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Digestate is a nutrient-rich fertilizer and appropriate techniques are required for its application during the maize season to reduce losses and increase the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). The performance of two different fertigation techniques (drip irrigation and pivot) were assessed using the digestate liquid fraction. A two-year field test was carried out at two different sites in Lombardy, northern Italy. At each site, fertigation with pivot (P-F, site 1) or drip (D-F, site 2) systems was compared to reference fields where the same irrigation techniques without addition of digestate were used. During the two seasons, the performance of the fertigation systems, amount of fertilizers used, soil nitrogen content, yields, and nitrogen content of the harvested plants were monitored. The digestate application averaged 5 m3/ha per fertigation event with P-F and 4.9 m3/ha with D-F corresponding, respectively, to 28 and 23 kg N/ha. Both irrigation systems were suitable for fertigation provided that the digestate was adequately filtrated. Our results suggest that fertigation with digestate, if properly managed, can be applied during the growing season up to the full amount of nitrogen required by the crop.
Viviana Guido; Alberto Finzi; Omar Ferrari; Elisabetta Riva; Dolores Quílez; Eva Herrero; Giorgio Provolo. Fertigation of Maize with Digestate Using Drip Irrigation and Pivot Systems. Agronomy 2020, 10, 1453 .
AMA StyleViviana Guido, Alberto Finzi, Omar Ferrari, Elisabetta Riva, Dolores Quílez, Eva Herrero, Giorgio Provolo. Fertigation of Maize with Digestate Using Drip Irrigation and Pivot Systems. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (10):1453.
Chicago/Turabian StyleViviana Guido; Alberto Finzi; Omar Ferrari; Elisabetta Riva; Dolores Quílez; Eva Herrero; Giorgio Provolo. 2020. "Fertigation of Maize with Digestate Using Drip Irrigation and Pivot Systems." Agronomy 10, no. 10: 1453.
Due to its increasing pressure on dairy cows, studies that investigate how to cope with heat stress are needed. The heat stress affects multiple aspects of cows’ lives, among which their behavior and welfare. In this study, a survey was carried out in eight farms located in Northern Italy to monitor and evaluate the environmental aspects of the barns and the behavioral responses of dairy cows. For one year, three periods were monitored: thermoneutral (T_S), hot (H_S) and cold (C_S) seasons. Temperature and relative humidity were measured by environmental sensors, and lying vs. standing time, number of lying bouts and their average duration were collected by accelerometers. The temperature-humidity index (THI) was quantified inside and outside of the barn. Results show that at the increase of the THI, behavioral adaptations occurred in all the farms, especially with a reduction of lying time and an increase of respiration rate. Four of the eight farms need interventions for improving the cows’ welfare. Here, environmental problems should be solved by introducing or improving the efficacy of the forced ventilation or by modifying the barn structure. Monitoring dairy barns with sensors and Precision Livestock Farming techniques can be helpful for future livestock farming to alert farmers on the need for their interventions to respond immediately to unwanted barn living conditions.
Daniela Lovarelli; Alberto Finzi; Gabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva. A Survey of Dairy Cattle Behavior in Different Barns in Northern Italy. Animals 2020, 10, 713 .
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Alberto Finzi, Gabriele Mattachini, Elisabetta Riva. A Survey of Dairy Cattle Behavior in Different Barns in Northern Italy. Animals. 2020; 10 (4):713.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Alberto Finzi; Gabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva. 2020. "A Survey of Dairy Cattle Behavior in Different Barns in Northern Italy." Animals 10, no. 4: 713.
The aim of this 5-year study was to evaluate the technical, economic, and environmental performances of a collective-based integrated treatment system for bioenergy production and nutrients removal to improve the utilization efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of land applied livestock manure. The study involved 12 livestock production units located in an intensive livestock area designated as nitrate vulnerable zone with large N surplus. The treatment system consisted of an anaerobic digestion unit, a solid–liquid separation system, and a biological N removal process. Atmospheric emissions and nutrient losses in water and soil were examined for the environmental assessment, while estimated crop removal and nutrient utilization efficiencies were used for the agronomic assessment. The integrated treatment system achieved 49% removal efficiency for total solids (TS), 40% for total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), and 41% for total phosphorous (TP). A surplus of 58kWh/t of treated manure was achieved considering the electricity produced by the biogas plant and consumed by the treatment plant and during transportation of raw and treated manure. A profit of 1.61 €/t manure treated and an average reduction of global warming potential by 70% was also achieved. The acidification potential was reduced by almost 50%. The agronomic use of treated manure eliminated the TKN surplus and reduced the TP surplus by 94%. This collective integrated treatment system can be an environmentally and economically sustainable solution for farms to reduce N surplus in intensive livestock production areas.
Alberto Finzi; Gabriele Mattachini; Daniela Lovarelli; Elisabetta Riva; Giorgio Provolo. Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of a Collective Integrated Treatment System for Energy Recovery and Nutrient Removal from Livestock Manure. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2756 .
AMA StyleAlberto Finzi, Gabriele Mattachini, Daniela Lovarelli, Elisabetta Riva, Giorgio Provolo. Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of a Collective Integrated Treatment System for Energy Recovery and Nutrient Removal from Livestock Manure. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (7):2756.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlberto Finzi; Gabriele Mattachini; Daniela Lovarelli; Elisabetta Riva; Giorgio Provolo. 2020. "Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of a Collective Integrated Treatment System for Energy Recovery and Nutrient Removal from Livestock Manure." Sustainability 12, no. 7: 2756.
Currently, lying behavior can be assessed using continuous observations from sensors (e.g.: accelerometers). The analysis of digital data deriving from accelerometers is an effective tool for studying livestock behaviors. Despite the large interest in the lying behavior of dairy cows, no reference was found in literature regarding the prediction of lying behavior as a function of the interaction of environmental parameters. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of climatic conditions (temperature-humidity index, solar radiation, air velocity and rainfalls) on the lying behavior of a group of primiparous dairy cows, using data from accelerometers, and develop a prediction model to identify and predict the lying behavior of dairy cows as a function of the effects of environmental conditions. Results from the. GLM Procedure (SAS) showed that the model was highly significant (p < 0.001) and the r2 was 0.84. All of the effects in the model resulted in being highly significant (p < 0.001). This model, if validated properly, could be a valid early warning system to identify any deviation from the expected behavior, and to assess the effectiveness of thermal stress mitigation strategies.
Emanuela Tullo; Gabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva; Alberto Finzi; Giorgio Provolo; Marcella Guarino. Effects of Climatic Conditions on the Lying Behavior of a Group of Primiparous Dairy Cows. Animals 2019, 9, 869 .
AMA StyleEmanuela Tullo, Gabriele Mattachini, Elisabetta Riva, Alberto Finzi, Giorgio Provolo, Marcella Guarino. Effects of Climatic Conditions on the Lying Behavior of a Group of Primiparous Dairy Cows. Animals. 2019; 9 (11):869.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEmanuela Tullo; Gabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva; Alberto Finzi; Giorgio Provolo; Marcella Guarino. 2019. "Effects of Climatic Conditions on the Lying Behavior of a Group of Primiparous Dairy Cows." Animals 9, no. 11: 869.
Management systems in modern dairy farms is an important issue in relation to animal comfort and welfare. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of feed delivery frequency on the behavior patterns, visits to an automatic milking system (AMS) and on milk production of lactating dairy cows. The study was conducted on a commercial dairy farm with automatic feeding and milking systems. Feeding treatments consisted of two different frequencies, high feed delivery frequency (11 deliveries per day) and low feed delivery frequency (six deliveries per day). Lying behavior of 20 dairy cows was electronically monitored. The results obtained showed that 11 deliveries per day feed delivery frequency decreases the number of long-duration lying bouts, which may indicate that a very high feeding frequency disturbs the cows during their resting periods and thus influences both animal comfort and milk production. High feeding frequency may disturb the duration of lying bouts and alter the pattern of lying behavior throughout the day, affecting mainly the lying time during the 60 min before and following the provision of fresh feed. Delivering feed at a low frequency allow cows to distribute more evenly their lying time over the course of the day and improve their utilization of an AMS.
Gabriele Mattachini; Johanna Pompe; Alberto Finzi; Emanuela Tullo; Elisabetta Riva; Giorgio Provolo. Effects of Feeding Frequency on the Lying Behavior of Dairy Cows in a Loose Housing with Automatic Feeding and Milking System. Animals 2019, 9, 121 .
AMA StyleGabriele Mattachini, Johanna Pompe, Alberto Finzi, Emanuela Tullo, Elisabetta Riva, Giorgio Provolo. Effects of Feeding Frequency on the Lying Behavior of Dairy Cows in a Loose Housing with Automatic Feeding and Milking System. Animals. 2019; 9 (4):121.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGabriele Mattachini; Johanna Pompe; Alberto Finzi; Emanuela Tullo; Elisabetta Riva; Giorgio Provolo. 2019. "Effects of Feeding Frequency on the Lying Behavior of Dairy Cows in a Loose Housing with Automatic Feeding and Milking System." Animals 9, no. 4: 121.
Collective manure processing facilities to reduce nutrient loads and produce renewable energy are often proposed as feasible solutions in intensive livestock production areas. However, the transferring of effluents from farms to the treatment plant and back to farms, as well as the treatment operations themselves, must be carefully evaluated to assure the environmental sustainability of the solution. This study evaluated the global warming potential (GWP) and acidification potential (AP) of a collective treatment plant for bioenergy production and nitrogen removal as an alternative strategy to conventional on-farm manure management systems. Two manure management scenarios were compared: manure management on individual farms and management by a collective treatment plant. Data were collected at a collective processing plant and at the individual farms of the consortium to estimate emissions of CO2, CH4, N2O, NOx, NH3 and SO2. The plant receives manure from 21 livestock production units, treating 660 tonnes day−1 of manure. The GWP and AP indicators were calculated to evaluate the potential impact of the two management solutions. The collective solution reduced both GWP (−52%) and AP (−43%) compared to manure management separately by each farm. Further improvement might be obtained in both indicators by introducing mitigation techniques in farm manure storage and manure application to soil.
Giorgio Provolo; Gabriele Mattachini; Alberto Finzi; Martina Cattaneo; Viviana Guido; Elisabetta Riva. Global Warming and Acidification Potential Assessment of a Collective Manure Management System for Bioenergy Production and Nitrogen Removal in Northern Italy. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3653 .
AMA StyleGiorgio Provolo, Gabriele Mattachini, Alberto Finzi, Martina Cattaneo, Viviana Guido, Elisabetta Riva. Global Warming and Acidification Potential Assessment of a Collective Manure Management System for Bioenergy Production and Nitrogen Removal in Northern Italy. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (10):3653.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Provolo; Gabriele Mattachini; Alberto Finzi; Martina Cattaneo; Viviana Guido; Elisabetta Riva. 2018. "Global Warming and Acidification Potential Assessment of a Collective Manure Management System for Bioenergy Production and Nitrogen Removal in Northern Italy." Sustainability 10, no. 10: 3653.
Cattle and pig manure contain useful mineral nutrients (N, P, and K) and are therefore used as organic fertilizer. However, excessive applications of manure can cause environmental problems and threaten animal and human health because these materials also hold significant amounts of heavy metals, particularly Cu and Zn. To assess the potential risk due to the increased concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Mn, Zn, and Cr) in a harvested crop, two maize hybrids were grown in pots on four different soils with three different fertilisers (urea, pig manure, and cattle manure). Both soil and manure characteristics influenced the heavy metal concentrations in the plant shoots. Organic fertilisation strongly interacted with the soils and, in general, reduced the shoot content of Cu, Mn, and Zn. A preliminary assessment of the heavy metal balance of the agricultural systems based on the intensive livestock production and maize cultivation showed that the potential soil enrichment of the long-term application of livestock manure arises mainly from the application of pig slurries that have a high content of Cu and Zn. The time required to apply an amount of metal that is equal to the initial soil content is 60–300 years for Zn and 240–450 years for Cu, depending on the soil type and the initial heavy metal content.
Giorgio Provolo; Giulia Manuli; Alberto Finzi; Giorgio Lucchini; Elisabetta Riva; Gian Attilio Sacchi. Effect of Pig and Cattle Slurry Application on Heavy Metal Composition of Maize Grown on Different Soils. Sustainability 2018, 10, 2684 .
AMA StyleGiorgio Provolo, Giulia Manuli, Alberto Finzi, Giorgio Lucchini, Elisabetta Riva, Gian Attilio Sacchi. Effect of Pig and Cattle Slurry Application on Heavy Metal Composition of Maize Grown on Different Soils. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (8):2684.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Provolo; Giulia Manuli; Alberto Finzi; Giorgio Lucchini; Elisabetta Riva; Gian Attilio Sacchi. 2018. "Effect of Pig and Cattle Slurry Application on Heavy Metal Composition of Maize Grown on Different Soils." Sustainability 10, no. 8: 2684.
This study assessed a novel technique for removing nitrogen from digested organic waste based on a slow release of ammonia that was promoted by continuous mixing of the digestate and delivering a continuous air stream across the surface of the liquid. Three 10-day experiments were conducted using two 50-L reactors. In the first two, nitrogen removal efficiencies were evaluated from identical digestates maintained at different temperatures (30°C and 40°C). At the start of the first experiment, the digestates were adjusted to pH 9 using sodium hydroxide, while in the second experiment pH was not adjusted. The highest ammonia removal efficiency (87%) was obtained at 40°C with pH adjustment. However at 40°C without pH adjustment, removal efficiencies of 69% for ammonia and 47% for total nitrogen were obtained. In the third experiment two different digestates were tested at 50°C without pH adjustment. Although the initial chemical characteristics of the digestates were different in this experiment, the ammonia removal efficiencies were very similar (approximately 85%). Despite ammonia removal, the pH increased in all experiments, most likely due to carbon dioxide stripping that was promoted by temperature and mixing. The technique proved to be suitable for removing nitrogen following anaerobic digestion of livestock manure because effective removal was obtained at natural pH (≈8) and 40°C, common operating conditions at typical biogas plants that process manure. Furthermore, the electrical energy requirement to operate the process is limited (estimated to be 3.8kWhm(-3)digestate). Further improvements may increase the efficiency and reduce the processing time of this treatment technique. Even without these advances slow-rate air stripping of ammonia is a viable option for reducing the environmental impact associated with animal manure management.
Giorgio Provolo; Francesca Perazzolo; Gabriele Mattachini; Alberto Finzi; Ezio Naldi; Elisabetta Riva. Nitrogen removal from digested slurries using a simplified ammonia stripping technique. Waste Management 2017, 69, 154 -161.
AMA StyleGiorgio Provolo, Francesca Perazzolo, Gabriele Mattachini, Alberto Finzi, Ezio Naldi, Elisabetta Riva. Nitrogen removal from digested slurries using a simplified ammonia stripping technique. Waste Management. 2017; 69 ():154-161.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Provolo; Francesca Perazzolo; Gabriele Mattachini; Alberto Finzi; Ezio Naldi; Elisabetta Riva. 2017. "Nitrogen removal from digested slurries using a simplified ammonia stripping technique." Waste Management 69, no. : 154-161.
Additives applied to animal manure slurries can affect the chemical composition and the biological processes of slurries during storage, with possible improvement of their management and reduction of environmental problems. Some new formulations are marketed claiming a nitrogen (N) removal effect due to denitrification, with the consequence of a reduced N content in the manure after storage. This study evaluated the effects of one of these commercial additives (BACTYcomplex) on slurry characteristics and N losses at a commercial piggery. The additive was applied to four different sectors of the piggery, each with an independent under-floor slurry pit; four other sectors served as controls without treatment. Pits were emptied every 4 wk, and the manure was analyzed for total and ammonia-N and total and volatile solids. Slurry samples from the last month of the on-farm assessment were removed and stored thermostatically in vessels external to the piggery. A subsample of slurry that was treated with the additive at the piggery was treated with an additional dose of additive at the beginning of long-term storage. The additive did not change the composition of the slurry during in-house storage (4 wk duration). During the 155 d of external thermostatic storage, the total solids content of treated slurry was reduced by 18% compared with control slurry, but the N content and composition of treated slurry was unaffected. The additive had a positive effect in accelerating the stabilization of the slurry but did not modify N losses. Copyright © 2016. . Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.
Giorgio Provolo; Alberto Finzi; Francesca Perazzolo; Gabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva. Effect of a Biological Additive on Nitrogen Losses from Pig Slurry during Storage. Journal of Environmental Quality 2016, 45, 1460 -1465.
AMA StyleGiorgio Provolo, Alberto Finzi, Francesca Perazzolo, Gabriele Mattachini, Elisabetta Riva. Effect of a Biological Additive on Nitrogen Losses from Pig Slurry during Storage. Journal of Environmental Quality. 2016; 45 (4):1460-1465.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Provolo; Alberto Finzi; Francesca Perazzolo; Gabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva. 2016. "Effect of a Biological Additive on Nitrogen Losses from Pig Slurry during Storage." Journal of Environmental Quality 45, no. 4: 1460-1465.
Monitoring cow behaviour has become increasingly important in understanding the nutrition, production, management of the well being, and overall health of dairy cows. Methods of assessing behavioural activity have changed in recent years, favouring automatic recording techniques. Traditional methods to measure behaviour, such as direct observation or time-lapse video, are labour-intensive and time-consuming. Automated recording devices have become increasingly common to measure behaviour accurately. Thus, the development of automated monitoring systems that can continuously and accurately quantify feeding behaviour are required for efficient monitoring and control of modern and automated dairy farms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible use of a 3D accelerometer to record feeding behaviour of dairy cows. Feeding behaviour (feeding time and number of visits to the manger) of 12 lactating dairy cows was recorded for approximately 3 h with 3D-accelerometer data loggers (HOBO Pendant G logger). The sensors were positioned in the high part of the neck to monitor head movements. Behaviour was simultaneously recorded using visual observation as a reference. Linear regression analysis between the measurement methods showed that the recorded feeding time (R2=0.90, n=12, P<0.001) was closely related to visual observations. In contrast, the number of visits was inadequately recorded by the 3D-accelerometer, showing a poor relationship with visual observations (R2=0.31, n=12, P<0.06). Results suggest that the use of accelerometer sensors can be a reliable and suitable technology for monitoring feeding behaviour of individual dairy cows in free stall housing. However, further research is necessary to develop an appropriate device able to detect and recognise the movements connected with the head movement during feeding. Such a device could be part of an automatic livestock management tool for the efficient monitoring and control of comfort and welfare of dairy cows under the intensive conditions of modern automated dairy farms.
Gabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva; Francesca Perazzolo; Ezio Naldi; Giorgio Provolo. Monitoring feeding behaviour of dairy cows using accelerometers. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2016, 47, 54 -58.
AMA StyleGabriele Mattachini, Elisabetta Riva, Francesca Perazzolo, Ezio Naldi, Giorgio Provolo. Monitoring feeding behaviour of dairy cows using accelerometers. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2016; 47 (1):54-58.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva; Francesca Perazzolo; Ezio Naldi; Giorgio Provolo. 2016. "Monitoring feeding behaviour of dairy cows using accelerometers." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 47, no. 1: 54-58.
G. Mattachini; A. Antler; E. Riva; A. Arbel; G. Provolo. Automated measurement of lying behavior for monitoring the comfort and welfare of lactating dairy cows. Livestock Science 2013, 158, 145 -150.
AMA StyleG. Mattachini, A. Antler, E. Riva, A. Arbel, G. Provolo. Automated measurement of lying behavior for monitoring the comfort and welfare of lactating dairy cows. Livestock Science. 2013; 158 (1-3):145-150.
Chicago/Turabian StyleG. Mattachini; A. Antler; E. Riva; A. Arbel; G. Provolo. 2013. "Automated measurement of lying behavior for monitoring the comfort and welfare of lactating dairy cows." Livestock Science 158, no. 1-3: 145-150.
The objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate the validity of automated monitoring systems as assessment method for the behavioral activity of dairy cows compared with video recording, and 2) determine the sampling intervals required to obtain reliable estimates of the daily behavior. To determine lying, standing, and walking, 12 cows were equipped with automatic recording devices (IceTag = 12 cows, HOBO Pendant G = 5 cows), and their behavior was simultaneously recorded using a video recording system. The correspondence between the IceTag, HOBO logger, and video recording data was analyzed using 2 × 2 contingency tables, and we determined the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value (positive and negative). Both types of loggers demonstrated high sensitivity (Sen ≥ 0.961) and specificity (Sp ≥ 0.951) for lying and standing behaviors with predictive values near 1.00. The HOBO logger can accurately describe the laterality of lying behavior, whereas the IceTag device inadequately recorded walking, with probability predictive values ≤ 0.303. Daily behaviors of the dairy cows were compared for 10 different sampling intervals (1 s, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 30, and 60 min) collected by the IceTag, using linear regression. A strong relationship (R(2) ≥ 0.978) was found between the total lying times from data on a per-second basis and estimates obtained by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 15 min sampling intervals. The sampling intervals of 1 and 2 min were comparable for all aspects of lying behavior (R(2) ≥ 0.813; P > 0.05 for slope = 1, intercept = 0). Long sampling intervals (30 and 60 min) showed positive relationship for estimating time spent lying and standing (R(2) ≥ 0.774), but were inappropriate for predicting these behaviors, because they lacked accuracy and precision. Both the IceTag and HOBO logger accurately measured all aspects of lying and standing behavior. Reliable estimates of lying and standing time can be generated using relatively short interval lengths (e.g., 3, 4, 5, 10, or 15 min). Shorter sampling intervals (≤ 2 min) are required to accurately measure aspects of lying behavior such as number of lying bouts per day. The automated monitoring systems are time- and labor-saving tools that can be used by research or on farm to assess cow comfort related to lying behavior.
G. Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva; Carlo Bisaglia; J. C. A. M. Pompe; G. Provolo. Methodology for quantifying the behavioral activity of dairy cows in freestall barns1. Journal of Animal Science 2013, 91, 4899 -4907.
AMA StyleG. Mattachini, Elisabetta Riva, Carlo Bisaglia, J. C. A. M. Pompe, G. Provolo. Methodology for quantifying the behavioral activity of dairy cows in freestall barns1. Journal of Animal Science. 2013; 91 (10):4899-4907.
Chicago/Turabian StyleG. Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva; Carlo Bisaglia; J. C. A. M. Pompe; G. Provolo. 2013. "Methodology for quantifying the behavioral activity of dairy cows in freestall barns1." Journal of Animal Science 91, no. 10: 4899-4907.
Research on feeding management in more competitive free-stall settings indicates that frequency of delivery of fresh feed stimulates feed bunk attendance and can affect other aspects of cows’ time budgets apart from feeding such as time spent standing vs. lying down. The objective of this study was to examine how the frequency of feed delivery affects the behavior in two farms, one with a conventional and one with automatic milking system (AMS). The feeding frequency was varied from two to three times per day in the conventional dairy farm; one to two times per day in the AMS farm. The experiment was carried out in two different seasons. All behaviours of the cows were monitored in continuous by video recording. As expected, behavioral indices have been significantly affected by environmental conditions both in conventional farm and AMS farm. The variation in the frequency of feed delivery seems to affect the cow behavioural activity only in a limited way and modify only slightly the daily averages of the time spent in different activities mainly increasing the time cows spend standing (+4- 5%).
Elisabetta Riva; Gabriele Mattachini; Luciana Bava; Anna Sandrucci; Alberto Tamburini; Giorgio Provolo. Influence of feed delivery frequency on behavioural activity of dairy cows in freestall barns. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2013, 44, 1 .
AMA StyleElisabetta Riva, Gabriele Mattachini, Luciana Bava, Anna Sandrucci, Alberto Tamburini, Giorgio Provolo. Influence of feed delivery frequency on behavioural activity of dairy cows in freestall barns. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2013; 44 (2):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElisabetta Riva; Gabriele Mattachini; Luciana Bava; Anna Sandrucci; Alberto Tamburini; Giorgio Provolo. 2013. "Influence of feed delivery frequency on behavioural activity of dairy cows in freestall barns." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 44, no. 2: 1.
In intensive livestock area with large nutrient surplus collective management systems can be a suitable solution. However, the collective system should carefully evaluated for environmental sustainability to avoid cross effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the environmental effects of the introduction of a collective treatment plant for energy production and nitrogen removal. For this purpose an assessment methodology, for individual farms and collective treatments plants, has been defined to estimate the emissions of the main pollutants to the air (CO2, CH4, N2O, NH3) and to the soil (N). The method devised has been assessed in a case study (a treatment plant collecting manure from 12 farms). The main effect of the introduction of the collective management system from the environmental point of view is a reduction of greenhouse gases emissions of 61% due to methane emission reduction and renewable energy production. Furthermore, it reduces the amount of nitrogen to be applied to land from 430 kg ha-1 to about 220 kg ha-1, decreases the emission of ammonia in the air by about 17% due to lower amount of nitrogen that is managed by farms in the storage and spreading operations.
Giorgio Provolo; Aldo Calcante; Francesca Perazzolo; Alberto Finzi; Filippo Volontè; Davide Grimaldi; Mauro Pinnetti; Giorgia Cocolo; Ezio Naldi; Giorgio Galassi; Elisabetta Riva. Environmental assessment of individual and collective manure management systems. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2013, 44, 1 .
AMA StyleGiorgio Provolo, Aldo Calcante, Francesca Perazzolo, Alberto Finzi, Filippo Volontè, Davide Grimaldi, Mauro Pinnetti, Giorgia Cocolo, Ezio Naldi, Giorgio Galassi, Elisabetta Riva. Environmental assessment of individual and collective manure management systems. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2013; 44 (2):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Provolo; Aldo Calcante; Francesca Perazzolo; Alberto Finzi; Filippo Volontè; Davide Grimaldi; Mauro Pinnetti; Giorgia Cocolo; Ezio Naldi; Giorgio Galassi; Elisabetta Riva. 2013. "Environmental assessment of individual and collective manure management systems." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 44, no. 2: 1.
The Journal of Agricultural Engineering is the official journal of the Italian Society of Agricultural Engineering - AIIA
Giorgio Provolo; Aldo Calcante; Francesca Perazzolo; Alberto Finzi; Filippo Volontè; Davide Grimaldi; Mauro Pinnetti; Giorgia Cocolo; Ezio Naldi; Giorgio Galassi; Elisabetta Riva. Environmental assessment of individual and collective manure management systems. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2013, 44, 1 .
AMA StyleGiorgio Provolo, Aldo Calcante, Francesca Perazzolo, Alberto Finzi, Filippo Volontè, Davide Grimaldi, Mauro Pinnetti, Giorgia Cocolo, Ezio Naldi, Giorgio Galassi, Elisabetta Riva. Environmental assessment of individual and collective manure management systems. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2013; 44 (2s):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Provolo; Aldo Calcante; Francesca Perazzolo; Alberto Finzi; Filippo Volontè; Davide Grimaldi; Mauro Pinnetti; Giorgia Cocolo; Ezio Naldi; Giorgio Galassi; Elisabetta Riva. 2013. "Environmental assessment of individual and collective manure management systems." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 44, no. 2s: 1.
Research on feeding management in more competitive free-stall settings indicates that frequency of delivery of fresh feed stimulates feed bunk attendance and can affect other aspects of cows’ time budgets apart from feeding such as time spent standing vs. lying down. The objective of this study was to examine how the frequency of feed delivery affects the behavior in two farms, one with a conventional and one with automatic milking system (AMS). The feeding frequency was varied from two to three times per day in the conventional dairy farm; one to two times per day in the AMS farm. The experiment was carried out in two different seasons. All behaviours of the cows were monitored in continuous by video recording. As expected, behavioral indices have been significantly affected by environmental conditions both in conventional farm and AMS farm. The variation in the frequency of feed delivery seems to affect the cow behavioural activity only in a limited way and modify only slightly the daily averages of the time spent in different activities mainly increasing the time cows spend standing (+4- 5%).
Elisabetta Riva; Gabriele Mattachini; Luciana Bava; Anna Sandrucci; Alberto Tamburini; Giorgio Provolo. Influence of feed delivery frequency on behavioural activity of dairy cows in freestall barns. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2013, 44, 1 .
AMA StyleElisabetta Riva, Gabriele Mattachini, Luciana Bava, Anna Sandrucci, Alberto Tamburini, Giorgio Provolo. Influence of feed delivery frequency on behavioural activity of dairy cows in freestall barns. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2013; 44 (2):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElisabetta Riva; Gabriele Mattachini; Luciana Bava; Anna Sandrucci; Alberto Tamburini; Giorgio Provolo. 2013. "Influence of feed delivery frequency on behavioural activity of dairy cows in freestall barns." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 44, no. 2: 1.
Luciana Bava; Alberto Tamburini; Chiara Penati; Elisabetta Riva; Gabriele Mattachini; Giorgio Provolo; Anna Sandrucci. Effects of feeding frequency and environmental conditions on dry matter intake, milk yield and behaviour of dairy cows milked in conventional or automatic milking systems. Italian Journal of Animal Science 2012, 11, 1 .
AMA StyleLuciana Bava, Alberto Tamburini, Chiara Penati, Elisabetta Riva, Gabriele Mattachini, Giorgio Provolo, Anna Sandrucci. Effects of feeding frequency and environmental conditions on dry matter intake, milk yield and behaviour of dairy cows milked in conventional or automatic milking systems. Italian Journal of Animal Science. 2012; 11 (3):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLuciana Bava; Alberto Tamburini; Chiara Penati; Elisabetta Riva; Gabriele Mattachini; Giorgio Provolo; Anna Sandrucci. 2012. "Effects of feeding frequency and environmental conditions on dry matter intake, milk yield and behaviour of dairy cows milked in conventional or automatic milking systems." Italian Journal of Animal Science 11, no. 3: 1.
Behavioural activity is used as an indication of animal comfort, and lying and standing behaviours are often used as a sign of well-being in cattle and to evaluate the quality of stalls. The aim of this study was to compare the values of different behavioural indices at different scan-sampling frequencies and to evaluate the different methods of data aggregation that are used to obtain daily behavioural indices. The lying, standing, feeding and drinking behaviours of 69 cows in a free-stall barn were recorded over 7 days using continuous video recording. The temperature humidity index (THI) was recorded at 15-min intervals during the entire experimental period. Behavioural indices were calculated based on scan sampling intervals of 10, 20, 30, 60 and 120-min, as well as for different time periods during the day. The results highlighted how lying, standing and feeding behaviours can be properly interpreted by analysing images taken on an hourly basis (highly correlated with 10, 20 and 30-min scan samples; r > 0.85, P < 0.01) and restricting the period of analysis between the two daily milkings (07:00–14:00) and the evening hours (19:00–22:00) after the second milking (highly correlated with daily behaviour; r > 0.898, P < 0.01). Night hours might not be considered in the calculation of daily behaviour because they did not improve the quality of the indices obtained. The analysis of the indices has also revealed how the activity of cows 1–2 h after milking is highly affected by farm management. The results obtained indicate that video or automatic recording systems provide adequate data that can be used to effectively analyse cow activity. Keywords Dairy cow Lying Standing Scan-sampling interval Daily behaviour 1 Introduction Behaviour is one of the most commonly used and sensitive indicators of animal welfare ( Haley et al., 2001 ). Behavioural activity is used as an indication of animal comfort ( Cook et al., 2005 ). In particular, the time spent lying down, the frequency of lying bouts (i.e., a transition from standing to lying) and the duration of individual bouts have been identified as sensitive measures of stall comfort ( Haley et al., 2000 ) and are a useful indicator of animal welfare ( Fregonesi and Leaver, 2001 ). Recent studies of lying time in cows housed in freestalls have reported average lying times ranging from 11.37 to 13.70 h/24 h ( Cook et al., 2005; Drissler et al., 2005 ). Lying is considered to be higher priority than eating and social contact when opportunities to perform these behaviours are restricted ( Munksgaard et al., 2005 ). Lying behaviour in free-stall barns is affected by design and management factors, including the stall surface and bedding quality ( Drissler et al., 2005; Fregonesi et al., 2007b; Tucker et al., 2003 ), stall size and configuration ( Tucker et al., 2004, 2006 ), stocking density ( Fregonesi et al., 2007a ), stall location and pen layout ( Wagner-Storch et al., 2003 ), pen flooring ( Fregonesi et al., 2004 ), and milking and feeding management ( DeVries and von Keyserlingk, 2005; Overton et al., 2002 ). The time that a dairy cow spends lying down changes with simple changes in stall management; for example, the time spent lying increased from 8.8 to 13.8 h/d when wet bedding was switched to dry bedding ( Fregonesi et al., 2007b ), but it decreased by 1.7 h when the stocking rate (the number of cows per stall) was increased by 50% ( Fregonesi et al., 2007a ). Heat stress, particularly THI (temperature humidity index), and lameness were also found to influence lying and standing time ( Cook et al., 2007 ). In addition to these environmental and management factors, a dairy cow's lying time is influenced by her social ranking ( Galindo and Broom, 2000 ), her milk production and her overall health status ( Fregonesi and Leaver, 2001; Walker et al., 2008 ). Methods used for assessing behavioural activity, with the meaning of the time spent in various activities such as lying, eating, or standing ( Overton et al., 2002 ) have changed in recent years, favouring techniques that automate the sampling effort. Human-based behavioural activity recording methods such as direct observation and the analysis of video recordings have drawbacks: both human- and video-based recording methods are often time consuming and labour-intensive ( Müller and Schrader, 2003 ). The automatic recording of behavioural activity (lying, standing and walking) can be achieved using a variety of sensor systems, for example, mercury tilt switches ( O’Driscoll et al., 2008 ), three-dimensional accelerometers ( Ito et al., 2009; Müller and Schrader, 2003; Martiskainen et al., 2009; Robert et al., 2009 ), embedded sensor technology ( Darr and Epperson, 2009 ) and automatic local position systems ( Gygax et al., 2007 ). Each behavioural sampling technique must be carefully selected based on the objectives of the particular study. As an alternative, some studies have used 10-min, 15-min, or even 1-h instantaneous scan sampling, recording a proportion of the group of animals that were lying down at the time of each scan (e.g. Brown-Brandl et al., 2006; DeVries and von Keyserlingk, 2005; Overton et al., 2002 ). In feedlot cattle, Mitlohner et al. (2001) showed that a scan sampling technique with long intervals (e.g., 30 or 60-min) was generally neither accurate nor precise for measuring behavioural activities with short durations (i.e., drinking and walking); the method was, however, suitable for measuring lying behaviour. Focal animal sampling (i.e., the selection of 1 animal out of 10) was found to be an acceptable technique only for behavioural activities that are long in duration. The scan-sampling interval is often chosen by the investigators for practical reasons, and thus depends on the structure of the animal's environment, the number of animals to be sampled or the need to conduct additional observations in parallel. However, the...
Gabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva; Giorgio Provolo. The lying and standing activity indices of dairy cows in free-stall housing. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2011, 129, 18 -27.
AMA StyleGabriele Mattachini, Elisabetta Riva, Giorgio Provolo. The lying and standing activity indices of dairy cows in free-stall housing. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2011; 129 (1):18-27.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva; Giorgio Provolo. 2011. "The lying and standing activity indices of dairy cows in free-stall housing." Applied Animal Behaviour Science 129, no. 1: 18-27.
Dairy farm buildings can have, as it is well known, a big influence on the microclimatic conditions in the cowshed. In order to examine the influence of environmental parameters on the conditions affecting animal welfare, an experimental programme was set up at a farm where anomalous behaviour of cows had been previously noted. The research was carried out in a freestall barn from June 2004 till June 2005. Part of the research involved a detailed monitoring of animal movements and a simultaneous measurement of temperature and humidity within the cowshed. The behaviour of cows has been obtained by the analysis of a recorded video and expressed through indices. A strict relationship between environmental parameters and animal movement has been confirmed by the results obtained. The proportion of animals resting in stalls during the daytime, not affected by milking or feeding, rised from 30% in hot periods to 75% in winter time. The highly significant (P<0.01) correlation obtained between environmental parameters and cow behaviour confirmed the strong influence of THI on total proportion of lying cows. However, the variation in cow behaviour when temperature values were inside the range considered optimal for cows, suggests the influence of other parameters, like direct radiation.
Giorgio Provolo; Elisabetta Riva. ONE YEAR STUDY OF LYING AND STANDING BEHAVIOUR OF DAIRY COWS IN A FRESTALL BARN IN ITALY. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2009, 40, 27 -34.
AMA StyleGiorgio Provolo, Elisabetta Riva. ONE YEAR STUDY OF LYING AND STANDING BEHAVIOUR OF DAIRY COWS IN A FRESTALL BARN IN ITALY. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2009; 40 (2):27-34.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Provolo; Elisabetta Riva. 2009. "ONE YEAR STUDY OF LYING AND STANDING BEHAVIOUR OF DAIRY COWS IN A FRESTALL BARN IN ITALY." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 40, no. 2: 27-34.