Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Forage Systems To Optimize Agronomic And Economic Performance In Organic Dairy Systems, S. Ray Smith, G. Pighetti, D. M. Butler, Kenneth H. Burdine, Krista Lea, K. Mercier, K. Payne, J. Allison, Gary E. Bates, N. Colton, A. Rius, P. Krawczel, E. Eckelkamp

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Organic dairy production in the USA is growing, but most forage systems research focuses on conventional production practices. As a result, organic dairy producers have limited science-based information to assist with farm and livestock management. The objective of this project was to use a multi-faceted approach to determine the ideal species mixtures for organic dairy production as well as document forage quality, forage yield, soil characteristics, milk production and milk quality during the grazing season. The forages studied ranged from a single species monoculture to a four species mixture of warm and cool season grasses and legumes. Nine distinct forage …

Fodder Crop Adoption Through Push-Pull Technology (Ppt) For Fall Armyworm (Faw) Control In Cereals Cropping Systems, Michael N. Njunie, E. N. Muthiani, A. Mzingirwa, N. F. Pole, B. M. Muli, A. O. Esilaba

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There is an urgent need to increase grain yields and animal products due to increasing human population in Africa. Push-pull technology (PPT) is a conservation agriculture intercrop technology which protects and enhances natural resources productivity and ecosystem services in mixed farming systems. The technology involves growing of a cereal crop with a repellent intercrop, Desmodium genus (silverleaf, D. uncinatum and greenleaf, D. intortum) with grass such as Pennisetum purpureum or Brachiaria spp. planted as a border around the cereal-legume intercrop. The plants accompanying the cereal crop are typically valuable high quality fodder thus integrating crop-livestock production. The PPT was …

Evaluation Of The Chemical And Biological Characteristics Of Sake Lees, S. Katsumata, S. Yamanaka, M. Yamauchi, H. Hirooka, H. Kumagai

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sake lees (SLs), produced from brewing Japanese Sake and known to be rich in yeast, is expected to be an alternative of feed protein sources for ruminants. Previous studies showed that yeast improved the digestibility of fibers in ruminants. However, the nutrient composition and the numbers of live and dead yeast in the SLs, have large diversity because of the different brewing materials and processes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical and biological characteristics of SLs with diverse brewing processes and storing periods (0-23 weeks). Seven types of SLs (SLs 1-7) were collected from two breweries. …

Effect Of High-Intensity, Short-Duration Grazing On Species Density And Botanical Composition Of Arid Rangelands, Mounir Louhaichi, Mouldi Gamoun, Fethi Gouhis, Ezzeddine Belfekih, Mohamed Abdelkader

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangelands are the mainstay of pastoral and agropastoral livelihoods worldwide. They have provided forage for livestock and wildlife for centuries, but steady degradation of rangelands is causing increasing concern. Many rangeland managers believe exclusion of livestock grazing for extended periods would allow degraded rangelands to recover. The purpose of this current ongoing research is to evaluate the effect of high-intensity short-duration grazing on plant density, species richness and botanical composition on arid rangelands during favorable years. The site, which is protected for two years in southern Tunisia and covers an area of 6 ha, was grazed by a flock of …

Economics Of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Strategies In A North-Eastern Brazilian Beef Production System, K. Agethen, Rogerio M. Mauricio, C. Deblitz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The state of Maranhão, Brazil, has been among the country’s fastest-growing cattle regions in recent years and it now faces important conflicts for beef production. Pasture degradation, low cattle productivity, and land-use changes due to agriculture and forestry expansion are key challenges. Additionally, beef production systems are a focus for emissions reduction, particularly in the context of increasing deforestation and its impact on global warming. A sustainable intensification of currently used pastures, enhancing economic viability and reducing environmental effects of beef production can help to mitigate the climate impact. Since economics is an important incentive in the decision-making processes of …

Implementation Of Epigenetic Variation In Sorghum Selection And Implications For Crop Resilience Breeding, Dikungwa Ketumile, Xiaodong Yang, Robersy Sanchez, Hardik Kundariya, John F. Rajewski, Ismail M. Dweikat, Sally A. Mackenzie

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Crop resilience and yield stability are complex traits essential for food security. Sorghum bicolor is an important grain crop that shows promise for its natural resilience to drought and potential for marginal land production. We have developed sorghum lines in the Tx430 genetic background suppressed for MSH1 expression as a means of inducing de novo epigenetic variation, and have used these materials to evaluate changes in plant growth vigor. Plant crossing and selection in two distinct environments revealed features of phenotypic plasticity derived from MSH1 manipulation. Introduction of an epigenetic variation to an isogenic sorghum population, in the absence of …

Rangeland Degradation In Mongolia – Using State And Transition Models To Help Understand Rangeland Dynamics, S. Sainnemekh, B. Densambuu, B. Bestelmeyer, I. C. Barrio, A. L. Aradóttir

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangeland degradation and soil erosion pose constant challenges to the management of natural resources in Mongolia. Large increases in livestock numbers since the early 1990s, together with increasing temperatures and higher frequency of extreme weather events have led to widespread degradation of rangeland resources, to the extent that today, nearly 57% of rangelands in Mongolia are considered degraded to some degree. New ways of understanding the dynamics of rangeland ecosystems and guidelines to conserve healthy and productive rangelands are urgently needed. The application of State and Transition Models (STMs) in ecosystem management has shown promise to understand the mechanistic processes …

An Approach To Evaluate Soils Influence On Floristic Composition Of Natural Grasslands, F. L. F. De Quadros, R. M. R. De Carvalho, R. Farenzena, L. Marin, P. L. Nascimento

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This trial aims to evaluate floristic composition of most abundant species in three soil typical of Pampa biome on Brazil. The survey was held at Maronna Fundation located on southern Alegrete municipality, on Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s state. Regional climate belongs to Koeppen’s Cfa class. Soil types were shallow basalt (Psamments e Orthents), deep basalt (Vertisols) and sandy soil (Acrisols or Ultisols). Floristic composition were evaluated by visual ranking of aerial biomass of the major species (transformed to kg of dry matter per hectare), calibrated by cuts at ground level, according to field procedures of BOTANAL method. Grasses were …

Interindividual Differences And Their Consistency In Grazing Cattle Behavior Across Seasons, H. Anzai, M. Shitajikkoku, K. Hani, N. Yamada, M. Hirata

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Interindividual differences and their consistency in behavior were investigated for cattle (Bos taurus) grazing a bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) and centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides) dominated pasture as a herd of about 30 breeding cows with their calves. Behavior of the cows was monitored directly by observers and also using GPS and accelerometer data loggers attached to focal cows for a period of 1–5 days every month during the grazing seasons (from May to October) in 2018 and 2019. The data were converted into behavioral variables (e.g. time spent grazing, ruminating and resting, time spent in particular …

Biodiversity Assessment And Conservation Of Threatened Plant Species Belonging To The Unique Steppe With Trees In Tunisian Drylands, Jamila Msadek, Mohamed Tarhouni

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Biodiversity conservation from heavy grazing impacts, through the creation of national parks, is usually considered to sustain higher ecosystem resilience and to protect the natural plant cover as well as the threatened species. The study was carried out in Bou Hedma national park, a biosphere reserve containing the unique Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne subsp. raddiana (Savi) Brenan steppe with trees in Tunisia. Several functional traits of seven (7) rare and threatened plant species are used to highlight their adaptive strategies in order to understand the evolution of plant communities and the overall ecosystems functioning inside the park. Such results may …

Vegetation Response To Grazing Pressure In The Puna Flat, Nw Argentina, M. Quiroga Mendiola, A. Tálamo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Puna grasslands are located at a high‐altitude flat plateau in the Northwest of Argentina. It is an arid territory (100 to 300 mm rainfall/year) at 3,000 to 4,000 m a.s.l. The vegetation is scarce, where Andean pastoralist communities produce meat and wool, specialized in llama (Lama glama) and sheep‐breeding, although they do breed multi‐species herds that may also include goats and cattle. There are erosion processes in the Puna, where shepherds and their animals could be synergetic factors with natural very hard climatic conditions. In this work we assess the effect of ovine and lama grazing on the …

Grass Species Density And Biomass Of South African Communal Property Association Farms Differing In Soil Properties, K. E. Ravhuhali, B. Moyo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Attempts to monitor and mitigate rangeland deterioration in Communal Property Associations projects require some understanding of the knowledge of species composition and distribution. The study was conducted to compare the herbaceous in three selected CPAs projects (Mashung Matlala - Sandy loam, Mawela - clay loam, and Bela-Bela - clay) in South Africa. Mawela and Mashung Matlala CPAs were overgrazed. For species density, basal strike, and biomass, three transects (500m), which served as replicates, were established at two camps of each of the selected CPAs. Variation in herbaceous vegetation parameters was explored through SAS software. Clay soil type had better (P …

Assessment Of Bacterial Inoculant Delivery Methods For Cereal Crops, Yen Ning Chai, Stephanie Futrell, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Despite growing evidence that plant growth-promoting bacteria can be used to improve crop vigor, a comparison of the different methods of delivery to determine which is optimal has not been published. An optimal inoculation method ensures that the inoculant colonizes the host plant so that its potential for plant growth-promotion is fully evaluated. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of three seed coating methods, seedling priming, and soil drench for delivering three bacterial inoculants to the sorghum rhizosphere and root endosphere. The methods were compared across multiple time points under axenic conditions and colonization efficiency was …

The Type And Quantity Of Plant Litter Influences The Plant Functional Group Growth In An Alpine Meadow, Zhouwen Ma, Fujiang Hou

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Plant functional group (PFG) diversity in a grassland is an important measure of productivity and health. Litter is known to be major driving factors of soil-grass feedbacks in natural grassland. The shift in PFG composition is a significant change that can result many ecological consequences such as litter composition and dynamics (Dong et al., 2019). Decomposition of litter can affect the nutrient and allelochemicals cycling of soil, which affects seed germination and establishment of seedlings (Yuan et al., 2015). Furthermore, PFG characteristics can vary via inputs of the quality or quantity of litter (Galvánek & Lepš, 2012). These compositional changes …

The Functional Importance Of Forbs In Grassland Ecosystems, F. Siebert, C. Morris, S. Chamane, N. Ntuli, S. J. Siebert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Herbaceous vegetation in grassland ecosystems is characterised by grass dominance in a species-rich forb-grass mixture. Forbs (i.e. the non-graminoid herbaceous component) represent the largest proportion of total species- and functional richness, which secure important ecosystem functions. Although grasses remain the most important forage source, certain forb species provide nutritious food sources for herbivores. Moreover, forbs provide food- and habitat sources to enhance invertebrate diversity and hence, agricultural food security through the maintenance of healthy pollinator communities. Important food and medicinal sources for human livelihoods in developing countries are also largely contributed by forbs. However, the dynamics and ecology of forb …

The Effects Of Chemical And Mechanical Control Of Woody Plants On Resprouting And Seedling Production In Communal Rangelands, P. Monegi, N. R. Mkhize, T. J. Tjelele, D. Ward, Z. Tsvuura

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In many African countries, communal rangelands are threatened by woody plant encroachment. We sought to explore potential solutions for communal ranchers that would be cost-effective. We conducted two field experiments to determine (1) the effects of various tree removal treatments (10%, 20%, 50%, 75% and 100%), and herbicide application on resprouting ability and vigour of several woody plant species; and (2) the effectiveness of Tree Poppers® (a weed wrench) as a low-cost mechanical control tool to physically uproot seedlings and saplings of woody species. In the first experiment, we examined 12 plant species from 20 plots (30 m x 30 …

‘Cachena’, A Bovine Rustic Portuguese Extensively Reared Autochthonous Breed: Meat Texture Analysis, M. E. Potes, S. Ricardo-Rodrigues, M. Laranjo, A. C. Agulheiro-Santos, M. Elias

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

‘Cachena’ is one of the world’s smallest bovine breeds. Extremely rustic and wild, they are extensively reared, and fed with natural pastures. Meat valorisation is essential to preserve this breed, with a limited livestock.

‘Cachena’’s meat is tender, juicy, low-fat, and highly appreciated due to the association of animal, terroir and producer, balanced by the ecosystem’s sustainability.

The aim of this study was to increase the weight of Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Psoas major (PM) muscles, without depreciating their sensory quality.

Two groups of 16 animals were slaughtered: (A) 9-17 months old animals with 140-225 kg slaughter live weight (SLW); …

Assessing Feed Gaps On Smallholder Livestock Farms In Limpopo: Production System And Coping Strategies, S. A. Lamega, M. Komainda, M. P. Hoffmann, J. J. Odhiambo, K. K. Ayisi, J. Isselstein

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Smallholder farms in southern Africa are predominantly mixed crop-livestock systems and often characterized by low productivity. Therefore, providing sufficient forage becomes a challenge that results first in feed gaps, i.e. the difference between the demand for and supply of forage, and secondly, in nutrient mining of the soil due to the overuse of the resources. However, the availability of forage follows potentially seasonal patterns. Hence, a key entry point for any intervention strategies for improvement is an assessment of forage quantity and quality throughout the year. Against this background, we investigated six locations, smallholders’ cattle production systems and their adaptation …

Renewal Of Archival Legacy Soil Data: A Case Study Of The Busia Area, Kenya, Joshua O. Minai, Darrell G. Schulze, Zamir Libohova

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

Much older soils information, collectively known as legacy soils data lies idle in libraries or in the personal collections of retired soil scientists. The probability is very high for this legacy data to be lost or destroyed. We demonstrate the stepwise process of bringing legacy soils data “back to life” using the Reconnaissance Soil Survey of the Busia Area (quarter degree sheet No. 101) in western Kenya as an example. The first step, site identification, involves meeting and deliberating with key institutions to identify a setting for the study. The second step, data archeology, involves locating and cataloging legacy soil …

Forage Quality Of Cereal–Common Vetch At Different Age And Proportions, J. L. Zaragoza-Ramirez, P. A. Martinez-Hernandez, Ma. De L. Reyes-Medel

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cereal plant age at harvesting and the proportion of vetch in the harvested forage from cereal-common vetch mixtures might influence total forage quality. The objectives were to determine forage of a forage mixture cereal-vetch, from cereal harvested at two development stages and vetch at different proportion. Cereals were oats and triticale, cultivars: Chihuahua, Bicentenario and Siglo XXI, the last two were triticale; cereal development stages at harvest were: 50% flowering and hard grain. Vetch was harvested at two development stages: 100% flowering and pod formation, while vetch proportions in the forage mix were: 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0. Forage …