The Influence Of Burning On Soil Microbial Biomass And Activity Along The Boro Route In The Okavango Delta Of Botswana,
2022
University of Botswana, South Africa
The Influence Of Burning On Soil Microbial Biomass And Activity Along The Boro Route In The Okavango Delta Of Botswana, Tabo Mubyana-John, A. Banda
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
The Okavango Delta, a protected area in northeastern Botswana because of its annual flooding pattern, is the main source of water in an otherwise arid environment with a high diversity of plants and animals and forms the main tourist area in the region. However, the area is under threat from range fires. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of fire on soil microbial activity, biomass C, fungal population and diversity, and some soil properties along the Boro route of the Okavango Delta (Botswana).
Chemical Components And Effects On Soil Quality In Temperate Grazed Pasture Systems,
2022
New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research
Chemical Components And Effects On Soil Quality In Temperate Grazed Pasture Systems, M. H. Beare, D. Curtin, S. Thomas, P. M. Fraser, G. S. Francis
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
Key points
1. Legume/grass pastures retain feedbacks on N supply that may help to reduce losses of N to the wider environment.
2. Intensive use of N fertilisers tends to increase SOM turnover and increase losses of N to the environment.
3. Increased use of fertilisers has contributed little to soil organic matter storage in grazed pastoral systems.
Physical Constraints In Grassland Ecosystems,
2022
University of Abertay Dundee, UK
Physical Constraints In Grassland Ecosystems, I. M. Young, K. Ritz, C. S. Sturrock, R. Heck
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
Key points
1. Grassland system management must account adequately for biophysical and biochemical processes.
2. Amenity turf, especially sports turf, provides an excellent case study on how biology and physics interact to impact on the functioning of a grass ecosystem.
3. Microorganisms produce hydrophobic compounds that act to decrease water ingress and alter the function of the soil-grass ecosystem.
Adoption Of Brachiaria Grasses In Mexico And Central America: A Successful Story,
2022
ILRI, Colombia
Adoption Of Brachiaria Grasses In Mexico And Central America: A Successful Story, F. Holmann, Pedro Argel, C. E. Lascano
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) there has been a major effort to develop new pastures technologies, to increase livestock productivity for the extensive systems prevailing in the tropical lowlands. This multi-national and inter-institutional effort was initiated through the International Network for the Evaluation of Tropical Pastures (RIEPT, by its name in Spanish), which operated from 1976 to 1996 under CIAT leadership. This network became a platform for institutions to train technicians, share forage material from existing gene banks, study the behaviour of new germplasm under different environments, and established the exchange of scientific information to extrapolate research results …
Improved Livelihoods From Grasslands; The Case Of Napier Grass In Smallholder Dairy Farms In Kenya,
2022
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Kenya
Improved Livelihoods From Grasslands; The Case Of Napier Grass In Smallholder Dairy Farms In Kenya, David Miano Mwangi, D. Romney, S. Staal, I. Baltenweck, S. Mwendia
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
In Kenya, smallholder farmers produce about 80% of the marketed milk. The farming systems vary from mixed farms with up to 10 ha of land and < 10 dairy cows (Gitau et al., 1994; Anon., 1985), to intensive smallholder dairy producers in the high human population central Kenya region with 0.9 to 2 ha of land and 3-4 dairy cows (Staal et al., 2001a). Milk production depends heavily on the cultivation of forages, with Pennisetum purpureum (Napier grass) by far the most important. An estimated 350,000 of the 600,000 smallholder farms in Kenya grow and utilize P. purpureum on their farms.
There are …
Role Of Information And Information Providers In Technology Transfer,
2022
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Role Of Information And Information Providers In Technology Transfer, D. Undersander
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
Technology transfer is an essential component of economic change in society. Developers of new technology often fail to realize that there is a science to technology transfer. This lack of appreciation for the skills involved in information dissemination and in activities necessary to affect a change of action in an audience often severely limits the rate and amount of technology transfer that occurs. Significant differences exist between doing a news release or writing a publication and causing audience acceptance of a new technology. The old standards of expecting adoption of a new technology simply because it “will profit farmers” or …
The Contribution Of Participatory Research: On-Farm Research,
2022
Abacus Biotech Limited, New Zealand
The Contribution Of Participatory Research: On-Farm Research, P. F. Fennessy, N. J. Daniels, S. A. Chadwick, P. A. Speck
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
Participatory research in agriculture may range from research and technology development (R&D), carried out on a research station with some involvement of farmers, through to genuine participatory research involving researchers and farmers working together. The latter involves the end-user in actually carrying out aspects of the research and/or in the development and evaluation of technology that is appropriate to commercial enterprises. Researchers often question the validity of the ‘findings of on-farm participatory research’ as they are more comfortable with the ‘controlled’ environment of the research station. However if research is to be applied appropriately on farms, it must go through …
Participatory Research For Smallholder Livestock Systems: Applying Common Sense To Complex Problems,
2022
CIAT, Lao PDR
Participatory Research For Smallholder Livestock Systems: Applying Common Sense To Complex Problems, P. M. Horne, Werner Stür
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
Key Points:
1. Participatory approaches to research (PAR) bring researchers closer to farmers, the intended users of research outputs.
2. Active, functional participation of farmers in the evaluation and development of new technologies requires researchers to make an important commitment: respecting the knowledge, skills and opinions of farmers while maintaining confidence in their own scientific knowledge.
3. Farmer experimentation is not usually suitable to provide quantitative biophysical data (this can be achieved more effectively in researcher controlled experiments), but to provide qualitative information and improve understanding. This type of information can be collected systematically to enable rigorous analysis.
4. While …
Computer-Based Forage Management Tools: Historical, Current, And Future Applications,
2022
Oregon State University
Computer-Based Forage Management Tools: Historical, Current, And Future Applications, David B. Hannaway, C. Daly, D. F. Chapman, B. B. Baker, A. S. Cooper
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
Forage management has been an important human activity since the beginning of civilization. By comparison, the personal computer has been available only in the immediate past. The software developed to deal with the complexity of climate, soil, plant, animal, and socioeconomic factors has seen huge changes in a few decades. Mainframe computers facilitated numerical calculations for exploring relationships among dozens of variables. Personal computers opened the door for more individual scientist creativity and routine communication. Web-based communication globalised the option for multidisciplinary teams to tackle problems. Forage-related computer applications abound, allowing farmers, ranchers, and others to more effectively manage the …
Soil Biology And The Emergence Of Adventive Grassland Ecosystems,
2022
University of Colorado, Boulder
Soil Biology And The Emergence Of Adventive Grassland Ecosystems, T. R. Seastedt
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
The last few years have seen an explosion of information on the responses and feedbacks of soil biota to species and environmental changes. Soil biologists, plant ecologists, and biogeochemists have been searching for patterns, generality and predictability in these relationships. A few brave souls have had the courage to assemble comprehensive assessments of soil biology in our rapidly changing world. Several years ago, I reviewed Wardle’s (2002) book emphasising the links between above- and belowground components of ecosystems. That activity – as well as the present one – provided me with the opportunity to survey recent findings in soil biology. …
Paying For Our Keep: Grasslands Decision Support In More-Developed Countries,
2022
CSIRO Plant Industry, Australia
Paying For Our Keep: Grasslands Decision Support In More-Developed Countries, Andrew D. Moore
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
“Models in grassland science have come to stay, and so they must be made to pay for their keep. To do that, it will be necessary to improve their scientific sophistication and their management relevance...” (Seligman, 1993).
Decision support (DS) tools in grassland agriculture have also come to stay. This review will examine the ways and means by which DS tools are being made to pay for their keep, with a focus upon DS efforts from the last decade and on the lessons that arise for those who develop DS tools for grasslands. A survey of the present state of …
Decision Support For Grassland Systems In Developing Countries,
2022
ILRI, Kenya
Decision Support For Grassland Systems In Developing Countries, P. K. Thornton
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
Key points
1. Information flows in complex systems are often themselves highly complex, and decision support approaches based on linear input-output processes may have only limited impact.
2. How decisions are made, and how they can be appropriately supported, is often incompletely understood, in part because of inadequate understanding of the objectives and attitudes of all the decision makers involved.
3. Much of the developing world faces daunting problems in the coming 30 years, and appropriate information could play a critical role in dealing with these.
4. System complexity, household variability, and institutional intricacies have to be embraced rather than …
The Role Of Extended Grazing In Profitable Ruminant Livestock Operations,
2022
American GrazingLands Services LLC
The Role Of Extended Grazing In Profitable Ruminant Livestock Operations, Jim Gerrish
Kentucky Grazing Conference
No abstract provided.
Hay Feeding Strategies To Build Fertility In Grazing Systems,
2022
University of Kentucky
Hay Feeding Strategies To Build Fertility In Grazing Systems, Nick Roy, Fred Thomas
Kentucky Grazing Conference
No abstract provided.
Grazing Myths That Reduce Profitability,
2022
University of Kentucky
Grazing Myths That Reduce Profitability, Greg Halich
Kentucky Grazing Conference
No abstract provided.
Right Sizing Your Cows For Profit,
2022
University of Kentucky
Right Sizing Your Cows For Profit, Les Anderson
Kentucky Grazing Conference
No abstract provided.
My Soil Is Alive! Introduction To Soil Life And Its Role In Profitable Grazing Systems,
2022
Soil Science Society of America
My Soil Is Alive! Introduction To Soil Life And Its Role In Profitable Grazing Systems, Ray Archuleta
Kentucky Grazing Conference
No abstract provided.
Key Issues Generated From The Xi International Rangeland Congress 2021: Summary And Way Forward,
2022
Utah State University
Key Issues Generated From The Xi International Rangeland Congress 2021: Summary And Way Forward, D. L. Coppock, A. J. Ash, B. Irving
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
The important issues, knowledge gaps, and evolving research approaches for the global rangelands are summarised in this review of submissions to the Joint XXIV International Grasslands and XI International Rangelands Congress (IGC/IRC). In the big picture, it is concluded that stand-alone studies of livestock production are becoming rare compared to that of the past International Rangelands Congresses (IRC). Rather, added effort is now being directed at understanding the fuller context of social-ecological systems (SESs) on rangelands in a quest to improve the prospects for sustainable resource management as well as the enhancement of human welfare. Although climate change is upon …
Joint International Grassland And International Rangeland Congress Kenya 2021: Grasslands Summary,
2022
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Joint International Grassland And International Rangeland Congress Kenya 2021: Grasslands Summary, James L. Klotz, J. H. Bouton
International Grassland Congress Proceedings
This summary used as its main sources the plenary and keynote papers and talks in Sub-theme 2: Forage Production and Utilization and Sub-theme 3: Livestock Production Systems as well as a sampling of oral talks presented at the XXIV International Grassland Congress (IGC). This IGC was held virtually and jointly with the International Rangeland Congress and hosted in Nairobi, Kenya during 23-29 October 2021. The XXIV IGC was also the first to be held on the African continent in Congress' 94-year history. The summary is further focused on that information presented under the concept "cultivated grasslands" (e.g., a small number …
Vermicompost Versus Traditional Compost Amendments Leads To Different Soil Health Outcomes In A Mediterranean Vineyard,
2022
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Vermicompost Versus Traditional Compost Amendments Leads To Different Soil Health Outcomes In A Mediterranean Vineyard, Elizabeth L. Luck
Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects
Compost application has become a common practice in vineyard management to increase soil and crop health, however, the environmental externalities such as greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from cropping systems that utilize organic fertilizers, such as compost, is uncertain. Vermicompost, which is compost created through the digestion of organic matter by earthworms, and its related ‘extract’ are commonly thought to provide more benefits for soil and crop health compared to standard compost. However, organic fertilizers such as vermicompost, vermicompost extract, and compost have not been compared in their effects on soil health in Mediterranean vineyards. In this two-year study, I assessed …