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Lardy, R., Bellocchi, G., & Martin, R. (2015). Vuln-Indices: Software to assess vulnerability to climate change. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 114, 53–57.
Abstract: Vuln-Indices Java-based software was developed on concepts of vulnerability to climate change of agro-ecological systems. It implements the calculation of vulnerability indices on series of state variables for assessments at both site and region levels. The tool is useful because synthetic indices help capturing complex processes and prove effective to identify the factors responsible for vulnerability and their relative importance. It is suggested that the tool may be plausible for use with stakeholders to disseminate information of climate change impacts. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Lacetera, N., Vitali, A., Bernabucci, U., & Nardone, A. (2015). Report on relationships between THI and dairy cow performance (Vol. 4).
Abstract: The work carried out under LiveM, L1.2 and described herein was based on construction and query of large databases which included multiannual productive and health field data. Productive data referred to dairy cows and included milk yield and composition, whereas health data were relative both to dairy cows and pigs. The analysis established the THI values above which a significant decline in the performance and health of dairy cows or pigs is to be expected. These results may help to adopt management environmental strategies which may permit to limit THI increase under farming conditions and/or to provide animals with interventions which may reduce heat load and/or increase dissipation of heat. No Label
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Lacetera, N., Vitali, A., Bernabucci, U., & Nardone, A. (2015). Report on the analysis of interannual and seasonal variations in productive, reproductive and health data (Vol. 4).
Abstract: The work carried out under LiveM, L1.2 and described herein was based on construction and query of large databases which included multiannual productive and health field data. Productive data referred to dairy cows, whereas health data were relative both to dairy cows and pigs. The analysis pointed out significant seasonal variations of parameters under study. In synthesis, summer/hot season was associated with significant worsening of dairy cows milk composition and with significant higher risk of death in pigs. These results may help to predict consequences of climate change in economically important sectors of the livestock industry and also to identify and target adaptation options that are appropriate for specific contexts, and that can contribute to environmental sustainability as well as to economic development. No Label
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Lacetera, N. (2015). Season and temperature humidity index related changes of productive and health parameters in dairy cows and pigs (Vol. 5).
Abstract: The work described herein was based on construction and query of four different large databases which included multiannual (5-7 years) meteorological, productive and health data from the field. Productive data were referred to dairy cows and included milk yield and composition (total bacterial count, fat and protein percentages) whereas health data were relative both to dairy cows (milk somatic cell counts and mortality data) and pigs (mortality data during transport and at lairage). The analysis pointed out significant seasonal variations of parameters under study. In synthesis, summer/hot season was associated with significant worsening of cows’ milk composition and with significant higher risk of death in pigs. The analysis also permitted to establish the themperature humidity index values above which a significant decline of performance and health of dairy cows or pigs has to expected. These results may help to predict the consequences of climate change in economically important sectors of the livestock industry, to identify and target adaptation options that are appropriate for specific contexts and that can contribute to environmental sustainability as well as to economic development. No Label
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Kunert, K. J., van Wyk, S. G., Cullis, C. A., Vorster, B. J., & Foyer, C. H. (2015). Potential use of phytocystatins in crop improvement, with a particular focus on legumes. J. Experim. Bot., 66(12), 3559–3570.
Abstract: Phytocystatins are a well-characterized class of naturally occurring protease inhibitors that function by preventing the catalysis of papain-like cysteine proteases. The action of cystatins in biotic stress resistance has been studied intensively, but relatively little is known about their functions in plant growth and defence responses to abiotic stresses, such as drought. Extreme weather events, such as drought and flooding, will have negative impacts on the yields of crop plants, particularly grain legumes. The concepts that changes in cellular protein content and composition are required for acclimation to different abiotic stresses, and that these adjustments are achieved through regulation of proteolysis, are widely accepted. However, the nature and regulation of the protein turnover machinery that underpins essential stress-induced cellular restructuring remain poorly characterized. Cysteine proteases are intrinsic to the genetic programmes that underpin plant development and senescence, but their functions in stress-induced senescence are not well defined. Transgenic plants including soybean that have been engineered to constitutively express phytocystatins show enhanced tolerance to a range of different abiotic stresses including drought, suggesting that manipulation of cysteine protease activities by altered phytocystatin expression in crop plants might be used to improve resilience and quality in the face of climate change.
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