Agricultural Science Commons^™

Pestfacts Wa Issue 06 - June 2023, Benjamin S. Congdon, Rebecca Severtson

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 6 - June 2023 contents:

• Green peach aphid alert
• 2023 winter spring insecticide guide is now available

Do Cover Crop Mixtures Improve Soil Physical Health More Than Monocultures?, Humberto Blanco-Canqui

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Rationale and Purpose — Adding multispecies cover crop (CC) mixtures could diversify the current simplified crop rotations and enhance soil health more than monoculture CCs. Further, CC mixtures with diverse plant species could adapt better to changing climatic and environmental conditions than monoculture CCs. However, our current understanding of the soil benefits of CC mixtures is still limited. This review discussed whether CC mixtures are better than monoculture CCs to improve soil physical health.

Methods — All studies published up to May 25, 2023, comparing soil physical properties between CC mixtures and their constituents grown as monocultures were searched in …

Biochemical Characterization Of Date Palm (Phoniex Dactylifera L) Seeds Maintained At Microgravity In Outer Space Iss, Shamma Khalid Aldhaheri

Theses

The UAE’s vision to reach space dates to 1976 when Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan met with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Apollo group; this meeting marked the first attempt of UAE to enter the field of space science. The UAE is currently one of the top countries executing space missions and research. This research focuses on the biochemical characterization of date palm seeds that are sent to the International Space Station (ISS) in outer space. The research methodology involves biochemical analysis of seeds maintained under two different environmental conditions-microgravity and standard gravity. In total, 30–45 seeds …

Effect Of Use Of Tsetse Repellant Collar Technology On The Farm Performance And Household Welfare Of Small-Scale Livestock Farmers In Kenya, Beatrice W. Muriithi, Kassie Menale, Gracious M. Diiro, Michael N. Okal, Daniel K. Masiga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Tsetse-transmitted Animal African Trypanosomosis (AAT) is a disease of economic importance to livestock development in Sub-Saharan Africa. The disease is widely managed using trypanocides that are expensive for smallholders and associated with health risks due to drug residues in animal products and drug resistance. Developed recently by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) and partners, the novel Tsetse repellent collar technology (TRCT) provides an effective alternative control measure that targets the tsetse fly vector of AAT. This study assessed the impact of TRCT on household welfare and food security by using ex-post non-experimental data obtained from 632 …

Effect Of Condensed Tannins In Sainfoin On In Vitro Protein Solubility Of Lucerne, J. Aufrère, M. Dudilieu, C. Poncet, R. Baumont

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Proteins of fresh legume forages such as lucerne are highly degraded in the rumen, resulting in their inefficient use by the animal. The condensed tannins (CT) present in some forages can improve the nutritional value of these forages and of associated feeds in the diet. Previous in vitro work (Waghorn & Shelton, 1997) showed that CT from Lotus corniculatus are able to bind with and precipitate protein from a ryegrass/clover pasture, but when these forages were fed to sheep, the CT effects on digestion and animal performance were weak. This revealed a need for a better understanding of the mechanism …

Herbage Production, Nitrogen Fixation And Condensed Tannin Concentrations In Lotus Glaber Mill. Germplasm, H. Acuña, M. Figueroa, P. Hellman, A. Concha

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lotus glaber (Lg) grows on clay, sandy and medium textured soils in central Chile (32º to 38º S). The diversity of environments where the species grows naturally supports the hypothesis that genetic variability would be found. The objectives of the experiment were to characterise accessions of Lg collected in the region for dry matter (DM) production, comparative capacity to fix atmospheric N and condensed tannins (CT) in Lg grown on clay soils used for cropping rice.

Condensed Tannins In Different Varieties Of Lotus Corniculatus, Christina L. Marley, Rhun Fychan, R. Jones

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Research has shown that Lotus corniculatus may provide benefits as a grazing forage for ruminants, because of improved efficiency of protein utilisation in part due to the presence of condensed tannins (CT) in the forage. Lotus species have been found to contain different CT (Aerts et al., 1999). The aim of this experiment was to determine if differences exist in CT concentration among L. corniculatus varieties.

Ariation In Tannin Content And Morphological Traits In Lotus Corniculatus L. (Bird’S-Foot Trefoil), A. H. Marshall, F. Ribaimont, R. P. Collins, D. Bryant, M. T. Abberton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lotus corniculatus L. (bird's-foot trefoil) is a potentially valuable species for UK grassland agriculture. The herbage contains proanthocyanidins, or condensed tannins (CT's), which help to reduce bloat, have anthelmintic properties, can protect protein in the rumen, and thus potentially reduce N losses to the environment. It is currently a relatively minor species within UK grassland, as available varieties lack persistence in mixed swards (Hopkins et al., 1996). The seed used is of foreign bred varieties with no varieties bred specifically for the UK environment. To explore the feasibility of breeding L. corniculatus for the UK, variation in morphological traits, …

Light Intensity Is Positively Correlated With The Synthesis Of Condensed Tannins In Lotus Corniculatus, Sergio Arcioni, T. Bovone, F. Damiani, F. Paolocci

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The importance of Condensed Tannins (CT) in forage legumes has been well documented in several studies. The role of plant genetics in this field is the acquisition of competences in order to be able to modulate CT synthesis in leaves of these species. The role of light has been investigated in this work on the increase of condensed tannin levels in leaves of two contrasting genotypes of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus).

Condensed Tannin Concentration And Herbage Accumulation Of A White Clover Bred For Increased Floral Condensed Tannin, V. T. Burggraaf, S. L. Woodward, D. R. Woodfield, E. R. Thom, G. C. Waghorn, P. D. Kemp

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

White clover is a high quality feed for ruminants, however, its high protein content results in excessive urea excretion in urine and can cause bloat, reducing its potential value for animal production. The condensed tannins (CT) in some forages can reduce these problems, but plants may have poor agronomic performance. White clover produces CT in its flower heads, but herbage CT concentrations are normally too low to benefit animals. This paper reports CT concentrations and herbage accumulation over 2 years of an experimental line of white clover (HT) selected for increased flowering and floral CT concentrations.

Effects Of Simulated High-Sugar Forages On Grazing Behaviour Of Sheep, Gerald P. Cosgrove, A. J. Parsons

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sustaining an optimum composition in mixed-species pasture and in the diet of grazing animals is constrained by many factors. Altering the concentration of water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) of one species to improve its nutritional value for animals may not deliver the benefits in the assumed manner if it also affects preference and the balance of species in the pasture. Furthermore, associated changes in other constituents (e.g. fibre, protein) make it difficult to attribute animal responses solely to the manipulated trait (e.g. Lee et al. 2000). The objective of this study was to simulate changes in the concentration of water soluble …

High Floral Tannin White Clover Reduces Rumen Ammonia Concentrations In Dairy Cows, V. T. Burggraaf, G. C. Waghorn, S. L. Woodward, D. R. Woodfield, E. R. Thom, P. D. Kemp

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

White clover produces high quality forage for ruminant production, but it results in high rumen ammonia concentrations, indicating extensive protein degradation. The excess ammonia is absorbed through the rumen and excreted as urea in urine, at a cost to the animal and the environment. Condensed tannins (CT) contained in some forages reduce proteolysis in the rumen, which can lead to increased amino acid absorption and therefore improved animal performance. White clover produces CT in its flower heads, but concentrations are normally too low to benefit animals. This paper reports on comparisons of rumen ammonia concentrations in dairy cows grazing HT …

Substrate-Dependent Activation Of Polyphenol Oxidase In Red Clover, Ana L. Winters, F. R. Minchin, P. Morris

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Polyphenol oxidases (PPO) are copper metaloproteins that catalyse the oxidation of o-diphenols to quinones, highly reactive molecules which readily bind to nucleophilic sites on cellular components and proteins. Red clover protein, due to this enzyme is resistant to protease degradation during. Theses enzymes (circa. 60-65 kDa) are located in the thylakoid lumen and can be converted to a 40-45 kDa form by proteolysis both in vitro and in vivo (Gelder et al., 1997). Conversion to the smaller form has been demonstrated to confer activity at neutral pH. Other treatments, such as the presence of lipids or detergents …

Variation In Protein Quality Of Forage Legumes During Spring Growth, M. Gierus, J. Kleen, F. Taube

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The utilisation of forage legumes in combination with reduced N inputs as fertilisers is an alternative for the production of high quality forage. Although white clover (WC) is widely used in grassland and has a high content of crude protein (CP), a combination of this high CP content with a high proportion of rapidly-available proteins and fast degradation rate in the rumen may reduce the efficiency of N use by ruminants in comparison with other forage legumes. The objective of the present study was to investigate the variation in content of CP fractions A, B and C in different forage …

Effects Of Particle Size In Forage Samples For Protein Breakdown Studies, G. Pichard, C. Tapia

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Coupling ruminal processes of hydrolysis and synthesis continues to be a research issue where more progress is needed. This requires the development of good protein assessment methods, particularly when representing the breakdown processes that occur in fresh pastures eaten by herbivores. Laboratory analyses need to deal with small and homogeneous samples, but the mechanical reduction of particle size may not reflect the actual digestion kinetics occurring when the original fresh forage is consumed. Such physical traits may alter the release of non-structural compounds and the penetration of microbial enzymes (Boudon et al., 2002). The objective of this work was …

Ruminal Disappearance And Passage Rates In Fresh Nezasa Dwarf Bamboo Growing In Japanese Native Pasture, Masato Yayota, J. Karashima, T. Kokestu, M. Nakano, Shigeru Ohtani

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Nezasa dwarf bamboo (Pleioblastus chino makino) is one of major native forages for grazing in Japan. However its nutritional utilisation in the rumen has been little studied. The object of this research was to measure ruminal disappearance and passage rates in fresh Nezasa dwarf bamboo compared with improved grass.

Ruminal Dry Matter, Neutral Detergent Fibre And Acid Detergent Fiber Degradation Kinetics Of Dominant Pasture Forages In Kurdestan Province Of Iran, A. A. Sadeghi, P. Shawrang, A. Nikkhah

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) is a major chemical component of forages and its degradability (dNDF) is an essential parameter in predicting their energetic value. Moreover, dNDF has been used in models to estimate the physical fill of fibrous feeds in the rumen and, therefore, the intake capacity of animals. As the available information on the nutritive value of pastoral forages is limited a study was undertaken to measure chemical composition and cell wall degradation kinetics of eight pasture forages in the rumen.

The Effects Of Urease Source And Moisture Content On The Nutritive Value Of Brachiaria BrizantHa Hay Treated With Urea, Ricardo A. Reis, L. M. A. Bertipaglia, G. M. P. Melo, A. P. Oliveira, S. Luca

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ammoniation has a high potential to increase the nutritive value (NV) of mature tropical grasses hays. Urea utilisation, like ammonia, seems to be a promising alternative for on-farm treatment of low quality forage in Brazil. Urea has the advantages over anhydrous ammonia of being widely available, easier to handle and, in some countries, less expensive. The aim of this work was to study the effects on the efficiency of urea treatment of palisade grass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu) hay of the moisture level, and the urease source.

Herbage Mass And In Situ Dry Matter Ruminal Degradation Kinetics Of Brachiaria Spp, E. Valencia-Chin, A. A. Rodríguez-Carías, R. Ramos-Santana, S. Pagán-Riestra

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Puerto Rico, Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk has been promoted as a potential forage for acid soils and humid areas, but with limited success. Recently, B. brizantha cv. Marandú and a hybrid (B. brizantha x B. Ruziziensis) cv. Mulato were introduced for evaluation on acid soils and as a potential replacement for cv. Basilisk, but little information is available on yield performance under grazing or nutritive value. The objective of this study was to assess herbage mass and nutritive value of grazed pastures consisting of Basilisk, Marandú, and Mulato and determine the rate of in situ dry matter …

Physical Impediment Towards Digestive Breakdown In Leaf Blades Of Brachiaria Brizantha, B. Lempp, Cacilda B. Do Valle, M. Das G. Morais, R. A. Borges, E. Detmann

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Consumption of grasses is influenced by the physical properties of forages which confer resistance to digestive breakdown. Such barriers may be the proportion of indigestible tissues, girder structure and epidermal cell arrangements. Anatomical factors, if identified early are invaluable tools in breeding and selection programmes for forages of high quality. The objective of this study was to verify which anatomical attributes might be interfering in the physical resistance to rumen breakdown in Brachiaria brizantha ecotypes.