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'This book contains a compilation of offered papers presented at the main congress of the XX International Grassland Congress held in University College Dublin, Ireland from 26 June to 1 July, 2005. It is complemented by six other books arising from the XX IGC as listed on the back cover: the book of invited papers from the main congress and five books containing the proceedings of five satellite workshops held immediately after the main congress at locations in the UK and Ireland (Aberystwyth, Belfast, Cork, Glasgow and Oxford). The workshops were designed to facilitate more in-depth presentations and discussions on more specialised topics of worldwide significance. The main congress brought together scientists from many disciplines, policy makers, consultants and producers involved directly in grass production and utilisation, as well as people in associated industries. They discussed issues around the theme of the congress, Grasslands : a Global Resource. The congress programme was organised around three main thematic areas: Efficient Production from Grassland Grassland and the Environment Delivering the Benefits from Grassland'

'In 2001-2002, the EU Phare Business Support Programme funded an inter-country project dealing with strengthening of cattle breeders associations as business representative organisations in eight then EU candidate countries: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Breeders associations from Austria, Germany and Italy also participated in the project, while the European Association for Animal Production acted as the project leader. The project also known under its acronym as BABROC aimed at facilitating the integration of the cattle industries in the Central and Eastern European countries in the EU system and at improving quality of services provided by breeders associations to their members. The present publication contains invited papers for the international workshop on the image of cattle industry and its products, held in Verona, Italy 8 March 2002. Technical papers as well as statements made by Messrs. J. Fischler, EU Commissary, and G. Alemanno, Italian Minister of Agriculture, deal with expectations of consumers regarding the safety and quality of cattle products as the basic message for all involved in the cattle industry.'

'Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites of moulds belonging essentially to the Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium genera. They can be produced on a wide range of agricultural commodities and under a diverse range of situations. Due to their various toxic effects and their good thermal stability, the presence of mycotoxins in foods and feeds is potentially hazardous to the health of both humans and animals. Mycotoxins may cause damage to e.g. liver, kidney or the nervous system, some are even carcinogenic. There is growing concern for ways in which these fungi and their mycotoxins can be prevented from entering the human and animal food chain. And worldwide changes in legislation ever increase the need for more precise and sensitive mycotoxin analytical methods.'Meeting the mycotoxin menace'contains the peer-reviewed papers of the second World Mycotoxin Forum held 17-18 February 2003 in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The book focuses on the various aspects related to the presence, prevention, control, sampling and analysis of mycotoxins in agricultural commodities, foods and feeds. In this publication special attention is given to new developments in this field. The editors firmly believe that the very nature of the themes chosen and the excellence of the papers by invited experts from various disciplines will draw an audience from both the food and feed industry, regulatory authorities and science.'

'The farming and agri-food sectors are faced with an increasing demand by consumers for high-quality products. The current major questions are thus how to define quality, and how to increase the quality of animal products to satisfy these new requirements. This is the reason why the Cattle Commission of the European Association of Animal Production (EAAP) organised a specific session on this topic at its Annual Meeting which was held in Bled (Slovenia) in September 2004. This session dealt with the manipulation and evaluation of bovine milk and meat composition and quality with various indicators (commercial, physical, biochemical, molecular or other). These indicators are any method, biological trait, or physical property which may be useful to predict a quality trait. Quality includes sensory traits, nutritional properties of products, their ability to be processed and also any consideration about traceability (genetic, geographic or nutritional traceability). Thus, the full spectrum of quality attributes are discussed. Indicators may also be considered as predictors. In this respect, contributors discussed the detection early in life of the ability of animals to produce meat or milk of high quality. Indicators may also be useful for consumers when they buy meat or milk as official or commercial signs of quality. All the review papers and the short communications which were presented in this session will be in this EAAP publication entitled''Indicators of milk and beef quality''. Additional papers either presented in 2003 in the EAAP Annual Meeting or from invited authors were added to complete the publication.'

'This book addresses the principles of knowledge transfer and presents a wide scale of applications. Effective knowledge utilization requires that insights developed in the animal sciences are combined with social science approaches. That is accomplished in this book. The applications focus on the adoption of new management practices in cattle husbandry. In animal sciences the emphasis is generally on the technical and zoological know-how. The organizational and personal dimensions are too often neglected as critical factors to success. Organizational aspects deserve credit, because the results of research must often be implemented in a complex chain of producer and consumer oriented organisations. Personal aspects such as attitudes and views towards the future significantly determine the chance of adopting innovations. In this book these dimensions also receive some attention. Some more theoretical papers are followed by practical examples of implementations in the field and by descriptions of extension networks and services. A large variety of papers is presented: from the power of the researcher and consultant through the power of data banks to the power of the client and producer in the dissemination process; thus from input driven to demand driven. This book is of importance to all who deal in some way with knowledge exchange and transfer.'

'The potential benefits of ‘doing things more precisely'in agriculture include terms such as environmental, economic, audit trail, vehicle guidance, crop management and others. Whilst some benefits have proved elusive, others are contributing positively to today's agriculture. In such an environment, continuing research is required - and needs to be reported and disseminated to a wide audience. These Proceedings contain papers presented at the 5th European Conference on Precision Agriculture, held in Uppsala, Sweden. The papers reflect the wide range of disciplines that impinge on precision agriculture - technology, crop science, soil science, agronomy, information technology, decision support, remote sensing and others. Peer-reviewed papers from the 2nd European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming are presented in a companion proceedings, Precision Livestock Farming'05.'

Precision Agriculture is becoming ever more relevant as the agricultural industry struggles to come to terms with the environment, economics, traceability, vehicle guidance and crop management. Whilst some benefits have proved elusive, others contribute positively to today's agriculture. Research continues to be necessary and needs to be reported and disseminated to a wide audience. These proceedings contain the reviewed papers from the 7th European Conference on Precision Agriculture. The papers reflect the wide range of disciplines that impinge upon precision agriculture including remote sensing, plant disease and weed detection, yield monitoring, soil sensing, geo statistics and path planning, regional and crop modelling, cooperation and guidance of robots, precision application, ICT in precision agriculture, future farming and European relevance for precision agriculture. The broad range of research topics reported is a valuable resource for researchers, advisors, teachers and professionals in agriculture. Also note that the reviewed papers from the 4th European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming are presented in a companion publication.

Precision livestock farming is becoming ever more relevant as the agricultural industry struggles to come to terms with aspects such as animal welfare, animal disease, the environment, economics, traceability, robots and livestock management. Whilst some benefits have proved elusive, others contribute positively to today's agriculture. Research continues to be necessary and needs to be reported and disseminated to a wide audience. These proceedings contain the reviewed papers from the 4th European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming. The papers reflect the wide range of disciplines that impinge upon precision livestock farming including feeding dairy, data quality, poultry and pig applications, livestock environment, wireless sensing, dairy fertility and calving management, animal identification, mastitis detection and locomotion. The broad range of research topics reported are a valuable resource for researchers, advisors, teachers and professionals in agriculture. Also note that the reviewed papers from the 7th European Conference on Precision Agriculture are presented in a companion publication.

'This series of meetings bring together experts working in this field of Science from throughout the world. A major feature of each conference session is an invited review, which outlines the advances that have been made in a particular area since the last meeting. A major factor that was considered at this meeting was the likely impact of plant genetic modification on the nutritional quality of their seeds for human and animal feeding. As an example already a number of legume species and rapeseed have been modified to improve the sulphur amino acid content of their seed and thus their protein quality. Besides the major grain legume species and rapeseed that had been discussed at previous meetings in this series number of crop products, as potential protein sources, for animal feeding, were considered for the first time. These included cottonseed meal, linseed meal, and sunflower seed meal. The potential of some new exotic crops from Mexico was also covered including Mexican species of the genus Lupinus and a Mexican plant from the same family as castor bean, which has a very high oil content but is usually toxic. Work from Cuba compared the nutritional characteristics of soybean with a range of tropical grain legume species, which have received little previous attention. A major change at this meeting was the greater consideration of the effects, both positive, and negative, of the consumption of these seeds for human nutrition. A major review on the development of allergnicity to legume seed in humans is included. There was also consideration of the potential role of antinutritional factors in reducing the growth of various types of tumour cells. The presented papers also suggest that the consumption of legume seed in the diet can potentially reduce serum cholesterol levels. Overall from the 5 conference sessions there are 52 papers. Of these 7 are major invited reviews on the current state of research in this important area for human and animal feeding.'

'This book contains over 300 offered papers in addition to 4 papers from invited speakers presented at the 52nd International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, held in Dublin, Ireland, from 13-18 August 2006. Under the theme of harnessing and exploiting global opportunities, areas covered in the congress included meat quality encompassing genomics and biotechnology, animal production and production systems, muscle biology and biochemistry; meat safety, meat processing and packaging technology, consumer topics and meat and health. A new approach this year was to address specific hot topics important to the industry and meat scientists, in particular, electrical stimulation and new instrumental methods for evaluation of meat quality characteristics. These proceedings reflect the truly global nature of meat research and give an insight into the current research issues for the industry.'

Pastoral systems are some of the most fragile human ecosystems that exist and are under threat from the expansion of cultivation, changes in social patterns and climate change. These ecosystems are of major importance since they contain a rich biological and cultural diversity. The aim of the book is to take a holistic view of pastoral systems by bringing together papers written by specialists in plant and animal ecology with an interest in the application of their research with papers taking an economic and social perspective. The focus is on marginal environments where the issues are in greatest relief with the papers tackling key issues in semi-arid and disadvantaged temperate areas. The key issues relate to identifying the biological constraints of these pastoral systems, understanding soil/plant/animal relationships, exploring biodiversity, landscape and social issues in multi-functional systems and providing solutions to constraints through a number of case studies. By comparing and contrasting these two environments, the book will be taking a completely new approach to understanding how pastoral systems function and how they will evolve in the future. The book is of value to all those with an interest in pastoral systems by providing an up-to-date account of current understanding of these multi-functional systems and new insights into how they function and how they will develop in the future.

After the experience of the first volume, The World Association for Animal Production (WAAP) continues the publication of the Book of the Year series for the benefit of animal scientists and policy makers in the field of livestock systems. The WAAP asked the best known and significant animal scientists in the world to contribute to the preparation of this book. Following the success of the first volume of the series, the WAAP Book of the Year 2003, many authors from the six continents are contributing to this 2nd volume. The importance of this publication is to have already established a worldwide reference for the animal science and production sectors. There are the usual four sections that raised much interest in the previous volume of the series. The first section has six articles, describing the changing conditions of livestock systems in each of the six continents. The second section has more than twenty papers, describing the development of the many sectors in which the animal science field has been divided. The third section, dealing with contemporary issues, is declared by our readers to be the most interesting. It allows participating authors to describe current and significant issues important in these last years for the animal science and production sectors. The statistics produced in the previous volume are updated and enhanced with new figures in this book to form the fourth section. The papers included in this book speak clearly of the development in the last twelve months in the livestock systems worldwide. Major space is also devoted to the list of references from where every author can start to deepen his knowledge. This book is essential for libraries that want their readers to be easily updated. Also scientists, policy makers and scientific writers, who need, to enhance their competence, to have the most practical way of knowing what is going on in the world in the field of livestock science and production will find this book of great value.

'With ever-increasing pressures on world agriculture in both economic and environmental terms, application of the concept of precision agriculture is one way of enabling farmers and producers to cope. ‘Doing arable agriculture and horticulture more precisely'means that the use of inputs is optimised, crop yield and quality are maximised and leakage of agro-chemicals and fertilisers to the environment is minimised. This publication contains papers presented at the 6th European Conference on Precision Agriculture. The papers reflect the wide range of disciplines encompassed by precision agriculture, including: soil physics, crop physiology, agronomy, IT, agricultural technology, sensor technology, remote sensing, geostatistics and environmental science. The wide range of research topics reported will be a valuable resource for researchers, advisors, teachers and professionals in agriculture long after the conference has finished. Peer-reviewed papers from the 3rd European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming are presented in a companion proceedings, Precision livestock farming'07.'

'Precision livestock farming'07 contains the latest scientific results from worldwide research, field studies and practical applications. The peer-reviewed papers were presented at the 3rd European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming. The major topics in this book are: - Feed quality management - Sensor technology in animal husbandry - Environmental effects of precision livestock farming - Automation in livestock farming - Implementation, education and training The wide range of research topics reported will be a valuable resource for researchers, advisors, teachers and professionals in agriculture long after the conference has finished. Peer-reviewed papers from the 6th European Conference on Precision Agriculture are presented in a companion publication, Precision agriculture'07.'

'This comprehensive book is the result of the Potato Russia international conference that took place in August 2007 in Moscow. It begins with a series of papers that give an excellent overview of consumer behaviour and marketing with examples from various countries in the world. The quality of processing and ware potato and methods of quantifying it, is addressed by papers that highlight its need and reveal new approaches and techniques. The newest developments in technology, mechanization and storage are highlighted in papers from eastern and western Europe. The importance and benefits of having adequately functioning seed potato systems with up to date rapid multiplication systems is shown in chapters from various countries with a special contribution on the commercial quality standards of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Developments of recent agronomic and crop management practices are illustrated with examples of countries in technological and market transition. Innovations in crop protection put special emphasis on diagnostics and detection of resistance levels, among others, against wart. The extensive Russian breeding programmes - with value for the global potato community are highlighted in the breeding section with additional papers from Japan and the Netherlands. The book ends with a series of papers on molecular aspects of innovative breeding. This book is of wide and ongoing interest to stakeholders around the world who are interested in all aspects of the rapidly evolving potato supply chains such as potato producers, breeding, chemical and machinery companies and potato specialists of all disciplines.'

Precision agriculture is a reality in agriculture and is playing a key role as the industry comes to terms with the environment, market forces, quality requirements, traceability, vehicle guidance and crop management. Sensors now in use in agriculture are generating ‘Big Data'leading to the use of machine learning and AI - an increasing challenge for agriculture. Research continues to be necessary, and needs to be reported and disseminated to a wide audience. These edited proceedings contain peer reviewed papers presented at the 14th European Conference on Precision Agriculture, held in Bologna, Italy. The papers reflect the wide range of disciplines that impinge on precision agriculture - technology, crop science, soil science, agronomy, information technology, decision support, remote sensing, data analysis and others. The broad range of research topics reported will be a valuable resource for researchers, advisors, teachers and professionals in agriculture long after the conference has finished.

'Precision agriculture is now'main stream'in agriculture and is playing a key role as the industry comes to terms with the environment, market forces, quality requirements, traceability, vehicle guidance and crop management. Research continues to be necessary and needs to be reported and disseminated to a wide audience. This book contains peer reviewed papers presented at the 9th European Conference on Precision Agriculture, held in Lleida, Spain. The papers reflect the wide range of disciplines that impinge on precision agriculture: technology, crop science, soil science, agronomy, information technology, decision support, remote sensing and others. The broad range of research topics reported will be a valuable resource for researchers, advisors, teachers and professionals in agriculture long after the conference has finished.'

The Southern Africa region has experienced more than its fair share of problems in recent years. Just when it seemed that the hardships wrought by the devastating cycle of droughts and floods of 2000 to 2002 were a thing of the past, other problems emerged. At one level, there have been the weak and often erratic governance mechanisms and political crises in some countries of the region, leading to severe disruptions in agricultural production to the point that supplies and markets have virtually disappeared. At another level, socio-cultural rigidities have often militated against the adoption of efficient farming practices, resulting in sub-optimal choices that lock smallholders into a low equilibrium trap. In the face of the disappearing supplies and missing markets, these have engendered hyper-inflationary trends of a magnitude unknown anywhere else in the world. But in the midst of all this apparent dreariness, cases are emerging from which immense lessons can be drawn. This book assembles a collection of research papers based on studies completed in 2008 and 2009 in Southern Africa that examine various dimensions of the institutional constraints small farmers are facing in the region and how they are going about dealing with them. The papers draw from these diverse and polar experiences and present some theoretical and practical insights that should form the basis for more in-depth, country-level, sector-specific analyses, focusing mainly on citrus, horticultures, cotton and livestock. The thematic issues of income inequality, land reform, natural resource management and value chain governance and chain choice, are covered in this book and are expected to be of interest for a wide constituency, including researchers, development practitioners, rural animators, and policy makers.

'Globally, dairy and meat production has become an extremely competitive industry. The world milk production is predicted to grow significantly by 2020 with the emergence of new consumers in developing countries. Yet, there is still intense competition for the industry to attract and retain consumers in the more established markets. Consumers continue to demand safe, high quality milk and meat products at competitive prices compared to other high protein food alternatives. To ensure the sustainability of both dairy and beef industries, producers must endeavour to seek new technologies to improve production efficiency whilst lowering the cost of production to produce a quality product. This edited collection of papers is taken from a seminar that brought together some of the world's leading authorities in the field of ruminant nutrition and production. The fundamental theme is to re-examine the current trends in productivity within the dairy and beef industries, and to identify nutritional and managerial means to improve competitiveness. The papers also consider the importance of animal health together with novel strategies for disease control. ‘Gaining the edge in ruminant production: Nutritional strategies for optimal productivity and efficiency'is aimed at nutritionists, veterinarians and animal producers as well as students and researchers studying animal and applied biological sciences'

Microbial agents (particularly bacteria) represent the greatest risk to public health. The traditional end-product oriented food inspection systems are inadequate for identifying and eliminating the usually symptomless animal carriers of agents causing foodborne infections and intoxications. Modern, risk-based, prevention approaches are the only effective way to reduce the prevalence of these hazards from our foods. As an additional'safety-valve'microbial decontamination procedures are currently being suggested and its implementation in industrial food processing has, at least in some parts of the world, met with governmental approval. The residues in foods of some non-microbial agents have more recently also caused substantial consumer disquiet. This equally applies to non-conventional foods containing GMO's. In this publication these issues are addressed by invited expert scientists from various disciplines, many of which have key-positions in EU-funded research programmes on these very topics and/or are advisers to international public health bodies. The editors firmly believe that the very nature of the theme, the excellence of the papers and the holistic approach chosen will draw an audience from both an industry and academic background.

Dairy products have always constituted an essential component in the Mediterranean diet. In addition to their nutritional values, they represent also a part of the cultural heritage of the people. Prospects for a sustainable dairy sector in the Mediterranean, preconditions for its development and the future consumers'demand were some of the issues covered by the papers presented at the EAAP - CIHEAM - FAO Mediterranean symposium. It was organised by the Tunisian Office for Livestock and Pastures and the National Agronomic Research Institute and sustained by the Government of Tunisia, FAO, ICAR and CIRVAL. Over 280 participants from 25 countries participated. The symposium identified a variety of technically viable and scientifically sound policy options and defined the main fields requiring further scientific research and the development of new sustainable technologies. The available technologies to address intensive, semi intensive and extensive production systems and the existing institutional framework (research, education, extension systems, organisation of the sector), although requiring continuous adjustments and improvements, have proved to be in a position to meet a variety of demands and challenges. In this respect, the Symposium called for an increase in research for the semi-intensive farming systems in the South and emerging issues resulting from changes in agricultural policies in the North. It emphasised the importance of producers¹ associations as representatives of the interests of the sector and partners in the overall dialogue on policy matters and in the identification of research needs. The Symposium confirmed the wish and capacity of the dairy sector in the Region to contribute to the sustainable rural development, to the creation of new employment opportunities and to the reasonable and harmonious management of the natural resources.

'This book compiles the scientific content of the International Symposium on Energy & Protein Metabolism and Nutrition, in Rostock-Warnemünde 13th-18th September 2003. Specialists from all over the world working in energy and protein metabolism research were assembled to discuss scientific matters of physiology, nutrition, immunology and genetics. All scientific contributions, presented as oral communications or posters, are published in this book. Additionally to these more than 150 articles and 10 review papers, presented by invited speakers, give an overview of the state of the art in special research areas of energy and protein metabolism. The book presents latest results in topics of energy metabolism such as environmental aspects of energy homeostasis, dietary and genetic aspects as well as tissue, organ and whole body energy metabolism and methodology. Furthermore this compilation also gives insight in current affairs of protein research, i.e. protein metabolism and microbiology in the gastro-intestinal tract and requirements and post-absorptive metabolism of amino acids. Apart from these specific questions other topics concerning genes and nutrition or modelling and regulation of energy and protein status were of common interest. The intention of these proceedings is to disseminate latest perceptions of energy and protein research and with this to attempt the connection of areas in animal and human life sciences.'

'Microbial agents (particularly bacteria) represent the greatest risk to public health. The traditional end-product oriented food inspection systems are inadequate for identifying and eliminating the usually symptomless animal carriers of agents causing foodborne infections and intoxications. Modern, risk-based, prevention approaches are the only effective way to reduce the prevalence of these hazards from our foods. As an additional'safety-valve'microbial decontamination procedures are currently being suggested and its implementation in industrial food processing has, at least in some parts of the world, met with governmental approval. The residues in foods of some non-microbial agents have more recently also caused substantial consumer disquiet. This equally applies to non-conventional foods containing GMO's. In this publication these issues are addressed by invited expert scientists from various disciplines, many of which have key-positions in EU-funded research programmes on these very topics and/or are advisers to international public health bodies. The editors firmly believe that the very nature of the theme, the excellence of the papers and the holistic approach chosen will draw an audience from both an industry and academic background.'

'This publication contains the proceedings of the 34th Biennial Session of the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) and the Interbull Meeting held in Sousse, Tunisia from 28th May to 3rd June 2004.The book is divided in five sessions, containing in total 50 technical papers and reports. One key session debates the traceability and all subjects involved in animal health recording. This publication also presents, for the first time, the statistics of the''Yearly inquiry on the situation of milk recording in ICAR member countries. Results for the years 2001 and 2002''are up-dated to April 2004. About 35 pages are devoted to national milk productions, their recording costs, position of milk recording and the results of milk recording divided by breeds and are presented in easy to read tables. The main topics covered in this book are: - the latest genetic improvement techniques for the global dairy industry; - the potential to create an international beef evaluation system; - presentation of advancing new technical standards for identification, performance testing, as well as a discussion of global priorities for livestock management; - new tools to improve the fertility of dairy cows. New technologies have always been important in ICAR forums for members to understand and discuss. In this conference electronic identification and measurement, DNA recording, and internet services were debated, with an exchange of experiences by the delegates. Finally, new strategies for potential new services for the ICAR member organisations were discussed. One such proposal was for an international benchmarking service for measuring and comparing the activities of ICAR organizations.'

'This publication addresses the large possibilities of starch as an industrial raw material. Starch is industrially produced on a large scale, from various plants such as corn, tapioca and potato. It is renewable,''green''and cheap. Although the starches from these plants differ, the current application areas are the same. Besides the classical applications of starch in food products, their use as adhesives and in the paper and textile industry, new applications such as bioplastics are being developed. Currently a relatively small number of chemicals are used industrially for modification. By varying the degree of modification and the combination of different modifications a large number of products can be prepared. New possibilities are created by the use of new chemicals and the preparation of highly substituted products in non conventional solvents, such as aqueous alcohols. Using newly developed enzymes also increases the scope of applications. This book describes a number of new developments and addresses topics such as: - Relation between granular structure and derivatization - Derivatization in aqueous alcohol - New starch esters - Use of spacers in derivatization - Enzymatic derivatization The book is meant for the (industrial) starch researcher as well as for everyone else interested in the derivatization and application of polysaccharides and natural polymers.'

'Precision Livestock Farming presents the latest scientific results from worldwide research, field studies and practical application. The book contains peer-reviewed papers that were presented at the 2nd European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming.The major topics in the book are animal welfare; food quality (including traceability of origin) and environmental pollution (including treatment of animal waste). The wide range of research topics reported will be a valuable resource for researchers, advisors, teachers and professionals in agriculture long after the conference has finished.'

Grassland covers 26% of the world's total land area. It produces feed for livestock; maintains soil fertility; protects and conserves soil and water resources; creates a habitat for wildlife; provides recreational space for sport and leisure and contributes to the general landscape. This book provides an up-to-date account of progress and potential in the genetic improvement of grassland to meet all needs. It encompasses work on a wide range of temperate and tropical grassland species (including grasses, clovers and other forage legumes) and will interest all those concerned with grassland use in livestock-based agriculture, recreation, environmental protection, bio-industry etc. Specifically, it demonstrates how recent advances in molecular techniques are being used to develop breeding objectives and strategies with key-note papers on: Objectives and benefits of molecular breeding, Linkage/physical mapping and map-based cloning, QTL analysis and trait dissection, Genomics, model species, gene discovery and functional analysis, Use of molecular markers and bioinformatics for breeding, Molecular genetics and breeding of endosymbiont and grass/legume associations, Transgenics, Genetic diversity, breeding systems and resources Future directions for research and breeding. State-of-the-art molecular techniques and resources are described that encompass a unique range of expertise in genetic mapping, trait dissection, comparative genomics, bioinformatics, gene discovery and risk assessment. Examples of work in progress or recently completed are provided from across the world. The book has broad educational value and will interest plant geneticists and breeders as well as grassland users and policy makers.

This Book of Abstracts is the main publication of the 73rd Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). It contains abstracts of the invited papers and contributed presentations of the sessions of EAAP's eleven Commissions: Animal Genetics, Animal Nutrition, Animal Management and Health, Animal Physiology, Cattle Production, Sheep and Goat Production, Pig Production, Horse Production and Livestock Farming Systems, Insects and Precision Livestock Farming.

This Book of Abstracts is the main publication of the 70th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). It contains abstracts of the invited papers and contributed presentations of the sessions of EAAP's eleven Commissions: Animal Genetics, Animal Nutrition, Animal Management and Health, Animal Physiology, Cattle Production, Sheep and Goat Production, Pig Production, Horse Production and Livestock Farming Systems, Insects and Precision Livestock Farming.

South American camelids (Llamas, Alpacas, Vicuñas and Guanacos) are receiving increased interest not only in South America but also on a worldwide scale. They possess some unique features such as their fine fibre and healthy meat, and their high adaptivity to many climatic regions across the world. Apart from the important productive aspects, their physical attractiveness and friendly temperament also makes them popular as pet animals. There are still many gaps in the scientific literature with regard to South American camelids. In part, this gap can be diminished by this collection of papers which brings the experience of both European and South American researchers working together. The main themes considered in this book are the following: nutrition and feeding, meat production and the meat market, ecology, fibre production and the fibre market, animal breeding, animal health and pathology and socio-economical aspects. The particular advantages of South American camelids for the sustainable use of fragile ecosystems with native pastures are also outlined.'South American camelids research'is aimed at scientists and animal breeders as well as students studying veterinary, animal and applied biological sciences. It can be of further reference to farmers and traders of fibre and meat products. Please note that most articles are written in Spanish.

Animal production is constantly changing. Over recent years, feed costs have increased significantly. Furthermore, today more emphasis is being placed on the health and welfare of production animals and birds, and in particular to the risk of zoonoses and potential food scares. The pig and poultry industries must now address not only the costs and efficiency of production, but also the impact of health and disease to both animals and the consumer. This edited collection of papers is taken from a series of seminars that brought together some of the world's leading authorities in the field of pig and poultry nutrition, health and production. The fundamental theme is to address the issues of nutrition and health, and in particular to cover the interactions and potential conflicts between the two. The importance of digestive function and the influence of nutrition on health and disease are covered in-depth. Strategies to combat salmonella and mycotoxins are also discussed.'Formula for the future: nutrition or pathology'is aimed at nutritionists, veterinarians and animal producers as well as students and researchers studying animal and applied biological sciences.

The broad range of research topics reported in this abstract book is a valuable resource for researchers, advisors, teachers and professionals in agriculture. ICT in agriculture, the field of EFITA's interest, precision agriculture and precision livestock farming are becoming ever more relevant as the agricultural industry struggles to come to terms with various developments. These include issues of cooperation, Internet, standardisation, software architecture, robotics, environment, animal and human welfare, economics, traceability, farm management, vehicle guidance, crop management, animal disease and livestock management. Whilst some benefits have proved elusive, others contribute positively to today's agriculture. Research continues to be necessary and needs to be reported and disseminated to a wide audience. Also note that the reviewed papers from the 4th European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming and the 7th ECPA conference are presented in companion publications.

This publication collects the Proceedings of the 33rd Biennial Session of the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) held in Interlaken, Switzerland on 26-31 May 2002. Around 400 participants from 60 countries took part in the ICAR Session or attended the Interbull Meeting. The activities were divided into five parallel technical sessions. Overall, about 40 technical papers and reports were presented during the sessions. A technical session was especially reserved for the presentation of the activities of the Task-Forces, Sub-Committees and Working Groups in which a total of 19 reports were presented. The issues that were discussed covered the use of new technologies for animal performance recording, the application of national animal tracing databases, the use of data from permanent milk recording for official performance recording, the performance recording of beef traits and possible alternative systems of recording of functional traits. Particularly relevant was also the involvement of representatives of non-member organizations, especially from Central and Eastern Europe and developing countries, whose needs demonstrate the possibilities that are offered to ICAR to help the (re)organization of the animal sector. This supporting activity with those finalized to reach a better comparison of the production systems among the member organization demonstrate the potentialities of the association. The Sessions allowed an active exchange of ideas and experiences among the participants who recognized that the dialogue is the engine for improvement. Considering that the resources of most member organizations have been reduced, the need of working together was strongly underlined, today more than in the past, in order to achieve shared objectives.

The growing attention for healthy eating, intestinal health, combating major disorders such as obesity and diabetes and prevention of cardio-vascular diseases and cancer, has resulted in an increased output of R&D on dietary fibre and related carbohydrates. In recent years, hundreds of new products have been launched annually with claims regarding their fibre content. Existing and new fibres are also increasingly incorporated in products for specific target groups, such as babies, farm animals, pets and for clinical nutrition. New research tools and insights are enabling researchers to obtain a much better insight in the mechanisms of action of bio-active carbohydrates. These include new analytical methods, model systems to measure the impact of fibre on processes in the gastro-intestinal tract and the identification and measurement of new biomarkers, for example markers related to satiety. These insights and tools, will significantly contribute to R&D on ingredients and products aiming at imparting significant health benefits. In this book invited expert scientists of leading research groups all over the world will address the following issues: Definitions, health claims and new challenges, Analytical tools, technological aspects and applications, Health Benefits of dietary fibre, including both authoritative generic reviews and papers describing the impact on health of specific types of fibre and Health aspects for target groups, with broad overviews on issues related to dietary fibre in clinical nutrition and in food for pets. Dietary fibre: bio-active carbohydrates for food and feed will therefore cover the most up-to-date research available on dietary fibre and will be an indispensable tool for all scientists involved in research and development in this field.

'It is widely acknowledged that the inclusion of antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) in the diet of livestock increases growth rate. However, many questions arise on whether the benefits outweigh the risks, or vice versa. Recent legislative developments in the European Union and USA, recommendations by the World Health Organization, initiatives taken by the food chain, and consumer concerns all point to a widespread (voluntary) removal of antibiotic feed additives for animal growth promotion. In particular, Regulation (EC) 1831/2003 lays down provisions phasing out the authorisations of AGPs in the European Union as from 1 January 2006. This book discusses how this will affect the use/non-use practice of AGPs. Attention is given to the current status and rational design of developments and strategies for animal feeding without the inclusion of AGPs. Topics covered include benefits and risks of AGPs, risk assessment, consumer concerns and demands, regulatory aspects and international developments, mode of action and innovative alternatives, and recent advances in the analysis of AGPs and related products. This book contains peer-reviewed papers presented at the international conference''Antimicrobial Growth Promoters: Worldwide Ban on the Horizon?''. The book is filled with valuable information on the pros and cons of use of AGPs as well as on alternative nutritional solutions. It is aimed at professionals and researchers in the feed and food industry.'

This book contains selected peer-reviewed papers of the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) symposium'Mycotoxins and phycotoxins'. These symposia are the principal international interdisciplinary conventions focusing on occurrence, advances in determination, toxicology and exposure management of these bio-contaminants. The chapters are organized in sections that include up to date overviews of current mycotoxin and phycotoxin issues. Advances in analytical techniques using rapid screening tools, high-sensitivity instrumental methods and their combinations, applied for single and multi-toxin determinations, are highlighted in a specific section of the book. Identification of requisite agronomic factors and pre-harvest forecasting for strategic intervention are part of a treatise on exposure management. Since the inception more than 30 years ago, this IUPAC symposia series has grown in scope, scientific novelty and value.

'This book discusses developments in the potato industry in a rapidly changing Europe. The European Union expanded recently with ten additional countries of which many are major potato producing countries. The papers in this book reflect societal and commercial changes such as consumer behaviour and marketing aspects in relation to fresh and processed potatoes in western, central and eastern Europe. Seed trade between western and central Europe is entering a new stage with altered inspection requirements, quarantine regulations and variety needs and acceptance. Resistance to diseases present in varieties in central and eastern Europe needs to be coupled to consumer and processor acceptance. Retailers and processors, Europe wide, lead the way at the global level to establish labels and certificates to assure food safety and sustainability. The technical part of the books treats improving the use of chemical fertilisers and crop protection agents increasingly aided by precision farming techniques. Modern molecular breeding techniques for improved resistance and quality are highlighted and their perspectives are shown for breeding programs Europe wide. The book concludes with developments in the potato supply chain, marketing and research and developments in a representative number of central European countries. It shows how each potato industry in transition deals with the socio-economic and environmental situation in varying degrees of development to adapt to a changing Europe.'

Nutrient enrichment of water resources by inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus, which can lead to eutrophication is still a water quality problem in agriculturally dominated watersheds around the world. Internationally, wetlands both constructed and natural are increasingly being used to help reduce both point and non-point source nutrient and contaminant loss from agricultural practices. This publication contains papers presented at the international symposium on'Nutrient Management in Agricultural Watersheds: A Wetlands Solution,'which was held during May, 2004 in Wexford, Ireland. The symposium was the result of an international collaboration between the Teagasc Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Ireland, National Parks and Wildlife, Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Ireland and the Soil and Water Science Department at the University of Florida, Gainesville, USA. These proceedings cover aspects of water quality within agricultural watersheds; management practices to mitigate contaminant and nutrient loss from agriculture; wetland biogeochemistry; wetland functions and values within agricultural dominated landscapes; case studies of wetlands used to retain nutrient and contaminant loss from agriculture; and finally some management and policy issues concerning wetlands are presented. This book provides a good interdisciplinary synthesis of international experiences both in Europe and the USA on the use of wetlands within agricultural watersheds.

'Continued genetic development of pigs and poultry has been the foundation of profitable production within a competitive market. However, the challenges of these production increases have undoubtedly taken their toll on reproductive function in all breeding livestock, with the incidence of infertility increasing at an alarming rate. For example, it has recently been estimated that over 40% of sows are culled due to fertility problems, compared to just 12% with feet and leg issues. This edited collection of papers is taken from a series of seminars, devoted to bringing together some of the world's leading authorities in the field of pig and poultry reproduction. The fundamental aim being to re-examine the current trends in productivity in the pig and poultry industries, and to identify nutritional means to improve fertility. It considers the effects of essential nutrients in optimising productivity, and discusses innovative applications of nutrition that will help to enhance fertility. The success of such innovations within entrepreneurial integrated systems is also covered, together with the importance of producing a quality chick and piglet at birth/hatching. Finally, the role of management and the need for least cost production is discussed. Nutritional Approaches to Arresting the decline in Fertility of Pigs and Poultry is aimed at nutritionists and animal producers as well as students and researchers studying animal and applied biological sciences.'

'The introduction of a quota system has a large impact on the development of the agricultural sector, the agro-business and individual farms. In April 2004 the Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries entering the EU had to implement a quota system for milk. It requires institution building, setting up administrative procedures, choices of the system, choice of priority groups, handling of butterfat reference, dealing with a national reserve, control aspects, quota transfer, farm management aspects and communication to farmers. All early attention at national levels has been given to the administrative aspects of milk quota systems. Communication to farmers about the system and the effects on farm management is often neglected. This publication hopes to fill this gap and wants to stimulate attention on farm management and extension efforts. It presents an overview of papers from''old''countries and country reports from new EU countries. They all contain information about expected structural changes due to the quota system, effects on farm management, extension needs in this area and challenges in years ahead. Impressions from 7 other CEE non EU countries are also included. This book gives an extensive and unique overview of the dairy situation in the Central and Eastern European countries in the year of the enlargement of the EU and a view into the future in this regard.'

'Throughout the last century, specialisation and intensification were buzz words for farmers in the Western world. However, this approach has not resulted in sustainable development as evidenced by the fact that scientists now need to create technologies to reduce negative impacts. In this book we demonstrate that an alternative exists. Case studies from Bangladesh, Thailand, and Vietnam show that integration and diversification increase both farm productivity and farmers'incomes. By adopting a participatory approach, farmers and scientists identified a range of technologies that strengthen the positive impacts of integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems for the environment. This book is a collection of refereed papers on a controversial subject in agricultural development. Arguing that sustainability of fish culture in ponds needs a new paradigm - feed the pond to grow fish - two chapters focus on nutrient cycling in such systems. Another chapter makes the case for breeding Nile tilapia for resource poor farmers and presents practical options to avoid the pitfalls that arise from natural tilapia mating in low-input ponds. The book contains chapters on livelihood and development aspects and ends with a general discussion completing the picture of the integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems. Overall it composes a review which addresses one of the key issues of the new century: how to sustainably produce food without compromising environmental integrity.'

Leading authorities from wide geographical regions of the globe will review the most up-to-date information in relation to temperate grasslands. Topics covered are: nutritive value of pasture; plant characteristics conducive to high animal intake and performance; modelling of both grass growth and animal production and intake in grazing systems; optimising financial returns from grazing; decision support systems; optimal animal breeds and traits for grazing systems; challenges and opportunities for animal production in the immediate future.In addition, short papers will present the most recent research on the above mentioned topics. One paper will present a comprehensive overview of animal production from pasture in Ireland This book will be of interest to grassland and ruminant production scientists, mathematical modellers working on grazing systems, extension workers, students of agriculture and animal production and progressive livestock farmers.

This Book of Abstracts is the main publication of the 72nd Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). It contains abstracts of the invited papers and contributed presentations of the sessions of EAAP's eleven Commissions: Animal Genetics, Animal Nutrition, Animal Management and Health, Animal Physiology, Cattle Production, Sheep and Goat Production, Pig Production, Horse Production and Livestock Farming Systems, Insects and Precision Livestock Farming.

'Precision Livestock presents the latest scientific results from worldwide research, field studies and practical application. The book contains peer-reviewed papers that were presented at the 1st European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming. The papers focus on physiological identification and monitoring of animals, on farm and in transit, and on the operation of automatic milking systems. Major objectives are secure methods of animal identification for traceability; animal welfare and hygiene. The economic and health effects of implementing precision livestock husbandry are featured in many of them. This first conference was held in parallel with the 4th European Conference on Precision Agriculture - the links between both technologies were drawn and the possible interactions between them were shown for the first time. The potential is to integrate both technologies to encompass the whole farm. Peer-reviewed papers from the Precision Agriculture conference are presented in a companion proceedings, Precision Agriculture.'

Precision Agriculture presents the latest scientific results from worldwide research, field studies and practical application. The book contains peer-reviewed papers that were presented at the 4th European Conference on Precision Agriculture. The papers focus on precision agriculture research containing interdisciplinary site analysis, integrative measures and management strategies as well as on practical applications. The economic and environmental effects of implementing the precision agriculture concept are featured in many of them. The unique feature of the fourth conference was that it was held in parallel with the 1st European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming - the links between both technologies were drawn and the possible interactions between them were shown for the first time. The potential is to integrate both technologies to encompass the whole farm. Peer-reviewed papers from the Precision Livestock conference are presented in a companion proceedings, Precision Livestock Farming.

This Book of Abstracts is the main publication of the 71st Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). It contains abstracts of the invited papers and contributed presentations of the sessions of EAAP's eleven Commissions: Animal Genetics, Animal Nutrition, Animal Management and Health, Animal Physiology, Cattle Production, Sheep and Goat Production, Pig Production, Horse Production and Livestock Farming Systems, Insects and Precision Livestock Farming.

The Definitive Study and Solution to the Centuries-old Mystery of the World's Most Sighted Sea Serpent There is a long history of conflating sightings of unidentified marine objects (UMOs) as purported sea serpents. Most sightings are either of an extremely brief duration or made by a single observer, and thus often easy to dismiss. This is not the case, however, with respect to the so-called Gloucester Sea Serpent which frequented the Massachusetts and New York coasts during the early nineteenth century. Witnessed by hundreds of people for extended periods repeatedly over many days, the Gloucester UMO is the most sighted'sea serpent'in history. As well, due to being the object of study at the time and shortly thereafter by naturalists, the mysterious creature remains the most thoroughly investigated of all putative sea serpents. For these reasons, it has achieved an exalted status among cryptozoologists who maintain it represents the best evidence for the existence of sea serpents. For the first time, an eminently qualified aquatic biologist and ethnozoologist presents the definitive history of the phenomena and carefully examines the evidence. It is concluded that the most parsimonious explanation behind the Gloucester Sea Serpent is as early evidence for what is today recognized as being one of the most serious threats to marine biodiversity: entanglement in fishing gear and other maritime debris. Therefore, although widely considered to be restricted to the advent and widespread use of non-degradable plastic in the middle of the twentieth century, this new interpretation of the Gloucester UMO suggests that entanglement has a much longer environmental history than is commonly believed. Robert L. France is a world-renowned scientist at Dalhousie University and the author or editor of twenty books and two hundred papers on a wide range of environmental subjects. He has undertaken conservation biology research from the High Arctic to the tropics, on organisms from bacteria to whales, which has been cited many thousands of times in the literature. Dr. France is a leading authority on many aspects of aquatic zoology, including marine ecology and ethnozoology, and may be the most qualified person to have recently undertaken research and published peer-reviewed articles on the beguiling and befuddling topic of aquatic mystery animals, known as'cryptids'.

This Book of Abstracts is the main publication of the 69th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). It contains abstracts of the invited papers and contributed presentations of the sessions of EAAP's eleven Commissions: Animal Genetics, Animal Nutrition, Animal Management and Health, Animal Physiology, Cattle Production, Sheep and Goat Production, Pig Production, Horse Production and Livestock Farming Systems, Insects and Precision Livestock Farming.

This book contains over 400 offered papers which were presented at the 63rd International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, held in Cork, Ireland, from 13-18 August, 2017. Under the theme of nurturing locally, growing globally, areas covered in the congress included meat sustainability and the role of the of meat science in a challenging global environment, genetics and genomics, the science of meat quality, technological demands in meat processing from an Asian perspective, international best practice in animal welfare, scientific advances underpinning meat safety, emerging technologies in meat processing, meat science and impact, consumer aspects, meat biochemistry, advancements in meat packaging and the congress ended with a session on meat and health, with focus on sustaining healthy protein sources. This year also included a session dedicated to addressing specific hot topics of importance to the industry and meat scientists. These proceedings reflect the truly global nature of meat research and provide an insight into current research issues for the industry.

This Book of Abstracts is the main publication of the 68th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). It contains abstracts of the invited papers and contributed presentations of the sessions of EAAP's eleven Commissions: Animal Genetics, Animal Nutrition, Animal Management and Health, Animal Physiology, Cattle Production, Sheep and Goat Production, Pig Production, Horse Production and Livestock Farming Systems, Insects and Precision Livestock Farming.