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Optimisation of inoculants for red clover silage using genetic algorithms

Reference	D13533
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Gareth Griffith
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Richard Gilbert, Professor Douglas Kell
Institution	Aberystwyth University
Department	Inst of Biological, Environ & Rural Sci
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	167,272
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	03/07/2000
End date	03/04/2003
Duration	33 months

Abstract

The ensilage of a number of crops has proven problematic, due in part to low sugar levels and high buffering capacity. Following the great success of preliminary experiments with grass silage, we shall apply a novel optimisation method, genetic algorithms (GAs), to the design of silage additive combinations suitable for improved ensilage generally. 100g scale minisilos and 1ml scale microsilos will be used to select improved additive combinations, with lactate accumulation as the main indicator of silage quality. Silages will be monitored for numbers of pathogenic bacteria (coliforms and Listeria) which will provide a negative contribution to the fitness. These experimental systems will permit the dynamics of the GA optimisation process to be examined in detail.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Agri-food (AF)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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