A new app that detects heat stress in cattle..

The US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has launched a new smartphone app that forecasts conditions triggering heat stress in cattle. Compatible with Android and Apple mobile phone, the app issues forecasts one to seven days in advance of extreme heat conditions, along with recommended actions that can protect animals before and during a heat-stress event. In some cattle, distress and discomfort from prolonged exposure to extreme heat cause diminished appetite, reduced growth or weight gain, greater susceptibility to disease and, in some cases, even death. Cattle housed in confined feedlot pens are especially vulnerable to heat-stress events ,in addition to high temperatures, weather-related factors like humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation can also contribute to heat stress, The "Heat Stress" app, which was beta-tested last year, is based on several years of field research conducted by Ms Brown-Brandl and colleagues. Get it here

Locust alert !!!

The federal government has alerted farmers of locusts and quelea birds coming into the country from Niger Republic. Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural development, gave the warning in Abuja during an emergency meeting with commissioners for agriculture from 24 states. Ogbeh expressed fear that the current hunger in the country would further be exacerbated if the alert from Niger was not taken seriously.He said Nigeria was already facing food crisis, and the entry of the pests could worsen the situation. There is a warning received that locusts and quelea birds are messing up in Niger Republic, from where they normally attack us in Nigeria,” Ogbeh said.“We know how dangerous quail birds and locusts can be. If they arrive within hours or days, they will ‎have wiped out everything the farmers would have put in the field. The Prices of food today are high and Nigerians are troubled, People are angry and they want this high cost of food items to be resolved in no time. The minister added that a disease known as army worm had been attacking maize in the country. continue

Stray dog saves baby.

I love happy endings,this is how the boy now looks after a year. Before meets after: A stray dog has saved the life of a three-day-old baby girl who was apparently abandoned by her mother in a dustbin. Saudi Arabia’s daily ‘Sada' reported the news with breath taking pictures of the dog holding the newborn in his mouth.As per the reports published by the daily, the dog was hungry and was wandering on the streets in the search of some food but unfortunately he found nothing. It spotted a just born baby who had its umbilical cord still attached to her body,and what it did next has not only displayed the animal’s sensitivity towards humans but also proved why dog is called a loyal animal. The dog knew that the baby was not doing well so he ensured that the baby suffered no more harm further. He put the new born into his mouth and moved her out of the dangerous streets in search of a safe place.He took the baby to the nearest house and placed her on the porch.

Drones and agriculture.

Agriculture has been one of the industries quickest to adopt drone technology.18 per cent of UK agricultural businesses have utilised drone technology and they are being used to survey fields, distribute pesticides and some farms have even started to use them in place of a sheepdog. The agricultural robotics and drone market is expected to be worth $10bn (£7.54bn) by 2022. Japan has been using unmanned helicopters since early 90's to spray rice fields and autonomous drones have also been providing detailed aerial photographs and video. This can be of benefit to farmers for collecting data, reviewing crops as well as in agricultural land sales. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has recently relaxed drone use regulations surrounding UK drone usage for commercial trials, in response to requests from Amazon to trial its Prime Air delivery service. Lower regulatory barriers for drones could see the market increase to $485m (£365.52m) in agriculture by 2026, according to an IDTechEx research report.Drones are already being used around the world for deliveries of consumer products, providing humanitarian aid, and security - with support from the CAA, Britain can be at the forefront of the development for business and industry. Robotic milking parlours have already been adopted and the industry is currently worth £1.9bn (£1.43bn) but is expected to rise to $8bn (£6.03bn) by 2026.more

3D Printed KAYRYS Drone is First Responder in Medical Emergencies.

3D Printed KAYRYS Drone is First Responder in Medical Emergencies, Delivers Aid & Communication. KAYRYS is one of the coolest 3D printed drones and it serves as powerful a purpose as its aesthetics. It is meant to offer medical supplies on the scene of an accident or major disaster. Created by SlidX, a new tech startup out of Montreal, the Gyro-X8 KAYRYS has just been unveiled around the world as the newest technology in first responders for medical emergencies. The key to the drone isn’t just superior convenience and speed meant to put delivery drivers out of business everywhere, it’s mainly that this unmanned aerial vehicle can often go and assist in areas that humans cannot get to quickly enough or safely. 3D printing has been connected with the drone for quite some time now as the technology allows for speed in manufacturing, unlimited customization, and best of all—lightweight components that are also affordable. The KAYRYS is meant specifically to assist in carrying medical assistance to areas where an accident of any sort may have occurred. While people are not being transported in this aircraft, volumes of medical supplies can be dropped off and data can be obtained as to what is going on at the site. Upon arrival of the drone, communication is established, and professionals can begin talking to victims. This is very important in car accidents, fires, and search and rescue scenarios. The drone currently has a battery life of one hour, with a maximum load of 12g. It provides crucial assistance to both medical professionals and the injured, and is able to use its ergonomic, aerodynamic design to fly into areas (and to fly higher), when no other vehicle or person may be able to get there right away. more

Diagnosing autism with ipad games.

A new study by the University of Strathclyde shows that autism could be diagnosed by allowing children to play games on smart phones and tablets. The study, published in the Nature group journal Scientific Reports, the research team outlined how the technology could offer an accessible and less intrusive way to diagnose the developmental disorder. Dr Jonathan Delafield-Butt, of Strathclyde's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and colleagues used fun iPad games to track players' hand movements and gathered information that can help identify autism. Dr Delafield-Butt, a Senior Lecturer in Child Development, said: "We have shown that children with autism can be identified by their gameplay patterns on an iPad. "This is potentially a major breakthrough for early identification of autism, because no stressful and expensive tests by clinicians are needed. Early detection is important as this can allow parents and children to gain access to a range of services support. This new 'serious game' assessment offers a cheaper, faster, fun way of testing for autism. But more work is needed to confirm this finding, and to test for its limitations.In other words, it is not social, emotional, or cognitive aspects of the gameplay that identify autism. Rather, the key difference is in the way children with autism move their hands as they touch, swipe, and gesture with the iPad during the game. This finding adds new dimensions to a growing scientific understanding that movement is fundamentally disrupted in autism, and may underpin the disorder.In the study, researchers examined movement data gathered from 37 children with autism, aged three to six years. The children were asked to play games on smart tablet computers with touch-sensitive screens and embedded movement sensors. The result showed; analysis revealed these patterns consisted of greater forces at contact and with a different distribution of forces within a gesture, and gesture kinematics were faster and larger, with more distal use of space. These data support the notion that disruption to movement is a core feature of autism, and demonstrate autism can be computationally assessed by fun, smart device game-play.

Methods to stop tuta absoluta.

Tuta absoluta also known as tomato leafminer because of its strong preference for tomatoes,although it also affects eggplants, sweet peppers and potatoes. Tuta absoluta can cause 50-100% yield reduction in tomato crops and this is an economic loss because local and international trades are hampered. Prevention and proper management of the pest are crucial for successful harvesting . Chemical control may fail if not properly tailored because of the resistance of Tuta absoluta against many pesticides and also because a big part of its development takes place inside the plant or the soil, out of reach of pesticides. Syngenta with their product Ampligo, provide a simple and fast crop protection solution against many insect-pests. Ampligo works against wide varieties of sucking and biting pests in vegetables, potatoes and field crops, giving up to 21 days protection. This means farmers will reduce times they need to spray their fields, thus saving money,time and energy. The effective prevention of these pests is by effective crop protection which starts with timely and correct identification of the pests in the field. Early detection of pests will ensure early intervention resulting in salvaging more crops. This early detection of weeds, diseases and pests is often referred to as crop scouting,which is done by physical examination of the plants in the field The major challenge with tuta absoluta is that the eggs are small about 0.5mm thus not visible with naked eyes and the the adult moth is active at night,when signs of the destructive caterpillars are seen then the damage is done already without a remedy. An effective control must target more than one stage of the pest , the trapping system allows the farmer to target the moth stage of the caterpillar while the use of spray insecticides allows the farmer targets the caterpillar . The major method to stop the tuta absoluta is as follows 1)A pheromone-based trap makes use of a copy of chemicals stored in a rubber lure, this lure will start emitting pheromones over a six week period, which will attract male Tuta absoluta moths to the trap and they will be caught on the sticky surface at the bottom of the gadget. 2)The lures will prevent further access of more the moth into the field. Early in the season, two traps should be placed per acre of tomatoes. The farmer must count on a daily basis the nuumber of moths that are caught in the traps. It is important to keep a record of these counts to access population and note next phase of action. 3)When three moths or more are caught in one trap in a week, then the farmer should start control measures using of pesticides immediately. Now,the number the amount of traps should be increased to about eight to 10 per acre. Those eight can be delta-traps or water traps. The water traps are easy and a farmer can construct , using water with some soap to catch the pests. If catches are above 30 moths per trap / week, the number of traps should be increased to 20 /an acre. The Lures should be replaced after six weeks and water traps should be refilled with water and soap twice a week during hot periods.