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Winter Cold Temperate Rangelands: Improvement Strategies For Intensive Rangeland Ecosystems, B E. Allan, D Scott

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Transfer of developed grassland technologies to rangelands is discussed in terms of environmental gradients and the options and constraints they impose. Winier feed limitation can be overcome through conserved feeds and various in situ systems involving special purpose pastures and feed banks. General animal nutrition can be improved through intensive development, low input systems, better control of range utilisation and, where appropriate, correction of mineral deficiencies. The emphasis in seeking quick and easy solutions to rangeland management problems is questioned, A more informed, environmentally sound and sustainable approach to rangeland fanning atlitudes and management is proposed. A stepwise process to …

Puccinellia (Puccinellia Ciliata) For Dryland Salinity Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Puccinellia (Puccinellia ciliata) is a potentially valuable fodder on waterlogged saline land. Puccinellia, Distichlis and marine couch are the most salt tolerant of the commercially available grasses. It is best suited to areas with more than 400mm annual rainfall and where the watertable is shallow over summer.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommends that any dryland salinity management is part of a whole farm, and preferably a whole catchment, water management plan.

Guide To Supplementary Feeding And Budgeting, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Supplementary feeding of sheep, with grain, hay or silage is necessary when pastures or stubbles are deficient in energy and protein.

A good supplementary feeding program will ensure sheep utilise as much dry paddock feed as possible as well as provide sufficient supplementary feed for maintenance or growth.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommends supplementary or confined paddock feeding to maintain livestock productivity and avoid animal welfare and soil erosion problems.

Lupin Root Diseases - Diagnosis And Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Root, hypocotyl and stem base diseases can be significant problems in lupin crops, reducing stand density, plant vigour and yield. Root disease is present in nearly all narrow leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) paddocks but in the majority of paddocks has only a small impact on crop development. However, in paddocks where high levels of root rot occurs, plant establishment, seedling vigour and crop yield can be significantly affected.

When a root disease is present in a crop very little can be done to manage it in that cropping season. It is therefore vital that the cause is correctly identified to …

Designing A Decision-Support Tool For Fertilizer Recommendations In Oil Palm Smallholders, Rana Farrasati

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), originally from West Africa, now accounts for 42% of global vegetable oil production and mainly includes key regions cultivated in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, West Africa, South America, and Central America. Despite its economic significance, the oil palm industry faces challenges of stagnant yields and large yield gaps, particularly among independent smallholders. These issues often stem from inadequate nutrient management practices and limited agronomic knowledge. Our objective was to quantify nutrient requirements for mature oil palm plantations as a basis to design a decision support tool (DST) for fertilizer recommendations. To do so, …

Digital Agriculture Approaches: Uav-Based N Monitoring And Machine Learning For Maize Yield Prediction, And N Response Assessment Across Rice Varieties, Rejina Adhikari

LSU Master's Theses

Sustainable agriculture is essential for addressing global challenges such as food security, environmental degradation, and climate change while ensuring high productivity and resource conservation. Precision agriculture technologies, like UAV-based remote sensing and advanced sensors, offer tools to monitor real-time crop health, soil conditions, and nutrient levels, aiding in informed decision-making and resource optimization. In this research, field trials were conducted in maize and rice to assess the effectiveness of NDRE (Normalized Difference Red Edge) obtained from UAV-based remote sensing for nitrogen management. For maize, the study demonstrated that NDRE accurately assessed nitrogen levels during critical growth stages, with yields ranging …

Confined Paddock Feeding And Feedlotting Of Sheep, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Confinement feeding (also referred to as lot feeding or feedlotting) is an intensive feeding system in a confined area where all, or the majority of, feed and water is supplied to the contained animals. The department recommends using confinement feeding as part of a whole farm livestock, pasture and erosion management program.

We recommend having a confinement feeding system as an integral part of a whole farm livestock, pasture and erosion management program. Guides and resources that provide more detailed information are listed at the bottom of this fact sheet.

Sheep Feed Value Guide, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Sheep are supplementary fed for either survival or production purposes. Efficient supplementary feeding should aim to supply sheep with a diet that is sufficient in digestible energy and protein. We recommend testing feedstuffs, although the feed tables supplied here can be used to help roughly estimate the amount of grain and fodder required.

Knowing the value of different feedstuffs is critical when making decisions about livestock nutrition, for survival, maintenance and growth.

Supplementary feeding is a key part of a Western Australian (WA) sheep enterprise because most sheep systems are on annual pasture which is dry over the Mediterranean summer. …

Improving Rice Yield Using Sensor Based Nitrogen Application And Best Management Practices (Bmps) In Rice-Soybean And Rice-Crawfish Rotational Systems, Charles Darnall

LSU Master's Theses

Sustainable rice farming requires effective nutrient management and conservation practices to maintain high yields and minimize environmental impact. Implementing best management practices (BMPs) promotes lower fertilizer application rates, increased N use efficiency, improves soil health, and water quality. Demonstration fields established in two different rotational cropping systems (rice-soybean and rice-crawfish) in Kaplan, LA in 2023. In each rotation system, the benefits of BMPs (sensor based mid-season N management and cover cropping) compared to farmer’s practice (FP) were evaluated using yield, yield components, soil and water quality as metrics. The rice-soybean fields in 2023 and 2024 were both planted with PVL03 …

Electric Interrow Control Of Lupine Plants Does Not Adversely Affect The Neighboring Non-Target Lupine Plants, Catherine Borger, Miranda J. Slaven

Journal articles

Interrow weed control is used in a wide range of crops, traditionally applied via physical cultivation or banded herbicide application. However, these methods may result in crop damage, development of herbicide resistance, or off-target environmental impacts. Electric interrow weed control presents an alternative, although its potential impact on crop yield requires further investigation. One of the modes of action of electric weed control is the continuous electrode–plant contact method, which passes a current through the weed and into the roots. As the current passes into the roots, it can potentially disperse through the soil to neighboring root systems. Such off-target …

Identification And Characterization Of Resistance To Meloidogyne Enterolobii And M. Incognita In Sweetpotato Genotypes, David M. Galo Espinal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Root-knot nematodes (RKN), Meloidogyne spp., are significant agricultural pests that cause severe economic losses on a wide range of agricultural crops worldwide, including sweetpotato. The economic viability of the sweetpotato industry in the United States is threatened by Meloidogyne enterolobii, which reproduces on sweetpotato cultivars resistant to other RKN species. To address this issue, 69 sweetpotato genotypes were evaluated to identify sources of resistance to M. enterolobii (Me) and M. incognita (Mi). Results showed that twenty-six genotypes were highly resistant to Me and eleven were resistant to Mi, with three genotypes showing resistance to …

Achieving Potential Herbage Seed Yields In Species Of Temperate Regions, Franco Lorenzetti

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The potential seed yield (PSY) of a crop is represented by the total number of ovules present at anthesis in a unit area and is very high for nil forage species. However, seed yield or the agricultural realised seed potential (ARSP) is very low especially if compared with major grain crops (e.g., 15% vs 40% of PSY, respectively). The need for obtaining primarily high yield of high quality forage indicates that seed yield should be increased by improving the efficiency of the reproductive system rather than increasing its size. Seed setting and development and seed shattering are the characters to …

Productivity And Nutritive Value Of Coastal And Valley Bottom Plant Communities In The Falkland Islands, J A. Kerr, J H. Mcadam

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the Falkland Islands, short dense grassland communities ("greens") in valley-bottoms, and in coastal areas often associated with dense populations of seabirds, are selectively grazed by livestock and wild geese within the extensive grazing systems. Annual and seasonal herbage productivity, botanical composition, digestibility and utilisation, of greens were experimentally assessed at 6 sites on Bast Falkland. Herbage productivity, digestibility and utilisation were higher than reported for the dominant Cortaderia communities and compared favourably with Improved pastures. Botanical composition of green types were similar. Despite their uneven distribution and low area, greens are an important forage resource and could be used …

Effect Of Nitrogen Fertilizer On Dairy Farm Productivity And Viability In The Subtropics, G K. Reason, J Chaseling

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Nitrogen fertiliser as urea was applied to dryland grass pastures in south east Queensland to improve the quantity and quality of feed on offer to grazing dairy cows. Milk production per cow and reproductive performance data suggest that the groups of cows that benefited most were the winter calvers, which calved at significantly higher live weights and were therefore better able to overcome short periods of nutritional stress due to feed shortages in winter. Whole farm input• output data suggests that a reasonable whole farm production model relating milk produced from paddock feed and nitrogen fertiliser use is feasible. The …

Significance Of Honeybee Pollination In Increasing Seed Yield Of Trifolium Alexandrinum (Fabales: Fabaceae) And Its Impact On Economic Sustainability Of Smallholder Farmers, Muhammad Shoaib Tufail, Gaye L. Krebs, Alison Southwell, John Piltz, Peter C. Wynn, David F. Cook

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

A major limitation to producing high seed yields in berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) is failure to set seed, predominantly due to lack of pollination. Despite the importance of berseem clover as a leading forage legume, the contribution of pollinators to seed set is scarce. In Pakistan, the honeybee population is declining mainly because of the extensive use of neonicotinoid pesticides and habitat fragmentation. This, combined with the region’s harsh environment and the use of inferior, locally bred genotypes, has resulted in low seed yields. Insufficient seed availability leads to limited forage supply, resulting in poor livestock nutrition, which …

Spot Form Net Blotch And Its Management In Barley, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Spot form net blotch (SFNB) has become increasingly more common in Western Australia (WA) due to the widespread cultivation of susceptible varieties, such as Spartacus CL and RGT Planet.

These crops generate large amounts of inoculum, which is carried between seasons on infected stubble. Crops grown onto or located close to infected stubble are at greatest risk of infection. The disease can be effectively managed using a combination of varietal selection, crop rotation, and fungicides.

Canola – Essentials For Growing A Successful Crop, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Ensuring the basics of canola agronomy are followed can minimise the financial risk of growing canola, which can be higher than other crops due to high input costs, particularly seed and fertiliser.

Insect Pests And Their Management In Oats, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Field pests

Damage from invertebrate pests is generally not a major factor for oat crops, however there is a zero tolerance to live pests in export hay.

Significant damage can occur if pest populations build up. Planning rotations to minimise pest carryover, timely sowing, adequate crop nutrition, and good control of weed and root diseases will assist in reducing the likelihood of crop damage by insect pests. Check crops regularly throughout their growth for field insects.

• Control redlegged earth mite and lucerne flea during the seedling stage if necessary.

• Aphids should be checked for and controlled from flag …

Factors Affecting Herbicide Performance, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Herbicide performance can vary greatly depending on factors including compatibility of herbicides, water quality, sprayer decontamination, and controlling stressed weeds. This page outlines these issues and demonstrates how to assess herbicide performance to achieve the best from your herbicides.

Foliar Application Of Vermitea On Wheat Against Salt Stress Under Hydroponic Condition, Basir Ahmed, Anser Ali, Muhammad Sarwar, Wajad Nazeer, Imdad Ullah

Journal of Bioresource Management

Salinity is one of the major issues that drastically reduce wheat production. In a hydroponic investigation, vermitea was employed to evaluate the impact of salinity on wheat. The vermitea is a by-product of the vermicomposting process that has both macro- and micronutrients. When these plants reached full maturity, they were harvested. The evaluation was based on their morphological characteristics, such as root/shoot dry weight, root/shoot ratio, plant height, root/shoot length, number of spikelets per spikelet, spike length, number of grains per spikelet, and biological yield per plant. The leaves relative water contents and other biochemical parameters including K+, Na+, chlorophyll …

Intake Of South African Mutton Merino Ewes On Wheat Stubble Grazing, T S. Brand, J M. Van Heerden, F Franck

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Wheat stubble was grazed continuously for 154 days during the summer (December-April) by reproducing and dry ewes (n-8) at 2 stocking rates ( 1 or 2 ewes/ha), Samples were collected for chemical analysis from oesophageally fistulated (OF) sheep. Intake was determined using controlled chromium-release devices. The mean CP, ADF and NDF contents and iii vitro OM digestibility of samples were respectively 16.1:t0.4%; 40.7:t0.8%, 59.0:tl.1% and 48.5±0.7% t 1 ewe/ha and 10.8±1.1%; 53.9±1.1%, 72.1±0.9% and 48.8:t0.7% at 2 ewes/ha. The mean CP intake of dry ewes was 202±7 g/day (I ewe/ha) and 113:t6 g/day (2 ewes/ha), while the CP intake of …

Monthly Changes In Plant Biomass, Net Primary Productivity And Transfer Dynamics Of A Tropical Grazing Land Ecosystem In Southern India, K.S T.K Karuniachamy, K Paliwal

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Monthly changes in plant biomass, net primary productivity and transfer dynamics of tropical grazing land of western Ghats region, southern India, are presented. The annual above- ground net production was 9.03 g/m2/day and the below-ground net production was 2.56 g/m2/day. Total annual net primary production was estimated at 4232 g/m2/day. Of the total input of 11.59 g/m2/day into the system, about 77.9% was channelled to above-ground and 22.1% to below­ground, The rate of litter disappearance was 0.55 g/m2/day and l.14 g/ m2/day for below-ground disappearance. The total output was 1.69 g/ m2/day which was 14.6% of the total input. Thus, …

Effect Of A Legume (Arachis Pintoi) On The Regrowth And Mineral Nutrition Of Associated Pangola Grass (Digitaria Decumbens), P Cruz, H Sinoquet, O Sobesky

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The effect of a companion legume (Arachis pintoi) on the growth and nitrogen nutrition of an associated grass (Di'gitaria decumbems) was studied during 2 regrowth periods. Digitaria growth was expressed as a function of the cumulative absorded PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) i.e., by using the radiation-use efficiency concept. For this purpose, PAR intercepted by both the pure and mixed swards was estimated by using a radiative transfer model. Nitrogen nutrition status of Digitaria was characterised by the relation between N uptake and dry matter production. Results show a close agreement between N nutrition level and radiation-use efficiency of the grass. …

Reserve Mobilization During Regrowth After Cutting Of Forage Species: Quantification And Physiological Mechanisms In Ryegrass And Lucerne, A Ourry, J Bigot, T Kim, J Boucaud, J Salette

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Time course of remobilisation of reserves was studied during the regrowth of Loli11m perem1e and Medicago sativa by 15N labelling, carbohydrate analyses and by measuring time course of several enzymes activities. When photosynthesis decreased during early regrowth, and consequently reduced availability of carbon skeletons within the plant, both nitrogen (N) uptake (lolium perene) and N2 fixatlon (Medicago saliva) decreased. Nilrogenase, as well as nitrate reductase activities, decreased. Reduction of external N assimilation was compensated for by intensive mobilization of endogenous N in roots of lucerne and in stubble of ryegrass. In the same manner, some of …

Quantification Of Nutrients Consumed And Utilized By Holstein Cows Grazing Grass Pastures In The North-Eastern Usa, Lisa A. Holden, L D. Muller, G A. Varga, S L. Fales

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Managing the nutrition of high producing dairy cows on pasture in the north-eastern USA is challenging owing to difficulty in accurately estimating intake and In determining nutrient utilisation by grazing dairy cows. In Trial 1, 16 lactating Holstein cows were used to estimate intake with an intensively grazed orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) pasture with 2 stocking rates of 2.S and 3,9 cows/ha in a 24 week grazing season. Cows were fed a grain supplement which comprised about 35% of the diet dry matter. Chromium oxide was used as an external marker in faeces, Results of Trial 1 indicated total …

Crop Processing And Fractionation As A Commercial Proposition To Forage-Based Animal Systems, H T. Ostrowski-Meissner

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The paper outlines crop processing and fractionation technology as it applies to an intensive forage-based operation with beef cattle, The benefits of forage processing prior to its feeding to cattle are described with an emphasis not only on the uniformity of the nutritive quality of the processed product but also on the extra financial benefits resulting from the wet fractionation process. The value-added primary products from the fractionation process ensure extra return to the. forage producers, crop processing installation and the feedlot operation. The characteristics of the fractionation products derived from lucerne and other crops are described.

Bermudagrass Allelochemistry And Influence On Spodoptera Frugiperda Herbivory, S Quisenberry, M Mohamed

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cultivated area of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L. Pers.), in the USA are under stress from a complex of insect and secondary fungal pests which has resulted in a loss in crop production. The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)) is the major insect herbivore of bermudagrass in the south-eastern USA. Bermudagrass breeding programmes over the last decade have yielded germplasm with potential insect-resistant traits. Thus, a programme was initiated to define bermudagrass allelochemislry with respect to insect herbivory. Pall armyworm is variably responsive to bermudagrass cultivars, the basis being causally related to a differential concentration of the phagostimulant 6, …

Transfer Of Genes Encoding Proteins With High Nutritional Value Into Pasture Legumes, W C. Mcnabb, C Higgins, L Tabe, T J.V Higgins

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Gene transfer systems for the forage legumes, subterranean clover (Trlfolium subterraneum) and lucerne (Medicago saltva) have been developed and optimised for current commercial cultivars. A disarmed binary vector derived from the Agrobacterium tunefaciens tumour• inducing plasmid has been used to deliver a selectable marker gene conferring resistance to phosphinothricin (the active ingredient in the herbicide, Basta) and a series of chimeric gene constructs encoding proteins that are rich in sulphur amino acids and resistant to rumen degradation. Transgenic plants expressing a gene encoding either ovalbumin or a sunflower albumin have been obtained and analyzed with respect to …

Genetic Engineering Of Pasture Legume And Grasses For Reduced Lignin Content And Increased Digestibility, C Lynne Mcintyre, J M. Manners, J R. Wilson, H Way, D Sharp

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Plants of tropical pastures have a higher lignin content than those of temperate pastures, which limits the digestibility and nutritive value of these forages. Ribozyme and antisense RNA technology is being investigated as a method of reducing lignin levels and increasing digestibility in the tropical forage Stylosanthes spp, and in the model system tobacco. Ribozymes to the tobacco anionic peroxidase mRNA have been designed and shown to be capable of cleaving this mRNA in vitro. Constructs for the expression of antisense and ribozyme RNA to reduce peroxidase gene expression have been prepared, Transgenic tobacco plants containing these constructs have been …

Application Of The Somaclone Method In Fertility Restoration Of The Partially Sterile Hybrid Of Agropyron Repens X Bromus Inermis: Callus Initiation And Plant Regeneration, L E. Heszky, J Janovsky, G Gyulai, E Kiss, L T. Hangyel

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

. Callus initiation and plant regeneration from the new intergeneric hybrid of Agropyron repens L., Beauv, x Bromus inermis.1 Leyss. cv. Nanus (Agromus) was carried out. For callus initiation, the inflorescence primordia were incubated on an optimised nutritive medium designated medium-F, supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (0.5 mg/ I). Within 21 days of plating, embryogenic callus with globular structures were developed, From the 21st day of culture, one-step plant regeneration occurred from callus without subculture. Non-regenerative calli were subcultured to medium-F supplemented with different cytokinins. The cytological analysis of the calli showed wide genetic:il variability in chromosome number with …