Legume Content Research Articles

Conservation efficiency and nutritive value of silages made from grass-red clover and multi-species swards compared with grass monocultures

Binary grass-clover and multi-species swards can increase herbage yields or facilitate reduced inputs of inorganic fertiliser nitrogen (N) compared with perennial ryegrass monocultures. However, the efficiency of the ensilage process and the nutritive value of silage produced from multi-species swards has not been documented. Replicate samples from grass-red clover binary mixture and multi-species mixture swards were ensiled in laboratory silos to assess the ensilability, fermentation characteristics, conservation losses and silage nutritive value compared with grass monocultures produced using inorganic N fertiliser. The results suggest that assessment of the ensilability and subsequent ensilage characteristics of binary and multi-species mixtures should be based on direct sampling from such mixtures rather than being predicted from values obtained from monocultures of constituent species. Under favourable ensiling conditions, unwilted binary mixtures and multi-species mixtures are satisfactorily preserved as silage, comparable to a perennial ryegrass monoculture receiving inorganic N fertiliser. However, when ensiled under more challenging crop conditions the mixtures exhibited a greater requirement for their preservation to be aided, compared with the perennial ryegrass monoculture. Despite the application of inorganic N reducing the legume content of multi-species mixture swards, it had relatively little effect on herbage ensilability or silage preservation. For all species treatments, silage nutritive values were primarily dependent on the pre-ensiling values, although herbage digestibility values declined during ensilage where the ensilage process was inefficient. The current study suggests that in order to be satisfactorily preserved as silage, binary grass-clover and multi-species swards have a greater requirement for an adequate rapid field wilt and/or effective preservative application compared with perennial ryegrass produced using inorganic fertiliser N.

Pasture organic management using thermopotassium and thermophosphate in the Cerrado region

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the performance of the thermopotassium and thermophosphate agrominerals, as sources of P and K, in an organic pasture consortium of 'Marandu' Urochloa brizantha + Stylosanthes spp. in the Brazilian Cerrado. The organic management was compared with conventional farming using chemical fertilizers, during three years, in two adjacent experiments, one with and the other without previous growth of green manure (Crotalaria juncea). The management treatments were: conventional, with the application of 200 kg ha-1 potassium chloride, 260 kg ha-1 triple superphosphate, and 217 kg ha-1 urea; organic, with the application of 1.0 Mg ha-1 thermophosphate, 2.0 Mg ha-1 termopotassium, and 7.0 Mg ha-1 chicken manure; and control, without fertilizers. Soil fertility, dry mass production, and legume content in the pasture were evaluated. The experiment with green manure resulted in a significant increase in the soil-extractable contents of P and K and in pasture productivity. In the organic treatment, due to the slow release of agromineral nutrients, long-term effects are observed on the soil-extractable contents of P and K.

ВЛИЯНИЕ МНОГОВАРИАНТНЫХ СИСТЕМ ВЕДЕНИЯ ДОЛГОЛЕТНИХ СЕНОКОСОВ НА БОТАНИЧЕСКИЙ СОСТАВ И КАЧЕСТВО КОРМА

A significant part of bulky feed obtained from natural fodder lands is characterized by low quality due to the loss of valuable forage plants from herbage and non-observance of the terms and technologies of harvesting. Nutritional adjustment is an effective means of improving the composition of the herbage and the feed quality. To study the effect of various types and doses of fertilizers on the botanical composition and quality of forage for long-term hayfield at the FWRC FPA long-term field experiment has been conducted since 1947. For the 72–74th years, the use of hayfield without fertilizer application, with use of one- and two-component fertilizer and complete mineral fertilizer with a low dose of nitrogen, phytocenoses are formed with a predominance of short grasses, significant content of forbs and legumes (in technologies without the use of mineral nitrogen). The forage obtained from such grasslands meets the requirements of state standard specification for the first and second classes of hay of natural grasslands. Applying a complete mineral fertilizer with a nitrogen dose of N90–180, phytocenoses forms a predominance of high grasses. Considering the higher requirements of the standard for the hay of sown grasslands, the feed obtained from such grasslands mainly meets the second class’s requirements. In all management systems, the second cut provides a higher quality of forage, which is associated with an increase after mowing in the content of well-leafed shoots of grasses and legumes. The authors noted the effect of weather conditions on the quality of hay. In years with favorable moisture conditions, the efficiency of the applied fertilizers increases, and the quality of feed improves.

White lupine as a way to improve the biochemical and economic indicators of diets of non-great apes

The article is devoted to the current problem of providing rations with a source of protein with a high biological value. Such a source is suggested to be white lupine and products of its processing. Since, white lupine exceeds the protein content of peas, vetch and other legumes by more than 10%. And the significant content of fat in its composition allows, when using it, to reduce or completely abandon the use of sunflower oil in the diet. The use of white lupine allowed the experimental primates to use the food efficiently. The lowest costs were observed in the 3-test group. Energy costs were lower by 48.80%, crude protein by 47.22% and digestible protein by 51.3%. In the 2-experimental group, the costs of metabolic energy, crude protein and digestible protein were lower by 25.00%, 26.38% and 39.20, respectively. Thus, the inclusion of white lupine in the structure of the diet helps to improve the nutritional value of rations, to reduce the cost of nutrients and feed, improving the economic indicators of the maintenance of primates.

Sustainability of nutrient management in grain production systems of south-west Australia

Balancing nutrient inputs and exports is essential to maintaining soil fertility in rainfed crop and pasture farming systems. Soil nutrient balances of land used for crop and pasture production in the south-west of Western Australia were assessed through survey data comprising biophysical measurements and farm management records (2010–15) across 184 fields spanning 14 Mha. Key findings were that nitrogen (N) inputs via fertiliser or biological N2 fixation in 60% of fields, and potassium (K) inputs in 90% of fields, were inadequate to balance exports despite increases in fertiliser usage and adjustments to fertiliser inputs based on rotations. Phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) balances were positive in most fields, with only 5% returning losses >5 kg P or 7 kg S/ha. Within each of the three agroecological zones of the survey, fields that had two legume crops (or pastures) in 5 years (i.e. 40% legumes) maintained a positive N balance. At the mean legume inclusion rate observed of 20% a positive partial N budget was still observed for the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) of 2.8 kg N/ha.year, whereas balances were negative within the Central Agricultural Region (CAR) by 7.0 kg N/ha.year, and the Southern Agricultural Region (SAR) by 15.5 kg N/ha.year. Hence, N budgets in the CAR and SAR were negative by the amount of N removed in ~0.5 t wheat grain, and continuation of current practices in CAR and SAR fields will lead to declining soil fertility. Maintenance of N in the NAR was achieved by using amounts of fertiliser N similar to other regions while harvesting less grain. The ratio of fertiliser N to legume-fixed N added to the soil in the NAR was twice that of the other regions. Across all regions, the ratio of fertiliser N to legume-fixed N added to the soil averaged ~4.0:1, a major change from earlier estimates in this region of 1:20 under ley farming systems. The low contribution of legume N was due to the decline in legume inclusion rate (now 20%), the low legume content in pastures, particularly in the NAR, and improved harvest index of lupin (Lupinus angustifolius), the most frequently grown grain legume species. Further quantifications of the effects of changing farming systems on nutrient balances are required to assess the balances more accurately, thereby ensuring that soil fertility is maintained, especially because systems have altered towards more intensive cropping with reduced legume production.

Comparative assessment of organic and non-organic – chickpea and cowpea, nutritional composition and antinutrients upon germination

The nutrient, fatty acid, and antinutrient composition of chickpea and cowpea obtained from organic (org) source and subjected to germination were evaluated in comparison with non-organic (n-org) counterpart. Fat content (range, 2.04-5.89 %) of n-org legumes were higher. Germination significantly reduced the fat content in cowpea, though in chickpea no difference was seen, whereas, for ash and protein, it was vice versa. Dietary fiber content differed significantly between org (22.82 %) and n-org (20.23 %) chickpea. Mineral contents of org chickpea and n-org cowpea were higher. Germination significantly reduced the mineral content, except for copper and phosphorous. Differences in the fatty acid content of org and n-org samples were observed. Linoleic acid was the predominant fatty acid in chickpea (58.88-62.75 %) and cowpea (36.08-40.43 %). In cowpea, germination significantly decreased the palmitic and α-linoleic acid and increased stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids whereas, in chickpea, no differences were seen. The TPUFA content was higher in germinated cowpea, whereas in chickpea it was unchanged. The enzyme activity (phytase, amylase, and protease) increased significantly upon germination and no significant differences between org and n-org legumes were observed. Phytic acid (PA) and saponin content of the org legumes was lower than n-org. Germination significantly reduced the PA content. The molar ratios of PA: minerals significantly improved upon germination indicating a better availability of iron and calcium. Significant differences between org and n-org legumes were observed, but no particular trend was seen to prove that org legumes are better in nutritional quality than n-org legumes.

Effect of cultivar, timing of establishment and cutting interval on yield and seed set of arrowleaf clover

Arrowleaf clover is an erect hard-seeded annual clover with potential to improve the typically low legume content of dryland hill country. A number of small plot experiments were undertaken to better understand arrowleaf management. Cultivar maturity impacted on single-cut yields, with later maturing cultivars (‘Arrotas’ and ‘Zulu 11’) having significantly higher yields than an early maturing cultivar (‘Cefalu’). When autumn oversowing was practised, the slow growth of arrowleaf during winter caused weed issues. Delaying sowing of arrowleaf clover from April to winter (July) did not affect dry matter yield, seed set or seed viability and avoided the need for a weed spray as the vigorous spring growth of arrowleaf out-competed weed species. Arrowleaf oversown on hill country and allowed to set seed to build a large bank of hard seed resulted in a bulk of fibrous trash that was difficult to clean-up with grazing stock. Four mowings to simulate grazing encouraged weed invasion and reduced legume yields (and trash). Whilst two mowings were optimal for seed yield, up to three mowings provided a compromise between setting seed, utilising feed for grazing and reducing trash after flowering.

Pasture production, persistence of legumes and lamb growth in summer‐dry hill pastures

AbstractPasture legumes that persist under challenging agroecological conditions are crucial to ensure high lamb growth rates in dryland pastures. Pasture and lamb production from binary and diverse mixtures (Mix) of tall fescue (TF) with white clover (Whc), balansa clover (Bc), subterranean clover (Sc) and birdsfoot trefoil (Bft) were compared in a summer‐dry hill site in Corvallis, Oregon over a two‐year period. In 2018, all pasture combinations provided similar lamb liveweight gains (LWG, mean 177 g/day) in the first half of spring. Lambs in TF‐Bc and TF‐Mix pastures grew 31 to 41 g/day faster than those grazing TF‐Sc, TF‐Whc and TF‐Bft in the second half of spring (p < .05). Overall, TF‐Bc and TF‐Mix had higher (p < .05) legume contents (32% and 37% respectively) compared to other pasture combinations. In spring 2019, lambs that grazed the TF‐Mix and TF‐Whc pastures had higher LWG than those on other pastures (p < .05). The superior lamb growth rates were associated with the higher legume content and pasture quality maintained into the late spring period. Overall, the legume content of all pastures decreased over the course of the two‐year trial, with the decline being substantial for balansa clover. The present study confirmed that a high legume content of pastures leads to greater lamb growth rates. Total annual yields of pastures that had greater legume contents were superior to others (p < .05). Thus, a combination of self‐regenerating annual clovers with perennial legumes in pasture mixtures may ensure a higher legume content and longer persistence in dryland hill pastures.

Long‐term storage of forage legumes greatly alters the hard seed breakdown pattern in situ

AbstractKnowledge of the hard seed content of annual legumes, and its pattern of breakdown, is critical to the understanding of their ecology and management within farming and natural ecosystems. For logistical reasons, seed that has been stored for varying lengths of time is often used for pasture establishment and agronomy experiments. However, the implications of storage on hard seed physiology are unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of seed storage on its subsequent pattern of hard seed breakdown when exposed to field conditions. Experiments examined seed from six different annual legume cultivars that had been either produced the prior year or stored under ambient conditions for 11–22 years. Comparisons were then made between the two seed sources on hard seed breakdown patterns in situ. Although initial hard seed levels were mostly unaffected by storage (seed of five cultivars remained over 93% hard after more than 11 years of storage), the patterns of release from dormancy during exposure to hard seed breakdown conditions of stored seed differed greatly (p < .05) from freshly produced seed. Hard seed in the stored seed of most cultivars was reduced from >90% to <10% within 68 days over autumn, with shallow burial, whereas fresh seed remained >90% hard during the same period. Given this large and consistent impact, it is recommended that studies of the patterns of hard seed breakdown in legumes compare seed stored under consistent and well‐defined conditions.

Diets selected and growth of steers grazing buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris cv. Gayndah)–Centro (Centrosema brasilianum cv. Oolloo) pastures in a seasonally dry tropical environment

Context Liveweight (LW) gain of grazing cattle in the seasonally dry tropics is usually moderate during the wet season (WS) and declines to slow growth or LW loss during the dry season (DS). Cattle growth can often be improved by inclusion of herbaceous legumes into pastures to improve their nutritional quality. Aims A study examined the quality of the diet selected and the growth of young cattle grazing a buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris)–Centro (Centrosema brasilianum) pasture in a high-rainfall, seasonally dry, tropical environment in northern Australia to relate the diet selected to cattle growth. Methods During three annual cycles, young steers grazed a grass–Centro legume pasture at moderate stocking rate. LW was measured monthly, and diet attributes (legume content, DM digestibility (DMD) and crude protein concentration) were measured fortnightly by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy analyses of faeces. Pasture available and species were measured twice annually. Key results The annual LW gain and diet attributes followed a consistent profile through the annual cycles. Following the seasonal break, the diet DMD and crude protein concentration increased abruptly to maxima (means 732 and 184 g/kg respectively), and then declined approximately linearly during the remainder of the WS and the wet–dry transition season (TS); DMD decreased by 0.49, 0.74 and 0.88 g/kg units per day. DMD and crude protein averaged 561 and 61 g/kg respectively during the DS. Centro comprised 86–291 g/kg of the pasture on offer, and averaged 283 and 205 g/kg of the diet during the TS and DS, respectively, but only 58 g/kg during the WS. Cattle selected for Centro during the TS and the DS, but not during the WS. Cattle LW gain reflected diet quality averaging 0.86, 0.59 and 0.12 kg/day during the WS, TS and DS respectively. Conclusions The Centro legume contributed substantially to the diet of growing cattle during the TS and DS, but not during the WS. The LW gains of cattle were moderate during the WS and TS, and low during the DS. Implications Centro in a buffel grass pasture contributed substantially to the diet, but nevertheless annual LW gain was only modest (mean 179, range 159–209 kg/annum).

Effects of lime, phosphorus and stocking rate on an extensively managed permanent pasture: botanical composition and groundcover

Low phosphorus (P) constrains productivity of many of the permanent pastures of south-eastern Australia where wool and meat production are important. Whereas the need for fertilisation with P is indisputable for many soils, the benefits of liming to ameliorate soil acidification are not always clear in terms of forage production or quality. This experiment, by measuring botanical composition and groundcover over 10 years, aimed to address the issue of forage composition and groundcover. Merino wethers were continuously grazed on a permanent pasture under two stocking rates (low and high) following treatments with three rates of surface-applied lime and two rates of P. The lime rates were: nil, and sufficient to raise the pHCaCl2 of the 0–10 cm soil layer to 5.0 and to 5.5. Phosphorus was added as two rates of single superphosphate: 125 kg ha–1 every 2–3 years, and 250 kg ha–1 every year. Two hypotheses were proposed: (i) as lime application rate increased, it would lead to the pasture swards having a higher percentage of species favourable for grazing animal production, and a higher level of sward groundcover would be maintained; and (ii) legume presence would be favoured by a higher level of applied P over the long term. The Millennium Drought (1997–2008), which coincided with this experiment (1998–2008), tended to mask or reduce lime effects; nevertheless, the higher legume content in the sward, as well as the superior groundcover found in the high lime–high P treatments at various times throughout the experiment and at its completion compared with the nil-lime control, indicated positive forage effects of lime application. Moreover, by the termination of the experiment in 2008, groundcover generally tended to be lower under nil lime than in treatments that had received lime. The higher proportion of legume in the sward was closely linked to greater applied P, although this did not occur at the low stocking rate in the absence of lime. By contrast, similar high P–low stocking rate treatments but with applied lime had the highest clover contents. It is proposed that the poor persistence of the treatment without lime may be due to a combination of poor legume seedset, because of excessive competition from accompanying grasses, and aluminium toxicity adversely affecting legume growth.

PSIII-24 True nutrient and amino acid digestibility of commercial pork-based extruded dog foods using the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay

Abstract Pork-based dog foods are increasing in popularity, but there has been a lack of research conducted on these diets, including information about their digestibility. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to determine the true nutrient and amino acid (AA) digestibilities of commercial pork-based extruded dog foods using the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay. Four commercial extruded diets were tested in this study, including three pork formulas (PF1; PF2; PF3) with varying levels of legume content, and a multi-protein formula (MPF), all provided by Champion Petfoods (Alberta, Canada). A precision-fed rooster assay utilizing cecectomized roosters was conducted to determine the true nutrient digestibility and standardized AA digestibilities of the diets tested. All animal procedures were approved by the University of Illinois Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee prior to experimentation. 16 cecectomized roosters (4 roosters/substrate) were randomly assigned to test substrates. After 24h of feed withdrawal, roosters were tube-fed 30g of test substrates. Following crop intubation, excreta (urine and feces) were collected for 48h. Endogenous corrections for AA were made using 5 additional cecectomized roosters. All data were analyzed using the Mixed Models procedure of SAS 9.4. There were no significant differences in true macronutrient digestibilities among diets tested. For most of the indispensable AA, digestibilities were greater than 80%, with some being greater than 90%. For the majority of indispensable and dispensable AA, MPF had higher (P < 0.05) AA digestibilities than the other diets tested. For the majority of indispensable AA, PF1 had the lowest AA digestibilities. In general, the diet containing a mixed protein source had the greatest AA digestibilities, but all diets including those based on pork protein performed well.

145 Eco-efficiency of Northeast U.S. grass-fed beef systems

Abstract Grass-fed beef systems (GFB) are one approach proposed to improve the sustainability of animal-sourced foods. Our objective was to estimate carbon (CF) and reactive nitrogen (NF) footprints and cost of production (COP) for northeastern U.S. GFB. A partial life cycle assessment was conducted using the Integrated Farm System Model (IFSM). Systems were characterized using surveys and interviews. Representative operations were simulated in IFSM by grouping farms with similar environments and forage management practices. Environments were defined using USDA Plant Hardiness Zones. Farms were categorized as feed sufficient (FS: produced all supplemental forage on-farm) or feed importing (FI; purchased all supplemental forage). Differences between zones and farm types were analyzed using Dunn’s test with a Bonferroni correction and the Kruskal-Wallis test, respectively. Warmer zones supported longer grazing seasons (P < 0.01), greater pasture legume content (P < 0.05), and denser stocking rates (P < 0.01), resulting in twice the market weight production per hectare compared with farms in cooler zones (P < 0.01). Grazing season length and pasture legume content were similar between farm types (P > 0.1). FI herds were half the size of FS herds (P < 0.01), used 37% more land per animal (P < 0.01), and had 10% lighter market weights with 52% lower market weight production per hectare (P < 0.05). CF, NF, and COP/animal were 1.1, 1.3, and 2.1-fold greater for FI farms, respectively. Zone differences in climate, soils, and pasture legume content affected footprints. In warmer zones where soils had greater clay content, N2O contributed a greater portion of CF and NF, and NO3 leaching was moderate. In the coolest zone with coarser soil, N2O contributed a small portion of CF and NF, with greater NO3 losses. Analyses suggest attention to nitrogen management, efficient resource utilization, and botanical composition might reduce CF and NF.

A review of research on the fertiliser and lime requirements of pasture on the eastern coast of the North Island

The soils on the eastern region of the North Island (Wairarapa, Tararua, Hawke’s Bay, Poverty Bay, East Coast) are mainly of the Brown, Pallic, Recent (Sedimentary) and Pumice orders and are most are farmed with sheep and cattle on hill pastures. Several field trials have been carried out to determine the pasture growth requirements for phosphorus (P), sulphur (S), potassium (K), nitrogen (N), lime and molybdenum (Mo) in this region since the 1960s and the results published in various papers. This review considers the results of these studies collectively and in relation to national datasets. Sedimentary and Pumice soils with Olsen P levels of less than 12 µg/mL required annual application of P. Significant pasture production responses to S were measured where initial soil sulphate-S levels were less than 6 ppm. Additional K for sheep and beef pastures was required mainly on Pumice and Brown soils with soil QTK levels of 6 or less. Large pasture DM responses to N were measured in most trials, especially on steep slopes and sunny aspects with low legume content. Lime is needed to maintain soil pH once it decreases to 5.4 on hill soils. Molybdenum deficiency in legumes can occur on sedimentary soils and should be monitored by clover-leaf analysis.

High-resolution assessment of French grassland dry matter and nitrogen yields

Grasslands offer many environmental and economic advantages that put them at the heart of future sustainable ruminant production systems. This study aimed to quantify and map the dry matter yield (DMY) and nitrogen yield (NY) of French grasslands resulting from cutting and grazing practices, based on the existing diversity of grassland vegetation, management, soil and climate conditions, using a research version of the STICS crop model called PâturSTICS. This model simulates daily dry matter (DM), nitrogen (N) and water fluxes involved in the functioning of grasslands and crops in response to management and environmental conditions. It was improved to represent deposition of animal waste on grassland soils during grazing and to simulate DM production and N content of grasses and legumes more accurately. Simulations were performed for locations across France on a high-resolution grid composed of pedoclimatic units (PCU) obtained by combining the spatial resolutions of climate and soil. The main grassland types and associated management types were determined for each PCU and then simulated over 30 years (1984–2013). Using the simulated values, predictive metamodels of annual grassland DMY and NY were developed from easily accessible explanatory variables using a random forest approach. Annual model predictions were aggregated and averaged at the PCU scale, then compared to regional observations. Predicted DMY agreed with available observations, except in semi-mountainous and mountainous regions, where PâturSTICS tended to overpredict DMY, probably because it ignores effects of snow, frost and slope, and due to how it represents effects of temperature and water stress on plant growth. According to results, three-quarters of French grasslands produce and export at least 7.6 t DM ha−1 yr−1 and 172 kg N ha−1 yr−1, respectively. One-quarter of French grasslands produce and export at least 10.7 t DM ha−1 yr−1 and 254 kg N ha−1 yr−1, respectively. The latter are located mainly in north-western France, the north-western Massif Central, the French Alps and the western Pyrénées, all of which have environmental conditions favourable for grass growth. The metamodels developed are interesting proxies for PâturSTICS’ predictions of grassland DMY and NY. Our results provided valuable knowledge that promotes better use of the potential forage production of French and European grasslands to improve protein self-sufficiency and N fertilisation management in ruminant livestock systems.

Carbon footprint and land use of oat and faba bean protein concentrates using a life cycle assessment approach

Abstract There is a need to find sustainable alternative protein sources in order to meet the increasing protein demand of the growing population. Legumes such as faba beans are underutilized protein rich sources and can be valorized as hybrid protein ingredient through dry fractionation technologies. Also, cereal side streams can be interesting sources towards multifunctional protein ingredients. The aim of this study was to assess the environmental impacts of the production of oat protein concentrate (OPC) and faba bean protein concentrate (FBC) using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology and to compare the impact per kg protein to other relevant proteins. The OPC is obtained as a side stream of the beta glucan extraction process, which also produces valuable oat oil, while FBC is the only main product obtained from dehulled faba beans. Average European oat cultivation and faba bean cultivation with low and high yield were modelled. Data for protein concentrates production was from real factories who have suitable facilities, but are not currently producing concentrates commercially. The major hotspot in the carbon footprint of oat protein concentrate comes from energy consumption in processing. For faba bean protein concentrate, energy consumption in processing is lower and cultivation of faba bean is the main hotspot. The carbon footprint of oat protein concentrate is more than 50 percent lower, compared to dairy proteins per kg protein, while the carbon footprint of faba bean concentrate protein is 80–90 percent lower. Compared to legume protein sources, OPC has four times higher impacts. This is mainly due to the lower amount of processing steps needed to reach high protein content concentrates from faba beans resulting mainly from relatively lower level of lipids, which enables more energy-efficient dry separation, and high initial protein content of legumes compared to cereals. Moreover, legume cultivation requires very little nitrogen fertilizers due to symbiotic N2 fixation. This study shows that OPC and FBC have lower carbon footprints than animal protein sources. However, it should be remembered, that the environmental impacts of OPC are very sensitive to the allocation method and allocation basis. In this study economic allocation was used and prices of the different products (OPC, oat oil and beta glucan) play a key role in defining the climate impacts of OPC.

Effect of variety and environment on the contents of crude nutrients and amino acids in organically produced cereal and legume grains

Cereals and home-grown grain legumes are main feedstuffs for monogastric animals. Thus, knowledge on variations of their crude nutrient and amino acid composition is of great interest in animal nutrition. Genetic and environmental factors are known to be able to affect the nutrient composition of crops. Thus, the aim of the study was to analyse a selection of grains of organic cereal and grain legume species for their crude nutrient and amino acid contents and to determine the effect of variety and environmental conditions on the variations. Furthermore, the use of equations to predict amino acid contents from the crude protein content of cereals and grain legumes was tested. The contents of the crude nutrients and 18 amino acids of 835 samples of ten different cereal and grain legume species were analysed. Selected nutrients were subjected to correlation analyses. Furthermore, generalised linear models with multiple comparisons were conducted to assess the effect of species as well as of variety, harvest site and harvest year on the analysed ingredients. The contents of all crude nutrients and amino acids varied depending on the species and the considered nutrient. The lowest variation coefficients (1.3–2.6% in cereals and 3.1, 3.5 and 6.8% in field peas, field beans and blue lupins, respectively) were observed for the contents of nitrogen-free extracts. The crude protein contents varied widely, specifically in winter rye (coefficient of variation: CV = 17.4%). However, compared to table values, the cereals and grain legumes of the present study tended to contain low amounts of crude protein and high amounts of starch. Due to the wide variations, there is no distinct consistency between table values and the results of this study. High negative correlations between starch and crude protein contents were observed in eight species. Furthermore, the amino acid profile of cereals and grain legumes varied depending on the crude protein contents. Higher crude protein contents were often related to lower contents of several essential amino acids in favour of glutamine/glutamic acid, proline and phenylalanine in cereals as well as of arginine in grain legumes. Furthermore, variety, harvest site and harvest year affected the contents of the analysed ingredients depending on the species. However, the environmental factors had a greater influence than the variety. The observed variations must be regarded in diet formulation. Equations can be used to estimate the amino acid contents of cereals and grain legumes from their crude protein content. However, additional analysis results are needed to improve the predictability with equations.

Evaluating crude protein concentration of leucaena forage and the dietary legume content selected by cattle grazing leucaena and C4 grasses in northern Australia

Keynote paper presented at the International Leucaena Conference, 1‒3 November 2018, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.In Australia’s central and southern Queensland regions, Leucaena leucocephala-grass pastures produce substantially more beef and higher profits than grass-only pastures and annual forage crops. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) provides a rapid and cost-effective approach to assessing quality of available forage as well as the quality of the diet selected by cattle, but existing calibrations have not been comprehensively validated for leucaena-grass pastures. This study examined the reliability of existing northern Australian calibrations for NIRS to predict the crude protein (CP) concentration of the edible fraction of the leucaena plant, and the proportion of leucaena in the diet of grazing cattle. Samples of edible leucaena and cattle faeces were analyzed by NIRS and the predictions plotted in a linear regression and fitted to a 1:1 line with Dumas analysis of CP for leucaena forage, and mass spectrometry of δ13C for cattle faeces. Results demonstrated that prediction of the CP concentration of leucaena forage and the proportion of leucaena in the diet of grazing cattle using current broad northern Australian NIRS forage calibrations were associated with substantial error. However, it is likely that these errors can be reduced with the inclusion in the calibration data set of more samples representing leucaena forage and faeces of cattle grazing leucaena from varying locations, seasonal conditions and management strategies.

Some Aspects of Physicochemical and Biological Methods for the Conservation of Apatite-Nepheline Tailings in the Far North

Aspects of physicochemical and biological methods for the conservation of apatite-nepheline tailings are discussed with emphasis on the late-fall seeding of a multicomponent grass mixture with high legume content.

Modelling biological N fixation and grass-legume dynamics with process-based biogeochemical models of varying complexity

Abstract Grasslands comprised of grass-legume mixtures could become a substitute for nitrogen fertiliser through biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) which in turn can reduce nitrous oxide emissions directly from soils without negative impacts on productivity. Models can test how legumes can be used to meet environmental and production goals, but many models used to simulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from grasslands have either a poor representation of grass-legume mixtures and BNF, or poor validation of these features. Our objective is to examine how such systems are currently represented in two process-based biogeochemical models, APSIM and DayCent, when compared against an experimental dataset with different grass-legume mixtures at three nitrogen (N) fertiliser rates. Here, we propose a novel approach for coupling DayCent, a single species model to APSIM, a multi-species model, to increase the capability of DayCent when representing a range of grass-legume fractions. While dependent on specific assumptions, both models can capture the key aspects of the grass-legume growth, including biomass production and BNF and to correctly simulate the interactions between changing legume and grass fractions, particularly mixtures with a high clover fraction. Our work suggests that single species models should not be used for grass-legume mixtures beyond about 30% legume content, unless using a similar approach to that adopted here.