eChapters

Dairy farmers hope to have better milking cows than those in their current herds. A solid foundation is necessary for every farming operation. Undoubtedly, the dairy farm documentation system is among the most important facets of farm management. Tracking each cow’s productivity within a herd and assisting breed development generally are the major objectives of a dairy farm tracking system. This information could be referred to as production data.

There are different crop specific societies in different countries for registering new varieties. This does not provide any intellectual property right. It serves as a documental proof of new variety, author, mode of origin, place and date. For example, there is The American Rose Society which serves as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for Roses; The Royal Horticultural Society, International Registration Authority for the genus Dahlia; Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi -110 012, India for Bougainvillea. Each society either follows the rules set forth by the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants or they are having their own rules and regulations for registration (Anonymous 1981, Choudhury 1973, Singh 1983, 1986, 1987, 1999, Singh et al., 1999, Sindhu 2015, Singh 2007). Newly evolved Bougainvilleas are being registered by the Division of Vegetable Crops and Floriculture, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, since 1966. A check list of all the existing important cultivars based on the available information from literature as well as from amateurs, professional traders and other sources from different countries are available.

An animal disease is an economic process in the farming system, as it consumes a considerable amount of scarce economic resources that would have been otherwise productively utilized by the animals and results in negative benefits to society. Hence, while measuring the losses attributable to animal diseases, the manifestation of such losses and the factors influencing such losses may also be identified, which require modelling the ways by which the negative effects of the diseases are exhibited. A description of such models and their procedures is essential to understand the comprehensive effects of diseases. We will list and describe such models and tools in this chapter.

11.1 CORRELATION ANALYSIS

While simple descriptive statistical tools are adequate to estimate the economic effects of animal diseases, these tools cannot measure the nature and strength of the relationships between two or more variables. However, the statistical knowledge can effectively be used to understand Various statistical measures studied so far, like measures of central tendency and dispersion and skewness, relate to one variable only. However, there are many situations where there are several problems involving the use of two or more variables. Although correlation analysis is only a bivariate technique like t-test, ANOVA, and Chi square test, we will briefly see about correlation in this chapter, as it is also a part of multivariate analysis. The first step is to determine which bivariate analytical tool we need to adopt to test the study hypothesis.

Reproduction in the males culminates in the production of semen containing fertile spermatozoa and deposition of these in the female reproductive tract at an opportune time.

Male Reproductive Organs

The reproductive organs in male domestic animals comprise the testes, epididymides, and accessory glands. The testes produce the spermatozoa and the male sex hormones (androgens). The spermatozoa pass from the testis into the epididymis where they acquire motility and attributes essential for fertilization and are then stored there. At ejaculation they are squeezed along the ductus deferens into the urethra and mixed with the secretions of the accessory glands to constitute the ejaculated semen.

Testis

The testis are composed of long tubes called seminiferous tubules and interstitial tissue. The spermatozoa are produced within the seminiferous tubules. This process is known as spermatogenesis. The interstitial tissue contains Leydig cells which are responsible for the production of the male hormone called androgens. The androgens are produced under the influence of hormones from the anterior pituitary namely ICSH (LH) and FSH. The principal androgens produced by the testis are testosterone and dihydrotestosterone.

The testis are suspended from the body in the loose sacs called scrotum, present in the inguinal region. The scrotum in addition to its container function, also acts as a regulator of temperature required for spermatogenesis.

Animals need to function efficiently during reproduction in order for a dairy production system to be sustainable. This is necessary to produce milk, the primary product of interest, as well as to supply replacement animals. From the perspective of reproduction, delayed puberty, lengthy calving intervals, limited productive lives, and high calf mortality are the key variables that cause economic losses. Reproductive management’s proportionate contribution to the effectiveness of dairy production systems varies greatly.

Reproductive processes have profound influence on the ultimate economics of livestock production. Regularity in reproductive functions guarantees a profitable return to the farmers. Reproductive efficiency is paramount to the success of goat husbandry. Disruption of one or another of the reproductive processes in male and female results in decreased reproductive efficiency and hence is of concern to the animal production strategies. Reproductive performance or efficiency depends on many hormonal, genotypic and environmental factors. Environmental stress can drastically reduce reproductive efficiency. Goats are the most prolific of all domesticated ruminants under tropical and subtropical conditions. Goats are genetically endowed with good reproductive efficiency in the sense that goats can breed three times in two years and many breeds give birth to twin and triplets.

Age at puberty in male and female goat

Puberty is the time when the reproduction first becomes possible and is characterized by the release of germ cells and sexual maturity. Age at puberty depends primarily on the growth rate of the kid which in turn depends on its quality and quantity of the feed offered.

Age at puberty in males has been variously defined as the age at which the complete separation of the penis occurs from the sheath, or the age of 1st appearance of spermatozoa in the seminiferous tubules or the availability of the first ejaculate. Although animals develop sex play much earlier than their ability to reproduce,considerable variation can exist between the age at puberty determined in different ways as it evident from the study of Elwishy and Elsawaf (1971) in male Damascus goats. The separation of the penis occurs at a mean age of 242.9 days while first ejaculate could be obtained only at the age of 509.2 days. Age at puberty varies with different breeds, plane of nutrition, presence of females etc. The endocrine development usually precedes the testicular development and androgen production is usually high prior to the actual onset of puberty.

Introduction

Resistance to antibiotics in the bacterial world is a genetically determined phenomenon that was first observed within a few years after the introduction of antibiotics for therapeutic purposes. In Nature, ARGs are believed to have originated about three billion years ago as an intrinsic defense mechanism in antibiotic-producing bacteria (Perry et al., 2016; Iskandar et al., 2022), and subsequently, evolved by complex and quantum jump trajectories to mobilize, diversify and interconnect all ecosystems in the micro-biosphere. Bacterial genomes exhibit plasticity and continue to evolve under the selection pressure of antibiotics and other stressors (Patel, 2016). The ARGs in circulation at present are thus a mixture of ancient and modern counterparts. Recently, the interplay between bacterial metabolism and antibiotic resistance has also been revealed (Zampieri, 2021).

The use of antimicrobials in health management, livestock, and food industry is driving the emergence of resistant microbes at a rapid pace (Wall et al., 2016; Adegoke et al., 2016; Hu et al., 2017). As a result, AR pathogens have spread globally to cause loss of lives, production, productivity, and negatively impact economic growth. Recently, AR pathogens in a large study have been found directly responsible for millions of deaths, and the figures are likely to increase in the coming decades (Murray et al., 2022). The pace of the emergence of AR can however be slowed down by improving human interventions. The global and local AR combat plans implemented during the past few years have enhanced the mass awareness of the pandemic problem (WHO, 2015; FAO, 2016; NAP, GOI, 2017; WHO, 2022; WOAH, 2022). These Action Plans on AR containment encourage avoiding of indiscriminate use of antibiotics for the treatment of sick humans and animals, recommend the ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in food animals, promote AR surveillance and monitoring, and support the ‘One-Health’ strategy and application of the biosecurity principles for containment of the resistant microbes.

Body needs oxygen to oxidise the food nutrients and derive energy. In this process carbon dioxide is produced in the body, which is toxic and must be removed quickly and efficiently. The oxygen utilization & carbon dioxide production takes place within the mitochondrion of cells of the various tissues. The transport of O2 and CO2 to and from the cells of various tissue is done by the blood. But the actual uptake of oxygen from the air and discharge of CO2 into the environment takes place at the level of lungs. This exchange of O2 and CO2 between the organism and the environment is defined as respiration. Air is moved in and out of the lungs by their bellows action (ventilation). It is then distributed within each lung, so that alveoli are adequately ventilated and also perfused by the blood.

Oxygen and carbon dioxide are then exchanged between the gas mixture in the alveoli and the blood in the pulmonary capillaries (gas transfer). The gases are then transported in the blood to the tissue.

The primary role of the respiratory system is to provide O2 to the tissues for metabolic needs and remove the CO2 formed by them. Body needs oxygen to oxidise the food nutrients and derive energy. In this process carbon dioxide is produced in the body, which is toxic and must be removed quickly and efficiently. The oxygen utilization & carbon dioxide production takes place within the mitochondria of cells of the various tissues.

The development of the upper respiratory system composed of nasal cavities, naso pharynx and larynx is directly related to the development of the face. The nasal cavities are derived from ectoderm while nasopharynx and larynx are endodermal in origin. The lower respiratory system (trachea and lungs) is a derivative of the embryonic pharynx.

The epithelial lining of the lower respiratory system is endodermal in origin, while the surrounding connective tissue and cartilage are mesodermal in origin. The endoderm and underlying mesoderm from the floor of foregut i.e caudal part of pharynx grow caudally in midline and form the laryngo-tracheal groove at about the level of the branchial arches IV -VI from which the larynx and trachea arise. The laryngotracheal tube consists of an inner endodermal lining and an outer layer of splanchnic mesoderm. It grows into underlying mesenchyme. Ingrowths from the sides of the groove at about the level of the branchial arches IV - VI form a pair of ridges that grow towards each other and fuse forming a septum changing the groove into a tube with a blind end caudally. The rostral end opens into the floor of the pharynx. The blind caudal end expands in a bilobed manner into mesenchyme forming bronchial buds the primordia of right and left lungs while the groove is closing.

larynx : A pair of elevations, aryteniod swellings appears on the floor of the pharynx along midline at the level of branchial arch IV. The hypobranchial eminence is just infront of the arytenoid swellings. The depression between the hypobranchial eminence and the arytenoid swellings becomes the lumen of the larynx. The caudal part of the hypobranchial eminence forms the epiglottis. The arytenoid swellings and adjacent branchial arch mesenchyme form the other laryngeal cartilages and musculature. The thyroid cartilage arises from branchial arches III and IV. The other cartilages are derived from mesenchyme of branchial arches IV, V & VI. The intrinsic musculature of larynx is derived mostly from the branchial arch V and VI. With the exeption of the epiglottic cartilage the cartilages and muscles of the larynx are formed by the end of embryonic period.

The respiratory system is a complex biological system comprised of several organs that facilitate the inhalation of oxygen and exhalation of carbon dioxide (breathing) in living organisms. The major functions of the respiratory system is providing oxygen to the body cells and removing carbon dioxide from the body. In addition to this, the respiratory system helps in controlling body temperature (especially in dogs), eliminating water (as vapour) and assisting in voice production. The organs of respiratory system extend from nose to lungs. These consist of two major parts, the upper respiratory tract and the lower respiratory tract. The upper respiratory tract is comprised of nose, nasal cavity, the part of mouth, and the part of pharynx. The lower respiratory tract is comprised of the larynx, trachea, bronchi and lungs.

Nose

The nose is the externally visible part of the respiratory system. It forms the part of the face of the animal extending from the transverse level of eyes to the rostral end of the head. Exteriorly it is formed by the bones, muscles, cartilages and the skin. Internally it encloses the nasal cavity which is lined by the mucous membrane. The dorsal part of the nose (roof of the nasal cavity) is termed as dorsum nasi. It is formed by the nasal and frontal bones of the skull. The lateral parts are formed by the incisive, maxillary, lacrimal and zygomatic bones. Covering these bones externally is a muscular layer formed by the facial muscles running over these bones and acting on the upper lip and nostrils. The muscular layer is externally covered by the skin. The skin on the nose bears fine hairs except at the tip of the nose that is formed by the nostrils. The rostral end of the nose is formed by nostrils which provide entrance to the nasal cavity. The nostrils are supported by cartilages which are the dorsal and ventral extensions of the cartilage of the nasal septum. The main aim of the nose is to support and protect the nasal cavity.

Proper restraint and handling of laboratory and exotic pets reduces stress for both animal and examiner. Handling-related stress introduces a variable into experiments, so its minimizing is essential. Improper handling can lead to significant injuries for both animals and humans. Laboratory Animals General Care •     A healthy and regularly behaving animal is in a state of well-being. Maintaining the state of wellbeing requires effective health management and appropriate exercise. •     New animals on arrival should be quarantined, carefully examined, and placed in clean cages. Shipping containers should not enter the main facility and must be discarded. Proper identification and documentation of each animal, including details like origin and condition, is essential. Any sick animals should be euthanized immediately. •     Animals should be housed in separate rooms

Restraint Various techniques and equipment are employed to capture and restrain both zoo and free-ranging wild animals for physical examinations and medical treatment. The primary methods of restraint are physical and chemical restraint. Assessing the physical condition of the animal and determining the necessity of capture are essential, as all restraint methods can impact an animal’s behavior, physiology, and response to medication. Certain animals, such as black bucks, chinkaras, and deer, are particularly sensitive to restraint and prone to thermoregulatory issues, capture myopathy, and shock. In these species, even a routine capture can lead to injury or death. Terminology The following terminology is generally used during restraints of wild animals. Anesthesia: Causes unconscious with loss of awareness and pain relief. Analgesia: A state in which pain and sensation are effectively blocked.

4.1. Physical characteristics

4.1.1. Colour, number of bands and hair profile

The physical characteristics of hair like colour, number of bands and hair profile showed huge variations in the same individual from region to region particularly in the domestic animal species. So, these features of hair cannot be considered as an important tool for species identification from hair. These findings are in accor dance with the observations of Sarkar et al. (2011). Who mentioned that the coat of mammalian species varies with season, habitat and sex of the individuals.

Hausman (1920a) worked on the microscopic structure of hair from the commercial fur. The hair samples of 27 different species of animals were used for the study. He described in detail the structural features of guard hair. He classified medulla of hair into 4 different types as discontinuous, continuous, fragmental and interrupted on the basis of composition of medullar cells. He also classified the cuticular scale pattern into two types as imbricate interrupted and imbricate coronal. He mentioned in detail the methods for the preparation of slides for the study of microscopic structures of hair. He also studied the cortex and pigment granules.

Introduction 
In healthcare settings, risk management is not a novel idea. There is a wealth of research on risk control in the supply of medications, in-vitro diagnostics production, pharmaceutical manufacture, health information protection, & healthcare process management. Risk management is an important part of patient safety programs in developed countries. An important aspect of quality improvement in laboratories is risk management, which requires an evaluation of every testing method. All the working laboratories must perform this repeated preventive means at least once a year. The safety of laboratory workers, the caliber of results, and environmental preservation all depend on risk management in good laboratory practices (GLP). These are a few GLP risk management techniques. GLP- The Concept In accordance with excellent laboratory practice, risk management should be implemented by evaluating every laboratory procedure to guarantee the safety of both patients and staff. When a GLP facility implements a risk-based inspection procedure, risk assessments will be documented. QA inspection programs will frequently cover widespread operations, but the frequency & extent of the inspection may not take into account or represent the risk associated with each action. By putting quality control procedures into practice, one can learn about the shortcomings of a particular activity and use this information to focus the quality assurance program. According to the OECD Principles of GLP, or “the principles,” there are three different kinds of quality assurance inspections: process-, study-, and facilitybased. Risk Management The process usually begins with the creation of management committee for risk, which consists of important Laboratory staff members and a few ad hoc people chosen by the primary members. All technical laboratory procedures (pre-, examination-, & post-examination) will undergo a process flow analysis

Introduction
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an escalating global concern, rendering many once-effective antimicrobials useless and threatening modern medicine’s foundations [1]. RNA-based therapies offer precision, programmability, and modularity—tailoring interventions directly to microbial genetic machinery [2, 3].
Main RNA-based modalities include
• Antisense Oligonucleotides (ASOs): Short synthetic single-stranded RNAs that bind complementary mRNA in bacteria to inhibit translation or induce RNase H–mediated degradation [15].
• RNA Interference (RNAi): Though classically applied to eukaryotes, siRNAs or crRNAs delivered via nanoparticles (also termed “nanoantibiotics”) can silence microbial resistance or virulence genes while the carrier materials physically damage microbial membranes— enhancing lethality [3, 4,5].
• CRISPR-Cas Systems: Adapted as antimicrobials, CRISPR-Cas tools can precisely target and cleave resistance genes in pathogens via conjugative plasmids or phages [6].
• Ribozymes / External Guide Sequences (EGSs): Engineered noncoding RNAs that harness RNase P or ribozyme activity to degrade specific bacterial mRNAs [16].
Key strengths
• Target specificity—can silence essential microbial or resistance genes while sparing beneficial microbiota.
• Rapid design and adaptability—once delivery systems are in place, targeting new genes requires sequence change alone.
• Synergy potential—combining gene silencing with antibiotics or physical antimicrobial actions increases efficacy.

Robotics is transforming livestock production by automating repetitive, labour-intensive and precision-dependent operations. This chapter examines automated milking, robotic feeding, manure removal, health monitoring, drones and autonomous herd-management systems across dairy, poultry, swine and sheep production. Integration with AI, IoT and sensors creates connected environments capable of continuous monitoring and data-driven action. Benefits include higher productivity, lower labour requirements, timely animal care and more efficient resource use. Challenges include substantial investment, technical complexity, maintenance and farmer acceptance. Emerging developments such as autonomous farms, swarm robotics, solar-powered equipment and climate-smart robotic systems may further strengthen animal welfare, environmental sustainability and global food security.

A number of animals are used in this country for conducting a variety of experiments. There has been a long felt need to prescribe guidelines and procedures for animal experimentation covering all aspects. The Central Government has constituted a Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) under PCA Act 1960 to ensure that experimental animals are not subjected to unnecessary pain or suffering before, during or after the performance of experiment on them. For this purpose the government has made “Breeding of and Experiment on Animals (Control and Supervision) Rules, 1998 as amended during 2001 and 2006 to regulate the experimentation on animal. Under these provisions, the concerned establishments are required to get themselves registered with CPCSEA, form IAEC, get their Animal House Facilities inspected, and also get specific projects for research cleared by CPCSEA before commencing the research on animals. Further, breeding and trade of animals for such experimentation are also regulated under these Rules.

Introduction
Animal behavior, a fascinating field of study, encompasses a wide range of activities and responses to internal and external stimuli. Among the various factors that shape these behaviour’s, hormones and drugs are particularly significant. These biochemical agents profoundly influence the physiological and psychological aspects of animals, leading to observable changes in their behaviour. This introduction explores the roles of hormones and drugs in animal behavior, detailing their mechanisms, effects, and implications for broader scientific understanding and practical applications. Hormones and drugs play vital roles in shaping animal behavior through complex biochemical pathways. Hormones act as internal regulators, orchestrating responses to environmental and physiological changes, while drugs, whether therapeutic or environmental, modulate these processes, often with profound behavioral consequences. Understanding these influences is crucial for advancing animal welfare, conservation efforts, and biomedical research, ultimately enriching our comprehension of the intricate relationship between biology and behavior in the animal kingdom.
Hormones and Animal Behaviour Deliver
Hormones are chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands and secreted into the bloodstream, where they travel to target organs and tissues, eliciting specific physiological responses. These responses, in turn, influence behaviour. The following are some key hormones that play critical roles in animal behavior:
1. Corticosteroids
• Function: Corticosteroids, such as cortisol in mammals and corticosterone in birds and reptiles, are released by the adrenal glands in response to stress.
• Behavioral Impact: They prepare the body for the fight-or-flight response, affecting behaviour’s related to fear, anxiety, and aggression. Chronic stress exposure and elevated corticosteroid levels can lead to long-term behavioral changes, including heightened anxiety and altered social interactions.