Bloch Victor, Levit Harel, Halachmi Ilan
Precision Livestock Farming Lab, Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Research Organization,Volcani Center,Rishon LeZion 7505101,Israel.
J Dairy Res. 2019 Feb;86(1):34-39. doi: 10.1017/S0022029918000882. Epub 2019 Feb 18.
We address the hypothesis that individual cow feed intake can be measured in commercial farms through the use of a photogrammetry method. Feed intake and feed efficiency have a significant economic value for the farmer. A common method for measuring feed mass in research is a feed mass weighing system, which is excessively expensive for commercial farms. However, feed mass can be estimated by its volume, which can be measured by photogrammetry. Photogrammetry applies cameras along the feed-lane, photographing the feed before and after the cow visits the feed-lane, and calculating the feed volume. In this study, the precision of estimating feed mass by its volume was tested by comparing measured mass and calculated volume of feed heaps. The following principal factors had an impact on the precision of this method: camera quality, lighting conditions, image resolution, number of images, and feed density. Under laboratory conditions, the feed mass estimation error was 0·483 kg for heaps up to 7 kg, while in the cowshed the estimation error was 1·32 kg for up to 40 kg. A complementary experiment showed that the natural feed compressibility causes about 85% of uncertainty in the mass estimation error.
我们探讨了这样一种假设，即通过使用摄影测量法可以在商业农场中测量个体奶牛的采食量。采食量和饲料效率对养殖户具有重要的经济价值。在研究中测量饲料质量的常用方法是饲料质量称重系统，这对商业农场来说过于昂贵。然而，饲料质量可以通过其体积来估算，而体积可以通过摄影测量法来测量。摄影测量法是沿着饲料通道布置摄像头，在奶牛进出饲料通道前后拍摄饲料，并计算饲料体积。在本研究中，通过比较实测饲料堆质量和计算出的饲料堆体积，测试了通过体积估算饲料质量的精度。以下主要因素对该方法的精度有影响：相机质量、光照条件、图像分辨率、图像数量和饲料密度。在实验室条件下，对于7千克以下的饲料堆，饲料质量估计误差为0·483千克，而在牛舍中，对于40千克以下的饲料堆，估计误差为1·32千克。一项补充实验表明，天然饲料的可压缩性导致质量估计误差中约85%的不确定性。
