Digital Commons Network^™

Nitrate Accumulation In A Sorghum-Sudangrass Hybrid As Influenced By Nitrogen Fertilization, A. Elgersma, I. Y. Tecle, T. Provin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The effect of nitrogen (N) fertilization and plant stage on nitrate accumulation was studied in a sorghum-Sudan grass hybrid. Grass cv. Dynagrazer was sown at the experimental site of Texas A & M University. Six N levels were applied (0, 112 … 672 Kg. N ha^-1). Nitrate concentrations were determined in three harvests, 5– 7 weeks after planting. Maximum levels were 2.1, 3.5 and 4.6 g nitrate-N kg^-1 DM, respectively, which is beyond the safe limits for animal consumption. The plots were cut at heading. Regrowth took place on residual N. Nitrate-N accumulation was lowest in the …

Effect Of Maceration On In Sacco Degradability And Energy Content Of Low-Moisture Round Bale Alfalfa Silage, K. Nonaka, S. Kume, T. Ohshita

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of maceration on in sacco degradability and energy content of low-moisture alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) silage. The results of two treatments were compared: 1) maceration, in which the alfalfa was processed through a large- scale forage mat maker prior to wilting to approximately 50% DM content (FM treatment), and 2) conventional conditioning, in which the alfalfa was tedded and wilted to the same DM content as that in the FM treatment (CC treatment). Silage bales were chopped in 20-mm pieces for each experiment. In sacco degradabilities of DM, CP …

Efficiency Of Nitrogen Use In Dairy Cows Grazing Ryegrass With Different Water Soluble Carbohydrate Concentrations, L. A. Miller, D. H. Baker, M. K. Theodorou, J. C. Macrae, M. O. Humphreys, Nigel D. Scollan, J. M. Moorby

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This experiment is one of a series designed to investigate the efficiency of nitrogen (N) use in Holstein-Friesian dairy cows grazing perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) which has been bred to express high water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentrations. Animals grazed either a High Sugar (HS) grass or a Control (C) variety chosen on the basis of heading date compatibility. Dry matter (DM) intakes were estimated using herbage mass. Milk yields, milk constituent concentrations and plasma concentrations of b-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, total protein, albumin and urea were also measured. Forage DM intakes were similar for the two grasses. However, because of …

Maris: Scalable Online Scenario Development Tool For Rangeland Conservancy Managers Using High Spatial-Temporal Resolution Carrying Capacity Maps And Livestock Market Data, L. G. J. Boerboom, R. O. Ohuru, A. G. Toxopeus, W. Nieuwenhuis, C. A. J. M. De Bie, P. K. Mwangi, M. L. Schouwenburg, R. L. G. Lemmens

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Although the management of livestock numbers within the bounds of carrying capacity of African rangelands is a way to manage risks, both scientists and practitioners, caution against a momentary and local use of carrying capacity as a management indicator. Carrying capacity should be seen in wider spatial and temporal/seasonal context as well as in a social and economic context. Given the large numbers of conservancies across Kenya, and its Maasai Mara region in particular, with many more landowner members, it is difficult for conservancies’ managers to contextualize phenomena such as carrying capacity and market price over space and time.

We …

Assessing The Impacts Of Different Initiatives On The Rehabilitation Of Pastoral And Silvopastoral Ecosystems: Big Data Oriented Approach, Said Moukrim, Said Lahssini, Mustapha Naggar, K. Menzou, H. Mharzi-Alaoui, A. Labbaci, L. Rhazi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Moroccan forests, through the provision of goods and ecosystem services, underpins benefits to local communities and play a crucial role for rural area development. The legal framework recognizes to people, living near public forests, the right to graze their domestic livestock. Over the years, the grazing pressure is at levels far beyond the forestland’s carrying capacity throughout the country. Such pressure has been demonstrated as the main cause of forest cover loss and land degradation in Morocco and still threatening the sustainability of forests. To reduce the heavy grazing pressure on forest ecosystems and ensure their regeneration, several initiatives have …

The Role Of Indigenous Knowledge In The Effective Collective Management Of The Communal Rangelands, A. Finca, S. Linnane, D. Getty, J. H. Slinger

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Numerous scientific studies have highlighted the complexities associated with the collective management of communal rangelands. To date, policy interventions in rangelands have largely ignored people’s traditional ways of managing, with adverse effects on rangeland productivity. Thus, local knowledge has not been considered in spatial planning, despite the fact that local rural communities are often repositories of key indigenous knowledge. Hence this study set out to evaluate the role of indigenous knowledge in the management of the communal rangeland in Cata and Guquka, now and in the future. This was achieved through the use of Participatory GIS (PGIS), specifically participatory mapping …

Land Users – Land Watchers, J. H. Stefánsson, B. Marteinsdóttir

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

GróLind is a collaborative project with the aim of monitoring Icelandic vegetation and soil resources. It was founded in 2017 by the Icelandic National Associations of Sheep Farmers, the Farmers Association of Iceland, Ministry of Industries and Innovation, and the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland. GróLind is a collaborative project and cooperation with stakeholders, such as the science community, landowners, and others, is a fundamental concept in the project.

In this project, the state of vegetation and soils are evaluated. Currently, a citizen science project is being developed within GróLind, in which land-users will annually monitor, using a mobile app, …

Silvopastoral Strategy And Sustainable Management Of Forests In Morocco, Mustapha Naggar, Said Lahssini, Said Moukrim, Anass Legdou

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Morocco, forests act as a grazing reserve all year long and in a normal year produce 1.5 billion feed units, i.e. 17 % of the national forage assessment. The pastoral question is one of the factors involved in the desertification of forested areas against a bioclimatic background where more than 93% of the national territory is arid. In 2016, the Water and Forestry Department in cooperation with its partners, devised a nation-wide sylvo-pastoral strategy. The approach adopted consists in sustainably managing sylvo-pastoral resources over the long term based on good governance of all goods and services offered by forested …

Impacts Of Wood Fuel Uses On Forest Cover: The Case Of Semiarid Areas In Northern Tanzania, Debora J Mahushi, Revocatus L Machunda, Talam E Kibona

Tanzania Journal of Science

Satellite images for the years 1987, 1997, 2002 and 2017, and questionnaire surveys were used to assess energy sources and demands as well as the impacts of wood fuel use to forest cover changes in Meru and Mwanga Districts. The major energy sources identified include cow dung cake, firewood, charcoal, liquefied petroleum gas and biogas. The total energy demands from these sources were 1400 (in Meru), 6289, 724 and 21 kg per day, respectively. The amount of biogas was not quantified since the reactors were constructed locally with no reading meter. Analysis from Landsat images showed variations in forest cover. …

Effects Of Agroforestry Practices On Soil Properties In The Drylands Of Eastern Kenya, Nicholas Syano Mutuku, Moses M. Nyangito, Geoffrey Kironchi, Oliver Vivian Wasonga

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Drylands, which are home to about 2 billion people face a myriad of problems among them low land productivity. Agroforestry is one of the land use practices that is perceived to be sustainable with beneficial effects on soil properties. However, the effects of agroforestry practices on soils especially in the drylands have rarely been quantified and studied in details. The study determined the effects of selected agroforestry practices on soil properties in Makueni County of Kenya where agroforestry has been promoted by various organizations. Four soil samples were collected at 0-15cm, 15-30cm, 30-45cm and 45-60cm depths in a zigzag pattern …

Adaptive, Multi-Paddock, Rotational Grazing Management: An Experimental, Ranch-Scale Assessment Of Effects On Multiple Ecosystem Services, D. J. Augustine, J. D. Derner, L. M. Porensky, H. Wilmer, María E. Fernández-Giménez, David D. Briske

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Decisions on how to move livestock in space and time are central to rangeland management. Despite decades of small-scale research, substantial uncertainty exists regarding the relative importance of cattle stocking rates per se, versus the movement of cattle in both space and time, in achieving desired vegetation and livestock outcomes at scales relevant to livestock producers. We report on a ranch-scale experiment comparing effects of collaborative, adaptive, multi-paddock, rotational management (CARM) versus more traditional, season-long, continuous rangeland management (TRM) on perennial grass density and production, cattle performance, and wildlife habitat, while holding the annual stocking rate the same in …

Water Use Efficiency And Land Cover Variability On A Native Grassland Ranch On The Pampa Biome Of Uruguay, Diana L. Restrepo-Osorio, Gabriel De Oliveira, James Coll, Daniela Schossler

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Global efforts towards sustainable cattle ranching should be based on comprehensive approaches, targeting physical variables of the ranching process, as well as, the socioeconomic dimensions. Alianza del Pastizal is a non-profit conservation organization that works to preserve the temperate grasslands of the Southern Cone of South America by promoting conservation practices among ranching communities in Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. Alianza has become a mediator for ranchers exchanging information, resources, and education. Ranchers associated with the Alliance take pride in their property management as they aim to improve the community wellbeing and natural resource sustainability. In a previous study, producers …

Revisiting The Concept Of The Planning Region In Settings With Dynamic Spatial-Temporal Conditions: Lessons From Land Use Planning In Pastoral Areas Of Kenya, Ethiopia And Tanzania, H. Musoga, L. W. Robinson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pastoralist rangeland systems often provide prime examples of scale mismatch—the challenge that arises when the scale and geographic extent of decision-making institutions do not correspond to the scale and geographic extent of problems that need to be addressed. Pastoralist resource use and traditional governance systems operate at multiple levels, and are often characterized by multiple, overlapping claims, rights, and management territories. Scholarship on pastoralist systems suggests that their fuzziness, flexibility, and overlap in territories and rights mean that there is no single scale or level that is optimal for effective resource governance. These characteristics stymie attempts to implement conventional …

Ewe Daily-Weight Gain Grazing Leucaena Leucocephala-Megathyrsus Maximus Cv Mombasa Silvopastoral System And Tropical Native Unimproved Range, L. K. Trejo-Arista, Enrique Cortés-Díaz, P. A. Martínez-Hernández, J. A. Cadena-Meneses

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Silvopastoral systems are a viable option to increase livestock productivity, The silvopastoral arrangement of Leucaena leucocephala associated with Megathyrsus maximus CV Mombasa (LMS) is successfully cultivated in tropical environments.. The objective of the study was to determine ewe daily-weight gain grazing LMS and a tropical unimproved native range. Two LMS were tested: high and low leucaena densities, 4700 and 2383 plants/ha, respectively. Grazing was rotational, lasted 150 d (rainy season) at equivalent stocking rate of 59 ewes/ha/150 d. Experimental design was a completely random design with three replications, the experimental unit was a 192 m² plot. Variables measured on …

Status, Management, And Governance Of The Communal Grasslands Of Ethiopia’S Highlands: A Disappearing Asset For Mixed Crop-Livestock Livelihood Systems, Bedasa Eba, Fiona Flintan, Tesfa Getachew, Jason Sircely

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There is little documentation about the status, management, and governance of the communal grasslands of Ethiopia’s highlands. However, research being carried out by ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute) in northern Shewa, Amhara region, is highlighting their importance as a critical resource for those farmers engaged in mixed crop-livestock livelihood systems across the highland areas. These grassland areas range from 2 to 200 hectares and can be used by up to four different villages or ‘kebele’ and providing on average 10-20% of livestock feed for local farmers. However, this important resource is rapidly disappearing with encroachment of farming and tree-planting with …

Effects Of Nitrate On Arsenic Mobilization During Aquifer Storage And Recovery, Hania Hawasli

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aquifer storage and recovery technology is used to sustain water resources and to prevent saltwater intrusion. The injected water can come from various resources, including treated wastewater. In pilot ASR studies in the Tampa Bay region, researchers found high As concentrations in the recovered water from the oxidation of the arsenopyrite that is embedded in the aquifers. The presence of dissolved O2 in the injected water is a major factor in the arsenopyrite oxidation during ASR, however the effects of NO3- on the arsenopyrite has not been studied yet. This is an important knowledge gap because injected water may contain …

Moving Conferences Online: Lessons Learned From An International Virtual Meeting, Paris V. Stefanoudis, Leann M. Biancani, Sergio Cambronero-Solano, Malcolm R. Clark, Jonathan T. Copley, Erin E. Easton, Franziska Elmer, Steven H. D. Haddock, Santiago Herrera, Ilysa S. Iglesias

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We consider the opportunities and challenges associated with organizing a conference online, using a case study of a medium-sized (approx. 400 participants) international conference held virtually in August 2020. In addition, we present quantifiable evidence of the participants’ experience using the results from an online post-conference questionnaire. Although the virtual meeting was not able to replicate the in-person experience in some aspects (e.g. less engagement between participants) the overwhelming majority of respondents found the meeting an enjoyable experience and would join similar events again. Notably, there was a strong desire for future inperson meetings to have at least some online …

A Drone-Based Survey For Large, Basking Freshwater Turtle Species, Amy P. Bogolin, Drew R. Davis, Richard Kline, Abdullah Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Conservation concerns are increasing for numerous freshwater turtle species, including Pseudemys gorzugi, which has led to a call for more research. However, traditional sampling methodologies are often time consuming, labor intensive, and invasive, restricting the amount of data that can be collected. Biases of traditional sampling methods can further impair the quality of the data collected, and these shortfalls may discourage their use. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, drones) for conducting wildlife surveys has recently demonstrated the potential to bridge gaps in data collection by offering a less labor intensive, minimally invasive, and more efficient process. Photographs and …

Proposals For Innovation And Improvement Of The Quality Of Life In Caprine Pastoralist Communities Of Subsistence In The Monte Desert, Argentina, E. M. Abraham, C. Rubio, D. Soria, L. Corso, A. Therburg, D. Bran, A. Maggi, P. Maccagno, C. Policastro, S. Verón, V. Pietragalla, M. Wilson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In a satisfactory alliance between the main environmental policy organizations and the academy, the National Observatory on Land Degradation and Desertification (ONDTyT) is created. The ONDTyD provides information regarding status and trends of land degradation/desertification in order to promote prevention and mitigation measures used for advising public and private decision-makers in Argentina. It is based in the development of 17 Pilot Sites that constitutes the local level network, providing bio-physical and socio-economic indicators of land degradation.

In this network the pilot site of the Monte, the largest dry region of Argentina (Lavalle desert, Mendoza), aims to improve the living conditions …

Participatory Observatories To Connect Multifunctional Landscapes, Link Smallholder Farmers, And Collectively Diversify Income, I. Espejel Carvajal, G. Romero, O. Pérez, R. Yaguez, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, N. Martínez Tagueña, C. L. Lauterio Martínez, V. M. Reyes Gómez, S. Lucatello

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cattle ranching was introduced to Baja California, Mexico (semiarid and arid climates) by the Spaniards, who brought the animals and the techniques. One important activity was moving livestock from the mountains (forests and few kinds of grass) to the coast crossing poor shrublands known as chaparrals. Fire was a common practice to promote grass growth and pastoralists could move through the land freely. Pastoralism became a common practice when English workers built the Ensenada port and became ranching landowners. They followed the practice of livestock movement through the exorreic watersheds. Native Indians, as well as other Mexicans known as ejidatarios, …

Participatory Management Of Rangeland Hydrology – A New Socio-Ecological Technology To Effectively Adapt To And Mitigate Climate Change: Case From Morocco, Lhoussaine Bouchaou, El Hassane El Mahdad, El Hassan Beraaouz, Abdelfettah Sifeddine, Alessandro Rizzo, Mohamed Hssaisoune, Hanane Reddad, Abdelghani Chehbouni, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Morocco’s drylands cover over 90% of the land area; low and irregular rainfall and high potential evaporation contribute to extremely high-water deficits. These phenomena have greatly impacted rangeland hydrology and nomadic and transhumant pastoralism. To adapt to this predominant water deficit, the inhabitants of these areas have developed two forms of lifestyles, which include household and livestock mobility: (i) a pendulum movement for seasonal transhumance between the mountains and their bordering plains; and (ii) random nomadic mobility regulated by the sporadic frequency of rains and thus water availability. In both cases, this mobility is controlled by the degree of development …

Bale Grazing: Feeding Hay The Rotational Grazing Way, Gregory S. Halich

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Imagine a hay feeding system where you did not have to use a tractor for months at a time and that allowed you to build up pasture fertility without applying commercial fertilizer. Would this be of interest to you? What if this same system also kept your cattle clean during the winter without coats caked in mud and manure, allowed you to creep graze fall‐born calves, and built up the organic matter levels in your pasture soils. Would you be even more interested? As far‐fetched as this may sound, all these benefits are possible with an innovative winter‐feeding technique called …

Right Rate, Timing, Source And Placement: More Bang For The Pasture Fertilizer Buck, John H. Grove, Christopher D. Teutsch

Kentucky Grazing Conference

As we write this paper for the conference, fall fertilizer prices continue to increase, albeit at a slower pace than earlier this fall for most materials. The latest DTN retail price survey https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2021/10/06/fertilizer‐price‐gains-losing‐steam has urea (46‐0‐0) at $620/ton, DAP (18‐46‐0) at $722/ton and potash (0‐ 0‐60) at $647/ton. This gives $0.675/lb N, $0.52/lb P₂O₅ (after the N value in DAP price was accounted for), and $0.54/lb K₂O. Compared to this time last year, urea, DAP and muriate of potash are 71, 64 and 92% higher, respectively. Other important materials used in Kentucky are also higher: …

A Network Of Transdisciplinary Observation Mechanisms As A Digital Source Of Knowledge On Rangeland, To Communicate And Exchange At Local, Regional And Global Scales, Alessandro Rizzo, El Hassane El Mahdad, Abdelfettah Sifeddine, S. Lucatello, Lhoussaine Bouchaou, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

For several decades, interventions geared towards the development of drylands have been the catalysts of much change in a rapidly evolving world, and learning how to build sustainable trajectories that take into account both cultural and contextual variations is becoming of increasingly great import. As local problems become intertwined, and given the difficulty of large-scale collective action, understanding these dynamics requires cognizance of all levels of knowledge governance systems and their interactions. So far as rangelands are concerned, the lack of easily accessible documentation encompassing all knowledge to date is a major impediment to their sustainable development. With this in …

Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research In The Biosphere Reserve In Mapimi, Mexico: A Multidimensional Participatory Observatory Of Rangeland/Pastoral Systems, V. M. Reyes Gómez, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, N. Martínez Tagüeña, I. Espejel Carvajal, S. Lucatello, M. A. Bowker, C. L. Lauterio Martínez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Since the creation of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Mapimi (BRM) in Mexico 45 years ago, pastoralism has undergone a series of transformations. Upon the arrival of the Spaniards, horse breeding flourished until 1900; thereafter extensive cattle production lasted for six decades. Only recently, farmers have adopted alternative management types for organic meat production. National and international efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require basic, applied, and participatory research efforts. In the socio-ecological pastoral system BRM, first halophytic ecosystems were examined for their ecohydrological role in rangeland productivity. In 1996, a long-term ecological research site was installed to monitor …

Re-Envisioning Global Rangeland Stewardship: An Ecosystem Services Assessment Framework, David D. Briske

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangeland stewardship may be enhanced by transforming the global narrative from one of ‘resource scarcity and unpredictability’ to one of ‘global rangeland value’. This may be accomplished by devising a stewardship strategy founded on a more complete accounting of rangeland ecosystem services to inform land use planning and decision making. An ecosystem services framework may provide the necessary feedbacks to identify and assess potential tradeoffs among ecosystem services prior to implementing land use actions and policy. The ultimate goal of this alternative stewardship strategy would be to provide optimal combinations of ecosystem services to meet the needs of global citizens, …

Mongolian Herders’ Evaluation Of Rangeland Ecosystems Services, Values, And Changes Over The Past Decade, T. Ulambayar, B. Yunden, N. Davaasuren, S. Balt, D. Davaajav, B. Zambuu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Mongolia's rangeland is one of the largest remaining contiguous ecosystems encompassing 2.6% of the global grasslands, and almost three-fourths of the country's territory provides essential ecosystem services (ESS) for over 3 million Mongolians and 71 million livestock. The well-being of 171,605 pastoral households directly depends on the rangelands receiving provisional services in the forms of nutrition, material use and energy, regulatory services, and cultural services. This study explored herders' perceptions of these ESS, their evaluation for ESS values, and observations of ESS change for the last decade. The study found that Mongolian herders have more benefits from provisional ESS (on …

Conceptualizing Pastoral Development Based On Carbon Sequestration: The Case Of Yabelo District In The Southern Ethiopian Rangelands, D. L. Coppock

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Major challenges for rangeland stewardship in the developing world include how to mitigate the spread of pastoral poverty and environmental degradation. Arresting such trends requires a scale of investment, policy incentives, and institutional commitments not previously observed in pastoral development. Indeed, such a rangeland revolution requires several global events to set the stage, namely: (1) Creation of markets for diverse ecosystem services; (2) recognition that improved rangeland stewardship is vital to mitigate climate change; and (3) distribution of green climate funds in support of local projects. New approaches for pastoral development projects are also needed. Previous projects have largely focused …

Wildlife Conservation And The Role Of The Indigenous Communities Living Around Conservation Areas, N. Parmisa, K. A. Galvin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Indigenous Kenyan Maasai community has coexisted with the wildlife surrounding it for decades from Nairobi National Park, Maasai Mara and Amboseli. These parks border Maasai lands. Although the northern, eastern, and western perimeters of the Nairobi National Park are fenced, the southern part is not. It is at this point that the Maasai community’s land meets the park. This area also acts as a wildlife dispersal area where wildlife can freely migrate to other parks, including Maasai Mara and Amboseli. The park is only 117sq kms and its vitality depends on the plains to the south where the Maasai …

Whose Knowledge Counts?: Irrigation Development In Turkana, Kenya (1963-2019), G. L. Akall

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Irrigation has long been promoted in Africa’s drylands as a means to improve food security and livelihoods. Turkana County, one of the driest regions of Kenya, has a long history of irrigation interventions, extending from the colonial era to the present. The recent discovery of two huge water aquifers in the arid Turkana region, Kenya’s Vision 2030 and devolution has fed into enthusiasm for irrigation as an excellent solution to the multiple problems in the region against other activities like pastoralism. This is in spite of a history of failed irrigation developments in Turkana (Hogg 1987). This paper explores the …