Agricultural Science Commons^™

Productivity And Composition Of Two Improved Native Pastures Under Different Grazing Managements In Uruguay, D. F. Risso, E. J. Berretta, G. Carracelas

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Two improved native pastures were established by phosphoric (P) fertilisation and oversowing of: white clover (Trifolium repens) mixed with birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) (TbL) and annual lotus (Lotus subbiflorus) (Rin). Such pastures were evaluated during 5 years with steers at two stocking rates (High and Low) and two grazing managements (Rotational and Alternate). Presence of legumes was high and botanical changes were favourable in both pastures that evidenced good persistence. Daily liveweight gains of steers and total animal production were high in both pastures, but significantly (P≤ 0.05) higher in TbL. No significant differences …

Grasslands Classification In Yobe State Nigeria Using Integrated Orderly Classification System Of Grassland (Iocsg), S. Usman, M. G. Bala, Y. Shen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Integrated Orderly Classification System of Grassland (IOCSG) was initiated by Professor Ji-Zhou Ren in the 1960s and it has satisfactorily served to direct theory and practice of grassland classification for the last several decades in China. In this study IOCSG is adopted to classify the grasslands in Yobe state Nigeria, using 30 years (1984-2013) data on precipitation and temperature from 12 satellite stations across the state. Humidity (moisture index) was estimated as the ratio of precipitation per annum to annual temperature. The results revealed a trend of decline in precipitation and moisture index with latitude; from 772.63 mm and 0.72 …

Forb Counts In Grassland Are Sensitive To Analytical Method, Gene A. Fults

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

An analysis of forbs from 9 years of Plant Census protocol (NRI 2019) is compared to data from the Line Point Intercept (LPI) protocol. Both protocols were conducted on the same geospatially separate macroplots (N=1230). The macroplots locations were stratified by NRI based on a land hierarchy which has had long-term use in the United States (Salley etal 2015). This ties vegetation and land together in the data. The analysis showed that the 15-minute plant census method increased forb species data by 29 percent over the LPI method which takes 40-60 minutes. Both methods captured similar total ratios and rank …

The Relationship Between Grassland Composition On Stemborer Abundance On Grasses Surrounding Maize Farms, Nelima Maryselah, Mutyambai M. Daniel, Kuyah Shem, Netondo Godfrey, Mattias Jonsons

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands are known to host crop pests and may act as the reservoir of pests affecting maize production. This research aimed at determining the effect of grassland composition on abundance of stemborers on grasses sorrouding maize farms in western Kenya. The experimental set up followed a complete random block design (CRBD); with four elevations at Lambwe, Homabay, Luanda and Mt. Elgon assigned as blocks based on different altitudes. Sampling was done in two seasons, during the short rain season of 2019 and the long rain season of 2020. Grasslands surrounding four pairs of push-pull and non-push-pull maize farms were assessed. …

Describing Cattle Grazing Distribution In Communal Rangelands Of The Eastern Cape South Africa: Towards Improving Livestock Rangeland Use, B. Gusha, A. R. Palmer

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This study used global positioning systems (GPS) to understand grazing distribution of three cattle in the communal rangeland of Eastern Cape, South Africa. Free ranging cattle were randomly selected from participating households and were fitted with neck GPS collars, which recorded geographic position every five-minute interval during wet and dry season. The study identified three production domains where cattle were reported to be spending most of their time grazing, separated by bound polygons on google earth Pro to further extract MODIS EVI???. The recorded GPS points were loaded into google earth Pro to analyse the distribution of cattle grazing in …

Degradation Issue Of Fescue-Forbs Rangeland In The Mountain Steppe Of Mongolia, Otgontuya Lkhagvajav, Lkhagvajav Namdag, Munkhbat Chimed

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The total area of Fescue-forbs rangeland in Mongolia is 10 million hectares, accounting for 8.5% of total rangeland area. The Fescue-forbs rangeland is the main type of rangeland in the mountain steppe. The Mongolian rangeland has degraded in the last two decades mainly due to overgrazing and climate change. The main objective of this study was to determine the change of plant community and reduction of frequency and productivity of the dominant species Festuca lenensis in different degradation states of rangeland. The dominant species and main plant functional groups have completely changed in Fescue-forbs rangeland in all three states of …

Decomposition Rates Of Organic Material Across Herbivore Treatments In A Nutrient-Rich Semi-Arid Sodic Savanna, L. L. Erasmus, H. Van Coller, S. Claassens, F. Siebert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Decomposition is a major determinant of terrestrial nutrient cycling and therefore an important regulator of ecosystem structure and function. It has been widely documented that large mammalian herbivores (LMH) act as a significant driver of changes to aboveground structure and modifications to edaphic properties. Little is known about the role of herbivory, and particularly the loss thereof, in mediating essential ecological processes in a herbivore-adapted system. The Nkuhlu exclosures, a large-scale, long-term exclusion experiment in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, provided an opportunity to explore the effects of herbivory and/or its long-term exclusion on decomposition and stabilisation of detrital …

Comparative Anatomical Study Of The Grasses In The Range Lands Of Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu Of India, B. Makesh Kumar, J. Stephan, P. Kumar

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasses are the crucial component of the rural rangeland ecology. Besides the morphological studies, micro-morphological characters such as stem anatomy were also investigated in this study. So as to get detailed understanding about variations during the summer and monsoon within species and also differentiating the species with the help of supplementary characters such as number of cortical layers and vascular bundles, xylem vessel length etc. In grass anatomy the characters are rather constant for some species and highly variable for others probably often due to the climatic variation. Still the characters are very helpful to differentiate and determine the genus. …

Tracking Spatial Regimes In Animal Communities: Implications For Resilience-Based Management, Caleb P. Roberts, Daniel R. Uden, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler, Larkin A. Powell, Brady W. Allred, Matthew O. Jones, Jeremy D. Maestas, Dirac L. Twidwell Jr

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Spatial regimes (the spatial extents of ecological states) exhibit strong spatiotemporal order as they expand or contract in response to retreating or encroaching adjacent spatial regimes (e.g., woody plant invasion of grasslands) and human management (e.g., fire treatments). New methods enable tracking spatial regime boundaries via vegetation landcover data, and this approach is being used for strategic management across biomes. A clear advancement would be incorporating animal community data to track spatial regime boundaries alongside vegetation data. In a 41,170-hectare grassland experiencing woody plant encroachment, we test the utility of using animal community data to track spatial regimes via two …

Local Knowledge On The Changes In Vegetation Composition And Abundance In Rusinga Island, Homa Bay County, Kenya, M. N. Nyaga, S. M. Mureithi, V. O. Wasonga, O. K. Koech

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Local communities have been coping with environmental dynamics since time immemorial, and they often possess considerable knowledge about environmental change, as well as mechanisms of coping with the consequences of such changes. Local knowledge on the changes in vegetation composition and abundance is therefore fundamental for the development of management strategies aimed at sustainable use and conservation of natural vegetation resources. Household interviews (n=150), Key informant interviews (n=30) and Focus group discussions (n=4) were used in this study to extract information on the communities’ perceptions on the status of vegetation in Rusinga Island of …

Cloud Computing Solution For Monitoring Arid Rangeland Dynamics: Case Of Moroccan Highlands And Southern Acacia Ecosystems, Said Lahssini, Said Moukrim, H. Mharzi-Alaoui, N. Rifai, L. El Mansouri, F. El Wahidi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The wide availability of free satellite imagery, the recent development of cloud platforms dedicated to big spatial data (Big Data) that integrates both image archives from different providers, processing algorithms, distributed processing capabilities as well as an application programming interface (API) that facilitate scripting and automation process opened new perspectives for the use of vegetation observation time series over long timestamps and over large spatial scales (almost planetary).

This work aims at harnessing these technologies and building up an automated solution to monitor rangeland rehabilitation dynamics in arid lands and to assess the effectiveness of stakeholder’s management strategies. Such solution …

Characterizing Invasiveness Through A Descriptive Study Of Guinea Grass (Megathyrsus Maximus) Growing In Three Habitat Types And Differing Herbivore Assemblages In Both Kenya And Texas, A. C. Rhodes, R. M. Plowes, D. J. Martins, I. Ng'iru, L. E. Gilbert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus syn. Panicum maximum) is an important pasture grass that has been introduced pantropically, yet in many cases has escaped cultivation and is invading native rangelands – threatening biodiversity at multiple trophic levels. An increasing challenge of rangeland management is balancing the importance of pasture grasses with their negative impact on ecosystem processes. Given this challenge, it is critical to understand the mechanisms that underlie grass invasion. In this descriptive study, our objective was to assess the ecological stress release hypothesis by comparing the relative abundance and functional traits of Guinea grass in Kenya's home …

Can High Density, Short Duration Grazing Replace Fire In A South African Mesic Grassland?, N. M. Chonco, S. C. Nkuna

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

High density grazing (HDG), defined as the concentration of many livestock on a small area for a short period of time has become increasingly popular in the South African mesic grassland yet little is known about it impact. HDG is usually applied without fire, based on the assertion that it is a key contributor to desertification of grasslands. However, fire plays an important role in the development and growth of most South African mesic grassland plant species, as it stimulates resprouting and reduces competition for light. The aim of this study was to determine the impacts of high density grazing …

Back To The Roots - Do Traditional Maasai Management Strategies Work Towards Resilience Against Unpredictable Rainfall And Grazing Pressure In Northern Tanzania?, S. A. Baumgartner, A. C. Treydte

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Despite the importance for people´s livelihoods, many semi-arid African savannas are prone to heavy degradation due to overutilization by people, livestock and increased climate variability. Rangeland management, such as transhumance and deferred grazing systems, practiced by the Maasai in northern Tanzania, can be useful in combating the negative consequences of overuse and increasing rainfall variability. But little is known on how different rangeland regimes, practiced by the Maasai, impacts the productivity of these rangelands.

We collected data on regrowth rates under different rangeland management regimes (rainy season grazing land, dry season grazing land, and seasonal exclosures), different harvest rates (month, …

Assessment Of Rangeland Condition In A Dryland System Using Uav-Based Multispectral Imagery, V. Amputu, K. Tielbörger, N. Knox

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Dry savannahs are water-limited and under increasing anthropogenic pressure. Thus, considering climate change and the unprecedented pace and scale of rangeland deterioration, we need methods for assessing the status of such rangelands that are easy to apply, yield reliable and repeatable results that can be applied over large spatial scales. Global and local scale monitoring of rangelands through satellite data and labour-intensive field measurements respectively, are limited in accurately assessing the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of vegetation dynamics to provide crucial information that detects degradation in its early stages. Fortunately, newly emerging techniques such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), associated miniaturized sensors …

An Integrated Framework To Study Ecological Tipping Points In Social-Ecological Systems, F. A. Männer, L.-M. Schwarz, D. A. Menestrey-Schwieger, V. Amputu, M. C. Bilton, K. Brinkmann, G. Dressler, N. Hamunyela, H. Heita, S. Heshmati, S. Liehr, M. Mbidzo, F. Munyebvu-Chambara, W. C. Nesongano, M. Rauchecker, A. Sandhage-Hofmann, K. Tielbörger, K. Zimmer, A. Linstädter

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sudden regime shifts or tipping points pose a major threat to various ecosystems and people's livelihoods worldwide. However, tipping points are still hard to predict and often occur without warning. To avoid dramatic social-ecological consequences, it is crucial to understand tipping point behaviour and to identify early warning indicators. Previous studies have hardly implemented an integrated social-ecological approach, which has led to a fragmented understanding and oversimplification of tipping point phenomena. Against this background, we present a systemic research framework that harmonizes ecological and social perspectives to gain a mechanistic understanding of tipping point behaviour. We utilize a social-ecological systems …

An Integrated Assessment And Management Optimization System For Grazinglands, D. Toledo, J. E. Herrick, S. Goslee, M. Sanderson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangelands and pasturelands are often assessed using different methodologies. The Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health and Pasture Condition Scoring methodologies, two techniques used widely across the USA, were developed for rangelands and pasturelands respectively. These two grazingland assessment techniques were determined to be complementary and if integrated could provide an optimized approach to measure grazinglands without regards to specific use (i.e. range or pasture). We present an improved grazingland assessment protocol that merges indicators and attributes from Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health and Pasture Condition Scoring methodologies. This Integrated Grazingland Assessment (IGA) approach allows evaluators to assess site conditions and …

Transforming Science Into Practice, Janice Jiggins

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The space for action that might move agricultural systems toward sustainability is narrowing. In so far as increasing dis-order in agroecosystems and food systems is caused by human agency, then remedial action must take account of cognition. This article argues that an understanding of cognitive processes is essential, as the foundation for participatory R, D & E that builds platforms of cooperation, binding actors into communities of learning that are trasnforming both science and practice.

Technology Transfer And Education Training And Extension In Grassland Farming, K. G. Rickert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Stakeholders in grassland farming, including farmers, rural communities, urban consumers, politicians, educators, and service agencies, widely agree that the goal for grassland farming is the triple bottom line: farming systems that are ecologically sustainable, profitable and socially acceptable. This paper considers how extension and training might contribute to that worthy goal by encouraging practitioners to better manage their management environment. The notion of a management environment refers to a holistic consideration of those factors that impact on farmers, farm advisors or educators, that subset of grassland farming ‘practitioners’ within the wider range of stakeholders.

The difficulty faced by these practitioners …

Gis-Based Forage Species Adaptation Mapping, David B. Hannaway, C. Daly, W. Gibson, G. Taylor, J. P. Bolte, I. Sriprisan, T. Griggs

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Selecting forage crops adapted to the climatic and edaphic conditions of specific locations is essential for economic sustainability and environmental protection. Yet, currently, proper selection is difficult due to the absence of advanced selection tools. Significant improvements are being made in the process through Geographic Information System (GIS)-based mapping. Climate and soil GIS layers are being matched with forage characteristics through rules describing species tolerances. Better matching will reduce economic risks and environmental hazards associated with sub-optimal crop selection and subsequent performance. Once developed, these forage crop selection strategies and tools can be adapted for use with other crops. A …

On Farm Riparian Grazing Demonstration, J. T. Green Jr., M. H. Poore, S. P. Morgan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Two farm demonstrations were designed to show effects of periodic grazing of riparian areas. Sites were monitored for vegetative cover, degree of treading or hoof prints and dung deposition within three m of stream edge following grazing by beef cattle. A fenced enclosure was established along a 350 m stream reach on Farm-1, and eleven permanent stations were monitored following six graze periods over 12-months. Farm-2 involved grazing of two 0.13 ha paddocks, each of which contained a 22 m stream reach. On Farm-1 the cover improved following riparian exclusion, and evidence of treading in the 11 stations declined following …