Agricultural Science Commons^™

Grass And Forage Improvement: Temperate Forages, Chris J. Pollock, M. T. Abberton, M. O. Humphreys

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

1. Plant breeding has contributed significantly to the development of effective grassland production systems.
2. New technologies offer enhanced precision in breeding and access to wider genetic variation.
3. The requirement for more sustainable production systems will require genetic improvements in complex traits where the use of new technology will be vital.

Rising Demand For Meat And Milk In Developing Countries: Implications For Grasslands-Based Livestock Production2, C. L. Delgado

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

1. Meat and milk consumption in developing countries has grown three times as fast as in developed countries over the past 30 years.
2. By 2020, developing countries will consume 72 million metric tons (mmt) more meat and 152 mmt more milk compared to 2002/3, dwarfing developed-country increases of 9 mmt for meat and 18 mmt for milk.
3. Ruminant livestock will account for 27% of the increase in global meat consumption between 2003 and 2020, up from 23% over the previous two decades.
4. The inflation-adjusted prices of livestock and feed grains are expected to fall only marginally by 2020, compared to precipitous …

Grassland In Ireland And The Uk, Myles Rath, S. Peel

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

1. Grassland is the dominant land use option in Ireland and the UK, and is characterised by a long growing season.
2. Dynamic, interactive systems of grassland management have been developed which combine high grass dry matter intakes with good sward quality. In the better grassland areas milk yields in excess of 7000 kg/cow are attainable with low levels of concentrate supplementation. In the times to come, measures to protect the environment will constrain stocking rates, and fertiliser and manure use on intensive grassland enterprises.
3. A high proportion of beef and sheep farms participate in voluntary, EU-funded agri- environmental schemes that promote …

How Herbivores Optimise Diet Quality And Intake In Heterogeneous Pastures, And The Consequences For Vegetation Dynamics, R. Baumont, Cécile Ginane, F. Garcia, P. Carrère

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Understanding the interplay between foraging behaviour and vegetation dynamics in heterogeneous pasture is an essential requirement for evaluating the value of the resource for large herbivores and for managing that resource. The orientation of selective grazing behaviour between intake and diet quality depends on the spatial and temporal scales considered. In the short-term scale of a grazing sequence, there is evidence that large herbivores tend to optimise the intake rate of digestible materials by adaptation of their biting behaviour and by patch choice. On a day-to-day scale, there is evidence that large herbivores tend to prioritise the quality of the …

Land Use History And The Build-Up And Decline Of Species Richness In Scandinavian Semi-Natural Grasslands, O. Eriksson, S. A. O. Cousins, R. Lindborg

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Scandinavian semi-natural grasslands have an exceptionally high small-scale species richness. In the past, these grasslands covered extensive areas but they have declined drastically during the last century. How species richness of semi-natural grasslands was built up during history, and how species respond to land use change, are discussed. The agricultural expansion from the late Iron Age was associated with increasing grassland extent and spatial predictability, resulting in accumulation of species at small spatial scales. Although few species directly depend on management, the specific composition of these grasslands is a product of haymaking and grazing. Grassland fragmentation initially has small effects …

Recreating Pastoralist Futures, T. J. P. Lynam

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Research experience in southern Africa is used to reflect on key determinants of pastoral futures and how they might need to be addressed. The paper begins with a brief review of what we mean by marginality. A set of observations on key issues defining the option sets for pastoralism in the future is then presented. The first of these is that only a small number of structures or processes actually control the behaviour of social-ecological systems such as pastoralist systems. A second observation is that the future is so uncertain that there is a need to learn to design for …

Challenges And Opportunities For Sustainable Rangeland Pastoral Systems In The Edwards Plateau Of Texas, J. W. Walker, J. L. Johnson, C. A. Taylor Jr.

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper focuses on pastoral systems in an area of west-central Texas known as the Edwards Plateau. These rangelands have a combination of grass, forb and browse species and are used primarily for combinations of grazing by cattle, sheep, goats and wildlife. A major ecological challenge is woody plant encroachment. Stocking rate is the major factor affecting sustainability and historically this area was heavily grazed. Today the stocking rate is half or less of its historical peak. Species of livestock has shifted from predominantly small ruminant to cattle. About 70 % of pastoralists use some sort of rotational grazing system. …

Working Within Constraints: Managing African Savannas For Animal Production And Biodiversity, J. T. Du Toit

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The mean density of livestock biomass on African rangelands now greatly exceeds that of indigenous large herbivores, although livestock cannot fully substitute for wildlife with respect to co-evolved ecosystem processes involving herbivory. The dominance of livestock in semi-arid rangelands is largely due to water provision, which uncouples livestock population dynamics from the rainfall-driven trajectories followed by indigenous ungulate species in wildlife areas. Ecological sustainability cannot be achieved with a few exotic species maintained at unprecedented biomass densities in savanna ecosystems, which are evolutionarily adapted for species-rich communities of ungulates of a wise range of sizes. Integrating wildlife and livestock in …

Diversity And Variation In Nutritive Value Of Plants Growing On 2 Saline Sites In Southwestern Australia, H. C. Norman, R. A. Dynes, D. G. Masters

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In south-western Australia 10% or 1.8 million ha of the farmed area is affected by dryland salinity and a further 6 million ha are at risk of salinity (NLWRA, 2001). Animal production from saltbush (Atriplex spp.)-based pasture systems represents the most likely large-scale opportunity for productive use of saline land in the short to medium term. Feeding saltbush-based pastures as a maintenance feed during the prolonged autumn feed gap typical in Mediterranean-type climates maximises their economic value. The aim of this study was to explore the diversity and nutritive value of plants that typically persist in saltbush-based saltland pastures.

The Long Road To Developing Native Herbaceous Summer Forage Legume Ecotypes, J. P. Muir, T. J. Butler, W. R. Ocumpaugh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Only a handful of well-adapted herbaceous summer forage legumes are currently marketed for drier regions of North America and even fewer are true natives. There is a growing demand for native germplasm in the region as a new generation of landowner attempts to return grasslands to a semblance of their original species and diversity. The objective of this paper is to describe preliminary research results of a grasslands team collecting, studying and promulgating native leguminous germplasm in Texas.

Mortality Model For A Perennial Grass In Australian Semi-Arid Wooded Grasslands Grazed By Sheep, K. C. Hodgkinson, W. J. Muller

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Selecting Grassland Species For Saline Environments, M. 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, …

Grazing Animal Production Systems And Grazing Land Characteristics In A Semi-Arid Region Of Greece, I. Hadjigeorgiou, G. Economou, D. Lolis, N. Moustakas, G. Zervas

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rough grazing in Greece cover about 40% of the total land area, is publicly owned and managed extensively (Hadjigeorgiou et al., 2002). The Prefecture of Larisa is in the centre of Greece, and has 212,000 ha of rough grazing land, with a variable topography ranging from sea level up to 3,000 m a.s.l. This area is utilized by a total population of 135,000 LU (mainly sheep, goats and some suckler cows), which consumes annually an appreciable fraction of their total nutrient requirements from rough grazing.

The Productivity Of Coastal Meadows In Finland, R. Nevalainen, S. Jaakola, A. Huuskonen, J. Kiljala, E. Joki-Tokola

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The coastal meadows of Finland have gained a new interest as a summer pasture for cattle. These habitats have great historical, aesthetic and biological value (Pessa & Anttila, 2000). Typical features of the coastal meadows are the varying vegetation zones and wet, sometimes waterlogged, soils. The meadows are important nesting and feeding habitats for many water birds. When grazing ceases, reeds, trees and shrubs take over and the area loses its openness. Lately the amount of grasslands and pastures has drastically declined all over Europe. In Finland, the area of semi-natural biotopes has decreased to 1% of what it had …

Grass And Forage Plant Improvement In The Tropics And Sub-Tropics, Liana Jank, C. B. Do Valle, Rosangela M. S. Resende

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

1. The majority of tropical and subtropical forage grass genera and/or species have not yet been collected, or need further collection to be representative of their natural distribution.
2. New biotechnological techniques will only result in the release of superior forage cultivars if supported by strong breeding programs.
3. More funding and investment in the formation of strong public research teams in forage conservation and improvement are needed to guarantee the sustainability of tropical and subtropical pasture-based livestock systems in the future.
4. The creation of a permanent international working group on tropical and subtropical forages is essential to assist the International Plant Genetic …

Screening Spring Wheat Genotypes For Tadreb-B1 And Fehw3 Genes Under Severe Drought Stress At The Germination Stage Using Kasp Technology, Elsayed A. Elsayed, Asmaa A. M. Ahmed, Matías Schierenbeck, Schierenbeck Y. Hussein, P. Stephen Baenziger, Andreas Börner, Ahmed Sallam

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Drought stress is a major yield-limiting factor throughout the world in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), causing losses of up to 80% of the total yield. The identification of factors affecting drought stress tolerance in the seedling stage is especially important to increase adaptation and accelerate the grain yield potential. In the current study, 41 spring wheat genotypes were tested for their tolerance to drought at the germination stage under two different polyethylene glycol concentrations (PEG) of 25% and 30%. For this purpose, twenty seedlings from each genotype were evaluated in triplicate with a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in …

Long-Term Manure Application Improves Soil Health And Stabilizes Carbon In Continuous Maize Production System, Saurav Das, Daniel Liptzin, Bijesh Maharjan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soil health lies at the core of a sustainable food production system. A comprehensive evaluation of different agronomic practices and their effect on soil health is essential to determine the best practices that support soil ecosystem services. However, it may take years or decades to observe measurable changes in soil health under varying management practices. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of long-term (>77 years) manure and inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizer on soil health and determine the interrelationship among the measured soil bio-physicochemical indicators. The study also aims to understand the sustainability of the monocropping …

Simulated Impacts Of Winter Rye Cover Crop On Continuous Corn Yield And Soil Parameters, Girma Birr, Andualem S. Shiferaw, Tsegaye Tadesse, Marty R. Schmer, Virginia L. Jin, Brian D. Wardlow, Katja Koehler-Cole, Tala Awada, Sarah Beebout, Teferi Tsegaye, Tulsi Kahrel

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Cover crops (CC) provide numerous ecosystem services such as improving soil health, reducing nutrient loss, increasing productivity, and mitigating greenhouse gas emission. However, adoption of CC has been hindered by perceived negative impacts on main crop productivity and additional production costs. This is partly attributed to the gap in current state of knowledge in CC and its interaction with main crop production under different biophysical conditions. In this study, Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer model was used to evaluate the long-term impact of cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) on corn (Zea mays L.) yield, soil organic carbon …

On Correlation Between Canopy Vegetation And Growth Indexes Of Maize Varieties With Different Nitrogen Efficiencies, Xia Zhao, Shuaili Wang, Tao Wen, Jiamin Xu, Bao Huang, Shufeng Yan, Gangqiang Gao, Yali Zhao, Hongping Li, Jiangfang Qiao, Jinliang Yang, Lianhai Wu, Hongwei Wang, Tianxue Liu, Xinyuan Mu

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Studying the canopy spectral reflection characteristics of different N-efficient maize varieties and analyzing the relationship between their growth indicators and spectral vegetation indices can help the breeding and application of N-efficient maize varieties. To achieve the optimal management of N fertilizer resources, developing N-efficient maize varieties is necessary. In this research, maize varieties, i.e., the low-N-efficient (Zhengdan 958, ZD958), the high-N efficient (Xianyu 335, XY335), the double-high varieties (Qiule 368, QL368), and the double inefficient-type varieties (Yudan 606 YD606), were used as materials. Results indicate that nitrogen fertilization significantly increased the vegetation indices NDVI, GNDVI, GOSAVI, and RVI of maize …

Linking Soil Properties To Originally Wooded And Afforested Areas, Ashton A. Crowe, Matthew Laun

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Linking Soil Properties to Originally Wooded and Afforested Areas

Matthew Laun, Ashton Crowe

Mentor: I. P. Handayani

Hutson School of Agriculture Murray State University, KY, USA

Abstract

Afforestation, adding an artificial forest to a piece of land that has been barren of trees for a significant amount of time, has some seriously huge impacts on the environment. These effects can be seen as an increase in the soil organic matter, a decrease in compaction, and enhancement of porosity. Therefore, the soil can support more diverse microbes and fungal communities leading to better micro and macro nutrient transfers between plants. This …

Editorial: Genetic Validation And Its Role In Crop Improvement, Ahmed Sallam, Ahmad M. Alqudah, P. Stephen Baenziger, Awais Rasheed

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Gene discovery for economically important traits has remained a challenging Frontier in crop genomics and breeding. The recent advances in DNA sequencing technologies and genetic analysis approaches paved the way for discovering many genes and hotspot genomic regions controlling target traits. The detection of novel genomic regions or candidate genes is very useful for plant breeders and geneticists to improve crops, dissect the genetics of complex traits, and understand the biological mechanisms of genes underpinning traits of interest. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) dominated recent crop gene discovery research. These studies are becoming routine activities …

The Intertwining Of Zn-Finger Motifs And Abiotic Stress Tolerance In Plants: Current Status And Future Prospects, Debojyoti Moulick, Karma Landup Bhutia, Sukamal Sarkar, Anirban Roy, Udit Nandan Mishra, Biswajit Pramanick, Sagar Maitra, Tanmoy Shankar, Swati Hazra, Milan Skalicky, Marian Brestic, Viliam Barek, Akbar Hossain

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Environmental stresses such as drought, high salinity, and low temperature can adversely modulate the field crop’s ability by altering the morphological, physiological, and biochemical processes of the plants. It is estimated that about 50% + of the productivity of several crops is limited due to various types of abiotic stresses either presence alone or in combination (s). However, there are two ways plants can survive against these abiotic stresses; a) through management practices and b) through adaptive mechanisms to tolerate plants. These adaptive mechanisms of tolerant plants are mostly linked to their signalling transduction pathway, triggering the action of plant …

Role Of Social Network On Technology Adoption: Application To Nebraska Producers In The Face Of Undesirable Vegetation Transitions, Sabrina Gulab, Holly K. Nesbitt, Simanti Banerjee, Theresa Floyd, Karina A. Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

Conclusion

Producers need to have access to information regarding new conservation practices and technologies to ensure land management in the face of ecological threats in general and vegetation transitions (VTs) in the context of our study. This study investigates the role of an individual producer's social network on the willingness to seek information about technologies and management practices and the likelihood of new technology adoption with special attention to risk attitudes and producer spillover effects. Our results provide evidence that network composition and information obtained through a producer's social network don't influence an individual's willingness to seek information about new …

State And Transition Models For Tussock Grasslands And Woodlands Of The Kimberley: Final Project Report, Anna E. Richards, Brett Abbott, Robert Sudmeyer, Matthew Fletcher, Kath Ryan, Suzanne Prober, Philip Thomas, Pouria Ramzi, Jodie Hayward, Chris Hetherington, Karyn Reeves, Wayne J. Fletcher

Natural resources commissioned reports

The Kimberley region in north-west Western Australia is covered by extensive savanna woodlands and tussock grasslands. Approximately half the region is under pastoral leases predominately used for beef production. The Western Australian (WA) government Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) undertakes lease assessment and inspection to ensure the maintenance of pastoral land condition (maintenance of perennial grass cover that supports livestock grazing and soil condition). This presents several challenges around defining land condition and practices that support and improve long-term ecological sustainability of pastoral lands. The objective of this project was to develop state and transition models (S&TMs) …

Southeast South Dakota Experiment Farm Annual Progress Report, 2023, Southeast South Dakota Research Farm

Agricultural Experiment Station and Research Farm Annual Reports

This is an annual report of the research program at the Southeast South Dakota Research Farm in cooperation with South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and the SDSU College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences and has special significance for those engaged in agriculture and the agriculturally related businesses in the ten county area of Southeast South Dakota. The results shown are not necessarily complete or conclusive. Interpretations given are tentative because additional data resulting from continuation of these experiments may result in conclusions different from those based on any one year.

An Automatic System To Evaluate Bait Station Visitation By Brown Treesnakes And Mongooses, Robert T. Sugihara, William C. Pitt, Are R. Berentsen, Francis L. Benevides Jr.

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Understanding the temporal, spatial, and behavioral patterns of the free-ranging target species in response to candidate baits and baiting strategies is important to ensure control success. This information can also assist in the development and deployment of feeding stations and can exclude non-target species while constituting effective bait delivery and control strategies for certain invasive animals, especially at environmentally sensitive sites. We used passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in conjunction with very-high frequency radio-telemetry to remotely record bait station visitations and evaluate bait attractiveness in separate field research studies of brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Andersen Air Force …

Belowground Plant Communities: Seed Bank Dynamics And Relationship To Aboveground Vegetation In Grazing Allotment Of Klamath County, Oregon, Dellaina C. Morse, Scott M. Estepa

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

Seed banks are valuable resources for restoration but are understudied. The species present in the aboveground composition influence the seed bank through seed inputs. Land managers utilize herbicides to selectively reduce certain species in the above- and belowground composition. The aim of this paper is to observe and assess the species present in a seed bank post-herbicide application, and to discuss the seed bank potential for future restoration at the specific site in Klamath County, Oregon. Soil core samples were collected in the field and brought to the lab where they were processed and prepared for germination. We watered and …

Changes And Relationships Of Soil Aluminum, Organic Matter, And Hydrogen Ion Concentration With Rye Cover Crop, Arron Wilder

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Soil acidity is a common agricultural problem worldwide, as approximately 50% of all potentially arable soils are affected by pH limitations. At soil pH 3+) is considered to be the chemical form of aluminum in acid soil that hinders plant growth the most. Potentially, soil organic matter (SOM) can ameliorate the toxic effects of Al³⁺ on plants and microbes by binding with Al³⁺, thus preventing Al³⁺ (and other species of aluminum) from interacting in the rhizosphere. Increasing SOM also increases soil health indicators (i.e., microbial activity, soil water holding capacity, aggregate stability, porosity, etc.) while the …

Fusarium Head Blight Resistance Assessment In Barley, Tasneem Fathima

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fusarium head blight (FHB), commonly called scab is the most devastating disease of wheat and barley caused by the ascomycete fungus, Fusarium graminearum. FHB affects both the quality and quantity of cereal grains affecting the supply chain of the food and feed industry and the marketability of the produce. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is among the several crop species most vulnerable to FHB infection. An estimated 25% of Spring barley grain production in the United States is used to make malted beverages such as beer. Malting barley is a relatively high-value crop with high demands regarding grain quality. FHB directly …

Tracking Nitrogen Mineralization In The Presence Of Biochar Utilizing Complementary-Method Assays In East Central South Dakota, Andrew Calvin Engel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding soil N transformations in agricultural systems of the Northern Great Plains is crucial for guiding effective soil and nutrient management of this vital cropland. While the use of biochar in agriculture has attracted great attention recently, little has been reported on the seasonal dynamics of soil nitrogen (N) transformation and its response to biochar application. A field experiment was conducted over 2 seasons, spring (6/3/19-6/24/19) and summer (7/26/19-8/16/19), using four treatments or control soil, urea (224 kg N/ha), biochar (46,250 kg/ha), and urea+biochar (224 kg N/ha and 46,250 kg/ha, respectively). The results for both seasons showed biochar had no …