Digital Commons Network^™

Strengths And Weaknesses Of National Agricultural Research Systems: Attracting The Next Generation Of Grasslands Researchers, James E. Pratley, Casper W. Roxburgh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the 1960s and 1970s the world faced up to the poverty and hunger facing a significant proportion of the global population, which at the time was around 4 billion people. The efforts of Norman Borlaug and the Green Revolution resulted in food production increasing as the technologies and knowledge known at the time were directed to that task. The success of the Green Revolution was such that governments and the world communities turned attention to other issues and agricultural development slid down the list of priorities. The world population is now over 7 billion and projected to be over …

Pasture Establishment And Sustainability In Arid Region Of Rajasthan, India: Prospects And Constraints, Surendra Singh Shekhawat, S. M. Kumawat, S. L. Godara

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rajasthan is the largest state of India and covers nearly 10.4 per cent (342.65 lakh ha) of total geographical area of the country. About 65 per cent of its population is dependent on agriculture. According to livestock census-2007, Rajasthan ranks at the third place (56.663 million) in the country for total livestock population after Uttar Pradesh (60.272 million) and Andhra Pradesh (60.175 million). The large livestock population of the state shows importance of fodder in the state. Western part of Rajasthan state covers the area of the state towards western side of Aravali range of hills, which divides the state …

Working With Farmers: The Key To Adoption Of Improved Fodder Technologies, Satyapriya, P. Singh, H. V. Singh, P. Sharma

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The lack of a close working relationship between agricultural research organizations, different extension organizations and with different categories of farmers is one of the most difficult institutional problems of agricultural technological implementation in India. Agricultural research and extension organizations generally fight over the same limited government resources and they try to increase the flow of resources coming to their respective institutions to solve day-today management problems, rather than ensuring that their respective organizations contribute to the broader goal of getting improved agricultural technology to all major categories of farmers. In addition, the researchers and extension workers of many research and …

Grasspea: A Potential Fodder And Feed Resources, Ashutosh Sarker, Pooja Sah, Vijay Kumar Yadav, M. M. Das

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is a an important legume crop grown in India, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Pakistan for human food, animal feed and soil health improvement. In India, grasspea is grown in about 521,100 ha, mainly in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa, Assam, West Bengal, and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Grasspea cultivation is low-cost and easy. Inherently grasspea possesses resistance to drought, excess moisture, salinity, diseases, and insect pests. As grasspea has an ambivalent reputation due to ODAP content in its plant parts, efforts are on to develop low or ODAP-free grasspea varieties with high biomass for dual …

Production And Resource Use Of Winter Feed Crops In New Zealand, John De Ruiter, E. Chakwizira, S. Maley

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the South Island of New Zealand (NZ), dairy cow numbers have increased from 1.4 to 2.1 million since 2005 (Statistics, New Zealand, 2014). This has led to a strong demand for winter feed crops in place of pasture, and also for supplementing pasture during lactation. Yields of 19–35 t DM/ha are reported for fodder beet (Beta vulgaris L.) in NZ (Chakwizira et al., 2014) compared with 14–25 t DM/ha for forage kale (Brassica oleracea L.) (Chakwizira et al., 2009) and 18–25 t DM/ha for maize (Zea mays L.). Fodder beet has only recently been …

Animal Production In A Subtropical Region Of Mexico: Rangeland´S Productive Characteristics, Benito Albarrán-Portillo, C. M. Arriaga-Jordan, Isela G. Salas Reyes, Fernando Vicente Mainar, Adela Martinez Fernandez, Francisca Aviles Nova, Rolando Rojo Rubio

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Dual-purpose cattle farms (DP) in México and in particular in the south west of the State of México are low input, based on tropical pastures under extensive management combined with fodder trees and shrubs that contributes to forage production during the dry season, where grasses are scarce. Farms land extension ranged from 30 to 300 hectares. The stoking rate is low with less than a cow per ha. There is only a perimetral fence, there is no pasture´s subdivision. Cows browse freely within the rangeland 24 h/d all year round. Cattle are predominantly Brow Swiss with small proportion of zebu …

Performance Of Improved Forage Species Under Dry Temperate Conditions Of North Western Himalayas, Naveen Kumar, B. R. Sood, Sunil Kumar

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The dry temperate region of Himalayas is characterized by low precipitation, low temperature and high snowfall. In this region generally, all the areas excluding the intensively cultivated one are used as pasture and grasslands. The area is characterized by sloppy desert mountains with crop growing season of 5-6 months (April to September). In the region due to continuous heavy grazing and lack of management indigenous grass species presently represent the third or fourth stage of degradation. In north western Himalayas livestock plays a significant role in sustaining the livelihood of people, but in the region all forage resources are hardly …

Productive Longevity Of Fodder Galega-Grass Swards, Aleksandrs Adamovics, Olga Adamovica, Iveta Gutmane

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Red clover, alfalfa and white clover are traditional forage crops in Latvia. In Latvian agricultural practice, fodder galega (Galega orientalis Lam.) is grown for a relatively short period. Recently introduced into Latvia, it is rousing evergrowing interest due to its persistency and high yielding ability. Experiments on fodder galega show that this longlived legume survives in pure stands for 25 and more years and provides annual DM yields from 9.56 to 11.0 t ha^-1 (Adamovics and Auzins, 2006; Slepetys, 2000; Slepetys and Adomovics, 2011). Pure fodder galega stands, compared to other legumes, are not thinning out during harvest …

Fodder Yield And Quality Of Egyptian Clover (Trifolium Alexandrinum L.), Annual Ryegrass (Lolium Multiflorum Lam.), And Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.) Monocultures As Affected By Organic And Mineral Fertilization, Heba Sabry Attia Salama

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) is the most important forage legume crop in Egypt. Despite the fact that its yield and protein content are high, it is characterized by low dry matter content especially in the 1st cut, in addition to its limited energy supply, attributed to the low carbohydrate content. Therefore, there is a pressing need to introduce some promising winter annual forage grasses, like barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.), and investigate their performance under the Egyptian agricultural conditions. This would enhance the Egyptian animal production systems by providing a high-quality feed …

The Effects Of Temperature On Evacuation Rates And Absorption Efficiency Of Flathead Catfish, Zach Horstman

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Knowledge of fish gastric evacuation rates are a necessary component for both field and laboratory studies when trying to understand feeding rates, modeling energy budgets, and understanding trophic dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. Many freshwater fish encounter a broad range of environmental temperatures across life history stages, but the mechanistic link between temperature and physiological processes often remains poorly understood. We designed three recirculating aquatic systems capable of rearing Flathead Catfish Plyodictis olivaris in order to quantify gastric evacuation rates and gross energy absorption at three temperatures (17º C, 22º C and 25º C). We examined the relationship between temperature and …

Evaluation Of Metal Contamination And Soil Properties At Former Mine Sites In Poland, Kaitlyn Mcclung, Emily Brooks

Research and Creativity Symposium

Surface mining dramatically affects the environment, both where the resource extraction takes place and in the areas where mining wastes and overburden are deposited. Poland is Europe’s top coal producing country and is also home to many mines for pyrite, sand, and other mineral resources. We studied soil samples from three former mining areas in Poland: the Bełchatów and Smolnica coal mines, and the Piaseczno sulfur mine. Various substrates, amendments, and trees had been used for remediation, with activities taking place up to 36 years previously. The success of reforestation and soil development varied greatly, especially in pH, organic matter, …

Rejuvenation Of Wild Ber (Zizyphus Species) Through Budding At Farmer’S Field, Ravi Pratap Singh, Satendra Kumar, Rajiv K. Agrawal, Sunil Kumar, M. M. Das, J. B. Singh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ber is mainly cultivated for its fresh fruits, which are rich in vitamins C, A and B complex. Due to its nutritional qualities it is called poor man’s apple (Gajbhiya et al., 2003). A large number of wild ber shrubs (Zizyphus mauritiana, Z. rotundifolia and Z. nummularia) were seen growing on the neglected lands, uncultivated lands, roadsides and farm boundaries in Kadesara Kala Village in Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh (India). Production potential of this species is very low because of poor upkeep and inferior genetic makeup. But they have extensive root system which can withstand …

How Can We Change Gut Microbiota For Healthy Lives?, Elizaveta Shmakova

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Fighting Waste And Feeding People: Exploring The Context Of Campus Food Waste And Student Recovery Efforts, Sarah Becker, Max Stout, Maddie Kuklentz, Savona Cerra

Environment and Sustainability Presentations

Wismer on Wheels is dedicated to our mission of not only reducing food waste on campus, but also reducing food insecurity in our wider community. The work of our team of over 35 student volunteers reflects that dedication. This past year we became the official Food Recovery Network chapter for Ursinus, broadened outreach efforts on- and off-campus, and boosted food waste education, all while recovering unprecedented quantities of food. In this presentation, we celebrate the accomplishments of our dedicated volunteers while exploring deeper questions about food waste on the Ursinus campus. Why are we seeing such massive food recovery numbers …

Archaeological Feature Identification Through Geochemical Analysis Of Arctic Sediments From The Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Northwest Alaska, Patrick William Reed

Dissertations and Theses

Identification and interpretation of archaeological phenomena is typically based on visual cues and the physical presence of "something archaeological," such as a diagnostic artifact, landscape modification, or structural element. Yet many archaeological features, i.e. the discrete archaeological deposits related to past human behavior, lack clear indicators of human activity that provides clues to the feature's origin. At the Cape Krusenstern beach ridge complex, located in northwest Alaska, ambiguous features, that could be natural or anthropogenic (vegetation anomalies), or are of unknown cultural function (indeterminate), comprise 60% of the identified features at the complex. These ambiguous features represent a large gap …

Analysis Of Phenolic Compounds In Moroccan Olive Oils By Hplc, Hannah Meyls, Sarah Porter

Virtual 2020 Spring Student Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Five extra virgin olive oils collected from farms in Morocco were analyzed for phenolic compounds. To complement these data, the chemical composition of the olive oils were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Several phenolic compounds were identified and quantified in the olive oils. Specifically, levels of oleuropein and luteolin were quantified in the low mg/kg range, and qualitative comparisons were made between the oil samples for tyrosol, vanillic acid, and apigenin. To compare extraction efficiency of different extraction solvents, methanol and DMF were used.

Improvement Of Grazing Lands For Better Livestock Production--A Case Study From Chitradurga District In India, K. Girdhar, A. V. Elangovan, H. S. Shivaramu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Chitradurga is a highly drought prone district in the central dry zone of Karnataka, India, with a normal rainfall of 530 mm per annum. Over 85 per cent of cultivable area is rainfed and the livestock plays a vital role in rural income generation in this district. Improper management and overgrazing have resulted in most of the grazing resources declining to a poor, degraded condition. Regeneration of pasture land was vital in the villages due to three reasons - a) people's livelihood dependency on livestock was considerable b) small ruminants played a vital role for landless farmers and c) lack …

Application Of Pastoralists' Knowledge To Natural Resource Management In Spain, Elisa Oteros-Rozas, María Fernández-Giménez, Ricardo Ontillera-Sánchez, José A. González, Federico Fillat-Estaque

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Extensive livestock rearing has been acknowledged as an important tool for sustainable management of social-ecological systems and biodiversity conservation. In the Mediterranean Basin this relationship has been highlighted in mountainous and rural areas, where the co-evolved assemblages and dynamics of plant communities and grazing practices and patterns are mutually reinforcing. Among extensive livestock rearing systems, mobile pastoralism is a typical adaptation in semi-arid areas and mountainous regions where pasture availability is especially variable in time and space. In Spain, mobile pastoralism dates back to Neolithic and has survived until our days in different ways. An outstanding example of mobility is …

Barriers And Opportunities For The Use Of Forage Tree Legumes In Smallholder Cattle Fattening Systems In Eastern Indonesia, Debora Kana Hau, Tanda Panjaitan, Jacob Nulik, H. Dahlanuddin, Elske Van De Fliert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage tree legumes (FTL) have existed in the Eastern Indonesian landscape since colonial traders introduced several species in the late 1800s. A specific effort was made to establish leucaena (Leucaena leucoephala) and sesbania (Sesbania grandiflora) for use as forage for cattle fattening at Amarasi in East Nusa Tenggara Province and Central Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, in the 1970s (Yuksel et al. 1999; Dahlanuddin et al. 2005). Its spread within these provinces as potential forage to intensify cattle fattening systems, however, has been slow if not stagnant. In preparation for intensified efforts to encourage …

A Guide To Evaluate And Diagnose Range Management Programs In Extensive Cattle Ranches, Ricardo Vásquez, Silverio G. Pérez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Commonly, range managers and ranchers apply range management principles and practices without a guide, conventional protocol, or a reference frame. This happens because knowledge in education and even in extension or consultant programs is obtained over time in a diversity of ways and, in turn, transmitted or applied in a diversity of methods, according to the experience, academic degree, or organization sense of the rancher himself, or his technician. Existing range management knowledge should be organized and applied in a systematic and conventional way. Medical science provides a good example of systematic management. Patients are “inventoried”, evaluated, diagnosed and treated …

Ewe Body Condition: Does Farmer Practice Meet Research Guidelines?, Marie J. Casey, John S. Scandrett, David R. Stevens

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A group of sheep farmers in the Southland region of New Zealand were surveyed in the winter of 2011 to determine their current winter management practices and ewe performance. This followed a 3 year Sustainable Farming Fund project to investigate if there was a relationship between maintaining an even ewe body condition score (BCS) during pregnancy and the incidence of vaginal prolapse (bearings). The program included a series of workshops to help farmers improve their ewe winter management and it became apparent that the actual winter feeding practice and ewe performance was relatively unknown.

The research was done to document …

Using E-Learning To Aid Technical Uptake Of Goat-Based Technologies By Small Livestock Producers In The Philippines, Anna Marie P. Alo, Jose Rey Y. Alo, Francisco G. Gabunada Jr., Emilio M. Cruz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The improvement of goat raising in the Philippines by achieving a stable supply of good quality breeders and highly uniform slaughter goats by 2020 is the aim of an Industry Strategic Plan. While a number of ways of promoting science-based technology have been offered to farmers, countless small to medium-scale farmers are almost impossible to reach. Online FLS or e-learning courses on goats have been developed where learners can take the courses from any place, at their own pace, and in their own convenient time. Internet cafes are available throughout the Philippines, where goat raisers are able to access the …

The Role Modelling And Farming Systems Research Can Play In Redesigning Grazing Systems For Improved Productivity And Environmental Sustainability, Angela Avery, Kate Sargeant, Michael A. Friend, Ralph Behrendt, Paul Sanford, Craig Beverly, Cameron Allen, David L. Michalk

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Achieving production and natural resource outcomes from farming systems is critical with growing demand for livestock products, increasing pressure on land and water resources and the desire of farmers to improve profit and standard of living. In many countries this brings to the fore a number of policy dilemmas and conflicts in terms of pastoral household livelihood, regional economic growth and development, as well as natural resource management. By using two case studies; (1) Temperate Grasslands in Southern Australia (EverGraze project); and (2) Western Grasslands in North West China (ACIAR project), this paper considers how farming systems can be redesigned …

Range Management Program: “Los Ángeles” Experimental Cattle Ranch In Northern México, Ricardo Vásquez, Silverio G. Pérez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The arid and semi-arid grasslands of both the ejidos (farming communities) and extensive (private) cattle ranches in northern México face serious degradation problems. This is visibly evident in the extent of soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and invasion of undesirable species (Ceballo et al. 2009). Severe impact of drought and over-grazing are important causes for the declining productivity now common place throughout these north Mexican grasslands. Two important contributing factors to this grassland degradation are: (1) the lack of continuous and well integrated education programs on the range and ranch management; and (2) a scarcity of government and private …

Development Of A Forage Evaluation System For Perennial Ryegrass Cultivar And Endophyte Combinations In New Zealand Dairy Systems, Jeremy R. Bryant, David F. Chapman, Elizabeth Leonard, William H. Mcmillan, Graham A. Kerr, Glenn Judson, Tim Cookson, Grant R. Edwards

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

An economic index for perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) cultivars is a relatively new concept, although recently introduced in Ireland (McEvoy et al. 2011). By contrast, in dairy cattle breeding, the concept of an economic index rating animals and economic values underlying that index is well entrenched (Philipson et al. 1994; Veerkamp, 1998). Historically, forage evaluation data for individual cultivars were either displayed using absolute numbers for seasonal dry matter production within a season or across all seasons with a notation to indicate statistical differences, or percentage values where a reference cultivar is 100. The adoption of …

Demonstration Farms To Improve Grassland And Household Incomes In Western China, Jing Wang, Mengli Zhao, David R. Kemp, Gemma Turnbull

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Western China is the less developed area of China, of which about 3.31×10⁹ ha is grassland. The livelihoods 40 million people, the majority ethnic minorities, are supported by this grassland. To achieve balanced growth while reducing economic disparities is one of the major challenges that China faces to maintain both its current GDP growth rate and social stability. The development of demonstration farms is an efficient way to alleviate or ideally to solve this challenge. Recent studies conducted on the desert steppe in Inner Mongolia have shown, that under current conditions, stocking rates can be reduced to get both …

Dutch Dairies Reward Grazing, Anjo Elgersma

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Changing societal drivers and consumer demands require systems that provide desired human foods produced through sustainable production systems. The aim was to show effects of grazing system on milk fatty acid (FA) composition in Dutch farming practice and to analyse current developments in grassland utilization and dairy payments. Milk conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) concentration was a function of hours cows spent at pasture, both at a regional and at a farm scale. Despite beneficial effects of fresh herbage in the dairy production chain on unsaturated FA in milk, the trend in The Netherlands is that cows are more indoors and …

Fodder Seed Bank–An Initiative For Green Fodder Production During Lean Period By Kvk, Jehanabad Under Nicra Project, Shobha Rani, R. K. Sohane, Dinesh Mahto, Basant Kumar Sharma

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Fodder production is an often-overlooked aspect of livestock rearing. The scarcity of fodder during lean period poses great problem before the livestock owners. The case with availability of green fodder is even more serious. Green fodder is essential for feeding of the dairy animals as poor nutrition is the biggest constraint in animal production, especially in dairy cattle production. This problem arises mainly due to the fact that ruminants are basically fed with fibrous forages and low quality roughages such as straws, especially during the lean seasons. The fodder seed availability is a major constraint apart from the interest of …

Sustainability Of Grassland Resources In Afghanistan: A Review, Yashpal Singh Saharawat, Hyatullah Esmati, Abdul Rahman Manan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Afghanistan is land locked country with arid and semi-arid climatic conditions. Out of 65 million ha of its land area, grassland and pastures cover 30 million ha. The grassland is reducing significantly from last six decades mainly due to poor governance in the last three decades of war and conflict, non-existence of scientific capacity and capability, land encroachment, increasing population, urbanization, poor policies and support from the Government, consistent increase in the population of cattle (291%), goats (160%) and (donkeys 290%) during the last two decades (World Bank, 2011).

Adaptation To Changing Institutional, Market And Bio-Physical Environments: The Case Of China’S Grasslands, Colin G. Brown, Scott A. Waldron, John W. Longworth

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the modern world, small pastoral herder households living on grasslands in countries such as China face major challenges in adapting to changes in their institutional, market and bio-physical environments. In China, these changes have been profound over the last 30 years. Herders, their communities and others dependent on the grasslands have responded to these developments but not always as might be expected. In this paper, the sources of the macro-forces in China that have created the pressure for change at the grass roots are outlined and the micro-adjustments made by herders and others in response to these pressures are …