Digital Commons Network^™

Leaf Dry Matter Content Of Native Grassland Species Under Contrasting N And P Supply, P. Cruz, C. Jouany, Jérome M. Enjalbert, Michael Duru

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The management of native grasslands - herbaceous vegetation with a broad diversity of flora and a large range of uses - must meet the requirements of environmental conservation and improvement of the quality of agricultural production. For this purpose we need tools for diagnosing the state of the vegetation in order to design, evaluate, and apply management practices to attain these objectives. These tools must be simple and quick to use and should not require botanical skills. Leaf dry matter content (LDMC) has been proposed as a good indicator of both fertility gradients and species preference for habitats (Cruz et …

Potentialities Of Near Infrared Spectroscopy To Assess Nitrogen, Phosphorus And Potassium Nutrient Status Of Grasslands In The Reunion Island, Philippe Lecomte, Vincent Blanfort, Michael Duru, P. Thomas, P. Grimaud

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Controlled mineral fertilisation practices are an important component for sustainable management of grasslands. The assessment of available nutrients for plants and the general recommendations on the level of phosphorus and potassium to apply to grasslands are classically based on classical soil analysis and average regional levels. For nitrogen, mid or long term recommendations cannot easily be derived solely from soil composition, because it may be rapidly leached from the soil. Recent approaches tended to show that herbage plant N (Lemaire & Gastal, 1997), P, K (Duru & Huché, 1997) mineral analyses associated with actual biomass measurement could be useful for …

Assessment Of The Nitrogen Nutrition Index (Nni) By The Nitrogen Concentration Of The Upper Part Of The Sward, B. Deprez, R. Lambert, A. Peeters

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Nitrogen Nutrition Index (NNI) is based on the concept of a critical nitrogen concentration, defined as the minimum N concentration in the aerial biomass necessary to obtain maximum yield. Values of N_crit are high at the start of the growing period and decline during growth, in relation to dry matter accumulation (t DM/ha) according to the equation of Lemaire & Salette (1984): N_crit(%) = 4.8(DM)^-0.32. The NNI is calculated as the ratio of the actual N concentration of the sward to the N concentration required at a similar biomass to sustain non-limiting growth and biomass …

Modelling The Effect Of Breakeven Date In Spring Rotation Planner On Production And Profit Of A Pasture-Based Dairy System, P. C. Beukes, B. S. Thorrold, M. E. Wastney, C. C. Palliser, G. Levy, X. Chardon

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The breakeven date is the expected date when pasture supply exceeds cow demand. This date is used to plan the rotation rates, slow during the winter, when pasture growth is low and cows are dry, to a fast rotation in spring, when growth is accelerating and most cows lactating. This date is influenced by regional climate, mainly rainfall and soil temperature, which affects timing and rate of growth acceleration. The objective of this modeling exercise was to explore the effect of the breakeven date on milksolids (MS), grass silage, farm cover and economic farm surplus (EFS) over different climate years …

Development Of A Model Simulating The Impact Of Management Strategies On Production From Beef Cattle Farming Systems Based On Permanent Pasture, M. Jouven, R. Baumont

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grazing systems in Europe increasingly have to meet environmental objectives, which influence management strategies. A deterministic model describing farming system dynamics is being developed in order to elucidate interactions between nature-friendly management practices, as for example late (after flowering) hay harvest or moderate stocking rate, and agricultural output.

On-Farm Information: A Valuable Tool For The Sustainable Management Of Mountain Pastures In Protected Natural Areas, N. Mandaluniz, A. Bernués, A. Igarzabal, I. J. L. Riedel, R. Ruiz, A. Sanz, I. Casasús, L. M. Oregui

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Mountain pastures have traditionally been maintained by livestock. The analysis of data concerning farms' characteristics, productive-reproductive management and land use of commercial farms can constitute a real approach to study these systems and the changes that are occurring. This information is necessary to develop new utilisation guidelines, making compatible livestock production and conservation of natural resources. This paper describes a methodological framework to study the issues described above through some examples taken out from a wider research project (Mandaluniz et al., 2003).

The Impact Of Concentrate Price On The Utilization Of Grazed And Conserved Grass, P. Crosson, P. O'Kiely, F. P. O'Mara, M. J. Drennan, M. Wallace

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A linear programming model was designed and constructed to facilitate the identification of optimal beef production systems under varying technical and policy scenarios. The model operates at a systems level and most activities that could occur in Irish spring-calving, suckler beef production systems are included. In this paper, the components of the model are described together with a simple application of the model involving changing concentrate prices.

Pâtur’In: A User-Friendly Software Tool To Assist Dairy Cow Grazing Management, Luc Delaby, J. L. Peyraud, P. Faverdin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The feeding of dairy cows at pasture presents many technical, economic and environmental advantages, while benefiting from a very favourable image. However, the management of grazed land is a complex game of strategy in which the farmer applies decisions in order to manage two unstable and uncertain fluxes of change: growth of grass and intake of the herd. Many tools (platemeter, etc.) and overall methods (local stocking rate references, farm cover, etc.) have been developed as aids to grazing management. Nevertheless, few decision-support systems are currently available that make it possible to anticipate and assess the consequences of a given …

Enhancing Grasslands Education With Decision Support Tools, Helen G. Daily, J. M. Scott, J. M. Reid

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

We have successfully used Decision Support Tools (DST) relevant to the management of grazing enterprises to enhance problem solving skills of undergraduates in Australia. Tools such as GrassGro^tm (Moore et al., 1997) and GrazFeed^tm (Freer et al., 1997) are accessed from a central server by authorised users at many widely dispersed Universities across Australia using remote access to thin-client technology via an Internet portal. This has been supplemented with training for lecturers. Experience in developing appropriate teaching and learning materials and the reliable delivery of simulation software to many clients has enhanced learning outcomes at tertiary …

Canasta - Crop Niche Selection For Tropical Agriculture, A Spatial Decision Support System, R. O'Brien, M. Peters, R. Corner, S. Cook

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Farmers in the developing world frequently find themselves in uncertain and risky environments, often having to make decisions based on very little information. Risks for smallholder farmers are often critical because of their poverty. In addition, in the tropics and subtropics, the natural environment is spatially and temporally variable and often harsh, thereby increasing the uncertainty faced by these farmers. This research aims to improve forage adoption decisions in the developing world, thereby increasing sustainable intensification and ultimately contributing to increased sustainable world food production and the alleviation of under-nutrition.

Artturi Assists Finnish Advisers And Farmers To Succeed In Grass-Based Dairy Production, Marketta Rinne, Pekka Huhtanen, Kaisa Kuoppala, H. Nikander, J. Nousiainen, M. Hellämäki, L. Nyholm, J. Helminen, K. Lampinen, M. Maisi, M. Korhonen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Artturi is a collective name for a wide range of services. It is a common tool for different bodies who share an interest in strengthening grass-based dairy production in Finland: research, advisory service and industries. The Service is named after A. I. (Artturi Ilmari) Virtanen, the Finnish scientist who was awarded the Nobel prize in 1945, partly based on his work in developing the ensiling process of grass. The Artturi web site is available in Internet at: http://www.agronet.fi/artturi. Access to Artturi Services is free and no registration is required. The language used is Finnish. During summer 2003, 15,000 visits were …

A Decision Support System For Monitoring Livestock Diet Quality And Performance: Verification Study On Cattle, Adami Tulu, Ethiopia, A. A. Jama, G. Tolleson, J. W. Stuth, Abule Ebro, K. Zander, Robert J. Kaitho

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Fecal profiling technology based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been widely used in the U.S. to predict the diet quality and performance of free-ranging animals (e.g. Leite & Stuth 1995, Lyons & Stuth 1992, Lyons et al., 1993, Stuth et al., 1999, Tolleson et al., 2001). This technology is linked with the Nutritional Balance Analyzer (NUTBAL-PRO) model to form the core of a nutritional advisory system for livestock producers in the United States. This model predicts changes in body weight and condition for a broad range of livestock classes for cattle, sheep and goats. To test …

Irish Grassland Association: Delivering The Benefits From Grassland, S. Flanagan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Irish Grassland Association (IGA) is Ireland's leading forum for discussing the science of grass and animal production, the economics and finances of dairy, beef cattle and sheep farm enterprises. Membership is 800 and is a lively mix of progressive farmers (70%), research scientists, advisers and agribusiness personnel. The IGA is a member of the European Grassland Federation and has close ties with the Ulster Grassland Society, Fermanagh Grassland Club and the British Grassland Society.

The Addition Of Phosphorus And Potassium Fertilizer In The Generative Stage Of Job’S Tears Affects Yield Components, Yield, And Yield Quality, Fiky Yulianto Wicaksono, Salma Khairunnisa, Tati Nurmala, Aep Wawan Irwan

Jurnal Kultivasi

Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) is an indeterminate food crop that requires more than one-time application of fertilizer. This study aims to determine the effect of additional doses of phosphorus and potassium at the beginning of the generative phase as side dressing fertilization on yield components, yield, and yield quality of the Job’s tears plant. The research was conducted in dry season March - August 2021 at the Experimental Field of the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Padjadjaran at Jatinangor, Sumedang Regency around 750 m above sea level. The experimental design used randomized block design (RBD) consisting of nine treatments and …

Commercial Mycorrhizal Inoculation Of Non-Sterile Field Soil Does Not Enhance Colonization Or Reduce Nitrate Leaching, Madelyn Schoenberger

Student Research, Papers, and Creative Works

A short-term microcosm experiment was conducted to investigate whether inoculation of corn plants with commercial mycorrhizal fungus can reduce nitrate leaching from soil. Nitrate leaching presents issues for agricultural yields and crop nutrition as well as for nutrient cycling and ecological stability. Mycorrhizal fungi form a mutually beneficial symbiosis with most terrestrial plants wherein the fungus provides nutrients for the plant and receives organic compounds in return. This symbiosis can increase plant nutrient uptake from soil and may be useful for ecological remediation of nitrogen pollution.

Breeding Cotton For Determinate Growth Habit: Increasing Cotton Fiber Yield By Remobilization Of End-Of-Season Perennial Reserves, Salman Naveed

All Dissertations

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is a major export commodity for the U.S. Despite advances in plant breeding and management practices, the cotton yield gains in the U.S. have stagnated. Therefore, to increase cotton fiber yield, we undertook a novel approach by altering the growth habit of cotton from perennial to annual. In this effort, eight genotypes showing strong expression alleles for five floral induction and meristem identity genes were selected from 44 Upland cotton mini-core collection genotypes and genetically crossed in various combinations to stack the strong expression alleles in a genotype. These efforts have allowed us to develop high-yielding, …

B. R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research Studies 2022, J. Hardke, X. Sha, N. Bateman

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Arkansas is the leading rice producer in the United States. The state represents 50.1% of total U.S. rice production and 49.8% of the total acres planted to rice in 2022. Rice cultural practices vary across the state and across the U.S. However, these practices are also dynamic and continue to evolve in response to changing political, environmental, and economic times. This survey was initiated in 2002 to monitor and record changes in the way Arkansas rice producers approach their livelihood. The survey was conducted by polling county extension agents in each of the counties in Arkansas that produce rice. Questions …

The Role Of The New Zealand Grassland Association In Technology Interaction And Policy Evolution, M. W. Calder

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The New Zealand Grassland Association (NZGA) aims for a two-way communication between grassland researchers and pastoral farmers on research findings and farming trends and opportunities. Annual conferences, special symposia, print and electronic publications as well as the web site are used to further these aims. Policy evolution is indirect, using the relationship with agribusiness sponsors and members to promote research objectives.

Activity Of Japanese Society Of Grassland Science, K. Sugawara, S. Saiga, K. Tateno, Y. Cai, N. Yoshida, T. Takamizo, M. Goto

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Japanese Society of Grassland Science (JSGS) was founded in 1954 for the purposes of progressing grassland and forage crop sciences and fostering grassland agriculture and better management of grassland for animal production in Japan. From the first, the members of JSGS have included interdisciplinary scientists from forage crop science, forestry, animal science, agribusiness and many related fields. In the 50 years since its foundation, JSGS has made large contributions to the progress of both science and industry in Japan. The number of JSGS members is now declining slightly, but there are still about 950 including 800 individual members and …

Comments On The Present Activity Of Czech Specialists In Grassland Cultivation, B. Cagaš

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Unlike some other countries, there is no officially established forage crop or grassland society in the Czech Republic. This, however, does not mean that activity in this field is lacking. Several institutions are involved in the development of grassland research. These are predominantly: Grassland Commission of the Section of Plant Production of the Czech Academy of Agricultural Science, Forage Crop Commission of the Bohemian-Moravian Union of Plant Breeders, Bohemian-Moravian Association of Plant Breeding and Seed Production and Association of Grass and Clover Seed Growers. Members of these institutions are researchers and breeders of grasses and legumes, university lecturers from departments …

The Role Of Grassland Societies In The West Of Scotland, G. E. D. Tiley

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Local grassland societies were first established in the United Kingdom in the 1950s, under the guiding hand of the national, British Grassland Society, itself founded in 1946. In the west of Scotland two local societies were formed: 1) the South West Scotland Grassland Society in 1962, covering the former counties of Ayrshire, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Wigtown; and 2) the Central Scotland Grassland Society for Lanark, Stirling, Renfrew, Dumbarton and Clackmannan. The declared aim of these two societies was to promote good grassland farming in all its aspects amongst members and to identify opportunities for improved grassland management, all to the …

The Leucaena Network: A Grazier Advocacy Organisation Ensuring The Future Of A Valuable Forage Resource For Northern Australia, K. Mclaughlin, B. F. Mullen, H. M. Shelton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Leucaena leucocephala is a productive and sustainable forage tree legume for beef cattle production in northern Australia. Following a protracted period of research and development to overcome agronomic and social constraints, substantial adoption by graziers is now occurring (Mullen, these proceedings). However, a recent challenge has threatened future development, viz. the perception by some environmentalists that leucaena is an environmental weed. In addition, production-oriented support from public research and development organisations has diminished significantly over the past 20 years. The Leucaena Network (TLN) was formed in July 2000, primarily to counter the anti-leucaena movement, but has since developed as an …

Role Of Biotechnology In Creating Sustainable Agriculture, Saurav Das, Manjit Kumar Ray, Dinesh Panday, Piyush Kumar Mishra

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

This narrative review paper discusses the role of biotechnology in the development of sustainable agriculture. The paper begins by defning sustanability and highlights the importance of biotechnology in establishing sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is an approach that prioritizes meeting current food and fiber production needs while conserving and enhancing natural resources for future generations. To achieve agricultural sustainability, it is necessary to strike a balance between economic viability, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility. This can be difficult, especially in the face of biotic and abiotic stresses such as pests, diseases, climate change, soil degradation, and water depletion. The prevalence of …

Protecting Wa Crops Issue 31 - July 2023, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Protecting WA Crops

Protecting WA Crops Issue 31 - July 2023 contents:

• New project to reduce Rhizoctonia impact in low and medium rainfall zones
• Meet Crop Protection team member – Dr Ahmed Saad

Pestfacts Wa Issue 09 - July 2023, Alan Lord, Christiaan Valentine, Kithsiri W. Jayasena, Andrea Hills, Geoff J. Thomas, Ciara Beard, Cindy L. Webster

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 9 - July 2023 contents:

• Native budworm are active early
• Powdery mildew
• Slime mould

A Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals Region Associated With Seed Protein Content In Cowpea, Yilin Chen, Haizheng Xiong, Waltram Ravelombola, Gehendra Bhattarai, Casey Barickman, Ibtisam Alatawi, Theresa Makawa Phiri, Kenani Chiwina, Beiquan Mou, Shyam Tallury, Ainong Shi

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp., 2n = 2x = 22) is a protein-rich crop that complements staple cereals for humans and serves as fodder for livestock. It is widely grown in Africa and other developing countries as the primary source of protein in the diet; therefore, it is necessary to identify the protein-related loci to improve cowpea breeding. In the current study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 161 cowpea accessions (151 USDA germplasm plus 10 Arkansas breeding lines) with a wide range of seed protein contents (21.8~28.9%) with 110,155 high-quality whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify …

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Research Studies 2022, Victor Ford, Jason Kelley, Nathan Mckinney Ii

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The 2022 edition of the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Research Studies Series includes research results on topics pertaining to corn and grain sorghum production, including weed, disease, and insect management; economics; sustainability; irrigation; post-harvest drying; soil fertility; mycotoxins; cover crop management; and research verification program results. Our objective is to capture and broadly distribute the results of research projects funded by the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board. The intended audience includes producers and their advisors, current investigators, and future researchers. The Series serves as a citable archive of research results.

Reports in this publication are 2–3 year summaries. …

Tillage, Green Manuring And Crop Residue Management Impacts On Crop Productivity, Potassium Use Efficiency And Potassium Fractions Under Rice-Wheat System, Sandeep Sharma, Pritpal Singh, Hayssam M. Ali, Manzer Hussain Siddiqui, Javed Iqbal

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The conventional crop production practices including intensive tillage and open field crop residue burning in world’ largest rice-wheat system (RWS) are adversely affecting crop productivity besides deteriorating natural resources and ecosystems’ sustainability. In order to improve system productivity, potassium (K) use efficiency and apparent K balance, adoption of conservation tillage in a RWS with residue management is considered highly effective. We therefore, studied the effect of wheat straw retention and green manure (GM) in rice (main plot treatment), and tillage and rice residue management in subsequent wheat (sub-plot treatments) on crop productivity, K use efficiency and its transformation amongst different …

Lactating Ewes Were Strongly Attracted To Salt When Spread On Sodium-Deficient Undergrazed Hill Pastures, N. Mandaluniz, J. C. Ruiz, R. J. Lucas

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

New Zealand hill and high country pastures for sheep and cattle cover very variable topography. Shady south face hill country pastures on steeper slopes are grazed inefficiently because of their mature state and low nutritive value. Flatter more fertile areas reflect more frequent defoliation and stock camping behaviour. These inland pastures are deficient in sodium (Na) (Aspinall et al., 2004) because they are distant from coastal sea spray. Management alternatives are sought to improve pasture quality on steep, shady aspects. The provision of different nutrients such as Na or nitrogen (N), which are deficient in these under-grazed areas of …

Intake By Lactating Goats Browsing On Mediterranean Shrubland, M. Decandia, G. Pinna, A. Cabiddu, G. Molle

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Mediterranean regions goat feeding systems are mainly based on shrubland that contain a wide variety of species. There are only a few equations for predicting feed intake of stall-fed goats (Luo et al., 2004). The objective of this study was to develop a model for predicting the intake of lactating goats browsing on Mediterranean shrubland.