Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

16,395 Full-Text Articles 31,495 Authors 3,979,776 Downloads 115 Institutions

All Articles in Agronomy and Crop Sciences

Faceted Search

16,395 full-text articles. Page 541 of 657.

Spatial Variability And Seasonal Change Of Radioactive Caesium Concentration In Grassland Vegetation, Mikinori Tsuiki, Saaya Eguchi, Yusuke Nagata, Takeki Maeda 2020 Iwate University, Japan

Spatial Variability And Seasonal Change Of Radioactive Caesium Concentration In Grassland Vegetation, Mikinori Tsuiki, Saaya Eguchi, Yusuke Nagata, Takeki Maeda

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The damage from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 resulted in serious radioactive pollution over Eastern Japan. The distribution of radioactive fallout was largely determined by wind and rainfall patterns in March 2011. Distribution patterns were not necessarily in accordance with the distance from the nuclear power plant. In Iwate Prefecture (160 to 340 km north of the nuclear power plant), the amount of fallout of radioactive material in the southern region was greater than in the northern, but the distribution pattern was complex (Fig. 1, Tsuiki …


Graphical Analysis Of Spatio-Temporal Patterns In Forage Quality, A. Bracher, M. Böhlen, F. Cafagna, A. Taliun 2020 Research Station Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux, Switzerland

Graphical Analysis Of Spatio-Temporal Patterns In Forage Quality, A. Bracher, M. Böhlen, F. Cafagna, A. Taliun

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Due to the highly structured topography in Switzerland, crop growth conditions vary within short distances. Differences in altitude are one of the major causes for climatic variation resulting in significant spatio-temporal effects on forage quality in terms of nutrient content and feeding value, particularly in grassland dominated regions. It is one of the goals of the Swiss feed database to support queries that visualize and quantify the temporal and spatial influence on feed quality.


Spatio-Temporal Dynamics Of Global Potential Vegetation Distributions Simulated By Cscs Approach, Qisheng Feng, Tiangang Liang, Jiexie Hong, Xiaodong Huang, Jizhou Ren 2020 Lanzhou University, China

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics Of Global Potential Vegetation Distributions Simulated By Cscs Approach, Qisheng Feng, Tiangang Liang, Jiexie Hong, Xiaodong Huang, Jizhou Ren

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The study of Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV) has been proposed as a way to examine the impact of changes in climate on the distribution of vegetation. This study analyzes the influence of climate change in the potential vegetation distribution at global scale, using the Comprehensive Sequential Classification System (CSCS) approach to explore the changes of area, shift distance and direction for each broad vegetation category.


Monitoring Snow-Caused Disasters Using Remote Sensing And Gis Technologies In Pastoral Areas, Tiangang Liang, Wei Wang, Qisheng Feng, Xiaodong Huang 2020 Lanzhou University, China

Monitoring Snow-Caused Disasters Using Remote Sensing And Gis Technologies In Pastoral Areas, Tiangang Liang, Wei Wang, Qisheng Feng, Xiaodong Huang

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

To date, the emphasis in snow-caused disasters that occur in pastoral areas in China has been in monitoring the change in the distribution of snow and in assessing livestock loss in post-disaster. The lack of an operational model and information system for real-time warning of snow dis-asters has made it difficult to make risk assessments and provide early snow disaster warnings (Liu et al. 2008). The aim of this study is to establish an indicator system for the early warning of snow-caused livestock disasters based on data collected from 2001 to 2010 on the Tibetan Plateau, China.


Structure And Formation Of Cattle Tracks In Sloping Pasture, Yoshiharu Hosokawa 2020 University of Miyazaki, Japan

Structure And Formation Of Cattle Tracks In Sloping Pasture, Yoshiharu Hosokawa

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cattle tracks are usually formed as lines of narrow de-pressed bare paths after cattle repeatedly move across sloping pasture. In steep pasture, we can often see cattle create parallel lines through their grazing behaviour. Factors that may influence the formation of cattle tracks include hoof pressure, pasture slope/angle, grazing infra-structure such as fences and water troughs, and type of vegetation. However, if these tracks connect up the pasture may be degraded to such an extent that bare areas emerge leading to soil erosion. Therefore, it is important to under-stand the characteristics of the structure and formation of cattle tracks, to …


Grazing Alters Ecosystem Functioning And C:N:P Stoichiometry Of Grasslands Along A Regional Precipitation, Yongfei Bai, Jianguo Wu, Chris M. Clark, Qingmin Pan, Lixia Zhang, Shiping Chen, Qibing Wang, Xingguo Han 2020 Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Grazing Alters Ecosystem Functioning And C:N:P Stoichiometry Of Grasslands Along A Regional Precipitation, Yongfei Bai, Jianguo Wu, Chris M. Clark, Qingmin Pan, Lixia Zhang, Shiping Chen, Qibing Wang, Xingguo Han

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands have experienced dramatic shifts in structure and functioning driven primarily by human disturbances and global climate change. The long-term grazing has resulted in widespread declines in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and services. This is triggered by the direct and indirect effects of grazing and often mediated by the complex interactions between vegetation and environmental. Thus, it is critical to obtain a better understanding of how grazing, abiotic factors and biotic–abiotic interactions influence key properties of ecosystem functioning and sustainability and thereby provide guideline for improving grassland management practices in the Eurasian steppe. While abundant evidence demonstrates that heavy grazing …


The Impact Of Different Herdsmen’S Size On Grassland Ecosystem Of Eastern Transect In Tibetan Plateau: A Case Study From Maqu, Huilan Wei, Xin Zong, Da Guo, Longfei Yan, Yang Liu 2020 Lanzhou University, China

The Impact Of Different Herdsmen’S Size On Grassland Ecosystem Of Eastern Transect In Tibetan Plateau: A Case Study From Maqu, Huilan Wei, Xin Zong, Da Guo, Longfei Yan, Yang Liu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In order to address grassland degradation, an individual contracting system, or namely, single-household rangeland management, based on Garrett Hardin theory of “tragedy of the commons”, had been conducted in Maqu since 1980s. Despite the support of local government, such a well-intentioned system saw little fruits on managing degradation, encountering extensive frustration due to its poor practical outcomes. Meanwhile, joint-household rangeland management, as an inheritance of locality-based management, has been vigorously pursued and has played an important role on Maqu’s grassland management system. In order to better illustrate the impact of size on managing the grassland ecosystem, an experiment was set …


Introducing The Gis-Based Ecological Carrying Capacity Model Of Nutrition Resources, Gholamreza Badjian 2020 Islamic Azad University, Iran

Introducing The Gis-Based Ecological Carrying Capacity Model Of Nutrition Resources, Gholamreza Badjian

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The GIS-based Ecological Carrying Capacity Model of Nutrition Resources (ECCNR-GIS) software is a new approach based on rangeland assessment and the estimated energy content of forage. This software is derived from Badjian (2005) following studies on the ecological capacity model of livestock feed resources in Bakkan plain area, Southern Iran. ECCNR-GIS software is designed to calculate the regional ecological carrying capacity based on available forage resources and considers the energy metabolism (ME) requirements in relation to livestock management to estimate the animal needs. ECCNR-GIS software is written in Visual Basic, as a set of mathematical equations that represent a system …


Optimising Management To Achieve Sustainable Economic Yields From Grasslands, Karl Behrendt 2020 Charles Sturt University, Australia

Optimising Management To Achieve Sustainable Economic Yields From Grasslands, Karl Behrendt

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper describes the output from the integration of a dynamic pasture resource development (DPRD) simulation model into a seasonal stochastic dynamic programming (SSDP) model. The combined modelling process was used to identify optimal tactical and strategic decision rules that achieve maximum economic yields from a grassland resource under climatic uncertainty on a sustainable basis. The model was calibrated based on the Cicerone farmlet experiment (Behrendt et al. 2013a).


Resilience And Degradation In A Tropical Wetland Overgrazed By Cattle, Sandra A. Santos, Humberto L. Perotto-Baldivieso, Dylan Young 2020 EMBRAPA, Brazil

Resilience And Degradation In A Tropical Wetland Overgrazed By Cattle, Sandra A. Santos, Humberto L. Perotto-Baldivieso, Dylan Young

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands in the world, is highly valued for its diversity of flora and fauna, and the dynamic hydrological regime, combined with heterogeneous topography, has resulted in a mosaic of diverse habitats types in terms of species and physical structure. However, the Pantanal floodplains are also important for beef cattle production due to the abundance of forage resources. Cattle prefer grazing near water bodies because these areas have high quality forage as a result of flooding regimes (Santos et al. 2002). Many wetlands go through a wet/dry cycle that is essential to maintain their …


Estimating Pasture Land Cover In The New England Region Of Northern New South Wales, Graham E. Donald, Mark Trotter, Elizabeth L. Hulm 2020 University of New England, Australia

Estimating Pasture Land Cover In The New England Region Of Northern New South Wales, Graham E. Donald, Mark Trotter, Elizabeth L. Hulm

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Land cover across the southern Australian temperate agricultural region comprises primarily of native pasture, introduced improved pastures and crops for livestock production and also perennial remnant vegetation. A feed-base pasture audit was carried out throughout southern Australia commencing mid-year 2011 (Donald and Burge 2012; Donald et al. 2012). The purpose of the audit was to map and analyse information obtained about the pasture feed-base for livestock production by surveying Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) across the southern states. The purpose of this Feed-Base audit was to survey pastures within agricultural NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and South-Western Australia, collate these …


An Efficient Sampling Protocol For Sagebrush/Grassland Monitoring, Larry L. Larson, Mounir Louhaichi, Patrick E. Clark, Douglas E. Johnson 2020 Oregon State University

An Efficient Sampling Protocol For Sagebrush/Grassland Monitoring, Larry L. Larson, Mounir Louhaichi, Patrick E. Clark, Douglas E. Johnson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangeland scientists and quantitative ecologists have developed numerous methods and monitoring techniques that can be used for vegetation sampling (Barbour et al. 1987). The methods used to position samples (transects, quadrats, lines, and points) vary and can be classed as selective, capricious, systematic, or random. One of the prerequisites for valid statistical inference is that samples are taken randomly. A random sampling procedure implies that all elements or units of the population being studied have an equal chance of being represented in the sample. It also implies that selection of an element or unit does not influence the chance …


Landscape Change In Arid And Semi-Arid Rangeland Of Borana, Southern Ethiopia: Implication For Management, Teshome Abate, A. Angassa 2020 University of Dilla, Ethiopia

Landscape Change In Arid And Semi-Arid Rangeland Of Borana, Southern Ethiopia: Implication For Management, Teshome Abate, A. Angassa

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Borana rangelands in southern Ethiopia (between 4°3’N to 5°0’N and 37°4’E to 38°2’E) comprise important cultural landscapes with a unique feature of the tula-well landscapes. Until a few decades ago, the Borana rangelands were considered one of the most productive and resilient ecosystems in East Africa. In recent years, however, the Borana rangelands have undergone a large reduction in grassland cover probably as a result of anthropogenic and natural-induced factors (Coppock 1994), with consequences on the livelihood of the local communities. Therefore, the objective of the study was to investigate the dynamics of landscape change in the Borana …


Calibration Of The Rising Plate Meter For Pasture Yield Determination In Kikuyu (Pennisetum Clandestinum) Over-Sown With Ryegrass (Lolium Spp.), Janke van der Colf, Philip R. Botha, Robin Meeske, Wayne F. Truter 2020 Western Cape Department of Agriculture, South Africa

Calibration Of The Rising Plate Meter For Pasture Yield Determination In Kikuyu (Pennisetum Clandestinum) Over-Sown With Ryegrass (Lolium Spp.), Janke Van Der Colf, Philip R. Botha, Robin Meeske, Wayne F. Truter

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Accurate feed budgeting and management of forage in grazing systems requires frequent assessment of forage mass and growth of pastures (Gabriёls and Van den Berg 1993; Sanderson et al. 2001). The rising plate meter (RPM) developed by Earle and McGowan (1979) has been used widely by researchers and farmers to estimate pasture dry matter (DM) production. The advantages associated with using the RPM for the estimation of pasture DM yield include its low sensitivity to environmental conditions, stability of calibration equations across years and seasons (if pasture composition remains similar), and the fact that its robustness and ease of …


Spatial Gis Database For Adaptive Grassland Management In Dudhwa National Park, India, Neha Midha, Pradeep K. Mathur 2020 WWF-India, India

Spatial Gis Database For Adaptive Grassland Management In Dudhwa National Park, India, Neha Midha, Pradeep K. Mathur

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ecologically important tall grasslands of Dudhwa National Park (DNP) in Northern India are being threatened by various natural and biotic factors including varying grassland burning regimes viz. cut and burn, harrowed and burn, or only burn adopted by management for their maintenance (De 2001). Uncertainty regarding resultant grassland composition and disturbance to grassland obligate species prompted the management and scientific communities concerned to develop an adaptive management strategy for long term conservation goals (Chadden et al. 2004). In view of this, the present study attempted to develop comprehensive GIS (Geographic Information System) spatial database and associated hard copy …


Describing Ecological Potential And Ecological States Of Rangeland To Support Livestock Management In Mongolia, D. Bulgamaa, Brandon T. Bestelmeyer, U. Budbaatar, S. Sumjidmaa, T. S. Enkh-Amgalan, J. W. Van Zee, B. Bolormaa, L. Otgontuya 2020 Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Mongolia

Describing Ecological Potential And Ecological States Of Rangeland To Support Livestock Management In Mongolia, D. Bulgamaa, Brandon T. Bestelmeyer, U. Budbaatar, S. Sumjidmaa, T. S. Enkh-Amgalan, J. W. Van Zee, B. Bolormaa, L. Otgontuya

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Perception of rangeland degradation in Mongolia and its causes are well known but herders and policy makers lack clear messages on how much rangeland is degraded, whether is it reversible, and what management changes should be implemented. This paper illustrates a portion of our ongoing efforts to develop ESDs that can be used at the grass roots level as management tools. At the Undurshireet soum study site, which is split mainly into Gravelly, Loamy, Sandy, and Deep sandy ecological sites, rangeland community shifts in Gravelly and Loamy ecological sites are interpreted as reversible shifts in species composition or species proportion …


Nitrogen Fertilization Restructured Spatial Patterns Of Soil Organic Carbon And Total Nitrogen In Switchgrass And Gamagrass Croplands In Tennessee Usa, Jianwei Li, Siyang Jian, Chad S. Lane, Chunlan Guo, YueHan Lu, Qi Deng, Melanie A. Mayes, Kudjo E. Dzantor, Dafeng Hui 2020 Tennessee State University

Nitrogen Fertilization Restructured Spatial Patterns Of Soil Organic Carbon And Total Nitrogen In Switchgrass And Gamagrass Croplands In Tennessee Usa, Jianwei Li, Siyang Jian, Chad S. Lane, Chunlan Guo, Yuehan Lu, Qi Deng, Melanie A. Mayes, Kudjo E. Dzantor, Dafeng Hui

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Nitrogen (N) fertilizers can potentially alter spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations in croplands such as switchgrass (SG: Panicum virgatum L.) and gamagrass (GG: Tripsacum dactyloides L.), but it remains unclear whether these effects are the same between crops and under different rates of fertilization. 13C and 15N are two important proxy measures of soil biogeochemistry, but they were rarely examined as to their spatial distributions in soil. Based on a three-year long fertilization experiment in Middle Tennessee, USA, the top mineral horizon soils (0–15 cm) were collected using a spatially explicit design within …


Enhancing Hybrid Prediction In Pearl Millet Using Genomic And/Or Multi- Environment Phenotypic Information Of Inbreds, Diego Jarquin, Reka Howard, Zhikai Liang, Shashi K. Gupta, James C. Schnable, Jose Crossa 2020 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Enhancing Hybrid Prediction In Pearl Millet Using Genomic And/Or Multi- Environment Phenotypic Information Of Inbreds, Diego Jarquin, Reka Howard, Zhikai Liang, Shashi K. Gupta, James C. Schnable, Jose Crossa

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Genomic selection (GS) is an emerging methodology that helps select superior lines among experimental cultivars in plant breeding programs. It offers the opportunity to increase the productivity of cultivars by delivering increased genetic gains and reducing the breeding cycles. This methodology requires inexpensive and sufficiently dense marker information to be successful, and with whole genome sequencing, it has become an important tool in many crops. The recent assembly of the pearl millet genome has made it possible to employ GS models to improve the selection procedure in pearl millet breeding programs. Here, three GS models were implemented and compared using …


Identifying Grazing-Driven Plant Indicators Of Rangeland Degradation In Semi Arid Zones Of Uzbekistan, Toshpulot F. Rajabov, Bakhtiyor K. Mardonov, Mahmud A. Muminov 2020 Samarkand State University, Uzbekistan

Identifying Grazing-Driven Plant Indicators Of Rangeland Degradation In Semi Arid Zones Of Uzbekistan, Toshpulot F. Rajabov, Bakhtiyor K. Mardonov, Mahmud A. Muminov

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The development of practical indicators of vegetation degradation is an important element in predicting and assessing rangeland health due to disturbances such as livestock grazing. Once established, phytoindicators provide a simple and visual operative way to diagnose active and possibly undesirable vegetation changes. This paper aimed to identify rapid, yet realistic and easily communicated plant indicators of rangeland degradation caused by intense grazing. The grazing gradient approach is applied to study plant traits affected by increased levels of grazing pressure. Qualitative and quantitative changes in key species of the plant community alongside successive changes of vegetation attributes along an apparent …


The Influence Of Geo-Morphological Landscape Patterns On Vegetation Characteristics In Tajikistan Grasslands, Mounir Louhaichi, Aziz Nubekov, Abdulla Madaminov, Barbara Rischkowsky 2020 International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Jordan

The Influence Of Geo-Morphological Landscape Patterns On Vegetation Characteristics In Tajikistan Grasslands, Mounir Louhaichi, Aziz Nubekov, Abdulla Madaminov, Barbara Rischkowsky

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grassland ecosystems are affected by a combination of physical and environmental factors, as well as by grazing and human induced activities. The primary objective of this study was to examine the influence of geo-morphological landscape patterns on vegetation characteristics in Tajikistan where two sites were selected. The vegetation sampling took place in spring and fall. Vegetation characteristics were assessed using the line intercept method for vegetation cover and species composition and quadrat sampling for biomass production. An ANOVA using replicated trials in complete block design was used to determine the relationship between aspect and vegetation characteristics. Treatments included location (site), …


Digital Commons powered by bepress