the IUCN as an endangered taxon due to genetic admixture with O. niloticus an invasive congeneric species. The Lower Limpopo and the intermittent Changane River (Mozambique) drain large wetlands of potentially great importance for conservation of O. mossambicus, but their populations have remained unstudied until today. Therefore we aimed (1) to estimate the autochthonous diversity and population structure among genet…
Population structure and recruitment of the ectoparasite Argulus coregoni Thorell (Crustacea: Branchiura) on a fish farm
2003
The population structure and recruitment of Argulus coregoni was monitored at a Finnish fish farm during the open water periods of 1999 and 2001 by weekly sampling of attached argulids. In 2001 the numbers of rainbow trout examined increased in the autumn when the A. coregoni population was declining. When the water temperature exceeded 10 degrees C, at the end of May, A. coregoni egg hatching commenced. A mean number of 98 (S.D. +/- 5.4) juvenile A. coregoni was recorded on each fish, before the start of female egg laying in July 1999. The abundance of lice was lower in 2001. The main recruitment of A. coregoni juveniles occurred in early summer, but the hatching of eggs continued until Se…
Surveillance and control of African Swine Fever in free‐ranging pigs in Sardinia
2019
SUMMARY African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable infectious disease, caused by the ASF virus (ASFV), which is a DNA virus belonging to the family Asfarviridae, genus Asfivirus. This disease has gained importance in the last decade after its spread in several countries in Eastern and Central Europe, and more recently, in China. Despite the efforts made to eradicate it, ASF is still present on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia (Italy) and has been since 1978. ASF risk factors on the island have been analysed in previous studies; the role of free‐ranging pigs in virus persistence has been suggested, but has not been fully elucidated. The most recent eradication plan provides more stringent…
The effect of intermittent feeding on feed intake and compensatory growth of whitefish Coregonus lavaretus L.
2009
Abstract Groups of juvenile whitefish, Coregonus lavaretus , were exposed for 6 weeks to three different feeding regimes: control (fed every day); 2 + 5 (fed during weekdays); and 2 + 2 (fed 2 days, starved 2 days). The fish in the 2 + 2 group ate and grew less than the controls but the 2 + 5 group was intermediate and did not differ statistically significantly from either of the other two groups. The fish in both treatment groups exhibited clear compensation for the reduced number of feeding days by increasing intake and consequently weight gain during the days when they were fed, and the compensation increased towards the end of the experiment. Feeding treatments induced clear changes in …
Aridity index, soil erosion and climate drive no-till ecosystem services trade-off in Mediterranean arable land
2021
Abstract Despite the relevant literature on the advantages of no-till (NT) management, the world area under NT is only 10% of the arable land, probably due to several limiting factors as climate, soil types, farming systems and yield. Soil conservation practices and particularly NT soil management are able to provide many ecosystem services (ESs). This paper suggests a framework to determine the area distribution of soil erosion control and food security ESs trade-offs furnished by NT, starting from the potential soil erosion and aridity index maps. The interaction between the potential soil erosion and the aridity index showed that different trade-offs and synergies of multiple ESs may occ…
Agri-urban patterns in Mediterranean urban regions: the case study of Pisa
2020
International audience; Urban regions require planning tools in order to manage agricultural areas under urban pressure. The aim of our paper is to test an analytical framework that combines both the composition in urban and agricultural land covers and their spatial configuration into four general agri-urban patterns: isolated fields, urban belt fields, periurban agricultural areas and rural areas. We evaluated the spatial distribution and the changes of such patterns in the short-term (2003-2011) starting from Spot images for the case study of Pisa, Italy. The results indicate an increase of the most urban patterns despite continuing to have cash crops, a stability of periurban agricultur…