Prospectives of monitoring biological activity in a red-legged partridge incubator with a carbon dioxide probe

Authors

  • Javier Garcia-Hierro Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Metalúrgicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
  • Pilar Barreiro Dpto. de Ingeniería Agroforestal. ETSI Agrónomos. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
  • Adolfo Moya-Gonzalez Dpto. de Ingeniería Agroforestal. ETSI Agrónomos. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
  • Jose Ignacio Robla Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Metalúrgicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Keywords:

carbon dioxide, embryonic development, red-legged partridge, hatchability, growth analysis

Abstract

This study focuses on the relationship between CO2 production and the ultimate hatchability of the incubation. A total amount of 43316 eggs of red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) were supervised during five actual incubations: three in 2012 and two in 2013. The CO2 concentration inside the incubator was monitored over a 20-day period, showing sigmoidal growth from ambient level (428 ppm) up to 1700 ppm in the incubation with the highest hatchability. Two sigmoid growth models (logistic and Gompertz) were used to describe the CO2 production by the eggs, with the result that the logistic model was a slightly better fit (r2=0.976 compared to r2=0.9746 for Gompertz). A coefficient of determination of 0.997 between the final CO2 estimation (ppm) using the logistic model and hatchability (%) was found.

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Published

2016-03-22

Issue

Section

VI-Postharvest Technology and Process Engineering