Python farming as a flexible and efficient form of agricultural food security.

Autor: Natusch D; School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia. d.natusch@epicbiodiversity.com., Aust PW; Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.; Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa., Caraguel C; School of Animal & Veterinary Science, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5371, Australia., Taggart PL; School of Animal & Veterinary Science, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5371, Australia., Ngo VT; National Key Laboratory, Institute of Tropical Biology, Vietnamese Academy of Sciences and Technology, 9/621 Hanoi Highway, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam., Alexander GJ; Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa., Shine R; School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia., Coulson T; Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2024 Mar 14; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 5419. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Mar 14.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54874-4
Abstrakt: Diminishing natural resources and increasing climatic volatility are impacting agri-food systems, prompting the need for sustainable and resilient alternatives. Python farming is well established in Asia but has received little attention from mainstream agricultural scientists. We measured growth rates in two species of large pythons (Malayopython reticulatus and Python bivittatus) in farms in Thailand and Vietnam and conducted feeding experiments to examine production efficiencies. Pythons grew rapidly over a 12-month period, and females grew faster than males. Food intake and growth rates early in life were strong predictors of total lifetime growth, with daily mass increments ranging from 0.24 to 19.7 g/day for M. reticulatus and 0.24 to 42.6 g/day for P. bivittatus, depending on food intake. Pythons that fasted for up to 4.2 months lost an average of 0.004% of their body mass per day, and resumed rapid growth as soon as feeding recommenced. Mean food conversion rate for dressed carcasses was 4.1%, with useable products (dressed carcass, skin, fat, gall bladder) comprising 82% of the mass of live animals. In terms of food and protein conversion ratios, pythons outperform all mainstream agricultural species studied to date. The ability of fasting pythons to regulate metabolic processes and maintain body condition enhances food security in volatile environments, suggesting that python farming may offer a flexible and efficient response to global food insecurity.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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