Life Sciences Commons^™

Restoring North America’S Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystem Using Seed Enhancement Technologies, Matthew D. Madsen, Kirk W. Davies, Chad S. Boyd, Jay D. Kerby, Daniel L. Carter, Tony J. Svejcar

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Rangelands occupy over a third of global land area, and in many cases are in less than optimum condition as a result of past land use, catastrophic wildfire and other disturbance, invasive species, or climate change. Often the only means of restoring these lands involves seeding desirable species, yet there are few cost effective seeding technologies, especially for the more arid rangeland types. The inability to consistently establish desired plants from seed may indicate that the seeding technologies being used are not successful in addressing the primary sources of mortality in the progression from seed to established plant. Seed enhancement …

Comprehensive Evaluation Of Wild Elymus L. Germplasm In Inner Mongolia, Juan Qi, Wen-Xia Cao, Ting Jiao, Xiao-Peng Pu, Wei-Hong Yan

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Grassland degradation is increasing in severity and is an important global issue in the 21st century. Increasing research is being conducted on how to solve these problems (Niu and Jiang 2004). Restoration and revegetation of degraded grassland and the establishment of artificial pastures are important in addressing degradation. Successful restoration requires the identification of species and seed sources that are adapted to the ecological conditions of the restoration site. Elymus L. is a large genus that contains about 150 species distributed across a wide range of ecological sites across temperate and subtropical regions of the world (Dewey 1984; Love 1984). …

Fatty Acid Analysis Of The Transgenic Tobacco Expressing A Delta 6-Desaturase Gene From Microula Sikkimensis, Shujuan Wu, Lijing Zhang, Xiaolong Chen, Xiumei Miao, Decao Niu, Hua Fu

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

γ-Linolenic acid (GLA, 18:3^{Δ6, 9, 12}) and octadecatetraenoic acid (OTA, 18:4^{Δ6, 9, 12, 15}) are important polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which have been proved to be benefit for human health (Fan and Chapkin 1998; Whelan 2009). Currently, fish are the predominant source of PUFAs. However, with the growth of world’s population and the more nutrition requirements, fishery resources are shrinking. Alternative sources of PUFAs are being investigated (Truksa et al. 2009). The major oil crops do not contain GLA and OTA, only several plant species contain these important fatty acids in their leaf lipids and …

Production Of Giant Panicum In Contrasting Environments In Semi-Arid Kenya, Donald M. G. Njarui, Mwangi Gatheru, David Miano Mwangi, George A. Keya

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Giant panicum (Panicum maximum Jacq.) is a tall, vigorous perennial grass that is native to tropical and sub-tropical Africa. It is drought tolerant due to its deep and dense fibrous roots system and grows in a wide range of soil types. It is an important livestock feed and has been extensively cultivated in Brazil (Santos et al. 2006). Despite its wide genetic diversity in East Africa, its potential for livestock feed has not been exploited there due to limited research. Our research was aimed at evaluating the production of several giant panicum ecotypes in contrasting environments in semi-arid …

Controlling Lethal Browning Of Hemarthria Compressa Tissue Cultures, Chunhua Yang, Yaohua Xu, Lingzhi Chen, Yifang Sui

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Hemarthria compressa is an important warm-season forage grass for use in Southwest China. However, due to poor seed set, it is propagated by vegetative cuttings of stolons, rhizomes, and nodal sections. The in vitro propagation of H. compressa is still faced with difficulties including blackening or browning of tissues prior to culturing due to the oxidation of phenolic compounds by polyphenolic oxidase enzyme present in excised tissue (Yang et al. 2008). The objectives of the study were to investigate possible means of successful initiation of cultures through elimination of phenolic browning.

Leaf Growth And Senescence Rates In Brown-Back Wallaby Grass, Rytidosperma Duttonianum, Helen G. Daily, Shaun Lisson, Kerry L. Bridle, Peter A. Lane, Stuart Anderson, Ross Corkrey

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Knowledge of leaf turnover in grasses is necessary to model curing (the accumulation of dead material in the sward), which is not well represented in current pasture growth models, nor for many Australian native species. Leaf turnover begins with the appearance of successive leaves, which elongate until typically, a leaf ligule develops to indicate a mature, fully expanded length. Green leaf life span extends from appearance to the beginning of senescence, which ultimately leads to death (Fig. 1). Here, the individual rates of leaf growth and senescence for the Australian native brown-back wallaby grass, Rytidosperma duttonianum (Cashmore) Connor & Edgar, …

Basin Wildrye (Leymus Cinereus) Pooled Tetraploid Accessions For U.S. Intermountain West Rangeland Reclamation, Stanford A. Young, Jason Vernon, Nancy Shaw

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus [Scribn. & Merr.] Á. Löve) is an important perennial, hardy, long-lived, cool season C3 native grass of rangeland plant communities throughout much of western United States and Canada. All classes of livestock and wildlife, including large and small birds and mammals, utilise the grass year round for food and protection due to its 2-3 m tall, stiff stature which provides standing winter cover. Though occurring in precipitation areas of 150-500 mm and elevations of 600 to 3,000 m, it is usually found in deep, well-drained soils of high water holding capacity along drainage areas. Seedling …

Summer Dormancy Expression In The Australian Native Grass Elymus Scaber, Matthew Newell, Richard C. Hayes, Jim Virgona, Philip Larkin

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Complete summer dormancy is associated with plant senescence in late spring-summer even though soil moisture is non-limiting. The trait is well understood in exotic temperate grasses for persistence in environments which experience frequent summer droughts (Annicchiarico et al. 2011). However, the trait appears to be uncommon in Australian native grasses (Culvenor 2009). The C3 native perennial grass, Elymus scaber, is broadly adapted across a wide range of climatic zones and soil types in south eastern Australia (Johnston et al. 2001) and has been described as displaying strong summer dormancy (Mitchell et al. 2001). However, the reports …

Challenges To Domesticating "Native" Forage Legumes, James P. Muir, José C. B. Dubeux Jr., Mércia V. F. Dos Santos, Inacio C. Maposse, William D. Pitman, Twain J. Butler

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

If ruminant production from cultivated and natural grasslands is to depend less on petroleum-based products, forage legumes must serve as protein sources. Commercially available legumes for warm-dry climate grasslands are, however, very limited and resources available for developing such legumes are inadequate. Indeterminate flowering and dehiscent seed pods combined with the need for specialized seed harvesting equipment are major impediments (Butler and Muir 2012). Warm climates often present environmental challenges such as poor rainfall distribution, extended dry seasons, temperature extremes and aggressive grass species (Muir et al. 2011). Erosion of indigenous knowledge and replacement with inappropriate land management approaches …

Row Spacing Effects On Biomass Components And Accumulated Energy In Elymus Sibiricus L., Jinping Liu, Minghong You

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Elymus sibiricus L. is widely distributed in the eastern Tibetan Plateau of China. Current research on E. sibiricus mainly focuses on resource assessment, breeding, cultivation and dynamics of forage yield. Little is known about the effects of row spacing on the biomass components and accumulated energy of E. sibiricus. We conducted a study to determine the effects of row spacing on biomass components and accumulated energy in E. sibiricus. These data are important to optimize forage and seed production of E. sibiricus, and can assist in developing animal husbandry, structurally adjusting the agricultural industry and protecting the …

Seeding Rate And Row-Spacing Effects On Seed Yield And Yield Components Of Leymus Chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel., Yunhua Han, Xianguo Wang, Tianming Hu, Zhenlei Zhu, Zhengwei Wang, Ying Wang

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Chinese sheepgrass (Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel.) is widely distributed in the eastern portion of the Inner Mongolian Plateau and the Songnen Grassland of China. This grass is highly salt, cold and drought tolerant and has been the major source of forage for cows and other ruminants in China (Gao et al. 2012). Seed yield of this grass is very low under native conditions because of the low heading percentage and percentage of seed set (Wang et al. 2010). The Hexi Corridor, located in China’s northwestern Gansu Province, is the seed production center of China because of its …

Using Common Gardens And Aflp Analyses To Identify Metapopulations Of Indigenous Plant Materials For Rangeland Revegetation In Western Usa, Douglas A. Johnson, B. Shaun Bushman, Thomas A. Jones, Kishor Bhattarai

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Past mismanagement, overgrazing, invasive weedy species, wildfires, marginal crop production, mineral and energy extraction, recreation and global climate change are challenges currently facing rangelands (Pierson et al. 2011). These disturbances may lead to long-term reductions in biodiversity, altered nutrient and water cycling, diminished forage production for livestock and wildlife, increased wildfire frequency and increased soil erosion and stream sedimentation (Sheley et al. 2008). Rangeland revegetation with desirable plant materials may be required to improve degraded conditions, speed recovery, and prevent further erosion and degradation. There is a critical need for plant materials to restore and revegetate rangeland ecosystems. …

Seed Rain Of A Native Pasture Under A Range Of Grazing And Fertiliser Regimes, Zhongnan Nie, Reto Zollinger

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

In recent years, deferred grazing (no defoliation of pastures for a period generally from spring to late summer or autumn) has been widely adopted to rejuvenate degraded native pastures in marginal land classes such as steep hill country in western Victoria, Australia. One of the important features of deferred grazing is the increase of seed production over summer and autumn, which could potentially lead to natural regeneration and improved groundcover by pasture plants (Nie et al. 1999). While increasing seed numbers in the soil seed bank following deferred grazing were reported (Nie and Mitchell 2006), there has been little …

Genetic Variation And Geographical Differentiation Of Elymus Nutans (Poaceae: Triticeae) From West China, Shiyong Chen, Xinquan Zhang, Xiao Ma, Jiamin Miao

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Elymus nutans Griseb. is not only an important alpine forage grass, but also as a crucial gene pool for improving cereal crops. Understanding and maintaining the genetic diversity of the species are essential for both conservation strategy and breeding programs. However, little is known about its genetic and geographical differentiation patterns. E. nutans is a perennial, caespitose and allohexaploid (2n=6x=42) species that contains the St, H and Y genomes. It is native to temperate and tropical Asia, ranging from western and central Asia in the west to China and Mongolia in the east, from Russia in the north to India …

Seed Ecology Of Microlaena Stipoides In Grazing Systems Of South-Eastern Australia, Meredith L. Mitchell, James M. Virgona, Joe Jacobs, David R. Kemp

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Microlaena stipoides var. stipoides (Labill.) R.Br. (Microlaena) is a tufted C3 native Australian perennial grass with a short rhizome that can form dense lawns. Microlaena has a wide geographic distribution throughout southern Australia, particularly in the temperate, high-rainfall tableland areas (> 550 mm AAR) of south-eastern and western Australia where is considered to be important for the grazing industries because of its extended growing season in higher rainfall areas, persistence over many years and persistence through drought. Although Microlaena has an important role in the stability of grazed native pastures, little is known about this grass in grazed communities. This …

Technical Challenges In Evaluating Southern China’S Forage Germplasm Resources, Changjun Bai, Guodao Liu, Yu Zhang, Daogeng Yu

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The present status of the collection, conservation and utilisation of the pasture germplasm in tropical and subtropical zones in China is reviewed. The Tropical Pasture Research Centre (TPRC) of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS) has been engaged in this research since the 1940s. A low temperature gene bank, an in vitro plant library and a nursery station have been established. In total, 5890 indigenous fodder materials belonging to 478 species, 161 genera and 12 families have been surveyed and collected in South China; 1130 exotic materials belonging to 87 species, 42 genera of grasses and legumes have been …

World Interest In Diverse Native Plant Stands, Michael P. Schellenberg, Bili Biligetu, Eric G. Lamb, Jenalee M. Mischkolz

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The objective of this paper was to provide a brief overview of native plant use and development including examples of native plant research being conducted in Canada. There is increasing interest in native plants in various countries. Currently, native plants are used in reclamation, biomass biofuel production, forage seeding, habitat restoration, and water and soil conservation efforts. Many countries have active programs for native plant preservation and new germplasm development, but seed cost, seed quality, and ease of establishment are still challenges for large-scale use. Many improved native plant germplasms have been released in recent years. In some countries, legislation …

The Values Of Warm-Season Native Perennial Grasses Grown For Pasture Or Biofuel In The Southern Great Plains, Usa, James K. Rogers, Bryan Nichols, Jon T. Biermacher, Jagadeesh Mosali

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The Renewable Fuel Standard under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 mandated the production of 136 billion liters of cellulosic biofuel by 2022. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) has been identified as a primary feedstock because it is a perennial, produces high yields and is adapted to a wide environmental range. Development of the cellulosic biofuel industry has been slow. A reason for this slow development is lack of available feedstock driven by lack of a developed market. Rather than considering switchgrass only as a dedicated biofuel feedstock, we examined its potential both for grazing and biofuel feedstock. …

The Use Of Functional Traits To Identify Grasses And Fodder Shrubs For Domestication To Suit A Changing Climate, Meredith L. Mitchell, R. D. B. Whalley, Hayley C. Norman

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

There is uncertainty about future climatic predictions; however there is little doubt amongst experts that the future will be warmer. Climate change and the associated elevation in atmospheric CO₂ level and temperatures will provide novel challenges and potential opportunities for cultivated plant species. Plant breeding and domestication can contributed to improvements in both yield and quality of grasses and fodder shrubs. A range of key functional traits is required to cope with this changing climate. The main challenges that are discussed are new pests and pathogens; changes in the pattern of nutrient supply and forage quality; challenge associated with …

Development Of New, High Yielding Tropical Grass Varieties For Increasing Productivity Of Semi-Arid Grasslands In India, Ajoy K. Roy, D. R. Malaviya, P. Kaushal, Sunil Kumar, S. Ahmed

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Indian agriculture has traditionally been a mixed farming system since ancient times with integration of arable crops and livestock. It provides employment and livelihood to 70% of the rural population. Livestock are predominantly cattle and small ruminants that graze extensively on rangelands/pasturelands and common property resources (CPRs). CPRs occupy approximately 54 million ha area including permanent pastures in the alpine and temperate parts as well as seasonal grazing lands and wastelands. The productivity and carrying capacity of tropical degraded grasslands is very low, the average carrying capacity being 1.0, 0.7, 0.7 Adult Cattle Unit (ACU)/ha in semi-arid, arid and hill …

Genetic Diversity And Relationships In Cocksfoot By Molecular Markers, Bing Zeng, Fu-Yuan Zuo, Xinquan Zhang, Liang Huan

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) originated from the Northern Hemisphere, including Eurasia and North Africa. It is widely distributed in temperate climates and has been widely used in the world more than 100 years, especially in North America, Europe and Japan. Genetic variability of cocksfoot had been detected by RAPD (Kölliker et al. 1999), and the correlation between genome size of natural populations of cocksfoot and location altitude has been analyzed by AFLP (Reeves et al. 1999). To date, information on the genetic diversity of cocksfoot at the molecular level is still scarce, This study is the first to …

Methods Of Ryegrass Establishment (Lolium Multiflorum Lam.) Affecting Optimal Sward Height To Maximize The Intake Rate, Delma Fabíola Ferreira Da Silva, Lidiane Fonseca, Carolina Bremm, Anibal De Moraes, Alda L. G. Monteiro, Hélio Mayer, Thiago Marzarotto, Paulo C. De F. Carvalho

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

In integrated systems it is common to use the no-tillage method. The adoption of this method improves the system's sustainability (Laurent et al. 2011). It is necessary to understand the effects of the integrated systems on sward structure and its consequences in the grazing process and in animal production. The intake rate of grazing animals is primarily responsible for the animal performance (Coleman 2006), which short-termdepends mainly on sward structure (Laca and Demment 2006). The sward height has great influence on the animal decision on where to take the next bite (Mcgilloway et al. 1999). The hypothesis of …

Timely Autumn Seeding Of Annual Ryegrass Is Essential For High Yield, Jennifer M. Johnson, Edzard Van Santen

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The use of annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) as a winter cover crop and grazing option in the Southeast Unit-ed States has become a common practice. Recent research evaluating the effects of seeding time on seed yield in Canada determined autumn seeding produces the most desired results relative spring seeding, but indicated that varied autumn seeding rates would further their findings (Coulman et al. 2013). A University of Arkansas study utilized cool season annuals, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and annual ryegrass, to evaluate animal performance and seeding date effects. This research indicated that seeding cool-season annuals in …

Global Illumina Sequencing And The Development Of Est-Ssr Markers In Alfalfa, Zhipeng Liu, Yanrong Wang

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

RNA-Seq, a massively parallel sequencing method for transcriptome analysis, only analyzes transcribed portions of the genome. Recently, RNA-Seq has provided an opportunity to expand the identification of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) genes. Using Illumina sequencing, 124,025 unique sequences from MSGI 1.0 have been identified from the elongating stem and post-elongation stem internodes of two alfalfa genotypes (Yang et al. 2011). Using 454 sequencing, 54,216 unique sequences were obtained from the roots and shoots of two alfalfa genotypes (Han et al., 2011). In addition, Illumina sequencing of old and young stems of 27 alfalfa genotypes led to the …

Transferring Simple Sequence Repeat Molecular Markers From A Model To Cultivated Lotus Species: Genetic Diversity In An Association Mapping Population Of Lotus Tenuis, Luis Inostroza, Hernán Acuña

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Lotus tenuis is a diploid (2n=12), out-crossing, self-incompatible, perennial species originating from the Mediterranean basin, North Africa, and Asia. On the other hand, Lotus japonicus has been selected as a model species be-cause of its simple genetic conditions (diploid, self-crossing, and short ontogenetic cycle). Lotus japonicus is currently the focus of large multinational genome projects that periodically release outstanding products; these include sequencing of genomic DNA on a large scale, generating molecular markers, and constructing high-density linkage maps (Szczyglowski and Stougaard 2008). Furthermore, comparative genetic studies have demonstrated conserva-tion of genome structure among model and crop species; this suggests that …

New Herbaceous Perennial Legumes In Dryland Mediterranean Agroecosystems: Pasture Persistence And Productivity, Viviana Barahona, Carlos Ovalle, Alejandro Del Pozo, Soledad Espinoza, Fernando Squella, Fernando Fernandez, Macarena Gerding

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

One of the strategies to improve pasture and crop productivity in the Mediterranean zone of Chile has been the introduction and use of annual legumes (del Pozo and Ovalle 2009; Ovalle et al. 2010). The growth rate of annual legumes is low during autumn and winter, and the distribution of the biomass production is mainly concentrated in spring when temperatures are moderate and soil water is available. It is hypothesized that perennial deep-rooted legumes can play a key role in improving soil physicochemical characteristics as well as water-use efficiency (Cocks 2001; Dear et al. 2003; Ward 2006). In …

Relationship Between Genetic Origin And Characterization Of Varieties Of Lotus Corniculatus L. In Uruguay, María José Cuitiño, Mónica Rebuffo

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Changes in cropping systems have moved pastures into more restrictive environments, affecting the traditional seed crop harvest of Lotus corniculatus L. in Uruguay. This traditional harvest may have generated landraces (LR) with differences in dry matter and seed production and/or adaptation. The potential seed yield of L. corniculatus and that obtained by farmers is very different (Garcia et al, 1991). Several factors impact on achieving potential seed yield and it is possible that these constraints maybe overcome via breeding. The objective of this study was to identify LR’s with more seed production and/or persist-ence, compared with parental cultivars and …

Characterization Of Landraces Of Lotus Corniculatus L. In Uruguay, Mónica Rebuffo, María José Cuitiño

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Lotus corniculatus, the main cultivated forage legume in Uruguay since the sixties, is well adapted to soils with low P availability and pH where alfalfa has restricted growth. Local landraces are potential sources of valuable genes that could benefit the farming community. Traditionally farmers harvested their own seed through many generations in the southwest (Garcia et al. 1991), where sown pastures were rotated with cereals. These local landraces were conserved in situ in the past, but ley-farming systems have been substituted for continuous soybean cropping in recent years. INIA collected 110 samples for ex situ conservation with proper …

Selection For Improved Saccharification Efficiency In Alfalfa Stems Assessed By Enzyme-Released Glucose, Annick Bertrand, Yves Castonguay, Réal Michaud, Marc-Olivier Duceppe

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) has a high potential for sustainable bioethanol production, particularly because of its low reliance on N fertilizer (Samac et al. 2006). Genetic improvement for the accumulation of readily fermentable non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) and the saccharification of structural carbohydrate (SC) could significantly increase ethanol conversion rate. Genetic gains for these traits are tributary to the availability of screening techniques for the precise identification of superior genotypes with increased potential for the production of fermentable carbohydrates.

When assessing the genetic variability of parameters linked to cellulosic ethanol production (concentrations of NSC and SC), our results showed …

Three Dimensional (3d) Reconstruction Of Subterranean Clover, Helen G. Daily, Jianming Guo, Xavier R. R. Sirault

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Three dimensional (3D) plant reconstructions, extended to four dimensions with the use of time series and accompanied by visual modelling, is being used for a number of purposes including the estimation of biovolume and as the basis for functional structural plant modelling (FSPM). This has been successfully applied to crop species such as cotton (Paproki et al. 2012). Measuring the growth pattern and arrangement of a pasture sward is a difficult task but can be used as an indirect measure of other variables of interest, such as growth rate, light interception, nutritional quality, herbivore intake, etc. (Laca and …