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Een juist management op het legbedrijf kan dierschade bij vangen en vervoer van uitgelegde hennen tegen gaan, zo blijkt uit onderzoek in de winterperiode.

On the North Sea bottom lie numerous pipelines to link oil- or gas offshore drilling units, - platforms and processing stations on land. Although pipeline tubes are coated and covered with protective layers, the pipelines risk being damaged through man-made hazards like anchor dropping and fishing activities with bottom trawls. This study provides, as a proof of concept, a map of fishing intensities in a buffer area around the pipelines that can be used in a GIS application by Fugro to assess risks and advise TAQA Energy B.V. on e.g. additional survey activities. The addition of a fishing intensity layer to the procedure currently applied by Fugro may improve the overall risk assessment for pipeline damages.

On the North Sea bottom lie numerous pipelines to link oil- or gas offshore drilling units, - platforms and processing stations on land. Although pipeline tubes are coated and covered with protective layers, the pipelines risk being damaged through man-made hazards like anchor dropping and fishing activities with bottom trawls. This study provides, as a proof of concept, a map of fishing intensities in a buffer area around the pipelines that can be used in a GIS application by Fugro to assess risks and advise TAQA Energy B.V. on e.g. additional survey activities. The addition of a fishing intensity layer to the procedure currently applied by Fugro may improve the overall risk assessment for pipeline damages.

In wisselwerking tussen onderzoekers, adviseurs en het bedrijfsleven ontstaan vaak waardevolle praktijktips voor de telers. Zo ook in de bloembollenteelt. De aanleiding is vrijwel altijd een vraag vanuit de praktijk. Loonwerkers, adviseurs, toeleveranciers en onderzoekers hebben al diverse vragen aangepakt. Drie voorbeelden geven aan hoe de uitgaven verduurzaming ondersteunen.

Light essentially sustains all life on planet earth surface. Plants transform light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis. Hence, it can be anticipated that extending the daily photoperiod, using artificial light, results in increased plant productivity. Although this premise is true for many plant species, a limit exists. For instance, the seminal work of Arthur et al. (1930) showed that tomato plants develop leaf injuries if exposed to continuous light (CL). Many studies have investigated the physiological mechanism inducing such CL-induced injury. Although important and valuable discoveries were done over the decades, by the time the present project started, a detailed and proven physiological explanation of this disorder was still missing. Here, I present the results of a 5-year effort to better understand the physiological basis of the CL-induced injury in tomato and develop the tools (genetic and conceptual) to cultivate tomatoes under CL. After an exhaustive literature search, it was found that Daskaloff and Ognjanova (1965) reported that wild tomato species are tolerant to CL. Unfortunately, this important finding was ignored by numerous studies done after its publication. Here, we used the CL-tolerance found in wild tomatoes as a fundamental resource. Hence, the specific objectives of this thesis were to (i) better understand the physiological basis of the CL-induced injuries in tomato, (ii) identify the gene(s) responsible for CL-tolerance in wild tomato species, (iii) breed a CL-tolerant tomato line and (iv) use it to cultivate a greenhouse tomato crop under CL. Chapter 1 describes how innovation efforts encountered the unsolved scientific enigma of the injuries that tomato plants develop when exposed to CL. The term CL-induced injury is defined, and a detailed description of the symptoms observed in this disorder is shown. Additionally, an overview of the most important studies, influencing the hypotheses postulated and/or tested in this dissertation, is presented. Finally, a description and motivation of the main questions that this dissertation pursued to answer is presented alongside a short description of the strategy chosen to answer them. Chapter 2 reviews the literature, published over the last 80 years, on CL-induced injury using modern knowledge of plant physiology. By doing so, new hypotheses aiming to explain this disorder are postulated in addition to the ones collected from literature. Additionally, we highlight that CL is an essential tool for understanding the plant circadian clock, but using CL in research has its challenges. For instance, most of the circadian-clock-oriented experiments are performed under CL; consequently, interactions between the circadian clock and the light signalling pathway are overlooked. This chapter is published here. Chapter 3 explores the benefits and challenges of cultivating CL-tolerant tomato under CL. Considering that current commercial tomato varieties need six hours of darkness per day for optimal growth, photosynthesis does not take place during a quarter of the day. Hence, if tomatoes could be grown under CL, a substantial increase in production is anticipated. A simulation study is presented, which shows that if an ideal continuous-light-tolerant tomato genotype is used and no crop adaptations to CL are assumed, greenhouse tomato production could be 26% higher when supplementing light to 24 h day-1 in comparison with a photoperiod (including supplementary lighting) of only 18 h day-1. In addition, the expected changes in greenhouse energy budgets and alterations in crop physiological responses that might arise from cultivating tomatoes under continuous light are discussed. This chapter is published here. Chapter 4 maps the locus conferring CL-tolerance in wild tomatoes to chromosome seven, and shows that its introgression into modern tomato cultivars enhances yield by 20%, when grown under CL. In addition, genetic evidence, RNAseq data, silencing experiments and sequence analysis all point to the type III Light-Harvesting Chlorophyll a/b Binding protein 13 (CAB-13) gene as a major factor responsible for the tolerance. In Arabidopsis thaliana this protein is thought to have a regulatory role in balancing light harvesting by photosystems I and II. The likely mechanisms that link CAB-13 with CL-tolerance are discussed. This chapter is published here. Chapter 5 investigates from which part of the plant CL-tolerance originates and whether this trait acts systemically. By exposing grafted plants bearing both tolerant and sensitive shoots to CL, the trait was functionally located to the shoot rather than the roots. Additionally, an increase in continuous-light tolerance was observed in sensitive plants when a continuous-light-tolerant shoot was grafted on it. Our results show that in order to increase yield in greenhouse tomato production by using CL, the trait should be bred into scion rather than rootstock lines. Chapter 6 discusses the factors that differ between injurious and non-injurious light regimes. Each of these factors may potentially be responsible for triggering the injury in CL-grown tomato and was experimentally tested here. In short, these factors include (i) differences in the light spectral distribution between sunlight and artificial light, (ii) continuous signalling to the photoreceptors, (iii) constant supply of light for photosynthesis, (iv) constant photo-oxidative pressure, and (v) circadian asynchrony — a mismatch between the internal circadian clock frequency and the external light/dark cycles. The evidence presented here suggests that the continuous-light-induced injury does not result from the unnatural spectral distribution of artificial light or the continuity of the light per se. Instead, circadian asynchrony seems to be the factor inducing the injury. As the discovered diurnal fluctuations in photoinhibition sensitivity of tomato seedlings are not under circadian control, it seems that circadian asynchrony does not directly induce injury via photoinhibition as it has been proposed. Chapter 7 investigates a possible role for phytochromes (PHY) in CL-induced injury in tomato. Mutant and transgenic tomato plants lacking or over-expressing phytochromes were exposed to CL, with and without far-red light enrichment, to test the role of individual phytochromes on the induction and/or prevention of injury. PHYA over-expression confers complete tolerance to CL regardless the light spectrum. Under CL with low far-red content, PHYB1 and PHYB2 diminished and enhanced the injury, respectively, yet the effects were small. These results confirm that phytochrome signaling networks are involved in the injury induction under CL. The link between CAB-13 and PHYA is discussed. Chapter 8 investigates the role of carbohydrate accumulation in the induction of CL-induced injury in tomato by using untargeted metabolomics and transcriptomics data. These data reveal a clear effect of CL on sugar metabolism and photosynthesis. A strong negative correlation between sucrose and starch with the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv /Fm) was found across several abnormal light/dark cycles, supporting the hypothesis that carbohydrates play an important role in CL-induced injury. I suggest that CL-induced injury in tomato is caused by a photosynthetic down-regulation showing characteristics of both cytokinin-regulated senescence and light-modulated retrograde signaling. Molecular mechanisms linking carbohydrate accumulation with photosynthetic down-regulation are discussed. Chapter 9 provides a synthesis of the most important findings and proposes a generic model of CL-induced injury in tomato. I propose that CL-induced injury in tomato arises from retrograde signals that counteract signals derived from the cellular developmental program that promote chloroplast development, such that chloroplast development cannot be completed, resulting in the chlorotic phenotype. Finally, perspectives on what future directions to take to further elucidate the physiological basis of this trait and successfully implement it in greenhouses are presented.

Een juist management op het legbedrijf kan dierschade bij vangen en vervoer van uitgelegde hennen tegen gaan, zo blijkt uit onderzoek in de winterperiode.

Light essentially sustains all life on planet earth surface. Plants transform light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis. Hence, it can be anticipated that extending the daily photoperiod, using artificial light, results in increased plant productivity. Although this premise is true for many plant species, a limit exists. For instance, the seminal work of Arthur et al. (1930) showed that tomato plants develop leaf injuries if exposed to continuous light (CL). Many studies have investigated the physiological mechanism inducing such CL-induced injury. Although important and valuable discoveries were done over the decades, by the time the present project started, a detailed and proven physiological explanation of this disorder was still missing. Here, I present the results of a 5-year effort to better understand the physiological basis of the CL-induced injury in tomato and develop the tools (genetic and conceptual) to cultivate tomatoes under CL. After an exhaustive literature search, it was found that Daskaloff and Ognjanova (1965) reported that wild tomato species are tolerant to CL. Unfortunately, this important finding was ignored by numerous studies done after its publication. Here, we used the CL-tolerance found in wild tomatoes as a fundamental resource. Hence, the specific objectives of this thesis were to (i) better understand the physiological basis of the CL-induced injuries in tomato, (ii) identify the gene(s) responsible for CL-tolerance in wild tomato species, (iii) breed a CL-tolerant tomato line and (iv) use it to cultivate a greenhouse tomato crop under CL. Chapter 1 describes how innovation efforts encountered the unsolved scientific enigma of the injuries that tomato plants develop when exposed to CL. The term CL-induced injury is defined, and a detailed description of the symptoms observed in this disorder is shown. Additionally, an overview of the most important studies, influencing the hypotheses postulated and/or tested in this dissertation, is presented. Finally, a description and motivation of the main questions that this dissertation pursued to answer is presented alongside a short description of the strategy chosen to answer them. Chapter 2 reviews the literature, published over the last 80 years, on CL-induced injury using modern knowledge of plant physiology. By doing so, new hypotheses aiming to explain this disorder are postulated in addition to the ones collected from literature. Additionally, we highlight that CL is an essential tool for understanding the plant circadian clock, but using CL in research has its challenges. For instance, most of the circadian-clock-oriented experiments are performed under CL; consequently, interactions between the circadian clock and the light signalling pathway are overlooked. This chapter is published here. Chapter 3 explores the benefits and challenges of cultivating CL-tolerant tomato under CL. Considering that current commercial tomato varieties need six hours of darkness per day for optimal growth, photosynthesis does not take place during a quarter of the day. Hence, if tomatoes could be grown under CL, a substantial increase in production is anticipated. A simulation study is presented, which shows that if an ideal continuous-light-tolerant tomato genotype is used and no crop adaptations to CL are assumed, greenhouse tomato production could be 26% higher when supplementing light to 24 h day-1 in comparison with a photoperiod (including supplementary lighting) of only 18 h day-1. In addition, the expected changes in greenhouse energy budgets and alterations in crop physiological responses that might arise from cultivating tomatoes under continuous light are discussed. This chapter is published here. Chapter 4 maps the locus conferring CL-tolerance in wild tomatoes to chromosome seven, and shows that its introgression into modern tomato cultivars enhances yield by 20%, when grown under CL. In addition, genetic evidence, RNAseq data, silencing experiments and sequence analysis all point to the type III Light-Harvesting Chlorophyll a/b Binding protein 13 (CAB-13) gene as a major factor responsible for the tolerance. In Arabidopsis thaliana this protein is thought to have a regulatory role in balancing light harvesting by photosystems I and II. The likely mechanisms that link CAB-13 with CL-tolerance are discussed. This chapter is published here. Chapter 5 investigates from which part of the plant CL-tolerance originates and whether this trait acts systemically. By exposing grafted plants bearing both tolerant and sensitive shoots to CL, the trait was functionally located to the shoot rather than the roots. Additionally, an increase in continuous-light tolerance was observed in sensitive plants when a continuous-light-tolerant shoot was grafted on it. Our results show that in order to increase yield in greenhouse tomato production by using CL, the trait should be bred into scion rather than rootstock lines. Chapter 6 discusses the factors that differ between injurious and non-injurious light regimes. Each of these factors may potentially be responsible for triggering the injury in CL-grown tomato and was experimentally tested here. In short, these factors include (i) differences in the light spectral distribution between sunlight and artificial light, (ii) continuous signalling to the photoreceptors, (iii) constant supply of light for photosynthesis, (iv) constant photo-oxidative pressure, and (v) circadian asynchrony — a mismatch between the internal circadian clock frequency and the external light/dark cycles. The evidence presented here suggests that the continuous-light-induced injury does not result from the unnatural spectral distribution of artificial light or the continuity of the light per se. Instead, circadian asynchrony seems to be the factor inducing the injury. As the discovered diurnal fluctuations in photoinhibition sensitivity of tomato seedlings are not under circadian control, it seems that circadian asynchrony does not directly induce injury via photoinhibition as it has been proposed. Chapter 7 investigates a possible role for phytochromes (PHY) in CL-induced injury in tomato. Mutant and transgenic tomato plants lacking or over-expressing phytochromes were exposed to CL, with and without far-red light enrichment, to test the role of individual phytochromes on the induction and/or prevention of injury. PHYA over-expression confers complete tolerance to CL regardless the light spectrum. Under CL with low far-red content, PHYB1 and PHYB2 diminished and enhanced the injury, respectively, yet the effects were small. These results confirm that phytochrome signaling networks are involved in the injury induction under CL. The link between CAB-13 and PHYA is discussed. Chapter 8 investigates the role of carbohydrate accumulation in the induction of CL-induced injury in tomato by using untargeted metabolomics and transcriptomics data. These data reveal a clear effect of CL on sugar metabolism and photosynthesis. A strong negative correlation between sucrose and starch with the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv /Fm) was found across several abnormal light/dark cycles, supporting the hypothesis that carbohydrates play an important role in CL-induced injury. I suggest that CL-induced injury in tomato is caused by a photosynthetic down-regulation showing characteristics of both cytokinin-regulated senescence and light-modulated retrograde signaling. Molecular mechanisms linking carbohydrate accumulation with photosynthetic down-regulation are discussed. Chapter 9 provides a synthesis of the most important findings and proposes a generic model of CL-induced injury in tomato. I propose that CL-induced injury in tomato arises from retrograde signals that counteract signals derived from the cellular developmental program that promote chloroplast development, such that chloroplast development cannot be completed, resulting in the chlorotic phenotype. Finally, perspectives on what future directions to take to further elucidate the physiological basis of this trait and successfully implement it in greenhouses are presented.

Jaarlijks spoelen in Nederland honderden bruinvissen dood aan op de kust. Onderzoek heeft laten zien dat “scherp trauma" (snij- en rijtwonden, amputaties) veelvuldig voorkomt. Vanaf 2005 hadden gemiddeld 14.4% van de gestrande bruinvissen scherp trauma, met uitschieters tot 20.5% in 2012 en 21.4% in 2010. Veel gevallen van scherp trauma worden gemeld van de kop van Goeree, in de eerste maanden van het jaar. Dieren worden hier vaak ernstig verminkt, maar in verse toestand gevonden. Dit doet vermoeden dat deze dieren vlak onder de kust gewond zijn geraakt. De eerste verminkte bruinvissen werden rond Ouddorp opgemerkt in 2006 (Leopold & Camphuysen 2006) en zijn sindsdien jaarlijks gevonden, al waren er in 2011 opvallend weinig in vergelijking met andere jaren. De aantallen lagen in 2012 en 2013 fors hoger dan in eerdere jaren.

In this experiment a toal of 83 adult cod were exposed, 53 specimen were exposed at 60 V and 30 specimen twice above the maximum commercially applied amplitude (120 V). In 5 cases vertebral injuries occurred of which 4 at 120 V and a single one at 60 V. When the type of stimulus is taken in account this single injury at 60 V amplitude represents an injury rate of 4.5 % of 22 exposed fish and 13% at 120 V (4 oout 30 specimen). Despite the same electrical parameters were set, none of the 21 fish exposed to the ILVO pulse generator was injured. All injuries occurred using the Delmeco TX68 pulse shape.

In this experiment a toal of 83 adult cod were exposed, 53 specimen were exposed at 60 V and 30 specimen twice above the maximum commercially applied amplitude (120 V). In 5 cases vertebral injuries occurred of which 4 at 120 V and a single one at 60 V. When the type of stimulus is taken in account this single injury at 60 V amplitude represents an injury rate of 4.5 % of 22 exposed fish and 13% at 120 V (4 oout 30 specimen). Despite the same electrical parameters were set, none of the 21 fish exposed to the ILVO pulse generator was injured. All injuries occurred using the Delmeco TX68 pulse shape.

Jaarlijks spoelen in Nederland honderden bruinvissen dood aan op de kust. Onderzoek heeft laten zien dat “scherp trauma" (snij- en rijtwonden, amputaties) veelvuldig voorkomt. Vanaf 2005 hadden gemiddeld 14.4% van de gestrande bruinvissen scherp trauma, met uitschieters tot 20.5% in 2012 en 21.4% in 2010. Veel gevallen van scherp trauma worden gemeld van de kop van Goeree, in de eerste maanden van het jaar. Dieren worden hier vaak ernstig verminkt, maar in verse toestand gevonden. Dit doet vermoeden dat deze dieren vlak onder de kust gewond zijn geraakt. De eerste verminkte bruinvissen werden rond Ouddorp opgemerkt in 2006 (Leopold & Camphuysen 2006) en zijn sindsdien jaarlijks gevonden, al waren er in 2011 opvallend weinig in vergelijking met andere jaren. De aantallen lagen in 2012 en 2013 fors hoger dan in eerdere jaren.

Sinds 2000 komt in Duitsland en België ernstige beukensterfte voor; vorig jaar werd bij Heeze in Noord-Brabant ook een grote sterfteplek gevonden. Beschrijving van achtergronden en mogelijk van invloed zijnde factoren (o.a. klimatologisch), symptomen en schadebeelden, en het optreden van secundaire schadelijke insecten en schimmels. Nieuw is dat secundaire kevers op grote schaal gezond lijkende bomen aantasten

In wisselwerking tussen onderzoekers, adviseurs en het bedrijfsleven ontstaan vaak waardevolle praktijktips voor de telers. Zo ook in de bloembollenteelt. De aanleiding is vrijwel altijd een vraag vanuit de praktijk. Loonwerkers, adviseurs, toeleveranciers en onderzoekers hebben al diverse vragen aangepakt. Drie voorbeelden geven aan hoe de uitgaven verduurzaming ondersteunen.

In opdracht van Rijkswaterstaat wordt door meerdere onderzoeksinstellingen onderzoek gedaan naar de passeerbaarheid van het gemaal in het Noordzeekanaal bij IJmuiden en vermindering van visschade door aangepaste gemaalregimes. In deze rapportage wordt het gedrag van schieraal bij het krooshek voor het gemaal gepresenteerd, wat gemeten is met behulp van de akoestische camera DIDSON. DIDSON staat voor 'Dual frequency IDentification SONar' en is een hoge resolutie sonar die akoestiek (geluid) gebruikt om akoestische beelden te maken met veel meer detail dan de conventionele sonars.

In opdracht van Rijkswaterstaat wordt door meerdere onderzoeksinstellingen onderzoek gedaan naar de passeerbaarheid van het gemaal in het Noordzeekanaal bij IJmuiden en vermindering van visschade door aangepaste gemaalregimes. In deze rapportage wordt het gedrag van schieraal bij het krooshek voor het gemaal gepresenteerd, wat gemeten is met behulp van de akoestische camera DIDSON. DIDSON staat voor 'Dual frequency IDentification SONar' en is een hoge resolutie sonar die akoestiek (geluid) gebruikt om akoestische beelden te maken met veel meer detail dan de conventionele sonars.

On-farm euthanasia of sick and/or injured animals is a problem. A literature survey reveals several authorized methods of euthanasia. These methods were evaluated on criteria as animal welfare, effectiveness, efficiency and aesthetics of operation. Euthanasie van wrakke dieren op het primair bedrijf is een probleem. Middels een literatuurstudie is een aantal euthanasiemethoden geïnventariseerd en geëvalueerd op de criteria dierenwelzijn, effectiviteit, efficiëntie en emotionele aspecten, vanuit de uitvoerder.

Na de extreem zware hagel van 22 juni 2008 is op de proeftuin van PPO in Randwijk een aantal proeven gestart, met als doel vervolgschade aan de zwaar beschadigde bomen zoveel mogelijk te voorkomen. In 2009 lijkt de vervolgschade zowel bij PPO in Randwijk als bij andere getroffen telers mee te vallen. Wat zijn de effecten van de diverse maatregelen?

De uitwendige kwaliteit van in Nederland geteelde tafelaardappelen schiet vaak te kort. Een van de oorzaken is aantasting van de schil door zwarte spikkel. Problemen zouden voorkomen kunnen worden als, met de schimmel Collotrichem coccodes (Cc), besmette percelen tijdig vastgesteld kunnen worden en vervolgens voor de teelt van tafelaardappelen kunnen worden gemeden of met een gerichte maatregel kunnen worden behandeld. In Groot Brittannië is een toets ontwikkeld voor de aanwezigheid van Cc. De toepassing van deze toets voor Nederland is in dit project onderzocht. De bodemtest op aanwezigheid van Colletotrichum coccodes, de veroorzaker van zwarte spikkel, wordt momenteel door de British Potato Council geadviseerd

Beschadigingen aan hyacenten die ontstaan tijdens de oogst en verwerking kunnen de teler veel geld kosten en uiteindelijk ook het imago van de hyacint negatief beïnvloeden. Een innovatienetwerkgroep van vijf telers werkte samen met diverse partijen om ne te gaan wat er aan beschadiging is te doen

De uitwendige kwaliteit van in Nederland geteelde tafelaardappelen schiet vaak te kort. Een van de oorzaken is aantasting van de schil door zwarte spikkel. Problemen zouden voorkomen kunnen worden als, met de schimmel Collotrichem coccodes (Cc), besmette percelen tijdig vastgesteld kunnen worden en vervolgens voor de teelt van tafelaardappelen kunnen worden gemeden of met een gerichte maatregel kunnen worden behandeld. In Groot Brittannië is een toets ontwikkeld voor de aanwezigheid van Cc. De toepassing van deze toets voor Nederland is in dit project onderzocht. De bodemtest op aanwezigheid van Colletotrichum coccodes, de veroorzaker van zwarte spikkel, wordt momenteel door de British Potato Council geadviseerd

On-farm euthanasia of sick and/or injured animals is a problem. A literature survey reveals several authorized methods of euthanasia. These methods were evaluated on criteria as animal welfare, effectiveness, efficiency and aesthetics of operation.

De Schade Check is een hulpmiddel waarmee nagegaan kan worden waar tijdens de verwerking schade aan de bollen ontstaat. Door monsters te nemen op verschillende momenten tijdens de verwerking wordt zichtbaar waar de bollen het meest beschadigen. Met tips om beschadiging te voorkomen

De Schade Check is een hulpmiddel waarmee nagegaan kan worden waar tijdens de verwerking schade aan de bollen ontstaat. Door monsters te nemen op verschillende momenten tijdens de verwerking wordt zichtbaar waar de bollen het meest beschadigen. Met tips om beschadiging te voorkomen

Het toepassen van het Ingrepenbesluit bij hanen (niet kammen dubben, niet tenen knippen en niet sporen branden) heeft nadelig effect op (paar)gedrag en technische resultaten (bevruchting) en zorgt voor beschadiging bij hennen en hanen. Dit blijkt uit onderzoek van ASG bij vaccindieren

In het kader van het Agrobiokon-programma is onderzoek gedaan naar de mate van gevoeligheid van rassen voor (rooi)beschadiging met als doelen: het vastellen van verschillen tussen rassen in de mate van gevoeligheid voor onderhuidse (rooi)beschadiging, het kwantificeren van de relatie tussen de gemeten waarden van de elektronische aardappel (PTR-200) en de mate van onderhuidse rooibeschadiging (PPO-beschadigingsindex, het vaststellen van de relatie tussen de PPO-beschadigingsindex en de rassenlijstcijfers voor beschadigingsgevoeligheid; bij voldoende consistentie in bovengenoemde relaties datasets voorbereiden voor gebruik in en verbetering van Optirob, een door Agrobiokon ontwikkelde rekenmodule die prognoses voor bewaarverliezen geeft.

In het kader van het Agrobiokon-programma is onderzoek gedaan naar de mate van gevoeligheid van rassen voor (rooi)beschadiging met als doelen: het vastellen van verschillen tussen rassen in de mate van gevoeligheid voor onderhuidse (rooi)beschadiging, het kwantificeren van de relatie tussen de gemeten waarden van de elektronische aardappel (PTR-200) en de mate van onderhuidse rooibeschadiging (PPO-beschadigingsindex, het vaststellen van de relatie tussen de PPO-beschadigingsindex en de rassenlijstcijfers voor beschadigingsgevoeligheid; bij voldoende consistentie in bovengenoemde relaties datasets voorbereiden voor gebruik in en verbetering van Optirob, een door Agrobiokon ontwikkelde rekenmodule die prognoses voor bewaarverliezen geeft.

Het Praktijkonderzoek van de Animal Sciences Group van Wageningen UR heeft een kortlopend onderzoek (van 0-10 weken leeftijd) gedaan naar het effect van verschillende gehaltes in het voer op de kwaliteit van het verenkleed bij opfokvleeskuikenouderdieren.