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Ecosystem Services Provided By Overseeding Aeschynomene Into Bahiagrass Pastures In South Florida, J. Garzon, João M. B. Vendramini, Maria L. S. Silveira, José C. B. Dubeux Jr., H. L. Liao, Lynn E. Sollenberger, H. M. S. Da Silva, V. C. Gomes, H. M. R. Oliveira, A. Erhunmwunse

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Aeschynomene (Aeschynomene americana L.) is a warm-season annual legume commonly overseeded into warm-season perennial grass pastures in tropical and subtropical regions. Although aeschynomene usually increases forage production and nutritive value, there is limited information about the ecosystem services provided by this legume. The objective of these studies was to evaluate the effects of overseeding aeschynomene into bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flüggé) pastures on nutrient dynamics and microbial N-cycling gene abundances. The studies were conducted in Ona, FL, from April to March 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. Treatments were the split-plot arrangement of two forage systems treatments (overseeding aeschynomene into bahiagrass or …

Sustainable Intensification Of Livestock Systems Using Forage Legumes In The Anthropocene, José C. B. Dubeux Jr., D. M. Jaramillo, E. R. S. Santos, L. Garcia, L. M. D. Queiroz, K. R. Trumpp

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sustainable intensification of livestock systems implies greater efficiency in resource utilization resulting in greater output of products and other ecosystem services per unit of resource input. Strategies to improve resource use efficiency include diversification of plant and ruminant species with complementary resource use. Forages that have root systems with contrasting architecture and exploring different soil layers with complementary use of resource acquisition (e.g., nutrients, water) could enhance primary productivity. Belowground interactions with soil microbiota (e.g., mycorrhizae) is key to enhance resource utilization. Forages with complementary canopy characteristics that helps enhancing light interception and utilization could also lead to greater resource …

Grazing Cover Crops For Soil Health In An Integrated Crop-Livestock System, Forrest E. Davis, J. Brett Rushing

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

. Optimizing soil health requires building an environment that creates conditions which allow for best function of the chemical, biological, and physical properties of the soil to thrive as an organism and an ecosystem. Integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) use a systems approach to provide improvements to soil health parameters. In the fall of 2021, a randomized complete block study was conducted at the Coastal Plain Branch Experiment Station (CPBES) in Newton, Mississippi and at the Prairie Research Unit (PRU) in Prairie, Mississippi to observe the soil health effects of grazing cereal rye cover crops in a soybean production system. Three …

Short-Term Soil Organic Matter And Carbon Responses To Contrasting Grazing Intensities In Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems, Erick R. Da Silva Santos, Jose C. B. Dubeux, B. G. C. Homem, Cheryl L. Mackowiak, Lynn E. Sollenberger, D. Wright

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Combining integrated crop-livestock systems under no-till management may improve soil organic matter (SOM) build up and improve soil C sequestration. Grazing cover crops appears as a possibility to combine crops and livestock in a farm system. Further SOM and soil C increase can be achieved by adding perennial grasses into crop rotations. However, the effect of grazing intensity in such systems are not fully understood. This 2-yr study investigated short-term effects of cropping system [winter cover crops-summer cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and winter cover crops-summer bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flüggé) rotations], grazing intensity (no grazing, heavy, moderate, and light …

Productive Grasslands – The Role Of Adapted Species To Increase Ecosystems Resilience, M. B. Chiavegato, A. F. Mammana, C. Y. Rodriguez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Producers are interested in diversifying grazing systems with native warm-season grasses. Climate variations may result in extreme weather events. For instance, recent studies show strong evidence pointing to an increasing frequency of flooding in the central US, due to changes in both seasonal rainfall and temperature across this region. In a constantly changing climate, adapted species play a crucial role in increasing ecosystems resilience and resistance to extreme weather events. Native grasses may be well adapted to the future changes on climatic conditions, with wide ecological amplitude and resistance under different conditions. Use of adapted warm season grasses, associated with …

Identification And Characteristics Of Phosphate-Solubilizing Endophytic Bacteria From Root Nodules Of Lespedeza Daurica, K. Y. Yang, C. Huang, P. Gao, Y. P. Liang, Y. P. Han, X. Zhao

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Endophytic phosphate-solubilizing bacteria from root nodules could promote stress resistance, nodulation and nitrogen fixation. In this study, nodule endophytic bacteria of Lespedeza daurica were isolated by plate streaking, the bacteria with phosphate-solubilizing abilities were selected and the phosphate-solubilizing abilities were determined. The results showed that 88 endophytic bacterial strains were isolated and among which 11 strains possessed phosphate-solubilizing abilities. The organic phosphorus solubility of TG41, TG43, TG47 and TG68 were 0.73~0.86 μg·mL^-1 ; the inorganic phosphorus solubility of TG47 and TG68 were 72.97 and 1.29 μg·mL^-1 , respectively. The four strains were identified as effective phosphate-solubilizing bacteria. TG41 …

Biodiversity—The Birds And The Bees And Healthy Grasslands, D. Borrenpohl, Pat D. Keyser

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Losses in biodiversity abound in modern agroecosystems, and biodiversity loss hampers ecosystem function and primary productivity comparable to abiotic stress. One of the most endangered ecosystems in the world is North American tallgrass prairie, and native birds and pollinators that historically depended on tallgrass prairie are in precipitous decline. Fortunately, native warm-season grasses that dominated tallgrass prairie present a valuable opportunity for summer forage to beef producers in the Eastern United States—a time when coolseason grasses endure a lack in productivity called the “summer slump.” Tallgrass prairie was sustained by periodic disturbance from grazing and fire, and combining fire and …

Using Functional Ecology To Predict Restoration Success In Managed Grasslands, J. Bergman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Plants have developed remarkable functional variation over evolutionary time to cope with different environmental conditions. As a result, functional variation – measurable as functional traits above and below ground – can be found within but also among grassland communities today. The functional space covered by a community is thereby restricted by environmental factors while each single species within the community inhabits a specific niche with a certain breadth along different environmental gradients. Data from field sampling in European grasslands have shown, that species intraspecific functional variation can cover considerable amounts of possible functional spaces, hence holding the potential to establish …

Effect Of Soil Nitrogen And Water Content On The Establishment Of A Lolium Perenne L. And Trifolium Repens L. Pasture, M. F. Alonso, Oscar A. Balocchi, I. Calvache, O. Martínez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Climate change has decreased rainfall in Southern Chile affecting the productivity of the grasslands that sustain the dairy and beef cattle industries. These grasslands are mainly mixtures of Lolium perenne L. and Trifolium repens L. Thus, we study the response on the establishment of a mixture of these two species to three levels of soil water content and two levels of nitrogen (N) fertilization. The trial was carried out in containers sowed in a complete randomized block´s design. Soil moisture measurements were taken daily. N fertilizations was applied at the establishment and every 60 days. Leaf appearance rate was measured …

Impact Of Level Of Use On Plant Vigor And Weight Of Festuca Humilior And Calamagrostis Vicunarum, T. Edson, L. Aguirre, E. R. Flores

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Tussock grasslands of Festuca humilior and Calamagrostis vicunarum cover a significant extension of the central Andes of Peru, constituting a plant association highly appreciated by cattle ranchers. The objective of this research was to estimate the cumulative impact of the level of use of the key grasses Festuca humilior and Calamagrostis vicunarum on plant height, vigor, and weight. This study was conducted in a humid grassland of regular condition located at 4186 masl in the Puna ecoregion. The variables evaluated were: plant height, basal and canopy diameter and plant weight. The experiment lasted two years in which individual plants from …

Association Of Elevated Serum Aldosterone Concentrations In Pregnancy With Hypertension, Robin C. Shoemaker, Marko Poglitsch, Dolph Lewis Davis Iii, Hong Huang, Aric Schadler, Neil Patel, Katherine Vignes, Aarthi Srinivasan, Cynthia Cockerham-Morris, John Anthony Bauer, John M. O’Brien

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Emerging evidence indicates a previously unrecognized, clinically relevant spectrum of abnormal aldosterone secretion associated with hypertension severity. It is not known whether excess aldosterone secretion contributes to hypertension during pregnancy. We quantified aldosterone concentrations and angiotensin peptides in serum (using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry) in a cohort of 128 pregnant women recruited from a high-risk obstetrics clinic and followed prospectively for the development of gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, superimposed pre-eclampsia, chronic hypertension, or remaining normotensive. The cohort was grouped by quartile of aldosterone concentration in serum measured in the first trimester, and blood pressure, angiotensin peptides, and hypertension outcomes …

Human Schwann Cells In Vitro I. Nerve Tissue Processing, Pre-Degeneration, Isolation, And Culturing Of Primary Cells, Gabriela I. Aparicio, Paula V. Monje

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

This paper presents versatile protocols to prepare primary human Schwann cell (hSC) cultures from mature peripheral nervous system tissues, including fascicles from long spinal nerves, nerve roots, and ganglia. This protocol starts with a description of nerve tissue procurement, handling, and dissection to obtain tissue sections suitable for hSC isolation and culturing. A description follows on how to disintegrate the nerve tissue by delayed enzymatic dissociation, plate the initial cell suspensions on a two-dimensional substrate, and culture the primary hSCs. Each section contains detailed procedures, technical notes, and background information to aid investigators in understanding and managing all steps. Some …

A Blunted Th17 Cytokine Signature In Women With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Insights From Inflammatory Profiling Of A Community-Based Cohort Of Older Adults, Adam D. Bachstetter, Jenny Lutshumba, Edric D. Winford, Erin L. Abner, Barbra J. Martin, Jordan P. Harp, Linda J. Van Eldik, Frederick A. Schmitt, Donna M. Wilcock, Ann M. Stowe, Gregory A. Jicha, Barbara S. Nikolajczyk

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

People with dementia have an increase in brain inflammation, caused in part by innate and adaptive immune cells. However, it remains unknown whether dementia-associated diseases alter neuro-immune reflex arcs to impact the systemic immune system. We examined peripheral immune cells from a community-based cohort of older adults to test if systemic inflammatory cytokine signatures associated with early stages of cognitive impairment. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured with monocyte or T-cell-targeted stimuli, and multiplex assays quantitated cytokines in the conditioned media. Following T-cell-targeted stimulation, cells from women with cognitive impairment produced lower amounts of TH17 cytokines compared with cells …

Control Of Cd4+ T Cells To Restrain Inflammatory Diseases Via Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 Kinase, Hao-Yun Peng, Liqing Wang, Jugal Kishore Das, Anil Kumar, Darby J. Ballard, Yijie Ren, Xiaofeng Xiong, Paul De Figueiredo, Jin-Ming Yang, Jianxun Song

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

CD4+ T cells, particularly IL-17-secreting helper CD4+ T cells, play a central role in the inflammatory processes underlying autoimmune disorders. Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 Kinase (eEF2K) is pivotal in CD8+ T cells and has important implications in vascular dysfunction and inflammation-related diseases such as hypertension. However, its specific immunological role in CD4+ T cell activities and related inflammatory diseases remains elusive. Our investigation has uncovered that the deficiency of eEF2K disrupts the survival and proliferation of CD4+ T cells, impairs their ability to secrete cytokines. Notably, this dysregulation leads to heightened production of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17, fosters a pro-inflammatory microenvironment …

Elongation Of Very Long Chain Fatty Acids-3 (Elovl3) Is Activated By Zhx2 And Is A Regulator Of Cell Cycle Progression, Kate Townsend Creasy, Hui Ren, Jieyun Jiang, Martha L. Peterson, Brett T. Spear

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2) are transcriptional regulators of liver gene expression with key functions in embryonic development as well as tissue regeneration in response to damage and disease, presumably through its control of target genes. Previous microarray data suggested that elongation of very long chain fatty acids-3 (Elovl3), a member of the ELOVL family of enzymes that synthesize very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs), is a putative Zhx2 target gene. VLCFAs are core component of ceramides and other bioactive sphingolipids that are often dysregulated in diseases and regulate key cellular processes including proliferation. Since several previously identified Zhx2 …

Stat3 Modulates Cd4+ T Mitochondrial Dynamics And Function In Aging, Emelia Zukowski, Marco Sannella, Jack Donato Rockhold, Gabriella Kalantar, Jingting Yu, Sara Santacruz-Calvo, Madison K. Kuhn, Nasun Hah, Ling Ouyang, Tzu-Wen Wang, Lyanne Murphy, Heather Marszalkowski, Kaleigh Gibney, Micah J. Drummond, Elizabeth A. Proctor, Hatice Hasturk, Barbara S. Nikolajczyk, Leena P. Bharath

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Aging promotes numerous intracellular changes in T cells that impact their effector function. Our data show that aging promotes an increase in the localization of STAT3 to the mitochondria (mitoSTAT3), which promotes changes in mitochondrial dynamics and function and T-cell cytokine production. Mechanistically, mitoSTAT3 increased the activity of aging T-cell mitochondria by increasing complex II. Limiting mitoSTAT3 using a mitochondria-targeted STAT3 inhibitor, Mtcur-1 lowered complex II activity, prevented age-induced changes in mitochondrial dynamics and function, and reduced Th17 inflammation. Exogenous expression of a constitutively phosphorylated form of STAT3 in T cells from young adults mimicked changes in mitochondrial dynamics and …

Self-Reported Consumption Of Bottled Water V. Tap Water In Appalachian And Non-Appalachian Kentucky, Jason W. Marion

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Quantitative studies on drinking water perceptions in Appalachia are limited. High-profile water infrastructure failures in the U.S. and Eastern Kentucky, coupled with human-made and natural disasters in the Appalachian Region, have likely impacted opinions regarding tap water.

Purpose: To use existing unexplored data to describe baseline tap water v. bottled water consumption in Kentucky.

Methods: Telephone-based cross-sectional data were obtained from the 2013 Kentucky Health Issues Poll (KHIP) directed by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. Among many items in KHIP, self-reported consumption of bottled water over tap water, reasons for bottled water use, and demographic data were obtained. …

Impact Of Interprofessional Student Teams At A Remote Area Medical Event In Rural Appalachia, Emily K. Flores, Karilynn Dowling, Caroline Abercrombie Md, Rick L. Wallace

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Education in interprofessional collaboration is vital to expand healthcare access, especially in areas of higher disparity. To address this need, interprofessional faculty collaborators incorporated undergraduate and graduate health profession students into teams at an annual Remote Area Medical event in rural Appalachia between 2017 and 2020.

Purpose: This article evaluates the impact of an interprofessional student teams model on both patient care experience and students’ interprofessional collaboration attitudes and behaviors.

Methods: Student volunteers completed pre- and post-event surveys containing questions about demographics, open-ended questions, and questions from two instruments: the Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised Instrument, Version 2 …

The Effect Of Npk Fertilisation On Structure And Species Composition Of Grasslands, Frantisek Hrabě, Jiří Skládanka

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Long-term research into the effect of N+PK nutrition enables an objective evaluation of the trend and rate of succession and a prediction of changes including production development in permanent grassland (Hrabě et al., 1991). Former research (Hrabě & Halva, 1993) and evaluation within an eco-system concept (Rychnovská et al., 1994) demonstrated marked changes in the species composition of grass communities with the application of N+PK fertilisation that did not correspond to the sward type and site conditions.

Forage Legume Persistence In Mixtures With Native And Introduced Grasses At A Semiarid Location On The Canadian Prairies, P. G. Jefferson, A. D. Iwaasa, Michael P. Schellenberg

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cultivars of native grass species with adequate nutritive value for summer and early fall grazing by beef cattle are becoming available for seeding in the Canadian prairie region (Jefferson et al. 2004). Mixing native grass species with introduced legumes could improve forage quality but little information is available on legume persistence with these species. This experiment aimed to determine the persistence of 3 forage legumes when seeded with 3 native grasses compared to 3 introduced grasses.

Floristic Composition As A Parameter Of The Quality Of The Grassland Type Festucetum Vallesacae In Thestara Planina Hilly-Mountainous Region Of Serbia, Z. Nesic, Z. Tomic, S. Mrfat-Vukelic, M. Zujovic, I. Djalovic, S. Djordjevic

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

With the increase of sea level and changes of climatic conditions, the possibilities for growing cultivated forages decreases. Therefore natural grasslands will become more important in relation to livestock nutrition. This will increase the importance of the nutritive value of these natural grasslands that have very diverse and dynamic floristic composition. The quality of the grassland depends on species categorised as grasses, legumes and other species. Other species were often regarded as harmful in regard to quality, however, they often contain many medicinal and stimulating substances that may have beneficial effects on animals and on the quality of animal products …

Floristic Composition As Parameter Of Quality Of Ass. Agrostietum Vulgaris, Z. Tomic, S. Mrfat-Vukelic, Z. Nesic, M. Zujovic, S. Djordjevic-Milosevic

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In hilly-mountainous region of Serbia, meadows and pastures are the main sourcees of roughage feeds and grazing for ruminants. On Stara Planina mountain, in SE Serbia, meadows and pastures with different plant associations and a wide range of species of differing nutritional value predominate. Until the 1930s, and even until now, only species of the grass family and leguminous plants were desired and all other plants were considered worthless or harmful Klapp (1986). The main criteria to evaluate whether a meadow plant species is a weed are: is it poisonous?; is it suitable for consumption by domestic animals as regards …

Relationships Between Productivity, Quality And Traits In Seven Co-Occurring Grass Species, L. S. Pontes, Jean-François Soussana, P. Carrère, F. Louault, J. Aufrère, D. Andueza

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The impacts of management options sometimes have dramatic effects on botanical composition which in turn affect yield and nutritive value. A functional analysis of vegetation response may help to understand and predict the impact of changes in grassland management in a more general way screening for plant traits that may control productivity and nutritive value.

Forage Yield And Soil Moisture Content In Panicum Maximum Cv. Tanzania Monoculture And In A Mixture With Leucaena Leucocephala With Different Densities In Mexico, H. J. Delgado Gómez, Juan C. Ku-Vera, J. Ku Vera, J. Escamilla Bencomo, P. A. Velázquez Madrazo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cattle production is limited by forage availability during the dry season since water and soil fertility are the main factors limiting production. Leucaena leucocephala has good nutritive value (24-30% CP). It can stand drought and grazing and so its introduction into pastures is recommended as an alternative to forage production during the dry season. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the introduction of L. leucocephala with different densities on biomass production of P. maximum and soil water content.

Responses Of Irrigated Pasture Nutritive Characteristics To Summer Nitrogen Fertiliser, Frank R. Mckenzie, J. L. Jacobs, G. N. Ward

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Low summer rainfall in southwest Victoria, Australia, restricts pasture growth and reduces pasture nutritive value thereby limiting potential milk production. One fifth of dairy farmers in the region have some capacity to irrigate during summer and nitrogen (N) fertiliser is used to enhance pasture dry matter (DM) yield. Data on the effects of N fertiliser on irrigated pasture nutritive characteristics during summer in southwest Victoria are lacking. Two experiments determined the potential of N fertiliser to improve pasture nutritive (crude protein, CP and metabolisable energy, ME) value during summer.

Selecting Grassland Species For Saline Environments, Mary-Jane E. Rogers, A. D. Craig, T. D. Colmer, R. Munns, S. J. Hughes, P. M. Evans, P. G. H. Nichols, R. Snowball, D. Henry, J. Deretic, B. Dear, M. Ewing

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Australia, around 5.7 million hectares of agricultural land are currently affected by dryland salinity or at risk from shallow water tables and this figure is expected to increase over the next 50 years (LWRA, 2001). Most improved grassland species cannot tolerate the combined effects of salt and waterlogging and, therefore, the productivity of sown grasslands in salt-affected areas is low. However, there is potential to overcome the lack of suitably adapted fodder species by introducing new, salt and waterlogging-tolerant species and by diversifying the gene pool of proven species. Potential species include exotic, naturalised and native Australian grass, legumes, …

Effect Of Mineral Nutrition On Red Clover Leaf Area Index, B. Cupina, P. Erić, S. Vasiljević, V. Mihailovic, D. Milic

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The legume red clover (Trifolium pratense) fixes its own nitrogen (N), but requires P and K fertilisation. There are no recent reliable data in the domestic literature, on the amounts of P and K recommended to farmers; present recommendations are often either inadequate or excessive. Red clover mineral nutrition is significantly affected by soil and weather conditions (Taylor & Quesenberry, 1996). The objective of our twoyear study was to enable rational fertiliser application in accordance with soil type and agro ecological conditions.

Effect Of Fertilisation With Macro And Micronutrients On The Mineral Content Of Leucaena Leucocephala, S. Camacaro

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Venezuelan cattle industry has been developed in areas with soil limitations, causing a negative impact on animal production, since the pastures are of medium to low quality and quick maturation (Chacón, 1996). On the other hand, forage legumes have been introduced to improve the nutritive value of the biomass on offer. Growing interest has been shown in Leucaena leucocephala in recent years due to its multiple benefits (Duguma et al., 1988). However the use of varieties not adapted to acid soils can be a problem, largely due their low tolerance to the toxicity of the aluminium and to …

Effect Of Mineral Fertiliser Levels On The Yield Quality Of Perennial Ryegrass, S. R. Bumane, Aleksandr Adamovich

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Perennial ryegrass is a short-lived bunch-grass with shallow root system. The plant is nutritious and palatable and stands up to hard grazing. It will not do well under poor conditions, where fertility or rainfall is low. Perennial ryegrass is a major component in different seed mixtures that are used for grassland management and forage production. This plant is the predominant component in nearly all pasture mixtures, with perennial ryegrass and white or red clover forming the basis for permanent pasture for dairy production and cattle. This grass species plays an important role in grassland productivity and forage quality. Ryegrass requires …

Combinations Of Nitrogen And Sulphur For Signal Grass Yield, F. A. Monteiro, C. P. Silveira

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens) is grown in Brazilian pastures, and the increase in forage yield of such pastures is achieved by fertilization. Nitrogen (N) is the nutrient mostly demanded for increasing grass productivity, and its utilization creates a demand for other nutrients, such as sulphur (S). These two nutrients are well related in plant metabolism, but the S nutrition of signal grass must be better understood. The use of a fractional factorial makes possible the study of several rates of these two nutrients, that combined with the response surface methodology allows anyone to find out the responses to …