Final Dry Matter Research Articles

Performance of the CSM–MANIHOT–Cassava model for simulating planting date response of cassava genotypes

Selecting the appropriate genotypes for particular planting dates may help increase cassava productivity. The CSM–MANIHOT–Cassava model is a new tool to support decision making for crop management. However, it is important to explore the potential of a model prior to any application. The objective of this study was to evaluate the CSM–MANIHOT–Cassava model in simulating the performance of cassava genotypes for different planting dates. An experiment with four cassava genotypes and eight planting dates was conducted on the experimental farm of the Faculty of Agriculture at Khon Kaen University, Thailand, under optimum conditions. The data for soil and weather conditions, crop management, and crop traits were recorded. The cultivar parameters were determined using experimental data for three planting dates, while the remaining five planting dates were used for model evaluation. A scenario analysis for different planting dates using historical weather data from 2003 to 2018 was also conducted. The calibration results showed a good agreement between simulated and observed phenology and crop traits. Model evaluation based on the d-index showed a good agreement between simulated and observed total crop, stem, and storage root dry weights with values above 0.8 for almost all four genotypes and five planting dates. The model provided acceptable outputs for final total crop dry matter and storage root yield. The results from both the scenario analysis with the CSM–MANIHOT–Cassava model and the actual experiment classified Kasetsart 50 and CMR38–125–77 as one out of the top two genotypes based on final total crop biomass, demonstrating the potential of the model to help identify promising cassava genotypes.

Restrictive irrigation improves yield and reduces risk for faba bean across the Middle East and North Africa: A modeling study

CONTEXTFaba bean is a crucial component of Mediterranean food systems. However, the crop is somewhat underrepresented in the major crop models and usage of these models requires substantial calibration with data that might not be available. The Simple Simulation Model (SSM) is a simple, non-calibrated and physiology-based model that has the advantage of having a reduced number of parameters that can all be measured or inferred from simple experiments. OBJECTIVEWe aimed to parameterize and assess the capacity of the SSM to simulate faba bean phenology, dry matter accumulation, nitrogen accumulation and final yield and to explore the impact of supplemental irrigation on crop production. MATERIALS & METHODSModel simulations were compared to observations collected over 30 experimental situations in Morocco, Tunisia, and Lebanon. SSM was then used to explore water restrictive irrigation scenarios, allowing two irrigation events after flowering, with a total irrigation dose of 50 mm, in the Middle East and in North Africa (MENA). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSThe prediction error on final total above ground dry matter was satisfactory and the dynamics of dry matter and nitrogen accumulation in plant organs matched the observations. This study showed that 50 mm irrigation can be sufficient to substantially improve faba bean production sustainability in MENA. In the driest areas (below 200 mm in-season rainfall), 50 mm irrigation could reduce the risk of low crops by up to 34% and increase yield sufficiently to meet average farm household needs. In more humid areas of the region, 50 mm irrigation could improve faba bean yield by up to 1 t/ha compared to an average yield of 3.5 t/ha. Simulation outputs showed that deficit irrigation could improve N soil balance and soil health in the mid- to long-term. The analysis of the simulation results can be used to advise farmers on best adapted irrigation dates without additional in situ measurement. SIGNIFICANCEThis study revealed that non-calibrated models such as SSM can simulate yield and dry matter accumulation with a predictive capacity similar to calibrated tools making it suitable for addressing a known gap in irrigation management for Mediterranean food systems. In the MENA region, relative small amounts of irrigation (50 mm) can substantially reduce production risk, and so increase security for farmers, and improve faba bean productivity and sustainability.

Substituting fat with soy in low-salt dry fermented sausages

This paper investigates whether the partial substitution of fat with soy flakes and the partial substitution of common salt with two commercial blends (Aranca salt™ and Novosal salt™) affected the final dry matter, proximate composition, peroxide index, malondialdehyde values and lactic acid bacteria counts of dry fermented sausages. Six experimental batches were manufactured. Both salt type and fat source affected to the fat amount, the protein content, the collagen content, the peroxide index and the microbial counts and significant interactions between the main effects were found for all those variables. The malondialdehyde values were affected by fat source but not for salt type. In general, soy addition decreased protein content and peroxide values, increased lactic acid bacteria counts and malondialdehyde values and their effect on fat content depended on the used salt.

35 Effect of feeding 60% dried corn distillers grains plus solubles or the equivalent sulfur on performance, hormone concentrations, and glutathione peroxidase activity in yearling Angus bulls

Abstract The objectives were to investigate the effects of feeding 60% dried corn distillers grains plus solubles (DCD) or equivalent sulfur as calcium sulfate (CaSO4) on performance, hormone concentrations, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in yearling bulls. Thirty-six half-sibling Angus bulls [256 ± 8 d; initial BW = 320 ± 2 kg] were assigned one of three treatments: 1) corn-based diet containing 60% concentrate (CON; S = 0.18%; n = 12); 2) diet containing 60% DCD as a replacement for corn (DDGS; S = 0.53% DM; n = 12); 3) CON diet + equivalent sulfur of the DDGS diet added as CaSO4 (SULF; S = 0.51%; n = 12). Bulls were fed in Calan gates to target an average daily gain (ADG) of 1.6 kg/d. Data were analyzed as repeated measures using PROC MIXED in SAS. Blood and semen samples were collected on d 0, 56, and 112 then evaluated for concentrations of testosterone, thyroxine, triiodothyronine in serum, and GPx activity in seminal plasma. By design, no differences (P ³ 0.14) were observed among treatments for final BW, ADG or dry matter intake. However, DDGS tended (P = 0.07) to have reduced gain: feed when compared with CON, whereas SULF was intermediate. No differences (P ³ 0.13) were observed among treatments for serum concentrations of testosterone and thyroxine; however, DDGS had reduced (P = 0.009) triiodothyronine concentrations compared with CON and SULF. A treatment ′ d interaction (P = 0.03) was observed for seminal plasma GPx. On d 56, GPx activity was greater (P = 0.03) for DDGS compared with CON, whereas SULF was intermediate, but on d 112, DDGS had greater (P £ 0.02) GPx activity compared with CON and SULF. Therefore, alterations in triiodothyronine concentrations and GPx activity among treatments indicates that DDGS may influence characteristics of semen quality.

PSI-15 Feeding garlic powder at low doses does not negatively affect feedlot cattle health

Abstract Antimicrobial and insectifugal effects have been reported for dehydrated garlic powder. With limited knowledge of its impact on the health of beef cattle, this study investigated whether free-choice minerals infused with garlic powder affected cattle blood parameters and long-term stress during the summer. A total of 104 crossbred steers (26 steers per group) were randomly assigned to either 0% garlic product (Control), 0.3% garlic-oil-based premix (GOil), 2.5% garlic powder (2.5% GP) or 5% garlic powder (5% GP). Feed and mineral supplements were fed separately in individual GrowSafe® bunks to monitor each steer’s feed and mineral intake. Measures of individual steer performance collected include body weights and gains, feed intake and ultrasound body fat levels. Blood was collected from 10 steers with the greatest intake and 5 steers with the least mineral intake in each group for biochemical and hematological analyses. Hair samples were clipped from each steer (3 times) from the rump region to evaluate differences cortisol levels as a measure of long-term stress. Preliminary results showed no difference in final body weight (P =0.19) and dry matter intake (P =0.89). However, compared with the control, all garlic treatment groups had greater average daily mineral intake (P = 0.003). The group that received GOil had a greater average daily gain (P = 0.002) and more gain-to-feed ratio (P =0.01) than other groups. No difference (P >0.05) was observed in most serum biochemical parameters with the exception of 5% GP that had a significantly lower bilirubin (P = 0.0001) and albumin (P = 0.002) concentration but all biochemical and hematological measurements fell within the normal range for beef cattle. There was no difference (P = 0.29) among the groups for cortisol levels. The preliminary results show that low-dose infusion of garlic powder was not associated with any adverse health conditions in beef cattle.

Nitrogen Indices, Nodulation and Yield of Mung Bean (Vigna radiate L.) as Influenced by Integrated Nutrient Supply

The present study was conducted to find out the impact of inorganic nutrients (Nitrogen @ 20 kgha-1 and Phosphorus 40 kgha-1) blended with and without biofertilizers (Rhizobium and PSB) on growth and yield of mung bean. Significant increments in seed yield of 31.07% followed by 23.34% were recorded from the plots exposed to 20 kgN/ha + 40 kgP2O5/ha along with dual inoculation by Rizobium and PSB (T9) and 20 kgN/ha + 40 kgP2O5/ha + Rizobium (T7). Highest seed yield (13.23 q/ha) realized under T9 supported by increased final aboveground dry matter (29.33% & 26.21%), pod percentage (26.33% & 17.45%) and test weight (17.50% & 11.13%) compared to chemical fertilizers (T4 & T5 respectively). Highest number of nodules (68.17) & nitrogen use efficiency (18.32 kg/kg) were recorded at flowering (50 DAS) stage of the crop under treatment-9. Functional relation between nodulation, NUE, AAR, pods plant-1 and yield were positive and linear (R2=0.987, 0.9987, 0.9501, 0.9115, respectively). To ascertain the higher productivity in mung bean it is recommended that the application of phosphorus @ 40 kgha-1 with starter dosage of N @ 20 kgha-1 along with dual inoculation by Rizobium and PSB should be applied for higher seed yield under temperate agro-ecological conditions.

Recovery growth and water use of intercropped maize following wheat harvest in wheat/maize relay strip intercropping

Recovery growth is common in relay intercropping systems and is a feasible practice for increasing total productivity of these systems. Previous studies have focused on the description of recovery growth, but the physiological changes and water use assessment during the recovery growth period remain unclear. A field experiment was conducted in Yangling, Shaanxi province, China during the 2014–2015 and 2015–2016 growing seasons to investigate maize physiological characteristics, root morphology, and transpiration efficiency during the recovery growth period. Three cropping systems (sole wheat, sole maize, wheat/maize intercropping) and two water treatments (supplementary irrigation and rainfed) were evaluated. Wheat was more competitive than maize during the intercropping co-growth period. During the co-growth period, the aboveground dry matter of intercropped wheat was 20.1 %–37.8 % greater than for sole wheat and water consumption was 14.9 %–15.9 % greater than for sole wheat. However, plant height and aboveground dry matter of intercropped maize during the co-growth period were less than for sole maize. Total root length of intercropped maize under supplementary irrigation initially exhibited rapid growth after wheat harvest, especially in the border rows. Subsequently, aboveground dry matter showed recovery growth, with final aboveground dry matter (2-yr average) of border rows and inner rows being 1 % and 4.5 %, respectively, greater than sole maize dry matter. Relative chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate of intercropped maize were 4.3 %–19.2 % and 1.7 %–15.9 %, respectively, higher than observed for sole maize under irrigated conditions. Transpiration efficiency of intercropped maize during the recovery period was 10 % and 50.9 % greater than observed for sole maize under irrigated conditions in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Some recovery growth did occur under rainfed conditions, but it did not completely compensate for the growth reduction that occurred during the co-growth period. Supplementary irrigation promoted recovery growth of intercropped maize. Recovery growth improves intercropped maize grain yield and efficient use of water resources.

Effect of integrated agronomic managements on leaf growth and endogenous hormone content of summer maize

<p indent=0mm>The leaves are the main place of photosynthesis directly related to the nutritional status, dry matter accumulation and yield formation of maize plants. The experiment was conducted using summer maize hybrid Zhengdan 958 with treatments of T1: local conventional cultivation practices; T2: based on T1, increasing planting density, delaying harvesting time, decreasing fertilizer application, and changing fertilization time; T3: based on T2, further increasing planting density, and further increasing fertilizer rate; T4: based on T3, decreasing planting density and the amount of fertilizer; and nitrogen treatments of N0, N1, N2, and N3, with 0, 129.0, 184.5, and <sc>300.0 kg N</sc> hm^-2, respectively. The contents of IAA, ZR, and GA₃ decreased and the content of ABA increased, resulting in the decreases of SPAD, leaf area index (LAI) and specific leaf mass, when nitrogen application was not enough. And the contents of IAA, ZR, and GA₃ increased, and ABA content decreased, and LAI, SPAD and dry matter accumulation per plant increased significantly with increasing nitrogen application. Integrated agronomic management practices could regulate the content of endogenous hormones in leaves. In T4 treatment, IAA, ZR, and GA₃ contents increased by 23.1%, 9.8%, and 14.7%, the ABA content decreased by 12.4%, resulting in a suitable LAI; SPAD and final dry matter accumulation per plant were by 4.2% and 12.6% higher, respectively, than those in T1 treatment. Integrated agronomic managements could coordinate endogenous hormone contents, increase leaf SPAD and specific leaf mass, and be beneficial to dry matter accumulation per plant under the condition of reducing nitrogen application combining with optimal agronomic managements, which might be one of the important reasons for increasing summer maize yield.

Evaluating the potential drought tolerance of pansy through its physiological and biochemical responses to drought and recovery periods

Drought is one of the major factors limiting ornamental plant production. Exposure to long-term drought conditions inhibits plants growth and leads to their yield loss. In this study, various responses of pansy plants to drought stress and recovery period were comparatively studied at physiological and biochemical levels, after one, two and three week period of exposure to drought stress and one week of recovery period. This study results showed that prolonged drought stress dramatically decreased relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll and antioxidants including ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) activities of plants while increased the accumulation of proline, sucrose, glucose, and fructose content, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity. Under well-watered condition, plants exhibited an increase in electrolyte leakage after three weeks period of exposure to drought stress, followed by rapid recovery. Under moderate and severe drought stress, plants displayed relatively less adaptability to drought, with a slower recovery after re-watering and a greater increase in electrolyte leakage. This study findings highlighted that enhanced antioxidative protection and osmotic adjustment plays an important role in pansy tolerance against drought. It was concluded that even though plants recovered after re-watering, the final dry matter was affected by drought stress, and its extent was depend on the drought intensity and its duration.

PSXII-22 Performance of Nellore bulls fed with rehydrated corn silage or rehydrated sorghum silage or sorghum grain in substitution of corn grain

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the corn grain cracked substitution by sorghum grain, rehydrated corn silage, or rehydrated sorghum silage on animal performance. Thirty-two Nellore bulls initially weighing 324.76 ± 36.0 were used in a completely randomized design distributed in four treatments: corn grain (CG), sorghum grain (SG), rehydrated corn silage (RCS) and rehydrated sorghum silage (RSS). Pen was considered the experimental unit. Response variables included: final body weight (FBW) and dry matter intake (DMI). The basal diet consisted of (DM basis) of 30% sorghum silage as roughage, and 70% of concentrate, consisted of corn grain or sorghum grain or rehydrated corn silage, or rehydrated sorghum silage, soybean hulls, soybean meal, and mineral supplement. The data were analyzed using PROC GLM of SAS and means were compared by Tukey test. Feeding sorghum grain, rehydrated corn silage or rehydrated sorghum silage did not affect the DMI and, consequently, did not affect significantly the final body weight (FBW). The FBW means of each treatment were 444.38, 434.69, 464.22, 443.44, and the DMI were 9.57, 9.23, 9.06, 9.19, respectively to corn grain (CG), sorghum grain (SG), rehydrated corn silage (RCS) and rehydrated sorghum silage (RSS) treatments. It was concluded that diets based on corn grain or sorghum grain, rehydrated or not, can support a similar performance of Nellore bulls finished in feedlot.

Determining Thresholds for Grassland Renovation by Sod-Seeding

This study aimed at identifying optimal sward conditions for successful establishment of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) through sod-seeding two typical Norwegian grassland systems dominated by timothy (Phleum pratense L.) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), respectively. A total of four sod-seeding trials were implemented, two in late summer (SUM) and two in spring (SPR), one for each sward type and time point for reseeding. The sward coverage status was the basis for threshold definition, and image analysis techniques were used for objective coverage estimation of living plants, dead material and bare soil. Plots with different coverage levels (0–100% of the soil covered by vegetation) were created by spraying a broad-spectrum herbicide (glyphosate) in a spot-wise pattern, mimicking common types of patchiness caused by stressful weather events, e.g., frost or mechanical damage from wheels or hoofs. Seed germination and emergence started similarly in all coverage ranges. However, as time progressed clover seedlings started to die at a coverage dependent rate, and at the final harvest red clover dry matter (RCDM) was the lowest on plots with the highest pre-seeding coverage level. Dose-response curves explained these relationships and allowed estimating the effective-coverage ( E C o v 80 ), being the initial sward coverage at which 80% of all established red clover plants contributed significantly to the total biomass. Above 2500 kg ha−1 RCDM were produced on timothy ( E C o v 80 : 15–50%) in SUM, while less than 1000 kg ha−1 RCDM were produced on ryegrass ( E C o v 80 : ± 10 % ), indicating better conditions for clover establishment in timothy compared with ryegrass. In SPR, an E C o v 80 : 10–15% allowed a good red clover estabishment in ryegrass at cut 3, while RCDM was important and significant in timothy even between E C o v 80 20 and 60%, at cut 2 and cut 3, respectively. These thresholds for sod-seeding mark the challenges to introduce red clover in dense swards and could be applicable for grassland renovation with other desirable legume and grasses species. Our findings represent particular soil and climatic characteristics of the study site, thus should be taken with caution. Due to the lack of experimentally and sytematically determined thresholds for reseeding, future studies could benefit from our experimental approach, as a base for more complex, multi-site and multi-seasonal investigations, and farmers could use these thresholds for decision making on successful grassland renovation, to avoid wasting seed resources and yield loses.

Adubação nitrogenada associada ao gel hidro retentor na produção e crescimento do tomateiro de mesa

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the main olive cultivated in Brazil; And the second most important on the world stage. The management of the crop is important for the productivity of the tomato, for this a balanced fertilization and the use of new technologies, such as the use of the hydrogel, a water retention polymer, can propitiate this gain of production. The objective of this work was the study of the association of hydrogel use and the use of nitrogen fertilization in the Santy hybrid table tomato crop. An experiment was conducted at the Goiano Federal Institute - Campus Morrinhos. The plants were conducted vertically using braids as support and maintaining eight bunches per plant. The experimental design was a randomized block design, with four replications. The treatments were divided into two sub-divided plots (with and without hydroretting gel) and four nitrogen fertilizations (0, 180, 360 and 540 kg ha-1), ten plants per plot with 1.2 meter spacing between rows. Coverage fertilizations were performed at 25; 40; 55; 70; 85; 100 and 115 days after transplanting the seedlings. It was verified that the hydrogel source of variation had significant effect on the diameter of the final stem, green matter and fruit texture. For the nitrogen dose factor, we had results that indicate increases in the following variables: chlorophyll in the basal area, mean and apical of the plant, diameter of the final stem, dry and green matter, number of average fruits, weight per kilogram of average fruits in the area Useful, absolute growth rate for plant height and productivity per hectare.

Row spacing and weed management methods influences growth and yield of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)

Abstract Weed infestation is among the primary reasons for low yields of soybean in Nigeria and other parts of Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Field trials were therefore carried out in 2016 and 2017 cropping seasons to evaluate the effect of row spacing and weed management methods on growth and yield of soybean. The use of 50 cm row spacing resulted in significant (P &lt; 0.05) reduction in weed cover score, weed density and weed dry matter with subsequent increase in soybean growth and grain yield compared to 75 and 100 cm row spacings in both years. In addition, early weed control with probaben at 2.0 kg a.i (active ingredient) ha1 followed by (fb) supplementary hoe weeding (shw) at 6 weeks after sowing (WAS) suppressed weeds and increased soybean growth, which carried through to final dry matter and yield. Pre-emergence application of Probaben fb shw at 6 WAS gave the best weed control and resulted in significantly (P &lt; 0.05) higher soybean grain yield compared to two and three hoe weedings or sole application of probaben under 50 and 75 cm inter-row spacing. However, three hoe weedings gave the best weed control and grain yield under 100 cm inter-row spacing. These results suggest that narrow row spacing of 50 cm and weed control by pre-emergence application of probaben fb shw will improve the productivity of soybean. Wide row spacing, however, required longer weed-free period and consequently multiple hoe weeding for optimum soybean yield.

Dewatering and Mineralization of Sludge in Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands: A Review

Sludge treatment in vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) is a promising alternative to conventional treatment, which provides adequate treatment at low-cost, while being energy efficient. They may dewater and mineralize various kinds of sludge, including surplus sludge from activated sludge systems, agricultural slurries, and septage and faecal sludge effectively. This paper presents a review of the state-of-the-art of VFCWs treating sludge. The effects of varying design and operational parameters, as well as environmental factors on treatment performance are discussed. The paper also summarizes the performance of various pilot- and full-scale systems in terms of final dry matter content and degree of mineralization. In order to understand the governing processes and predict its performance, modelling of VFCWs in sludge treatment is suggested.

Effects of nitrogen source on the performance and feeding behavior of lambs fed a high concentrate diet containing pomegranate peel

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of protein degradability on the performance, nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation and behavior of lambs fed diets containing pomegranate peel (PP). Twenty-four male Iranian Arabic lambs (mean ± standard deviation; 16.3 ± 1.3 kg BW) were assigned randomly into four groups of six lambs each in a completely randomized design for 94 days. Treatments were: 1) control diet (CON); 2) diet containing PP with lower Rumen Degradable Nitrogen (RDN) (Soybean meal, PSOY); 3) diet containing PP with higher RDN (Urea, PUREA) and 4) free choice between diet 2 and 3 (PFREE). Forage to concentrate ratio of the diets was 20:80. The final body weight and dry matter intake were unaffected by treatments (P < 0.05), but there was a tendency to lower final body weight in PP groups compared to the CON (P = 0.09). A total replacement of soybean meal with urea negatively affected feed conversion ratio and OM digestibility. Daily weight gain was highest in lambs when offered CON (0.221 kg) and lowest in PUREA (0.182 kg), with lambs receiving PSOY (0.210 kg) and free choice (0.196 kg) having intermediate values. Apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and ADF showed a decrease in PP containing diets (P < 0.05). Animals fed by urea containing diet showed higher mean rumen pH, rumen NH3-N concentration and blood urea nitrogen than CON and PSOY. Differences in volatile fatty acids concentrations were limited to valerate, which was lower for PP diets (P < 0.01). Providing lambs with PP diets increased time spent eating (190.7 vs. 166.5 min. d; P < 0.05) and intake per visit (70.5 vs. 50.1 g DM; P < 0.01), however, eating rate (7.56 g of DM/min) remained unchanged among treatments. Similarly, there was an increase (P < 0.01) in rumination and chewing activities with PP diets. In the free-choice treatment, lambs showed an increase in rumination and chewing time compared to the CON and PSOY groups. PP-fed lambs showed lower time spent self-grooming, social behavior, and lying, compared with the CON. The results suggest that in PP containing diets, the replacement of soybean meal with urea can be achieved with some adverse effects on performance, with the feed conversion being improved when free choice was given between protein sources. The inclusion level of 21.0% PP was probably too high for fattening lambs fed by high concentrate diets to ensure optimal growth performance and nutrient digestibility.

Influence of Coating Application Methods on the Postharvest Quality of Cassava.

Various modes of edible coating application vary in their coat dispersion and film formation, hence the need to determine the most effective mode of application for cassava. Edible surface coatings have been found to be effective in preserving the quality of various food products. However, there are variations in effectiveness among the different coating solutions, hence the need for optimization of the concentrations of the gums used. This study aimed at determining the most efficient coating application method on the cassava postharvest quality. Physiologically mature cassava (variety KME 1) was harvested and divided into seven portions. The various portions were coated using 1.5% xanthan gum, 1.5% xanthan/guar gum, and 2% xanthan/guar gum by both dipping and spraying method. There was no significant difference on the colour, total cyanide, ethylene production, and total phenolic content between the two application methods. The 2% xanthan/guar gum coating showed a significant difference on the dry matter content while the 1.5% xanthan gum coating had a significant difference on the respiration rate and weight loss. The 1.5 xanthan treated roots had a final dry matter content of 72.5% for the sprayed samples and 75.98% for the dipped sample while the 2% xanthan/guar gum treated roots had a final dry matter content of 64.6% and 74.1% for the dipped and sprayed root samples, respectively. The 1.5% xanthan and 2% xanthan/guar gum treated roots showed no significant difference in their action on dry matter content. The 1.5% xanthan/guar dipped and sprayed samples differed significantly on their effect on flesh firmness with final values of 35.4N and 46.1N, respectively, at 20 days after harvest. This study suggested that based on the coating solution and the parameters being observed, there generally was no varying effect of dipping and spraying methods of coating application. The choice of the efficient mode of application to use will depend on other factors such as the easiness of application.

Effect of Ferulago angulata (Chavil) essential oil supplementation on lamb growth performance and meat quality characteristics

This study investigated the effects of Ferulago angulata essential oil (FAE) dietary supplementation on growth performance, meat quality characteristics and fatty acid composition of longissimus muscle (LM) in fattening lambs. Forty male lambs with an initial body weight of 23.08 ± 1.8 kg were used in a completely randomized design for a 90-day feeding period. Experimental treatments included: 1- control diet (without essential oil; 0FAE), 2- diet supplemented with 250 mg kg DM FAE (250FAE), 3- diet supplemented with 500 mg kg DM FAE (500FAE) and 4- diet supplemented with 750 mg kg DM FAE (750FAE). Daily weight gains, final body weight and dry matter intake (DMI) decreased linearly. The hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, and feed conversion ratio were not affected. Digestibility of nutrients decreased linearly. The lowest digestibility of nutrients and DMI was observed for 750 FAE. A trend to the lower concentration of ammonia and total VFA occurred with increased content of FAE in the diet. Including FAE did not affect ruminal pH. The physical parameters and chemical composition of meat were not influenced by the treatment. The TBARS value of LM in lambs given the FAE supplementation decreased linearly than control. The supplements increased the concentrations of PUFA and decreased SFA contents in meat linearly. Lambs that used diets containing FAE had the lower n-6: n-3 fatty acid ratio than control treatment. Our findings indicate that FAE (up to 750 ml/kg DM) can be used in diets without adverse effect on physical parameters and chemical composition of meat and it enhanced the anti-oxidative status of lamb’s meat. However, further research is required to determine the effect of higher levels of FAE (more than 500 ml/kg DM) on the ruminal fermentation, diet digestibility and growth performance of lambs.

Quantitative Response of Soybean Development and Yield to Drought Stress during Different Growth Stages in the Huaibei Plain, China

To quantitatively access the effects of drought stress during different growth stages of soybean on development process and yield, a pot-culture experiment was conducted in China’s Huaibei Plain with different irrigation treatments over two seasons (2015 and 2016). Two drought stress levels (mild and severe) were applied at four growth stages for the experiment (S: seedling stage; B: branching stage; FPS: flowering and pod-setting stage; and PF: pod-filling stage). The effects of drought stress at different stages on growth and yield were evaluated and compared. Results of this two-year study showed that all growth and yield parameters were significantly affected by the water deficit during the sensitive FPS. Compared to the full irrigation treatment, severe drought stress during FPS caused a 22% loss of final plant height, 61% loss of the leaf area per plant (LAP), and 67% loss of final aboveground dry matter (ADM). Yield components also declined dramatically with water deficits during FPS and PF. Significant seed yield losses of 73–82% per plant were observed in the plants exposed to drought stress during FPS, and were also associated with the highest nonviable pod percentage of 13%. The greatest losses in 100-seed weight (42–48%) were observed under drought stress during PF. A rising trend in response to increasing soil water deficit (SWD) was observed for LAP, yield, and ADM losses. The slope (k) values of these fitting curves varied at different treatments, the highest value of k (7.37 and 8.47 in two years, respectively) was also observed in the sensitive FPS.

Sugar beet development under dynamic shade environments in temperate conditions

Abstract In Wallonia (Belgium) almost half of the arable land undergoes a four-year crop rotation. Winter crops often follow spring crops within the rotation scheme. This is a challenging context to implement silvoarable agroforestry (AF) systems, in terms of species choice, plot design, and tree management, since the periods of crop resource capture clearly differ. AF is defined here as the deliberate introduction of trees in the cropped area. Combining spring crops with trees induces an important overlap of the growing period of both plants which has an impact on one of the primary resources for both plants: light. In this study, we monitored an important spring crop for the region, sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). We quantified the impact of the shade environment on sugar beet morphology, growth dynamic, productivity and quality. We used artificial shade to isolate the impact of shade from other possible interactions in agroforestry systems. The field experiment was conducted over two consecutive years (2015 and 2016) on the experimental farm of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Belgium. We installed the shade structures so as to reproduce a North-South and East-West tree line orientation. The experiment simulated canopy shade of late-flushing hybrid walnut by overlapping military camouflage netting. In 2015, the North-South orientation induced two distinct shade conditions: periodic shade (PS) and continuous shade (CS). In 2016, the East-West orientation created two periodic shade treatments, one during the morning (PSam) and one in the afternoon (PSpm). In both experimental years, shading was imposed from mid-June until harvest, resulting in 132 days of shade in 2015, and 140 days in 2016 on a growing season of 192 (2015) and 188 (2016) days in total. Sugar beet under shade tended to produce longer petioles. In 2015, at the first sampling date, we observed a higher specific leaf area and single leaf area under the CS and PS treatment, while there were no differences in 2016. All the shade treatments significantly changed the dry matter partitioning between the sugar beets compartments. Under the shade treatments, the quantity of biomass allocated to the leaves was significantly reduced as compared to the proportion of biomass for the petioles. Likewise, quantity of root dry matter formed per gram of shoot dry matter was reduced under shade. Thus, at harvest, all the shade treatments significantly reduced the final root dry matter and sugar yield. Furthermore, sugar beet quality, and more specifically sugar extractability, was affected by shading but to a lesser extent than for the final root dry matter and sugar yield.

Use of the beta growth function to quantitatively characterize the effects of plant density and a growth regulator on growth and biomass partitioning in cotton

Allocation of newly formed biomass towards plant organs is a key determinant of plant performance that is affected by agronomic practices such as plant population density and use of growth regulators. Here we quantified biomass allocation of intercropped cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) growing at two population densities (3.0 and 7.5 plants m−2) and with or without application of the growth regulator mepiquat chloride (MC) in three consecutive years. The beta growth function was used to quantitatively characterize the dynamics of biomass partitioning. Compared to low density, high density increased daily growth rate and final above-ground dry matter, but decreased allocation to fruits. Application of MC did not affect dry matter accumulation but increased allocation to fruits by 22%. The parameters of the beta growth function have a clear biological interpretation, providing a useful quantitative characterization of the effect of management on dry matter allocation in cotton. The function may also be used to model organ-specific daily assimilate partitioning as a component in models of plant growth and crop production with the consideration of discussed caveats.