Technology & Engineering

This chapter reviews the benefits and use of cover crops in no-till (NT) cultivation systems such as Conservation Agriculture (CA) in order to control undesirable plants (‘weeds’) in different annual crop production systems, whilst minimizing the use of herbicides. It begins by situating use of cover crops in the broader context of improving soil health. The chapter then reviews current research on the mechanisms of action deployed by cover crops in weed suppression. Finally, it discusses the range of CA-based weed management practices for annual crops using cover crops, including characteristics of particular cover crops and cover crop mixes as well as a range of examples of the ways they can be combined with cash crops.

This chapter reviews ways of optimising use of ground cover in perennial cultivation for weed control. It reviews the multiple roles of ground cover in perennial systems and ways of selecting between different types of ground cover (non-selected or select spontaneous plants; sown grass, legume or cruciferous species; or use of pruning residues). The chapter then looks at overall techniques for combined weed and ground cover management.

This chapter extensively explores the intricate dynamics of weed communities within the framework of Conservation Agriculture (CA). A review of weed density, shifts in species, and seedbank dynamics under CA reveals the challenges inherent in this agricultural system. The chapter underscores the implications for ecological weed management, critically assessing the efficacy of the main CA pillars, i.e. minimum soil disturbance, diversified crop rotations, and cover cropping in mitigating weed pressure. Key strategies, such as ecological management of weed-crop competition and oversight of the seedbank and soil nutrients, are examined in-depth. While acknowledging the merits of CA, the chapter addresses challenges, including increase in weed abundance, shifts in weed diversity, and introduction of invasive species. The conclusion of the chapter directs attention to understanding the vulnerabilities of weeds within the CA system and proposes management practices to effectively address these challenges.

Conservation agriculture (CA) appears as a promising agricultural pathway to achieve multiperformance but is currently questioned due to its reliance on herbicides for weed management, especially glyphosate. One limit in the development of CA-based agroecological cropping system less reliant on herbicide use is the strict definition of CA based on technical means (i.e. the three principles) rather than targeted objectives. In this chapter, the authors mobilize research carried out on experimental stations (e.g. CA-SYS platform) and farmer networks (e.g. French DEPHY-farm network) to synthesize knowledge on how herbicide-free no-till agriculture could be achieved. They provide insights on the multiperformance of herbicide-free and nature-based CA systems compared to reference CA systems. Designing cover crops to ensure growth in a context of unpredictable weather conditions and facilitate mechanical termination, and ensuring crop establishment in absence of tillage and herbicides represent major research avenues for the development of pesticide-free CA systems.

In this concluding chapter, several testimonies of farmers about their experiences regarding weed management after the shift to CA are presented to emphasize the importance of practitioners' views when profound changes in farming methods are needed. The testimonies comprise different agroecologies and farming systems: two in Europe, one in the Atlantic Central region (Denmark) and the other in the Mediterranean South (Spain), both working in annual cropping systems; two in Brazil, one in the Cerrado biome of the Bahia state in the Northeast, dedicated to annual broadacre crops, and the other in the South, in the Santa Catarina state, with a temperate but hot summer climate, specialized in horticultural crops. Finally, a farmer from the cold semi-arid Canadian prairies, cropping cereals, oilseed rape, and pulses.

This chapter describes cultivation of vegetables using the no-tillage cultivation system developed in Brazil (SPDH+: Sistema de Plantio Direto de Hortaliças). Based on agroecological principles, this allows more sustainable cultivation of vegetables without reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The SPDH+ system is based on a holistic approach which combines vegetable cultivation with green soil cover, combining planted species with spontaneous plant growth. The chapter describes both underpinning principles and practical implementation with case studies.

Organic conservation agriculture can potentially contribute to meeting many urgent technical and environmental issues related to agricultural soil degradation; however, its uptake has been so far quite limited. After having shed some light on the similarities and differences between (organic) conservation agriculture and the emerging concept of (organic) regenerative agriculture, the authors tackle the problem of weed management in such systems, which is one of the major technical barriers against adoption. The weed management challenges posed by organic conservation/regenerative systems can best be tackled through cropping system diversification. In this respect, cover crops/dead mulches and intercrops/living mulches appear as interesting practices to improve weed suppression. They highlight the key theoretical and practical key issues linked to the efficiency and optimisation of such practices, and provide some examples of success stories. Finally, they present some opportunities, challenges and future perspectives of weed management in organic conservation and regenerative systems.

The pursuit of sustainable agriculture has elevated the importance of Conservation Agriculture (CA) systems, which emphasize minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and maximum biodiversity/crop rotations. Traditional weed control methods, often reliant on chemical herbicides, face increasing scrutiny due to environmental and health concerns. Thermal weed control offers a potential alternative strategy. In this chapter, the various thermal weed control techniques—such as flaming, electrical weed control, hot water or steam treatments, and laser technology— are explored and their efficacy, energy consumption, and impact on soil health and crop safety are evaluated. The findings highlight the effectiveness of thermal methods on young, small weeds and the need for advancements in selective targeting to prevent damage to crops and minimize the risk of fire. The integration of these methods with precision agriculture technologies (such as drones and AI) could revolutionize weed management while adhering to CA principles.

Allelopathy involves release of chemicals from plant roots that can inhibit or promote the growth of other organisms. Allelopathic interactions can be exploited to control weeds in agroecosystems. Conservation Agriculture (CA) characterized by minimum tillage, soil cover, and diversified crop rotation, provides a potentially promising habitat for weeds, making weed control a major challenge for CA systems. Allelopathy can offer an eco-friendly weed management option. This chapter discusses different allopathic strategies to overcome weed challenges in CA. These strategies include mulching, crop rotation, intercropping, cover crops, the application of natural allopathic extracts, and the development and use of crop varieties with weed-suppressive abilities.

Conservation agriculture has received increasing interest worldwide as a cropping system addressing the future challenge of feeding an increasing world population while minimizing the negative environmental and climate impacts of agriculture and preserving soil fertility. There is an ongoing discussion whether conservation agriculture, adopting all three principles, will exacerbate problems with weeds and hence increases the need for weed control including herbicides but in practice synthetic herbicides are an integral part of a conservation agriculture cropping system. The primary concerns associated with herbicide performance in conservation agriculture are 1) the higher content of organic matter in the uppermost soil layer that may reduce the efficacy of residual herbicides and 2) the occurrence of crop residues on the soil surface that may intercept herbicide reducing deposition on the soil and weeds. This chapter will address these concerns but also discuss some recent developments in conservation agriculture that could influence herbicide use.

We have available a relatively rich arsenal of platforms (satellites, airplanes, UAVs, combines, ATVs), sensors and image processing procedures to detect weeds at various spatial and temporal scales. Up to now these technologies have been mainly used for map-based targeted herbicide spraying, improving the efficiency of this operation. In addition, they have been used for map-based mechanical weeding tools, facilitating the replacement of herbicide interventions. In the future, weed scouting may be used in the development of other low environmentally impacting interventions (competitive varieties, improved rotations ant tillage practices). In addition, it may be used in the redesign of weed management systems, facilitating collaborative research, providing new agroecological knowledge and improved cropping systems and allowing an automatic assessment of the impact of control activities.

Weeds pose significant challenges limiting productivity and profitability in agricultural production systems. Properly managing these plants is fundamental in developing Conservation Agriculture systems, and incorporating ecological concepts must base a weed management program. Cultural practices that allow more space occupation by cultivated plants and limit the development of weeds are discussed. Crop rotation, cover crops, and permanent soil cover are essential practices in Conservation Agriculture systems. The effect of these practices on weed seed bank, space occupation, competition for resources, and weed population density are also discussed. Case studies exemplify the theoretical concepts.

This chapter assesses the often unrecognized and undervalued contribution made by women to (primarily smallholder) farming in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It reviews the range of challenges they face in securing a fair, safe and rewarding livelihood from agriculture. The chapter also assesses a broad range of potential solutions to address these challenges.

Antibiotics, which are extensively used to treat or prevent microbial diseases in animals and humans, can pose significant environmental risks when they enter soil ecosystems. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the pathways through which antibiotics reach the soil, the processes that influence their fate within the soil, and the techniques and efforts used to predict their behavior and fate. It also offers insights from specific case studies and discusses future research directions to address environmental challenges. The findings emphasize the importance of understanding antibiotic interactions with soil components under specific environmental conditions. Finally, this chapter emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary approaches and collaborative efforts among scientists, policymakers, and agricultural practitioners to develop strategies for managing antibiotic residues in the environment and mitigating potential negative impacts.

In the highlands of Southeast Asia, agriculture is deeply embedded in sociocultural organizations in the society, where safety nets and reciprocal support are established through women’s unpaid labor contribution to farming. However, many research frameworks employed in agricultural research tend to focus on crops and their economic value. As a result, women’s contribution to and constraints on agriculture associated to sociocultural value is not fully explored, reinforcing gender inequality in knowledge production in agricultural scholarship.

Drawing on feminist approaches to political economy, this chapter explores women’s unpaid labor contribution to agriculture through a case study on ethnic Thai young married couples in Northern Vietnam. The authors' findings show that women’s unpaid labor contribution to agriculture is vital to sustain safety nets and receive reciprocal support from kin, compensating precarious off-farm economic activities performed by men. Ethnic minority women need to be positioned as key actors for agricultural development in Asia.

This chapter reviews the main characteristics of grasslands in mountain areas. The challenges for grassland farming are mainly related to topographic features and to productive and socioeconomical issues. These challenges strongly limit management options, which often leave grasslands as the only possible agricultural land use and livestock farming as the only option for food production. Mountain grasslands acquire a special relevance as a source of ecosystem services, which do not peak at the same level of management intensity. For this reason, priorities need to be set and/or compromises be accepted in view of the numerous trade-offs. The effects of climate change, being expected to affect mountain areas more than other ecosystems, is as a major challenge in the near future due to increasing uncertainty of forage production and species composition. Moreover, the interaction with predators needs strategies to allow the co-existence of agriculture and wildlife.

Interactions among plants, soils, and animals in grazed grasslands affect ecosystem functions, including nutrient cycling. Focusing on grazed grasslands in temperate environments, this chapter describes nutrient pools and fluxes, grassland management practices that enhance nutrient cycling efficiency, and soil fauna and nitrification inhibitor effects on nutrient cycling. Nutrient cycling efficiency is enhanced by grassland management that sustains pasture cover, reduces heterogeneity of dung and urine deposition, and increases legume adoption as an alternative to N fertilizer. Efficiency is also increased through presence of earthworms, dung beetles, and beneficial microbial communities, while the use of chemical and biological nitrification inhibitors shows increasing promise for reducing nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions.

The health of soils is at stake due to climate change and unsustainable management practices, thus maintaining soil health has become an existential task for humanity. In this chapter, the authors show that cropland agroforestry strongly promotes the biological components of soil health. This includes enhanced population densities and activities of soil microorganisms and fauna, as well as increased diversity of soil fauna under agroforestry systems as compared to open croplands. They argue that land-use change from open cropland to alley cropping and shelterbelt systems provides substantial environmental benefits that outperform those of many sustainable agricultural management practices. Still, sustainable management practices can be applied in the crop component of cropland agroforestry, offering additional benefits. Overall, agroforestry can make major contributions to restoring, improving, and maintaining soil health as well as to the agroecological transition of agriculture. Therefore, agroforestry should be promoted as a priority land-use system.

In chapter the authors explore the opportunity that natural capital accounting provides to address this challenge. Natural capital accounting recognises agroforestry systems as assets and provides a pathway to the quantification and valuation of the benefits associated with agroforestry. This chapter demonstrates the application of natural capital accounting to the quantification and valuation of the ecosystem services associated with agroforestry systems of temperate agricultural enterprises. The authors show how existing accounting practices can be extended to include the farms natural capital, enabling a better understanding the of the contributions of nature to the farms production system.

This book chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution and advances in soil viromics, highlighting key methodologies, such as metagenomics, dsRNA extraction, and virus-like particle extraction, and their contributions to understanding soil viral diversity. It explores the intricate interactions between soil viruses and environmental factors, including soil pH, temperature, moisture content, and organic matter, and their influence on microbial dynamics and ecosystem functions. Readers will also gain insights into the functions of soil viruses, particularly bacteriophages, in regulating microbial populations, nutrient cycling processes, and soil carbon dynamics. The chapter underlines the importance of soil virology in informing sustainable practices, ecological stewardship efforts, and advances in various scientific fields, offering a deeper understanding of the hidden viral world beneath our feet and its implications for soil health and ecosystem sustainability.

The soil microbiome is essential for ecosystem health, supporting functions like nutrient cycling and decomposition. However, human-induced land-use changes, such as deforestation and intensive agriculture, disrupt this delicate balance, impacting microbial diversity and functionality. These alterations have cascading effects on ecosystem functions, agricultural productivity, and global carbon cycling. Understanding these relationships is crucial given the widespread land degradation occurring worldwide. Urgent action is needed to implement sustainable land management practices, including conservation, reforestation, and regenerative agriculture, to mitigate land degradation and restore ecosystems. In this chapter, we explore examples elucidating the impact of land-use alterations on the composition and functionality of soil microbiomes, with a specific emphasis on diverse biomes within Brazil.

Understanding the soil microbiomes function is critical for the sustainable provision of food and fibre and the prevention of undesirable environmental impacts. Nitrogen, an essential element for agricultural production, is cycled through the soil-plant continuum by the soil microbiome. Discrete compartments within the soil, including the rhizosphere and detritusphere, function as hotspots for N cycling. Nitrogen cycling in the rhizosphere is affected by fertiliser use, tillage and plant selection. The rhizosphere offers an opportunity for plant-based management of N cycling via the use of tools such as biological nitrification inhibitors. The detritusphere is recognised as an equally important zone of N cycling, partially due to its effect on denitrification and greenhouse gas emission. Understanding of N cycling within mineral-associated organic matter has increased but will continue to be an important research topic along with the effects of viruses on microbial turnover and associated impacts on nutrient cycling.

Soil is an essential part in every terrestrial ecosystem and soil microbes are contributing to several ecosystem functions. Different abiotic and biotic factors impact soil microbiomes and a disturbance of soil microbial communities can have severe consequences for soil health and its ecosystem functions. In this chapter the authors discuss different abiotic stressors related to climatic conditions and agricultural land use and their effects on soil microbial diversity. They highlight the role of soil microbiomes in ecosystem functioning represented by the interaction with plants resulting in plant growth promotion and higher stress tolerance. Soil microbiomes and their ecosystem functions play a pivotal role for a healthy environment and with that for healthy humans and animals within the framework of the One Health concept. To understand this role of soil microbiomes, they present experimental setups to investigate ecosystem services and functions in natural systems or in a lab environment.

This chapter explores the advances in understanding the role of soil microbiomes in carbon cycling in soil. The author begins by reviewing the contributions of bacterial and fungal necromass to soil carbon, and the roles of soil microbial biomass in carbon cycling. Here, he describes how soil microbiomes regulate carbon cycling through both catabolic and anabolic processes, modulated by metabolic properties and processes such as life history strategy, carbon use efficiency, and priming. The author then turns his attention to how the role of soil microbiomes in soil carbon cycling can be modelled, how these models represent our best conceptual understanding of the structure of the system, and the ways that quantitative predictions are improved by explicitly including the functional traits of the soil microbiome and its activities. Lastly, the author provides a case study of soil microbiomes as an indicator of biological soil health.

The physical environment of soil is characterized by a number of macro- and microscale physical properties that control the heterogenous distribution of microbes, as well as water, air and chemicals within the soil matrix. Heterogeneity occurs at any spatial scale; yet among the most important are soil particles, aggregates and pores. These microscale properties are within the immediate range of microbial influences and connect to macroscale metrics, such as bulk density and porosity to assess soil health and sustainability. This chapter provides a predictive understanding of the physical environment of soil in modulating the soil microbiome. It also delineates mechanic modes underlying how the soil physical environment regulates the microbiome and reviews some trends between the soil microbiota and physical properties. Scalable fine spatial-scale microbial interactions and functions, as well as future perspectives, are also discussed.

This chapter highlights the varied roles that root-associated soil fungi play in agricultural ecosystems. The authors begin by describing the relationship between fungi with plants before detailing the beneficial, antagonistic, and dynamic interactions between the two. Next they present an overview of methods for detection, identification, and analysis of communities of root-associated fungi. The authors then explore two crop root mycobiomes case studies: root and rhizosphere mycobiomes in corn and winter wheat, and the use of fungi isolated from high-yielding soil to improve crop performance in low-yielding soils. Finally, they examine the methodological considerations for the use of barcoding gene regions and sequencing platforms for fungal metabarcoding.

This chapter explores the dynamics of rhizosphere microbiomes, focusing on their composition and functional aspects. It evaluates host-specific selection, plant species, genotypes, domestication, and agricultural ecosystem management practices. The chapter also investigates the legacy of plant developmental stages and root architecture on microbiome assembly and functions. Moreover, it highlights the selective pressure on the rhizosphere microbiome for plant nutrition and health, focusing on factors driving soil-root-plant interactions. Finally, the chapter also discusses challenges in manipulating functional microbiomes and proposes methods to address these gaps.

The soil microbiome has the potential to protect crop plants from biotic stress caused by pests and pathogens. Studies have, for example, shown the role of root exudates in recruiting and enriching beneficial bacteria to protect against pathogens and pests, paving the way for developing strategies for microbiome engineering. However, due to the complex and dynamic nature of soil microbiomes, designing microbiome-focused crop protection strategies remains a challenge. This chapter reviews different interactions between the microbiome components, microbe-induced plant-defense-response mechanisms, and strategies for engineering the soil microbiome to protect crop plants against pests and pathogens.

This review aims to demonstrate the influence of farming systems on biological indicators that are relevant to soil health. Empirical data from published studies informs the hypothetical model that soil health outcomes are related to more diverse cropping systems, coupled with high inputs of organic amendments and less frequent and shallow tillage, due to the ability of such practices to promote soil organic carbon accumulation. This view is supported by the fact that conservation agriculture promotes soil health under diverse climatic conditions.

Agricultural productivity varies frequently as a result of environmental changes. Abiotic stresses, such as nutrient deficiencies, drought, salinity, flooding, high temperature, heavy metal toxicities, and oxidative stress, cause irretrievable damage, resulting in plant growth and yield loss. The relationship between plants and microbiomes is a highly dynamic system. The plant microbiome consists of symbiotic and free-living plant growth-promoting bacteria and fungi. In the last era, many microbes that give hosts the ability to withstand abiotic stresses have been well-studied. Their beneficial association with plants allows the plant to endure different abiotic stresses imposed on it, thereby enhancing its sustainable productivity. For sustenance, it is crucial to comprehend microbiome-assisted mechanisms for extenuating abiotic stresses. This chapter reviews the wealth of knowledge on the roles of various microorganisms in mitigating abiotic stresses, focussing largely on drought stress.

Soil metaproteomic, the protein profile of a sample, gives both taxonomical and functional information and has the potential to improve knowledge of mechanisms underlying the important ecosystem services by soil. This chapter aims to discuss the challenges facing protein extraction from soil, their purification, determination and assignment to available databases. The authors begin by outlining the top-down and bottom-up methods in soil metaproteomics, and their benefits and shortcomings. They then review soil protein extraction techniques, and demonstrate that protein profiles depend on the extraction method used but the number of extracted proteins is much lower than those expressed by the active soil microbiome. The authors then discuss the challenge that the large number of expressed proteins and varieties of proteins in the soil matric pose to soil metaproteomics. Finally, they explore the metaproteomics of specific microorganisms inoculated into a model soil.

The improved detection methods have led to a better understanding of the diversity and ecological functions of Actinobacteria. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive review of recent findings on soil Actinobacteria, with a focus on their classification, genetics/characteristics, what we know and don’t know about the diversity and ecological functions, factors affecting distribution/abundance in soil, interactions within soil microbiomes, implications for optimizing their contribution to soil health, and where next for research.

Fertility of the swine breeding is high when considering measures for estrus, farrowing and litter sizes. The success in reproduction is a result of an array of factors that involve genetics, health, environment, and reproductive technologies. The population of females in the breeding herd is managed to optimize parity, sow retention, and gilt replacement. Key elements to fertility include selection and management of gilts for early puberty and managing body condition in gestating sows to optimize feed intake during lactation. Artificial insemination technologies are evolving to facilitate gene transfer from high indexing sires through use of lower number of sperm per litter produced. Changes in breeding herd size, housing systems, labor, and litter size, place emphasis on efficiency and throughput. In these intense systems, infertility can create issues in animal flow throughout the production chain and management will need to anticipate and adapt to prevent these problems in the future.

To meet the food demand of the growing population, there's a need to increase the amount of protein produced from animals. Pork is the second largest contributor of global meat consumption. Identifying ways to increase the efficiency of pig production is pivotal to meeting the US and global demand for nutrients and maintaining resilient supply chains. Genome editing technology can accelerate genetic improvements by introgressing novel traits, decreasing the number of generations required to incorporate the desired allele(s), providing solutions to animal welfare concerns, maximizing nutrient yield, and reducing the use of resources. The technology provides scientists a tool to incorporate multiple genetic traits into a line of livestock species or introduce novel traits. This review highlights the methods for generating genetically engineered pigs beginning with the production of embryos and ending with techniques for performing the genetic modifications. Available swine models designed to benefit production agriculture are highlighted.

This chapter summarizes the basic physiology of porcine female reproduction, including: ovarian structure and function, ovarian follicle development (folliculogenesis), the role of the corpus luteum in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, biosynthesis of steroid hormones (steroidogenesis) and the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in regulating reproduction. It also describes stages of the porcine estrous cycle as well as puberty and gilt development. The chapter goes on to discuss a range of environmental factors which can impair reproductive performance, including the effects of pesticide residues and mycotoxins. Finally, the chapter reviews research on the way heat stress can affect porcine female reproductive function.

This chapter reviews current knowledge on gilt development-related key management and nutritional strategies that improve longevity and their production, as well as enhance offspring performance and survivability.

Owing to its improved accuracy, genomic selection, which utilizes genetic markers across the whole genome to predict the genetic merits of each individual, has become a key technique in pig and other livestock breeding. This chapter reviews developments in optimizing different models used in genomic selection. It reviews improving classical algorithms using techniques such as Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (GBLUP). It also discusses improving BLUP model approaches e.g. via the single-step GBLUP (SSGBLUP) model and differing ways of weighting genetic markers, as well as appropriate software for particular modelling approaches. The chapter also assesses ways of improving the predictive accuracy of Bayesian, e.g. by using differing assumptions on distribution of marker effects and ways of accounting for unknown parameters, in order to optimise the potential of genomic selection.

The preservation of genetic diversity is particularly important because human selection processes have resulted in a small number of commercial breeds and a large number of small, residual populations. This chapter looks at ways of analyzing pig genetic diversity. It then reviews what these techniques show about the current state of genetic diversity in traditional, local breeds. As the chapter suggests, optimal contribution selection (OCS), genomic selection (GS), and next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques represent valid strategies for maintaining genetic diversity. In the future, strategies in swine epigenomics and microbiomics will play an important role, especially in improving animal resilience.

The feeding of a prolific sow is a complex process that involves proper nutrient formulation, feed delivery, and an understanding of the biological challenges that she will undergo within her lifetime. In addition, the timeframe in which a sow within the herd is productive is spent predominantly as pregnant or nursing which diverts nutrients away from her to her offspring. Therefore, the changes in nutrition need to be addressed starting before the female becomes sexually mature once the gilt is weaned. This chapter will highlight important considerations concerning sow nutrition and nutrient recommendations by reproductive phase. In addition, information concerning common management practices will be discussed with scientific literature.

This chapter provides a critical review of key developments in understanding and improving boar reproductive efficiency, tracing its development from seminal discoveries to contemporary advances in artificial insemination (AI) and sperm analysis technologies. Key developments in identifying fertile boars are discussed, including sperm kinematics, proteomics, lipidomics, and flow cytometry, along with computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Environmental influences, such as heat stress, sperm handling, and neonatal development, on semen quality and fertility are explored. Continued research in sperm cryopreservation, infertility diagnostics, and bacterial management to meet the growing global demand for pork will be necessary for continued improvement of boar fertility.

Survivability of piglets during the neonatal period has been decreasing as genetic selection for highly prolific animals continues across the swine industry. Piglets considered medium weight at birth (1.0-1.3kg) provide the greatest opportunity to improve survival. Colostrum consumption by the neonate after birth aids in thermoregulation and improves survival to weaning as well as provides passive immunity to the piglet from the dam to aid in health pre- and post-weaning. Researchers have studied supplementing piglets with porcine and bovine colostrum or with colostrum-like products rich in energy, protein and immunoglobulins. This chapter reviews current research on a range of types of supplementation to young piglets prior to weaning on growth, immune status and survival.

Genetic selection for higher ovulation rate has increased the number of piglets born per litter. The increase in litter size has been accompanied by an increased proportion of low birthweight piglets and piglets with signs of intra uterine growth restriction (IUGR), Conception rates have increased substantially over the years due to genetic selection for ovulation rate and the application of advanced reproductive biotechnologies and nutritional management. Using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and other methodologies, a number of genes have been identified that influence litter size and teat number. To overcome problems associated with low birth weight and IUGR piglets, selection for uterine capacity appears to be necessary. Finally, selection for favourable maternal behaviour also is required to reduce piglet mortality in large litters. Genetic selection efforts should be directed towards increasing litter quality and reducing post-natal piglet mortality.

In recent years, pig genetics and breeding has been revolutionized by advances in genomics. This chapter outlines current developments in pig genetics and genomics including long-read sequencing, telomere-to-telomere assembly, low-pass sequencing for genomic prediction, functional genomics, fine-mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL), and identification of deleterious alleles. The increases in functional genomic data and information on gene expression are currently providing a much more detailed insight into the genotype-phenotype relationship for complex traits and the molecular pathways involved. Fine-mapping of causal variants will become feasible with the use and availability of these types of data in different tissues and timepoints, and will provide a gateway to assess the influence of regulatory variation in the pig genome.

Pigs are exposed to numerous infectious disease pathogens, with large economic and welfare implications. How pigs respond to disease is in part determined by genetics. Thus, genetic improvement is one of the tools that can be used to mitigate the impact of disease, complementing biosecurity and vaccination. Although gene editing is a promising tool to create pigs that are resistant to specific pathogens, this is complicated by the multitude of pathogens that pigs are exposed to, their ability to evolve to escape resistance, and the threat of foreign pathogens. The purpose of this chapter is to review mechanisms of host defense to infectious pathogens, including the concepts of resistance, tolerance, resilience, and robustness, and strategies and challenges to use natural genetic variation to select pigs that are more resilient and robust, including the use of genomics and other -omics technologies.

Microbiomes are communities of microorganisms living in soil and other habitats. In recent years, a new wave of research into understanding soil microbiomes has emerged, with stakeholders across the supply chain recognising the fundamental importance of these communities in optimising both crop and soil health. Despite these advancements, many soil microorganisms and their ecological functions remain only partially understood.

Understanding and utilising soil microbiomes for a more sustainable agriculture summarises the wealth of recent research in this important area. It reviews advances in techniques for analysing soil microorganisms, the composition and dynamics of soil microbial communities, the ecosystem services they support and how they can be enhanced.

Biopesticides are important tools for controlling insect pests, and demand for them is growing globally. While biopesticides are generally considered to be of low risk, robust risk assessments are still needed to support their registration. Addressing testing questions and challenges will help better refine environmental risk assessments by limiting the need for conservative assumptions and increasing our understanding and real world relevance of test results. This chapter identifies some of the common issues faced by regulators in assessing risks of microbial and biochemical pesticides as well as dsRNA pesticides. The chapter discusses problems related to identification, exposure analysis and hazard testing, especially in nontarget organism testing with microbial pesticides. Advancement in clarifying these issues will strengthen biopesticide risk assessments by increasing their resolution and decreasing the need for conservative assumptions.

This chapter covers the safety of feed for pigs. Reducing the risk of biological hazards in feed manufacturing facilities is an important part of the complete biosecurity plan for livestock producers. Research in the past several years has demonstrated the ability of pathogens to survive in feed and feed ingredients. Therefore, making it important for feed mills to consider having a feed biosecurity plan. This chapter begins with an overview of the pathogens of concern for feed-based transmission, including prions and parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Next, feed contamination and its prevention are considered, covering: ingredient sourcing, receiving and loadout practices, zones in the mill, and employee training. A section on mitigation of pathogens in feed is also included, covering point-in-time mitigation strategies and those with residual effects. Finally, feed mill decontamination is discussed.

• Highlights recent advances in the development of more sustainable crop protection products
• Considers the range of regulatory issues which may arise as a result of the development of novel biocontrol products
• Provides an overview of the development of botanical pesticides and features a case study on the use of a plant-based biocontrol agent in black truffle cultivation

Chemical insecticides are beset by the twin problems of regulatory pressure and insect resistance. New mode-of-action Plant Protection Products (PPPs) will play a vital role in securing food for the future due to existing and emerging pest and disease pressures and will be directed against a wide range of molecular targets. Insect neuropeptides, which regulate critical life processes, could prove useful for developing alternative strategies for pest management. Recent increases in ‘omics-based data capture has allowed for improved assessment of potential neuropeptide mimetics, while expanding the potential impact with identification of new, specific, pest species targets. Rational design of neuropeptide analogues with improved efficacy, biostability and bioavailability could provide a new generation of eco-friendly, pollinator-safe bioinsecticides. Continued optimization of appropriate adjuvants and formulations for peptides, as well as green improvements to their production on a large scale, would help their adoption as a viable alternative to problematic conventional insecticides.

This chapter explores advances in the genetic improvement of sow longevity. The authors cover the main opportunities and progress obtained in the genetic improvement of sow longevity with a focus on sow longevity in intensive production systems. They also highlight the key challenges faced by pig breeders to improve sow longevity and outline potential avenues to overcome them.

In recent years, there have been significant developments in the way that pigs are bred. This is primarily as a result of a shift in focus from production traits, such as meat quality, to other traits such as improved feed efficiency, reproductive performance and disease resistance. In light of this shift, a greater understanding of reproduction efficiency in pigs is required.

Advances in pig breeding and reproduction provides a comprehensive overview of the key research undertaken in these important areas and considers how reproduction efficiency can be optimised to achieve the desired breeding outcomes. The book also addresses recent advances in understanding how genetics can be engineered to breed pigs with an improved resistance to major diseases affecting pigs, such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.

• Provides a detailed overview of the recent advances in the biocontrol sector, focussing on the development of products to control crop insect pests
• Considers the key issues and challenges that can arise as a result of the development of novel biocontrol agents, such as the challenge of commercialising a new product to a rapidly changing market
• Addresses how breeding techniques can be optimised to improve plant defences against insect pest attacks

Botanical pesticides and specifically essential oils have gained popularity as novel, safe pesticides to replace the traditional synthetic products. They are well known to act throughout different modes-of-action against insects causing different neurotoxic effects ranging from repellency to toxicity. Essential oils are proposed as a novel solution against Leiodes cinnamomeus, the most damaging pest in truffle (Tuber melanosporum) cultivation, for which there is no solution available, to this day, despite the efforts made to protect this strategic crop. While essential oils are botanical extracts of low yield, a steady industrial production of oils is feasible to develop green alternatives, as demonstrated by several other industries. Efforts are being made to develop newer formulations to enhance and extend the effectiveness and persistency of essential oils in field, but a proper legal framework is yet to be established.

This volume summarises current developments in integrated pest management (IPM), focussing on insect pests.

Chapters discuss advances in understanding species and landscape ecology on which IPM is founded. The book then reviews advances in cultural, physical and, in particular, biological methods of control. Topics include developments in classical, conservation and augmentative biological control as well as the use of entomopathogenic fungi, viruses, nematodes and semiochemicals. The final parts of the book summarise current research on monitoring pesticide use as well as emerging classes of biopesticides.

Implementation of tree-based land management strategies, such as agroforestry, can provide greater benefits for mitigating climate change through increased carbon sequestration in soils and plant biomass. However, the carbon sequestration benefits of temperate agroforestry practices at the system-level have not been well-documented. This chapter evaluates the potential for carbon sequestration in temperate agroforestry systems by analyzing existing data from different agroforestry practices in temperate regions worldwide. The authors analyze carbon sequestration rates for aboveground standing biomass, belowground biomass in roots and soil and contribution to long-term SOC stabilization. Based on their analysis of available data, they project that agroforestry practices could annually offset 20%, 18%, 12%, and 8% of total CO2 emissions in the UK, Europe, Canada, and the USA, respectively. Due to the lack of sufficient information to accurately estimate reliable data, they emphasize these projections should be regarded as such.

This chapter is an introduction for gender and agriculture practitioners on why and how to strengthen smallholder women’s land rights and tenure security through agricultural development programming. Smallholder women farmers have disproportionately limited and insecure land rights and have less access to agricultural inputs and services. Without confidence that in the long-term they can access, manage, and benefit from a given parcel of land, they have less incentive and ability to invest in agricultural productivity and sustainable practices. The chapter draws from twenty development projects, government programs, and private sector examples from the land and agricultural sectors to illustrate practices that agricultural projects and private sector actors can apply to improve smallholder women farmers’ land tenure, agricultural practices, and empowerment. The practices are organized across five technical approaches: awareness-raising, expanding women’s land access and governance roles in customary systems, land certification, combining land and agricultural interventions, and addressing social norms.

Poultry is one of the most consumed meats in the United States, and processors strive to provide consumers with safe and wholesome products. Consequently, poultry processors are challenged to reduce the abundance of pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter jejuni in raw poultry products. Despite implementing numerous control measures throughout the processing stages, Salmonella and C. jejuni persist in raw poultry. This review aims to explore various antimicrobials, including organic and inorganic acids, used as short-duration dips and sprays to reduce common pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, and Escherichia coli) on raw chicken whole carcasses and meat portions.

In recent years poultry meat and egg consumption has seen an exponential increase worldwide. There is therefore a strong demand for ensuring the microbiological safety of poultry products. The main pathogenic bacteria in poultry meat and eggs are Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. These pathogens are able to adapt to and survive in poultry processing environments. Acceptable bacterial concentrations in poultry products are defined by health agencies. Sampling and detection methods are then developed for microbiological control. PCR, RT-PCR and immunoassays have now replaced culturing methods. Research has focused on the development of high-throughput and low-cost methods through analytical microdevices based on biosensors with short response times for on-site use and with low detection limits. This chapter describes newly-developed optical and electrochemical biosensors for rapid detection of foodborne pathogens in poultry.

This chapter is about official control of poultry processing operations from a European perspective. Official control is a cornerstone of food safety, fair trade, animal health and welfare. In poultry processing, official control comprises of ante- and post-mortem inspections of poultry and food safety inspections that verify food business operators’ compliance with food safety legislation. The chapter begins with a section exploring meat inspection, covering food chain information and ante- and post-mortem inspections. This is followed by a section on food safety inspections.

This chapter reviews key few methods of genetic biocontrol focusing on those systems that have been developed for crop insect pests. These include “sterile release systems” where e.g. sterilized males produce sperm which carries dominant lethal mutations that result in their offspring failing to develop or prevents functional sperm from being produced. We contrast these systems with “fertile release systems” which involve releasing insects that are capable of producing some offspring but with genetic defects that e.g. mean that fewer females survive. The chapter discusses the varied strengths and weaknesses of these different systems.

There is a clear need for an integrated approach to human, animal and ecological health reflecting the four organic principles of Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care and their supporting text. In the early 2000s, the One Health approach was established to recognise the strong links between human health and animal and planetary health. Later, the One Welfare approach was established to complement One Health. For organic farming, the challenges with these approaches include the practical focus on health as the presence or absence of named diseases rather than systems integrity as well as a focus on mitigating negative outcomes rather than building positive systems and practices which lead to high welfare for humans, farmed animals and wild animals. It is suggested here that agroecological food production could be better served by using a Post-Normal Science approach (PNS) which is a framework where uncertainty, value loading and different perspectives are considered.

Organic dairy cows should be able to rely on homegrown forages, especially pasture, as their main source of nutrition. A critical aim is to ensure cows have the optimum body condition at calving and inevitable lactational loss of condition are minimised. Some of the desired attributes of an organic pasture include resilience to variable climatic conditions, the ability to flourish without artificial fertilisers, the potential for climate change mitigation and the supporting of ecological biodiversity. Soil health is key to ensuring effective pasture-based dairy farming and grassland management is critical in this respect. Having the right breed and type of animal for the system and being able to adapt management to meet variations in seasonal and climatic conditions are important factors. In this chapter, rotational grazing systems and the use of diverse species pastures are explored with regards to their practical application and the achievement of organic farming objectives.

This chapter focuses on supporting animal health and welfare at herd level and giving more emphasis to preventative animal health and welfare planning (AHWP) with less reliance on antibiotics. It outlines some of the major challenges currently facing improvements to dairy cow health and welfare and improving AHWP in organic dairy farming. These range from the complexity of animal health and going beyond the five freedoms for animal welfare, to the importance of farming systems and the varying approaches and perspectives to sustainability within organic dairy farming. The role and ongoing development of the farmer-advisor relationship is discussed. The chapter then goes on to discuss the importance of relationships and the benefits of developing enhanced communication skills alongside applying participatory and bottom-up approaches to change. The role of facilitators, peer-to-peer learning, informal and formal networks and the inclusion of other actors involved in dairy herd health planning are also discussed.

Despite several efforts to develop control measures to reduce the contamination of poultry products, foodborne illness remains a major concern to the processors as well as the consumers. A wide range of interventions have been applied both in postharvest settings as well as in preharvest live bird production. Biotics are a group of compounds that when consumed by the host will impart benefits to the host. This chapter reviews the categories of biotics that include prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and related compounds currently being used as well as potential candidates for future applications in poultry production.

The global population is increasing rapidly, and with it comes a growing demand for food, particularly protein sources. The aquaculture industry, which provides fish for human consumption, is expanding to meet this demand. The aquaculture expansion is not without impacts and constrains. Among them, the feed production is of major concern. Processed animal proteins (PAPs) derived from insect-derived meals has been gaining attraction in recent years because considered as a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional protein sources. Among the eight insect-derived PAPs allowed, the black soldier fly – BSF (Hermetia illucens) seems to be one of the most promising. This chapter reviews the potential use of BSF-derived proteins in aquaculture. In particular, the review focus on the effect of BSF larva meal on fish performances and health as well as on economic and environmental parameters.

Addressing the environmental sustainability of livestock systems is a multidimensional challenge that requires a comprehensive understanding of interconnected factors. Systems modeling-based life cycle assessment (LCA) offers a valuable approach to systematically navigate these complex interactions. Although poultry production is generally deemed more environmentally sustainable than other livestock systems, it still contributes to environmental impacts such as global warming, eutrophication, acidification, water use and biodiversity loss. This chapter review the key role of LCA in identifying these impacts and their sources in the poultry production chain, as well as potential mitigation strategies.

• Provides an overview of the key challenges facing successful development of circular, closed-loop agricultural systems
• Details recent advances in waste management and its application in urban agricultural settings
• Reviews sustainable alternatives to plastics in food packaging and their role in mitigating the environmental impact of the food-packaging industry

In this chapter, understanding and controlling Salmonella in poultry meat is explored. The authors suggest that studies in model systems based on bacteriophage and vaccines could in turn, more generally serve as an invaluable guide for efforts to limit Salmonella and the emergence of resistance in poultry for other interventions not discussed in this review. The chapter then identifies key areas of future research focused on integrating empirical findings with functional genomics, innovative statistical approaches (e.g., structural equation models), and mathematical modeling. This combination of tools will: (1) enable a more complete understanding for managing Salmonella and AMR in poultry while also improving bird health, immunity, and welfare and (2) provide valuable insights to uncover broad-scale patterns in other pathogens and livestock production systems.

The common housefly (Musca domestica), a ubiquitous presence in various environments, has been a subject of scientific investigation for over a century. This chapter explores the potential use of housefly larvae as a sustainable animal feed ingredient. Their ease of rearing, rapid growth, high nutritional value, and environmental benefits in nutrient recycling have revived interest in using them as an alternative protein source for food and feed. Despite these advantages, housefly larvae have not achieved significant commercial viability. The chapter examines key challenges and ways of achieving successful commercial production.

Biological control is important for the management of small insect pests such as thrips, aphids, psyllids and whiteflies, and options to enhance the effectiveness of the natural enemies of these pests are urgently needed. Stimuli associated with host plant finding, mostly vision and olfaction, provide the basis for pest (and increasingly natural enemies) monitoring but there are also a range of additional opportunities based on these stimuli to manipulate pest and natural enemy dynamics for improved pest management. This chapter examines the visual and olfactory systems associated with host finding, that is the period before physical contact with the plant (habitat and host location and not host acceptance), and how responses to these stimuli might be exploited to enhance biological control. Our focus is on thrips and other small, winged insects, and particularly those which are plant pests and the targets of biological control programmes.

The number of sustainability standards and certifications applied in agricultural supply chains has grown considerably in the past decade, creating confusion for consumers and challenges for producers, particularly small-scale producers in developing countries. This chapter provides an overview of the range of sustainability standards that have emerged, who has developed them, their content and rationale. It also explores how companies select the standards they use, and how this is changing. Recent choices made by brands and retailers accentuate some of the challenges associated with standards for smallholders and further contextualises the mixed picture concerning impacts on smallholders. The chapter provides a summary of implications of sustainability standards, including how they may contribute to improved practices, but highlights limitations of standards on their own as a tool to hold business to account, stressing the importance the overall sustainability strategy of the company, and its commitment to sustainability.

There have been great advances in many aspects of organic dairy farming, which has become increasingly efficient and productive with a strong market. However, in some cases this has occurred through increasing specialization and scale of production, which risks the sector not being able to fully address the major challenges of environmental and social sustainability, animal welfare and the ability to deliver affordable and nutritious products. These challenges can be addressed by referencing the core organic principles of health, ecology, fairness and care, by adopting a more holistic, systems-based perspective and with organic dairy farming being viewed as an important part of wider rural communities and landscapes. This chapter explores some of these ecological, social and food-system frameworks and what they mean for the future of organic dairy farming. Key elements include a focus on pasture-based production, reduced dependency on feed imports and incentives reflecting organic farming’s aims and aspirations.

Agri-food supply chains have been linked to a number of negative environmental and social externalities, including environmental pollution, biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and labour abuses and there are growing societal demands that such negative impacts should be addressed. This chapter considers the role of supranational policy, and regional and national policy in driving sustainability standards with regards to some of these issues and how they influence the strategies employed within individual organisations and across agri-food supply chains. The chapter also reviews developments in forms of hybrid governance and uses the example of the role of green finance to show how agri-food supply chain strategies are being reshaped.

This chapter considers the challenges associated with the use of biocontrol agents in foliar spray applications, including the equipment, spray parameters, formulation and their impact on treatment efficacy. It discusses the various factors that affect effective foliar treatment and provides examples of how they can be optimised. These factors include the persistence of biocontrol agents, the impact of spray systems on surface coverage, the potential of equipment and adjuvants to develop more targeted foliar spray applications, and finally the rainfastness of biocontrol agent.

Integration within natural cycles and between farmed enterprises are routes through which we can develop organic dairy farming into an ecologically principled form of food production with animal and human welfare benefits. Integration requires relationships of varying degrees of synergy and complementarity between two or more farm elements, from simple two enterprise systems to dynamic and diverse systems with enterprises integrated in time and space and synergistic sharing of resources. The attributes of partially separated, rotationally integrated and fully combined enterprises within a single farm boundary are described and discussed. Opportunities beyond the farm boundary include between farm beneficial cooperation to share resources, integration at the landscape level and across the food chain utilising low-cost feed options within a circular economy. A case-study illustrates innovation, including mobile milking and cooperation to overcome infrastructural constraints enhancing animal welfare and nutrient recycling within a crop-dairy farm.

Recognizing a need for sustainability approaches beyond current models of certification, the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) established the Sustainable Agriculture Framework (SAF) in 2018, an outcome-based approach designed to guide organizations and local stakeholders towards greater and more durable progress in achieving sustainability and, ultimately, more positive changes for landscapes, farmers, communities and companies alike. This chapter describes SAF and how it has been applied in practice in a number of sustainability programmes.

• Provides a comprehensive overview of the major types of contaminants in food, including environmental and process contaminants, as well as natural toxins
• Reviews the establishment of major international and EU food safety frameworks
• Addresses recent advances in techniques for monitoring and detecting chemical contaminants in food

This chapter explores patterns of antimicrobial use (AMU) in poultry production, reviews recent modifications in AMU use and assesses their impact on trends in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The chapter also examines examine the common antimicrobial-resistant bacteria associated with poultry and the impact of specific agricultural practices on AMR. Finally, the chapter outlines and evaluates strategies for managing and reducing AMR in poultry production.

Yellow mealworm (T. molitor) is a safe and sustainable alternative protein source for aquafeed, given advantages such as high protein content and better amino acid profile when compared to alternative plant-protein sources. This chapter provides an overview of the current use of T. molitor as alternative ingredient to fishmeal. It summarises recent reviews on the use of these invertebrates in aquafeeds and their impact on key performance indicators (KPIs) associated with growth performance and feed efficiency, product nutritional quality, as well as their immunomodulatory potential and effect on host gut microbiota.

This chapter provides an overview of some of the nature markets and finance mechanisms, which may provide farmers and land managers with opportunities to integrate farming for nature into their businesses, generating new revenue streams, and also offering opportunities to draw private finance into conservation across supply chains in the agriculture sector. The author considers the drivers behind these new markets and provide an overview of some of the opportunities and challenges they may bring.

This chapter explores the concept of quality in organic milk. Quality encompasses many extrinsic properties of dairy production like animal welfare, the impact on biodiversity, climate change, and fair treatment of everybody along the supply chain. This chapter focuses on composition of the milk and asks how far organic milk varies from non-organic products and what potential there is to improve quality further. This chapter reviews key research relating to differences in protein, fatty acid and mineral composition between milk from organic and conventional production, as well risks from drug and pesticide residues. It also explores how implementation of calf-cow-contact (CCC) systems on welfare grounds affects milk quality.

This chapter discusses chemical and pathogen hazards related to industrial production of selected insect species such as the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and house cricket (Acheta domesticus), both of which are authorized for human food and animal feed in the European Union (EU). The chapter also considers black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) (Hermetia illucens) which are only allowed as animal feed in Europe. The chapter reviews hazards associated with rearing, processing and storage of the insect and derived products focussing particularly on chemicals and pathogens known to be of risk for human consumption. The chapter also discusses techniques related to hazard detection and monitoring.

Escherichia coli is a common gastrointestinal bacteria that has a vast genetic, physiologic, and biochemical diversity in E. coli, which allows this organism to thrive in many environments. But E. coli contains several pathogenic groups (e.g., pathotypes) which can cause disease and morbidity in poultry, reduce poultry producers profitability, and can impact the health and safety of human consumers of poultry meat products. As the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters has become increasingly restricted, alternatives to antimicrobials (ATA) have become a higher priority. The use of probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, bacteriophage, and organic acids have the potential to alter the gastrointestinal microbial population and to reduce pathogenic groups of E. coli. Thus strategies that can reduce these important pathogens from poultry are critical to ensuring the efficient production of poultry meat, but also the safety of these important sources of protein for humans.

In recent years, the yellow mealworm has undergone a significant transformation, from a global pest species to a prominent insect species for feed and food purposes. However, farming mealworms is still a relatively new business venture, offering ample opportunities for optimization and innovation. This chapter aims to explore yellow mealworm rearing techniques. The authors begin by discussing the mealworm life cycle, followed by the sort of environments needed to effeciently rear mealworms. They then go into detail about the rearing of different life stages of mealworm, including egg production and handly, growing the larvae, pupation, and beetle population. Finally, they explore challenges to scaling up production and the design of rearing facilities.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural defense mechanism in organisms that detects and neutralizes foreign genetic materials, particularly viral RNA. This process involves the creation of single-stranded micro RNAs that target and inhibit complementary messenger RNA (mRNA), thus halting gene expression. The discovery that external double-stranded RNA molecules can trigger RNAi has led to significant interest in academic and industrial circles, resulting in applications like genetically modified crops and insecticidal compounds. The first RNAi-based insecticide received commercial approval in the USA in 2023. The key advantage of this biotechnology lies in its high specificity, as it targets unique sequences in the mRNA of the intended organism. However, the effectiveness of RNAi varies between species due to factors such as dsRNA degradation, cellular uptake, and genomic variations. While evidence suggests limited risks for mammals and vertebrates, comprehensive evaluations are essential to address potential non-target effects and the risk of insect resistance.

This chapter presents an overview of proximal sensing techniques used in practical precision agriculture, with the overall aim of contributing to more sustainable crop production. To provide perspective on the usefulness of crop sensors, the chapter starts with an example of why site-specific crop management is important and how it relates to sustainable production. The basics of crop canopy reflectance are then presented, followed by an introduction to two practical precision agriculture techniques, site-specific weed management and real-time crop sensing, mainly focusing on within-field nitrogen application. Two case studies in which different types of proximal sensors are used, individually or in combination with other techniques (UAVs and satellites), are described. Finally, potential future developments are briefly discussed.

Probiotics and prebiotics boost poultry gut health and immunity. This chapter discusses current research and practical applications of these microbial-based supplements for chicken production. The chicken industry has struggled recently with gastrointestinal disorders, poor meal absorption, and viral infections. Probiotics and prebiotics, non-digestible food additives that boost gut microorganisms, may help. This chapter book explains probiotic and prebiotic interactions with avian gut flora. Probiotics and prebiotics impact poultry intestine bacteria balance, architecture, nutrient digestion, and immune control. The chapter also discusses issues in using probiotics and prebiotics. The chapter aims to provide a comprehensive reference for researchers, poultry nutritionists, veterinarians, and industry professionals interested in the potential benefits and practical applications of probiotics and prebiotics in poultry.

• Provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research in grassland science and management
• Includes a selection of case studies which highlight current challenges facing alpine/mountain grasslands, as well as grasslands in Europe and New Zealand
• Discusses recent developments in botanical composition of grasslands, including the design of multi-species swards and herbal leys

The information available on the nutrient requirements of broilers to maximize production or economics returns, is abundant but the data are often inconsistent because of factors such as the methodology used to estimate bird requirements and the differences in the nutritional value attributed to each ingredient. This chapter reviews some of the key factors affecting feed formulation, recent trends and current feed programs as well as options for improvement.

The founding principles of organic farming (health, ecology, fairness and care) guide the overall ethos of organic farming in an ever-changing environment. Using these principles, this introductory chapter discusses the key environmental, welfare, economic and other challenges facing contemporary organic dairy farming in Europe. It reviews the differing ways these challenges can be addressed, setting the scene for following chapters on specific issues.

Corn Fermented Protein (CFP) is the first commercially viable new source of high level (>50%), high quality vegetable protein, developed in the past twenty years and available for feeding to livestock, aquaculture, and companion animals. The protein product is derived from the sustainable fuel bioethanol production process and as a derivative of an industrial process is not in direct competition with food production. CFP has a low carbon index compared with a range of traditional protein products. This chapter describes the application of corn fermented protein in feed formulations for poultry.

The evolution of standards and certification in agri-food chains has taken place over nearly 40 years. The dynamics that led to this form of private governance have also changed over time. Contemporary issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and seeking to develop a food system that is resilient and sustainable has led to the emergence of new principles, practices and outcomes that the agri-food supply chain must deliver. This chapter reflects on these trends and the themes that run through the book to consider how we deliver safe, sustainable and socially responsible supply chains, now and into the future.

This chapter concerns the lives of calves from organic dairy farms. It opens with a description of management of calves under organic farming conditions. Next, cow-calf contact (CCC) during the milk feed period is described, followed by a section on non-replacement calves born in organic dairy herds.

Measuring and improving good agricultural practices (GAP) related to food safety of fresh produce is important, especially as many crops, such as leafy vegetables, are sold as ‘ready to eat’ at the point of purchase. Previous approaches to food safety-related hazard analysis and risk assessment for fresh produce GAP frameworks are being revisited and repositioned. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA), especially emergent systems such as vertical farming, are of interest in terms of promoting more sustainable practices and reducing land use for food production. Framing of what GAP is will vary from the field to controlled environments and so defining GAP from a food safety and sustainability perspective, and establishing appropriate operational guidelines for CEA systems is important. This chapter considers the debates about GAP in the context of CEA and how GAP can be developed as part of an effective food safety control programme in CEA systems.

Good agricultural practices (GAP) define the practices at the farm level that can be adopted to assure safe and healthy food is produced profitably with appropriate standards in terms of animal welfare, worker welfare and environmental protection. This chapter describes GAP, notions of good farming, how GAP standards have evolved in developed and developing economies, the opportunities to evolve these pre- and post-harvest standards, and their related principles and practices in the future.

Knowledge of amino acid formulation minimum constraints in the nutrient matrix are pivotal in order to allow for formulation flexibility, and subsequent broiler productivity at minimum nitrogen supply. Four key amino acid minimums that beg for more research are: arginine, glycine and serine, histidine, and phenylalanine and tyrosine. In this chapter the former have been reviewed.

Feed efficiency is a complex and very important genetic trait in broiler production. Content in this chapter is an overview of over 20 years of research of investigating mitochondrial physiology, gene and protein expression that enables a ‘proteogenomic picture’ to be ‘painted’ to aid in understanding of feed efficiency in muscle at the cellular level.

Despite its potential benefits, organic farming has a complex relationship with technological innovation which has sometimes been associated with intensive forms of production. This chapter discusses the ways precision and other new technologies can fulfil the core organic values of health, ecology, care and fairness. It outlines a responsible innovation framework in assessing how new technologies meet organic values, based on the principles of inclusion, anticipation, reflexivity and responsiveness. The chapter uses the example of virtual fencing to show how the framework can be used in practice.