Controlling forage quality and grazing are crucial for sustainable livestock production, health, productivity, and animal performance. However, the limited availability of reliable handheld sensors for timely pasture quality prediction hinders farmers’ ability to make informed decisions. This study investigates the in-field dynamics of Mombasa grass (Megathyrsus maximus) forage biomass production and quality using optical techniques such as visible imaging and near-infrared (VIS-NIR) hyperspectral proximal sensing combined with machine learning models enhanced by covariance-based error reduction strategies. Data collection was conducted using a cellphone camera and a handheld VIS-NIR spectrometer. Feature extraction to build the dataset involved image segmentation, performed using the Mahalanobis distance algorithm, as well as spectral processing to calculate multiple vegetation indices. Machine learning models, including linear regression, LASSO, Ridge, ElasticNet, k-nearest neighbors, and decision tree algorithms, were employed for predictive analysis, achieving high accuracy with R² values ranging from 0.938 to 0.998 in predicting biomass and quality traits. A strategy to achieve high performance was implemented by using four spectral captures and computing the reflectance covariance at NIR wavelengths, accounting for the three-dimensional characteristics of the forage. These findings are expected to advance the development of AI-based tools and handheld sensors particularly suited for silvopastoral systems.

La ganadería juega un papel importante en Colombia, pues a nivel nacional cubre aproximadamente 31 millones de hectáreas (Rodríguez et al., 2018); genera alrededor del 19 % del empleo agropecuario rural y cerca del 6 % del empleo total nacional (Paz, 2018). Sin embargo, este sector ha sido ampliamente cuestionado por el impacto generado sobre el medio ambiente, principalmente por factores como la deforestación, la compactación, la erosión, la emisión de gases, entre otros. A lo anterior, se suma la limitada competitividad que este sector y en especial el cárnico representan, lo cual se ve reflejado en la baja productividad, los elevados costos de producción y la baja rentabilidad del sistema. La ganadería debe encaminarse hacia el uso eficiente y sostenible de los recursos naturales, de tal forma que se pueda tener una alta productividad con el menor impacto posible sobre el medio ambiente. Para ello, se requiere que el ganadero y sus colaboradores se concienticen de que los sistemas de producción de carne de buena calidad deben basarse en componentes ambientales, sociales, económicos y de bienestar animal.

Introduction. Silvopastoral systems play an important role in livestock production, provide benefits to the animal and edaphic components, and offer environmental services such as atmospheric carbon sequestration in the soil and biomass. Objective. To evaluate the capacity of atmospheric carbon sequestration in three systems of different complexities focused on livestock production, in northern Colombia. Materials and methods. The study was carried out at the Turipana Research Center of the Corporacion Colombiana de Investigacion Agropecuaria between 2019 and 2021. The dasometric parameters of the tree/shrub component were evaluated. The aboveground (CBA) and belowground (CBR) biomass of these species were estimated with allometric models. The fallen litter biomass (CLIT) and soil organic carbon up to 30 cm, with readings every 10 cm, were quantified by the combustion method and total accumulated carbon. The design corresponded to complete randomized blocks, with three treatments and four repetitions. The treatments corresponded to two silvopastoral systems (SSP) of different complexity and a grass without trees (Pr). Results. Aerial biomass was higher in the SSP (2.18 ± 1.13, 4.51 ± 3.76 t ha-1 C) than in Pr (0.19 ± 0.09 t ha-1 C). The highest accumulation of CBR (1.16 ± 3.76 t ha-1 C) and CLIT (3.09 ± 2.45 t ha-1 C) occurred in SSP2. The soil organic carbon accumulated (COS) values showed higher accumulation in the first stratum. The COS represented in the three systems more than 70 % of the total contribution in accumulated carbon contribution. Conclusion. Under the environmental conditions of the humid tropical dry forest, silvopastoral systems increased the stock of atmospheric carbon in the soil and biomass. The use of SSP is a strategy in the mitigation of greenhouse gases in the livestock production system.

Introduction. In Colombia, sheep are a promising species for meat production; however, reports on the characteristics of the carcass at a commercial level in the region are unknown. Objective. To diagnose the carcass quality of the sheep slaughtered in a meat processing plant in the Department of Cordoba, Colombia. Materials and methods. From May 2017 to July 2018, variables were recorded in 883 sheep (phenotype, live weight, and sex) and their carcasses (weights, conformation and fatness, intrathoracic hemorrhages, morphometry, and pH at 24 h). A sampling was carried out on four groups of carcasses from castrated (C) and whole (E) animals, with three slaughter weights (lights: CL=±23.8 kg and EL= 23.9 kg; medium: CM=±27.7 kg; heavy: EP=36.2 kg) in an unbalanced design, to evaluate carcass and tissue composition of the shoulder. Results. The hot carcass weight (PCC), carcass yield (RCC), and compactness index were 11.11 kg; 41.49 %, and 0.19. The carcasses showed normal to poor muscular conformation (87.7 %) and very low-fat cover (68.7 %). Males accounted for 84.3 % of the carcasses, with a PCC of 10.86±0.09 kg and a RCC of 41.51±0.1 %. Females, mostly older than one year (66.90 %), had significantly higher PCC 12.47±0.22 kg, but similar RCC than males. Intrathoracic hemorrhages occurred in 10.9% of the carcasses; pH24 in males and females were 5.84±0.01 and 5.94±0.03, respectively. The CL, CM, EL, and EP of carcasses presented, respectively, 63.66, 61.74, 62.17, and 64.80 % of muscle (p<0.05), 7.20, 11.56, 6.48, and 6.80 % of total fat (p<0.001), and 21.35, 19.66, 23.45, and 21.07 % of bone (p<0.001). Conclusion. The sheep presented low slaughter weight, with heterogeneous carcasses, with normal to poor muscular conformation, low compactness index, and very lean.

Se realizó un estudio transversal del tipo descriptivo en una planta de beneficio (PB) comercial ubicado en el departamento de Córdoba, Colombia, con el objetivo de determinar las características del transporte, manejo presacrificio e indicadores de calidad de la canal relacionados con el bienestar en ovinos. Se observaron 18 descargas y 883 canales de ovinos. Además, se registraron características del vehículo, del viaje y la carga; características del manejo animal en la PB; y calidad de canales en términos de pH y contusiones. La distancia promedio fue de 58.9 kilómetros. El peso promedio de los ovinos fue de 26,8 ± 6 kg y la densidad de carga fue entre 38,7 y 275,9 kg/m2. La espera en planta y la descarga del camión tardaron en promedio 21,7 y 38,7 minutos, respectivamente. El 88,3 % de los animales ingresó al noqueo jalado o empujado por un operario. El tiempo promedio entre noqueo y sangría fue de 74 segundos. El 29,2 % de las canales presentó algún grado de hematomas; 78,8 % afectó solo el tejido subcutáneo y 21,2 %, el tejido muscular. El 58,9 % fue de un diámetro < 5 cm, el 23,6 % entre 5 y 10 cm y 17,4 % > 10 cm. El lomo fue la región anatómica más afectada (49,6 %). El promedio de pH24 horas fue de 5,81. En general, los ovinos destinados a beneficio viajan a elevadas densidades de carga, son altamente manipulados previamente al sacrificio y presentan indicadores de pobre bienestar en la canal que estarían relacionados a algunas fuentes de estrés mencionadas.