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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Use Of Biomass From Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris Arundinacea) As Raw Material For Production Of Paper Pulp And Fuel, B Andersson, E Lindvall Feb 2024

Use Of Biomass From Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris Arundinacea) As Raw Material For Production Of Paper Pulp And Fuel, B Andersson, E Lindvall

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) has been investigated as a potential industrial crop in Sweden and other European countries. Reed canary grass (RCG) can be used as raw-material for paper pulp or as biofuel for combustion. A new harvest method, the delayed harvesting system, was developed which makes it possible to get dry, ready to store, material. The method reduces cost and improves quality of the product. The use of RCG as an industrial crop requires a completely different quality compared to forage. The important part is the cellulose while protein and mineral nutrients are disturbing the process …


Modeling The Biomass Production Of Grasslands Of Wallonia According To Their Functional Type, U. Kokah Essomandan, D. Knoden, B. Dumont, J. Bindelle Feb 2024

Modeling The Biomass Production Of Grasslands Of Wallonia According To Their Functional Type, U. Kokah Essomandan, D. Knoden, B. Dumont, J. Bindelle

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Permanent grasslands are complex ecosystems which respond with a great variability - in terms of specific richness - to soil type and management strategies. Modelling is a valuable tool to explore these relationships. Our work consisted in adapting the Moorepark St Gilles grass growth model (MoSt GG) designed to model Lolium perenne plant functional type (PFT) pastures (PFT A) to a different PFT (Dactylis glomerata, PFT B) through literature-based parametrization. The model was evaluated under Walloon (Belgium) conditions using growth trials from 2014 to 2018 in two sites with contrasting pedo-climatic conditions. Three to five cuts were performed …


Estimating Forage Biomass Using Unmanned Ground And Aerial Vehicles, B. A. Koc, J. Singh, M. J. Aguerre, Feb 2024

Estimating Forage Biomass Using Unmanned Ground And Aerial Vehicles, B. A. Koc, J. Singh, M. J. Aguerre,

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The assessment of the amount of biomass in the field is one of the critical factors that helps to manage and optimize numerous operations associated with forage management in the livestock industry. Pasture management decisions about stocking rate, grazing duration, and fertilizer application rate depend on accurate forage availability measurements. The objective of this study was to develop different nondestructive methods of forage biomass estimation using unmanned vehicles based on the relationship between crop height (CH) and the measured above-ground biomass. The unmanned vehicle-based methods were developed and tested on Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) and Tall Fescue (Schedonorus …


Grass Diversity And Pasture Quality Baseline Assessement In Central Madagascar, O. P. Nanjarisoa, L. Randriamanalina, Wayne F. Truter, M. T. Rajaonah, C. E. R. Lehmann, C. Birkinshaw, L. Rakotonirina, D. Miarinjanahary, N. L. Raharinirina, M. S. Vorontsova Nov 2023

Grass Diversity And Pasture Quality Baseline Assessement In Central Madagascar, O. P. Nanjarisoa, L. Randriamanalina, Wayne F. Truter, M. T. Rajaonah, C. E. R. Lehmann, C. Birkinshaw, L. Rakotonirina, D. Miarinjanahary, N. L. Raharinirina, M. S. Vorontsova

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Poaceae family contributes to Madagascar’s biodiversity hotspot with 217 of 541 grass species endemic to the island, although their forage value is unknown, at least in the scientific literature. Our research aims 1) to describe the diversity of native and endemic grasses thereby recognising the role of grass species diversity in forage and ecosystem management and 2) to provide new knowledge about pasture management based on the relationship between grazing capacity and productivity within experimental pastureland plots under different fire and grazing treatments. Our study seeks to provide information to inform improvements in livestock nutrition via grazing management of natural …


Weed Management Affects Pasture Productivity And Livestock Performance - Tropical Perspective, Joao B. Cason, B. Sleugh Nov 2023

Weed Management Affects Pasture Productivity And Livestock Performance - Tropical Perspective, Joao B. Cason, B. Sleugh

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Weed competition in pastures has a great impact on livestock productivity, as, in addition to competing with forage, it interferes with animal grazing. Without question, weeds can compete with forage for water, space, light and nutrients. Weeds reduce the feed value of forage, decrease pasture carrying capacity, and can be toxic or unpalatable to livestock. For most weeds in pasture, the root system is robust, which contributes to the survival of these plants, affecting the development of the pasture. Due to the large number of seeds, they usually produce, they are very easily dispersed. In addition, when there are weeds …


Salt Tolerance Mechanisms In Perennial Fodder Grasses, Edna Antony, B. Aravind, A. Amulya, T. Anushree, P. V. Rakshata, F. H. Savitha, M. B. Doddamani, P. V. Kuligod, Akbar, Vinod Kumar, K. Sridhar, Vijay Kumar Yadav Nov 2023

Salt Tolerance Mechanisms In Perennial Fodder Grasses, Edna Antony, B. Aravind, A. Amulya, T. Anushree, P. V. Rakshata, F. H. Savitha, M. B. Doddamani, P. V. Kuligod, Akbar, Vinod Kumar, K. Sridhar, Vijay Kumar Yadav

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Salinity stress is one of the most damaging stresses in crop plants. It reduces the productivity of the soil and makes it unsuitable for crop cultivation. Fodder crops are considered the best alternative in such uncultivable land. Using salinity-affected land for pasture development is the best alternative to utilize such lands. However, the extent of salinity tolerance varies among different grass species. In this study, Pearl millet Napier hybrids (PMN hybrid) and guinea grass varieties were studied for salinity tolerance in artificially created saline soils in the ratio of 13:7:1:2 (NaCl: Na2SO4: MgCl: CaSO4, …


Primary Productivity And Water Use Of The Perennial Grass, Cenchrus Ciliaris, In Arid Environments, L. Mnif, Mohamed Chaieb Aug 2023

Primary Productivity And Water Use Of The Perennial Grass, Cenchrus Ciliaris, In Arid Environments, L. Mnif, Mohamed Chaieb

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Cenchrus ciliaris is a perennial grass that may be suitable for the restoration of Rhanterium steppes (Chaieb et al., 1991). In this study, four Cenchrus ciliaris accessions from Tunisia from a range of climate and soil conditions, likely to vary in their adaptation to drought, were evaluated for productivity, rainuse-efficiency and reproductive output at Sfax in southern Tunisia. The suitability of these accessions for the restoration of Rhanterium steppes is considered.


The Use Of Digital Imagery For The Assessment Of Green Biomass In Native Pastures, A. F. Southwell, G. Mckenzie, James M. Virgona, A. M. Ridley, P. Ederback Aug 2023

The Use Of Digital Imagery For The Assessment Of Green Biomass In Native Pastures, A. F. Southwell, G. Mckenzie, James M. Virgona, A. M. Ridley, P. Ederback

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

A practice common to pasture research is the assessment of green leaf. In Australia, where the water use of plants is becoming an increasingly important issue due largely to its implications for dryland salinity, it is imperative that accurate and repeatable methods for characterising the amount of green leaf in pastures be used. The assessment of green leaf has been approached in many ways in the past with varying degrees of success and accuracy. The most accurate way is to physically harvest an area of pasture and separate the green component to make the relevant measurements. For many situations, this …


Effects Of Livestock Grazing On The Shrub Vegetation Biomass In The ‘Sierra De Guara’ Natural Park (Spain), J. L. Riedel, I. Casasús, A. García, A. Sanz, M. Blanco, R. Revilla, A. Bernués Jun 2023

Effects Of Livestock Grazing On The Shrub Vegetation Biomass In The ‘Sierra De Guara’ Natural Park (Spain), J. L. Riedel, I. Casasús, A. García, A. Sanz, M. Blanco, R. Revilla, A. Bernués

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The 'Sierra de Guara' Natural Park (80.7 Kha) is a Mediterranean mountain area in Huesca, south of the Spanish Pyrenees. Shrub and forest pastures dominate the Park. They are grazed mainly by sheep, but also by suckler cattle and goats. Average stocking rate is 0.15 LU/ha. As in other European mountain areas, agricultural activities have declined during the last few decades. This has caused a process of secondary vegetation succession towards shrub invasion, with consequent landscape changes. This study aimed to quantify the effect of grazing on shrub vegetation biomass.


Biomass Vertical Distribution In A Grazed Grassland Under Monoespecific And Mixed Grazing, C. Saroff, S. González, A. Ohanian, H. Pagliaricci, Y. R. Chiaramello Jun 2023

Biomass Vertical Distribution In A Grazed Grassland Under Monoespecific And Mixed Grazing, C. Saroff, S. González, A. Ohanian, H. Pagliaricci, Y. R. Chiaramello

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Mixed grazing is defined as the use of the same forage resource for more than one herbivore species. It has been shown that different herbivore species have specific grazing modalities (Black and Kenney, 1984), which may differentially modify the structure of the pasture. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biomass vertical distribution in a sward with mixed grazing.


The Effect Of Topographic Factors On The Productivity Of Mountain Grasslands In Northwestern Benin, T. H. Avohou, Brice Sinsin Jun 2023

The Effect Of Topographic Factors On The Productivity Of Mountain Grasslands In Northwestern Benin, T. H. Avohou, Brice Sinsin

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The Atacora mountains range in northern Benin (660 m altitude) is a special ecosystem in the sudanian zone because of the overriding importance of topographic factors and shallow soils. The vegetation over this mountain range consists of shrub and tree savannas, woodlands and fallows. More and more cattle herds graze on this range. But the functioning of this ecosystem is still unknown like many others in the tropical zone (Sene & Zingari, 2001). This study aims to determine the impact of topography and mountain side exposure on the productivity of the Atacora mountains grasslands in the Atacora mountains.


Thoughts On Breeding For Increased Forage Yield, E. C. Brummer Apr 2023

Thoughts On Breeding For Increased Forage Yield, E. C. Brummer

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Most forage crops have not experienced yield gains as impressive as those observed in annual grains crops such as maize (Zea mays L); in fact, yield improvement in lucerne appears to have stopped in the Midwestern USA (Riday and Brummer, 2002). I contend that much of this disparity can be explained by a failure of breeders to pursue long term recurrent selection programs within populations to capitalize on small, incremental improvements in yield over time. Many selection programs last only two or three cycles, resulting in a germplasm or cultivar release. Either no further selection is attempted or the …


Nutrient Management Strategies To Control Broomsedge Infestation And Improve Yield And Quality Of Tall Fescue Hayfields, Junior I. Yasuoka, Dale Helwig, Wendie Powell, Jaymelynn K. Farney, Gretchen F. Sassenrath, Bruno C. Pedreira Jan 2023

Nutrient Management Strategies To Control Broomsedge Infestation And Improve Yield And Quality Of Tall Fescue Hayfields, Junior I. Yasuoka, Dale Helwig, Wendie Powell, Jaymelynn K. Farney, Gretchen F. Sassenrath, Bruno C. Pedreira

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A study in tall fescue hayfields infested with broomsedge and bluestem was conducted at four locations in southeast Kansas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium fertilization affect yield, forage quality, and broomsedge/bluestem control in tall fescue hayfields. This trial will be repeated in 2023.


Data Curation For Modeling Tall Fescue Biomass Dynamics With Dssat-Csm, M. B. Hanson, P. D. Alderman, T. J. Butler, A. Caldeira Rocateli Jan 2023

Data Curation For Modeling Tall Fescue Biomass Dynamics With Dssat-Csm, M. B. Hanson, P. D. Alderman, T. J. Butler, A. Caldeira Rocateli

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

While models for predicting forage production are available to aid management decisions for some forage crops, there is limited research for a yield model designed specifically for tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus). Therefore, our objective was to adapt an existing perennial forage model, the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer Cropping Systems Model (DSSAT-CSM) for predicting forage biomass of tall fescue in the southern Great Plains. To evaluate model performance, there must first be a high level of data manipulation and cleaning. In this project, a cohesive dataset combining biomass, weather, soil, and management data were structured into DSSAT …


Benefits Of Cover Cropping Systems In Walnut Orchards As Sustainable Agricultural Practice, Ana Medic, Consuelo B. Baez Vega Jan 2022

Benefits Of Cover Cropping Systems In Walnut Orchards As Sustainable Agricultural Practice, Ana Medic, Consuelo B. Baez Vega

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

In recent years walnut orchards implemented cover crops in between rows to improve soil’s quality, lessen soil’s erosion, increase organic matter, manage nutrient movement and availability, enhance water retention, and expand microbe, insect, and flora diversity. Commonly selected cover crops in California are from families Poaceae, Brassicaceae, and Fabaceae. Considerations should be made when choosing a particular cover crop mixture to enhance multiple benefits and improve sustainable practices in orchard settings. An experiment was conducted in a walnut orchard to compare functionality and benefits of three systems multi-crop, monocrop, and no vegetation cover crop system. The following components were evaluated: …


Estimating Herbaceous Biomass Of Grassland Vegetation Using The Reference Unit Method, Eric D. Boyda, Jack L. Bulter, Lan Xu Dec 2015

Estimating Herbaceous Biomass Of Grassland Vegetation Using The Reference Unit Method, Eric D. Boyda, Jack L. Bulter, Lan Xu

The Prairie Naturalist

Aboveground net primary production provides valuable information on wildlife habitat, fire fuel loads, and forage availability. Aboveground net primary production in herbaceous plant communities is typically measured by clipping aboveground biomass. However, the high costs associated with physically harvesting plant biomass may prevent collecting sufficient data to account for natural spatial and temporal variability of vegetation at a landscape scale. Various double-sampling techniques have been developed to increase sample size while reducing cost. We applied a biomass estimation technique previously developed for estimating shrub biomass using representative samples or “reference units” to estimate herbaceous grassland biomass. Our reference units consisted …


Grass And Canada Goldenrod (Solidago Canadensis) Competition And Implications For Management In The Northern Tallgrass Prairie, Alexander J. Smart, Gary E. Larson, Peter J. Bauman Jun 2012

Grass And Canada Goldenrod (Solidago Canadensis) Competition And Implications For Management In The Northern Tallgrass Prairie, Alexander J. Smart, Gary E. Larson, Peter J. Bauman

The Prairie Naturalist

Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.) is a native perennial forb that can form dense clonal patches and become weedy in pastures of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion. Our objectives were to determine 1) the competitive effects between Canada goldenrod and grass, 2) the relationship between Canada goldenrod stem density and grass biomass, and 3) the distribution of Canada goldenrod stem density at the pasture scale. We used regression analysis to develop a relationship between Canada goldenrod stem density and grass biomass. Additionally, we estimated the frequency distribution of Canada goldenrod stem density categories using three evenly distributed 100 × 100-m …


Effects Of Species, Water, And Nitrogen On Competition Among Three Prairie Grasses, Jerry L. Weatherford, Randall W. Myster Jun 2011

Effects Of Species, Water, And Nitrogen On Competition Among Three Prairie Grasses, Jerry L. Weatherford, Randall W. Myster

The Prairie Naturalist

We conducted an experiment to investigate effects of species, water (W), and nitrogen (N) on competition among little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), and indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans). All biomass parameters and the root:shoot ratio of little bluestem were reduced by the presence off 1 of 2 other species, and its shoot biomass and total biomass were both increased by addition of N. Root and shoot biomass of sideoats grama were reduced by the presence of indiangrass and its total biomass was reduced by the presence of itself, whereas its shoot biomass was increased by addition of W at …


Winterkill And Biomass Of The Painted Turtle In A South Dakota Wetland, Steven G. Platt, Zannita Fast Horse, Warren Cross, Sylvio Mannel, Thomas R. Rainwater Sep 2008

Winterkill And Biomass Of The Painted Turtle In A South Dakota Wetland, Steven G. Platt, Zannita Fast Horse, Warren Cross, Sylvio Mannel, Thomas R. Rainwater

The Prairie Naturalist

Winterkill occurs when drought conditions expose hibernating turtles to desiccation and lethaly cold temperatures. Winterkill is thought to represent a major source of mortality in northern populations of the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), but few field observations are available. We herein reported on catastrophic winterkill among western painted turtle (C. pieta bellii) at Limestone Butte Lake (LBL) in western South Dakota during the winter of 2003-2004. Additionally, we used the carcasses of winterkilled turtles (n = 86) to estimate the standing crop biomass of the painted turtle at LBL (0.6 kg/ha). This was the only estimate …


Crop Updates - 2003 Weeds, Bill Roy, Peter Newman, J. R. Peirce, B. J. Rayner, Kathryn J. Steadman, Gavin P. Bignell, Amanda J. Ellery, Sandy Nedelkos, Ross Chapman, Michelle J. Owen, Simone Dudley, Robert Gallagher, Pippa J. Michael, Julie A. Plummer, Peter Newman, Glenn Adam, Catherine Borger, Abul Hashem, Nerys Wilkins, Sally Peltzer, Alex Douglas, Fran Hoyle, Paul Matson, Michael Walsh, Darren Chitty, David Ferris, Paul Neve, Art Diggle, Patrick Smith, Stephen Powles, David Archer, James Eklund, Frank Forcella, Alister Draper, Rick Llewellyn, Aik Cheam, Siew Lee, David Nicholson, Mike Clarke, Debbie Allen, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Terry Piper, L. E. Young Feb 2003

Crop Updates - 2003 Weeds, Bill Roy, Peter Newman, J. R. Peirce, B. J. Rayner, Kathryn J. Steadman, Gavin P. Bignell, Amanda J. Ellery, Sandy Nedelkos, Ross Chapman, Michelle J. Owen, Simone Dudley, Robert Gallagher, Pippa J. Michael, Julie A. Plummer, Peter Newman, Glenn Adam, Catherine Borger, Abul Hashem, Nerys Wilkins, Sally Peltzer, Alex Douglas, Fran Hoyle, Paul Matson, Michael Walsh, Darren Chitty, David Ferris, Paul Neve, Art Diggle, Patrick Smith, Stephen Powles, David Archer, James Eklund, Frank Forcella, Alister Draper, Rick Llewellyn, Aik Cheam, Siew Lee, David Nicholson, Mike Clarke, Debbie Allen, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Terry Piper, L. E. Young

Crop Updates

This session covers Thirty four papers from different authors

INTRODUCTION

INTEGRATED WEED MANAGEMENT

IWM system studies/demonstration sites

  1. Six years of IWM investigation – what does it tell us? Bill Roy, Agricultural Consulting and Research Services Pty Ltd

  2. Long term herbicide resistance site, the final chapter, Peter Newman and Glen Adam, Department of Agriculture

  3. Management of skeleton weed (chondrilla juncea) in a cropping rotation in Western Australia, J. R. Peirce and B. J. Rayner, Department of Agriculture

WEED BIOLOGY AND COMPETITION

  1. Annual ryegrass seedbanks: The good, the bad and the ugly, Kathryn J. Steadman1, Amanda …


Using Upper Boundary Constraints To Quantify Competitive Response Of Desert Annuals, Laura M. Lessin, Andrew R. Dyer, Deborah E. Goldberg Jan 2001

Using Upper Boundary Constraints To Quantify Competitive Response Of Desert Annuals, Laura M. Lessin, Andrew R. Dyer, Deborah E. Goldberg

Faculty Publications

Using a target-neighborhood approach with six annual dicot species in the Negev Desert of Israel, we tested whether neighborhood biomass constrained the upper limit of plant performance and if the slope of the upper boundary was correlated to species trait means, such as relative growth rate (RGR) and seed mass. Target individuals were measured in early spring and then collected at the onset of the dry season along with all naturally occurring neighbors within a 5-cm radius of the target. Using a minimum of 50 samples for each of the six target species, we found no significant relationships between target …