Forage Quality Traits Research Articles

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PLANT DENSITY ON THE FORAGE YIELD AND SOME FORAGE QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF MORINGA (Moringa oleifera Lam.)

In sustainable animal husbandry, the use of highly adaptable shrub and tree species as alternative forage crops has gained importance in recent years. One of these plants is moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.), which is considered one of the promising feed sources due to its high nutritional value. This research was carried out to determine the potential of Moringa as a forage crop for the Mediterranean climate during 2020 and 2021 growing season in the experimental areas of the Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ege, Türkiye. The effects of four different plant densities (60x20 cm, 60x30 cm, 60x40 cm, 60x60 cm) on the some forage quality and digestibility traits were investigated. The Moringa cultivar "PKM-1" was used as plant material and plant height, stem diameter, dry matter, herbage yield, crude protein, crude ash, crude fat, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were examined during two consecutive vegetation periods. In the study conducted in Mediterranean ecological conditions, the average values of the moringa plant for two years were obtained as Plant height 159.2-170.3 cm, total herbage yield 3.310-6.970 kg/da, crude protein ratio 17.12-18.15%, ADF ratio 35.31-37.85% and NDF ratio 45.66-49.71%. Increasing the planting density increased the herbage yield and the highest value was obtained from 60x20 cm planting density. In addition, 60x20 cm planting density is also suggested in terms of protein , ADF and NDF traits.

Study on Genetic Variability for Forage Yield and Quality Traits in Forage Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor L. Moench

The initial research related to germplasm screening was carried out in the experimental area of Instructional Dairy Farm, GBPUAT Pantnagar during kharif season 2018. The experimental material for this experiment consisted of two hundreds and eighty diverse germplasm lines of sorghum along with six checks viz., SSG 59-3, Pant Chari- 5, Pant Chari- 6, CSV-21 F, CSH-22S, and CSV-24SS. The germplasm lines were evaluated in Augmented Block Design for nineteen forage yield related traits and thirteen quality traits. The statistical analysis for genetic variability was done using analysis of variance (ANOVA), heritability (h2), genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV), and genetic advance (GA). The analysis of variance revealed that the genotypes and checks were showing a highly significant differences for all the traits under study indicated existence of inherent genetic differences among genotypes for different characters. Mean performance of forage yield and quality related traits exhibited a wide range of variability. GCV and PCV values were observed low for most of the characters whereas high for anthracnose, zonate leaf spot and shoot fly incidence. The value of genetic advance was observed high for leaf area, green fodder yield per plant, dry fodder yield per plant, hydrocyanic acid content, plant height, anthracnose, and shoot fly incidence were relatively more than other characters. Genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed low for days to maturity, dry matter per cent, in-vitro dry matter disappearance, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, cellulose content whereas high for leaf area, flag leaf width, panicle length, panicle width, 1000-grains weight, grain yield per plant, green fodder yield per plant, dry fodder yield per plant, total soluble solids, silica content, anthracnose, zonate leaf spot and shoot fly incidence. Heritability values were found high for all the traits under study. The genotypes bearing the desired values for different genetic variability parameters and mean performance for can be exploited in future breeding programmes for the improving forage genotypes. These genotypes can be used as donor parents in crop improvement programme for improving forage yield and quality related traits along with improved resistance against anthracnose, shooty fly and zonate leaf spot.

Combining Ability Analysis for Forage Yield and Quality Traits in Forage Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor L.Moench]

Combining Ability Analysis for Forage Yield and Quality Traits in Forage Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor L.Moench]

Gene effect analysis of forage quality traits in barley (Hordeum vulgare) in Bundelkhand region of India

Present study was carried out during winter (rabi) seasons of 2019–20 and 2020–21 at Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh to decipher underlying gene effects for green forage quality characters in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. Eight diverse barley genotypes, viz. BH902, BH946, DWRB160, DWRB180, RD2552, RD2794, RD2899 and RD2907 were evaluated and crossed in half diallel design. A total of 28 F1s along with 8 parents were sown in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 3 replications. The green fodder was harvested after 55 days of sowing (DAS) and fodder quality analysis was conducted. The crude protein (CP) and nitrogen (N) contents showed mean values of 14.19 and 2.49% ranged from 12.62–15.26% and 2.22–2.68%, respectively. The characters, viz. organic matter (OM), CP, N, lignin (L) and hemicellulose (HCL) showed prepondrance of additive gene effects, whereas acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and cellulose (CL) showed the prevalnce of dominance gene effects. The genotype DWRB180 and two rowed malt barley variety DWRB160 were estimated with desirable additive gene effects for forage intake and digestibility traits. The cross combinations, DWRB160/RD2899, BH946/RD2552 and RD2794/DWRB180 can be further utilized for CP and N contents, whereas, the progenies, viz. BH946/DWRB180 and RD2552/RD2907 were promising for ADF and NDF. GT biplot corroborated positive correlations of NDF with ADF (0.43**), HCL (0.88**) and CL (0.41*). The improvement in forage intake and digestibility characters like ADF, NDF and CL is suggested through complex crossing followed by selection.

Doğu Akdeniz koşullarında ikinci ürün olarak yetiştirilen bazı hibrit mısır genotiplerinde tane ve yem verimi ile yem kalite özelliklerinin değerlendirilmesi

This research was conducted in order to guide farmers and researchers by determining grain, forage yield and yield-related traits and forage quality of different parts of the whole plant in some maize cultivars in Eastern Mediterranean ecological conditions. In this study, it was assessed grain and forage yield and fodder quality of four maize cultivars (PR91G98, SY Castaneda, SY Gladius, and SY Tuscani) cultivated under the Estern Mediterranean conditions. To determine forage quality, ear, stem and leaves of the whole plant maize were analyzed separately. To evaluate grain and forage yield, parameters like plant height, stem diameter, hay yield, dry matter yield, green leaf yield, green stem yield, ear weight, green ear yield were investigated while features such as crude protein, crude ash, organic matter, NDF, ADF, digestibility of dry matter, dry matter intake and relative feed value were examined to determine forage quality. The new maize cultivars have been updated continually; it is important to clarify the responses of new varieties to agronomic practices and forage yield, quality, grain yield, and related traits. The results of this study revealed that ear is very important for forage yield and quality. The greatest hay and grain yield were produced by PR31G98 maize cultivar. It was observed SY Tuscani had higher NDF and ADF values than other maize varieties. With this study, the importance of nutrient content according to silage yield and plant parts in second crop corn cultivation was determined. In addition, research results showed important source data for farmers and researchers regarding forage and grain yield of maize farming and production area is continually increasing.

Precise control of water stress in the field reveals different response thresholds for forage yield and digestibility of maize hybrids.

With dwindling global freshwater supplies and increasing water stress, agriculture is coming under increasing pressure to reduce water use. Plant breeding requires high analytical capabilities. For this reason, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been used to develop prediction equations for whole-plant samples, particularly for predicting dry matter digestibility, which has a major impact on the energy value of forage maize hybrids and is required for inclusion in the official French catalogue. Although the historical NIRS equations have long been used routinely in seed company breeding programmes, they do not predict all variables with the same accuracy. In addition, little is known about how accurate their predictions are under different water stress-environments. Here, we examined the effects of water stress and stress intensity on agronomic, biochemical, and NIRS predictive values in a set of 13 modern S0-S1 forage maize hybrids under four different environmental conditions resulting from the combination of a northern and southern location and two monitored water stress levels in the south. First, we compared the reliability of NIRS predictions for basic forage quality traits obtained using the historical NIRS predictive equations and the new equations we recently developed. We found that NIRS predicted values were affected to varying degrees by environmental conditions. We also showed that forage yield gradually decreased as a function of water stress, whereas both dry matter and cell wall digestibilities increased regardless of the intensity of water stress, with variability among the tested varieties decreasing under the most stressed conditions. By combining forage yield and dry matter digestibility, we were able to quantify digestible yield and identify varieties with different strategies for coping with water stress, raising the exciting possibility that important potential selection targets still exist. Finally, from a farmer's perspective, we were able to show that late silage harvest has no effect on dry matter digestibility and that moderate water stress does not necessarily result in a loss of digestible yield.

Changes in Agronomic and Forage Nutritive Values of Red Clover in Response to Different Development Stage

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is the second most important cultivated perennial forage legume used as a fodder for livestock. Agronomic and forage quality traits of red clover are dependent on various factors, including optimal phenological stage for cutting in order to obtain forage with high nutritive value and yield. Three different development stages (full budding, beginning of flowering, full flowering) of two red clover genotypes were examined in order to determine changes in agronomic and forage nutritive values. The stage of plant development at the time of cutting significantly affected yields and forage nutritive values of red clover compared to the choice of cultivar. Forage cut at full flowering resulted in the highest values of green mass, dry matter yield and crude protein yield and plant height, however the forage quality with the plant maturation rapidly decreased. The correlations between the investigated traits confirmed a negative relationship between yields and forage nutritive quality.

Three-Way Top-Cross Hybrids to Enhance Production of Forage with Improved Quality in Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.)

Three-way top-cross hybrids of pearl millet were evaluated along with a popular single- cross check hybrid (PAC 981) for forage yield and quality traits under a multi-cut (three cuts) system across multiple years, seasons and sites in India. Total green forage yield (TGFY) varied from 36 to 53 t ha−1, and two hybrids outyielded the check hybrid for both total dry forage yield (TDFY) and forage quality (CP; Crude protein, and IVOMD; In vitro organic matter digestibility) traits. A set of promising three-way top-cross hybrids evaluated along with a set of promising open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) and top-cross hybrids for forage-related traits over two years under a multi-cut system revealed that the mean TDFY of three-way top-cross hybrids was higher than the mean TDFY of top-cross hybrids, followed by OPVs. Also, three-way top-cross hybrids had higher/or at par forage quality traits such as CP and IVOMD in comparison to other types of cultivars. TDFY had no correlation with CP and IVOMD across cuts in three-way top-cross hybrids, indicating that forage quantity and quality traits can be improved independently of each other. Overall, three-way top-cross hybrids were found to be a better pearl millet cultivar option than other types of cultivars.

Determination of Grain Yield and Some Forage Quality Traits of Rye Genotypes at Different Sowing Densities

Çalışmasın amacı, çavdar genotiplerinde farklı ekim sıklığı uygulamalarının (350, 425, 500, 575, 650, 725 tohum m-2) tane verimi ve kalite üzerine etkisini belirlenmektedir. Çalışma, birer tescilli tritikale (Karma-2000) ve çavdar (Aslım-95) çeşidi ile iki yerel çavdar hattı (Bayburt ve Yozgat) olmak üzere dört genotip kullanılarak 2014-2015 ve 2015-2016 yetiştirme sezonlarında yürütülmüştür. Deneme bölünmüş parseller deneme deseninde; ana parsellere genotipler, alt parsellere ekim sıklıkları yerleştirilerek üç tekrarlamalı olarak yürütülmüştür. Yıllar üzerinden birleştirilerek yapılan varyans analizi sonuçlarına göre, tane verimi, bitki boyu, bin tane ağırlığı, nişasta oranı, ham protein oranı, ham yağ oranı, asit deterjanda çözünmeyen lif (ADF) ve nötr deterjanda çözünmeyen lif (NDF) değerleri üzerine genotip ve ekim sıklıklarının (yağ oranı hariç) etkisi istatistiki olarak önemli bulunmuştur. Tane verimi en yüksek 3.94 ton ha-1 ile m2’de 575 tohum sıklığı uygulamasından elde edilirken, regresyon denklemine göre en uygun ekim sıklığı 563 tohum m-2 olarak tespit edilmiştir. Çavdar genotiplerini kendi içinde değerlendirdiğimizde yerel genotiplerin kalite özellikleri bakımından Aslım-95 çeşidinden daha iyi değerlere sahip olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.

Optimization of Alfalfa-Based Mixed Cropping with Winter Wheat and Ryegrass in Terms of Forage Yield and Quality Traits.

Forage has a significant association with animal nutrition because it is an essential part of milk and meat production in the livestock industry. Thus, for the production of high-quality forage, cereal–legume mixed cropping is an efficient method for meat and milk production in the livestock sector. In a two-year experiment between 2020 and 2021, the forage yield, nutritional compositions, amino acid profile, and forage quality were evaluated in the mixed cropping of winter wheat and ryegrass with alfalfa. In this study, a split-plot design with a randomized block design was employed with three sampling replicates. Cultivars were harvested at three maturity stages, namely, flowering, milk, and soft dough, depending on the wheat growth stage. The experimental results show that wheat 2 (Baomai 9)–alfalfa and ryegrass–alfalfa mixed cropping produced higher fresh biomass output than mono-cropping of wheat and ryegrass harvested at the flowering stage. Furthermore, the dry matter (DM) percentage range increased from 20.18% to 36.39%. By contrast, crude protein, crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber were higher at the flowering stage than at other harvesting stages with DM values of 14.28%, 34.12%, 55.06%, and 32.55%, respectively. Ryegrass–alfalfa mixing yielded higher values of mineral compositions, and T5 (Baomai 9–alfalfa) generally achieved more extraordinary amino acid compositions. The results demonstrate that wheat and ryegrass with alfalfa mixed cropping, and harvesting at the flowering period produces high-quality forage. Additionally, mixed cropping with alfalfa remarkably affected forage quality parameters, while mixed cropping of wheat cultivar 2 (Baomai 9) and alfalfa obtained the highest dry matter intake, digestible dry matter, relative feed value, total digestible nutrient, relative forage quality, and quality index values of 2.56, 68.54, 136.49, 60.50, 127.41, and 1.69, respectively. Thus, the mixed-cropping of wheat and ryegrass with alfalfa forage is recommended for its maximized quality forage production and nutritional values in livestock feedstuff.

Dynamics and plasticity of agronomic performance and nutritive quality traits in forage maize at high latitudes

The relationships between dynamics and plasticity (ability of a hybrid to modulate its traits according to growing conditions) of agronomic and nutritional traits are unclear. Quantifying and characterizing these relationships can improve understanding of plant response mechanisms to growing conditions in short cropping periods at high latitudes. This study investigated the dynamics of key agronomic performance and forage quality traits and the importance of their mean values for expression of plasticity. Data were collected on eight sampling occasions during the cropping period in 2013 and 2014, using six phenologically different forage maize hybrids grown at three high-latitude locations. The dynamics of all traits studies were significantly affected by hybrid and environment (combination of location and year). Dry matter yield (DMY) and dry matter content (DM) were affected by interactions between hybrid, growing conditions on each sampling occasion, and overall growing conditions in the different environments. Neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD), starch (STA) concentration, water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentration, and organic matter digestibility (OMD) in the hybrids differed significantly over time across the environments. Early-maturing hybrids progressed faster in maturity based on DM content and had higher STA concentration, NDFD, and OMD at a given time than later-maturing hybrids. Similar DMY and higher NDFD and OMD in early-maturing compared with later-maturing hybrids, regardless of sampling occasion or environment, suggests that use of early-maturing hybrids is advantageous in the short cropping season at high latitudes. For most traits, plastic ability [plasticity of trait x/mean value of trait x, or ability to change expression of plasticity of a trait is based on the mean value of the trait] was dependent on the mean value of a trait and declined with increasing mean value. Plastic ability of DM, DMY and STA was higher at early developmental stages and decreased at later developmental stages, but the opposite was true for WSC and CP. Although the dynamics of trait development over time differed between the hybrids, the dynamics of plastic ability for four traits (DM, WSC, OMD, NDF) were similar in all hybrids. These maturity characteristics-based responses of the six hybrids in terms of trait dynamics and plastic ability, and the dependence of plastic ability on the dynamics of corresponding trait, can potentially be exploited in development of new variety/hybrid and prediction models for further improving the agronomic and nutritional value of forage maize crops at high latitudes.

Yield, Quality and Nitrogen Use of Forage Maize under Different Nitrogen Application Rates in Two Boreal Locations

Research focusing on the nitrogen (N) application and N use of forage maize (Zea mays L.) in the boreal region is either limited or non-existent. The aim of this study was to investigate the response of yield, quality and N recovery efficiency (NRE) of forage maize to an increase in the N application rate and different climatic conditions in two locations in Finland. The field experiment was conducted in southern (Helsinki; 60° N) and central (Maaninka; 63° N) Finland in 2019 and 2020. Dry matter (DM) yield, forage quality and NRE were determined for N application rates of 100, 150 and 200 N kg ha−1. The DM yield was similar to all studied N application rates. Moreover, there were no marked differences in the studied forage quality traits or the NRE following the N application rates. However, the NRE of maize was generally low at 45%. The current study recommends a N application rate of 100–150 N kg ha−1 for forage maize in the boreal region. There is no need to increase the N application from current recommendations since climate conditions seem to limit the growth, development and NRE of forage maize. The observed low NRE of forage maize warrants further research in the future.

Stylosanthes scabra: genetic variability of forage quality traits

Stylosanthes scabra Vogel is a tropical legume grown in dry tropical and subtropical environments. The objective of this research was to evaluate the genetic diversity of forage quality traits for 80 accessions of S. scabra. Seven plants from each accession were planted in a single-line plot with no replicates at Embrapa Cerrados, Brazil. All plants were harvested 90 days after planting. Crude protein (CP), in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), lignin (LIG), hemicellulose (HEMIC) and cellulose (CELLU) were estimated. Data were submitted to principal component analysis (PCA) and a cluster analysis was performed to identify groups of similarity. Simpson and Shannon–Weaver diversity indices estimated the genetic diversity. The average values of CP, IVDMD, NDF, ADF, LIG, HEMIC and CELLU were 220g/kg, 560g/kg, 516.8g/kg, 368g/kg, 69.4g/kg, 148.8g/kg and 298.6g/kg, respectively. There was a significant difference among collection sites for IVDMD, ADF and CELLU. The first two principal components accounted for 73% of the total variation. The 80 accessions resulted in four clusters, among which significant differences were observed for CP, IVDMD and ADF. Group IV, with 24 accessions, had the highest CP and IVDMD concentrations and the lowest ADF concentration, being the highest-quality forage group. Diversity indices were 0.78 and 0.81 for Simpson’s and Shannon–Weaver’s, respectively. In conclusion, there is genetic diversity for forage quality traits among S. scabra.

Seasonal Differences in Structural and Genetic Control of Digestibility in Perennial Ryegrass.

Perennial ryegrass is an important forage crop in dairy farming, either for grazing or haying purposes. To further optimise the forage use, this study focused on understanding forage digestibility in the two most important cuts of perennial ryegrass, the spring cut at heading and the autumn cut. In a highly diverse collection of 592 Lolium perenne genotypes, the organic matter digestibility (OMD) and underlying traits such as cell wall digestibility (NDFD) and cell wall components (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) were investigated for 2 years. A high genotype × season interaction was found for OMD and NDFD, indicating differences in genetic control of these forage quality traits in spring versus autumn. OMD could be explained by both the quantity of cell wall content (NDF) and the quality of the cell wall content (NDFD). The variability in NDFD in spring was mainly explained by differences in hemicellulose. A 1% increase of the hemicellulose content in the cell wall (HC.NDF) resulted in an increase of 0.81% of NDFD. In autumn, it was mainly explained by the lignin content in the cell wall (ADL.NDF). A 0.1% decrease of ADL.NDF resulted in an increase of 0.41% of NDFD. The seasonal traits were highly heritable and showed a higher variation in autumn versus spring, indicating the potential to select for forage quality in the autumn cut. In a candidate gene association mapping approach, in which 503 genes involved in cell wall biogenesis, plant architecture, and phytohormone biosynthesis and signalling, identified significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) which could explain from 29 to 52% of the phenotypic variance in the forage quality traits OMD and NDFD, with small effects of each marker taken individually (ranging from 1 to 7%). No identical QTLs were identified between seasons, but within a season, some QTLs were in common between digestibility traits and cell wall composition traits confirming the importance of hemicellulose concentration for spring digestibility and lignin concentration in NDF for autumn digestibility.

Genomic Prediction of Complex Traits in Forage Plants Species: Perennial Grasses Case.

The majority of forage grass species are obligate outbreeders. Their breeding classically consists of an initial selection on spaced plants for highly heritable traits such as disease resistances and heading date, followed by familial selection on swards for forage yield and quality traits. The high level of diversity and heterozygosity, and associated decay of linkage disequilibrium (LD) over very short genomic distances, has hampered the implementation of genomic selection (GS) in these species. However, next generation sequencing technologies in combination with the development of genomic resources have recently facilitated implementation of GS in forage grass species such as perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and timothy (Phleum pratense L.). Experimental work and simulations have shown that GS can increase significantly the genetic gain per unit of time for traits with different levels of heritability. The main reasons are (1) the possibility to select single plants based on their genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) for traits measured at sward level, (2) a reduction in the duration of selection cycles, and less importantly (3) an increase in the selection intensity associated with an increase in the genetic variance used for selection. Nevertheless, several factors should be taken into account for the successful implementation of GS in forage grasses. For example, it has been shown that the level of relatedness between the training and the selection population is particularly critical when working with highly structured meta-populations consisting of several genetic groups. A sufficient number of markers should be used to estimate properly the kinship between individuals and to reflect the variability of major QTLs. It is also important that the prediction models are trained for relevant environments when dealing with traits with high genotype×environment interaction (G×E). Finally, in these outbreeding species, measures to reduce inbreeding should be used to counterbalance the high selection intensity that can be achieved in GS.

Understanding Heterosis, Genetic Effects, and Genome Wide Associations for Forage Quantity and Quality Traits in Multi-Cut Pearl Millet.

Pearl millet is an important food and fodder crop cultivated in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa and Asia, and is now expanding to other regions for forage purpose. This study was conducted to better understand the forage quantity and quality traits to enhance the feed value of this crop. Two sets of pearl millet hybrids (80 single cross hybrids in Set-I and 50 top cross hybrids in Set-II) along with their parents evaluated multi-locationally for the forage-linked traits under multi-cut (two cuts) system revealed significant variability for the forage traits in the hybrids and parents. The mean better parent heterosis (BPH) for total dry forage yield (TDFY) was 136% across all the single cross hybrids and 57% across all the top cross hybrids. The mean BPH for in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) varied from −11 to 7% in the single cross hybrids and −13 to 11% in the top cross hybrids across cuts. The findings of TDFY and IVOMD heterosis in these sets indicated the potential of improvement of the hybrid cultivars for forage quantity and quality in forage pearl millet. The parental lines single cross parent (SCP)-L02, SCP-L06, and top cross parent (TCP)-T08 found superior in the forage quantity and quality traits can be utilized in the future breeding programs. Most of the forage traits were found to be controlled by using the non-additive gene action. A diverse panel of 105 forage-type hybrid parents (Set-III) genotyped following genotyping by sequencing (GBS) and phenotyped for crude protein (CP) and IVOMD under multi-cuts for 2 years identified one stable significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on LG4 for CP, and nine SNPs for IVOMD distributed across all the linkage groups except on LG2. The identified loci, once validated, then could be used for the forage quality traits improvement in pearl millet through marker-assisted selection.

Variation of forage quality traits in Tunisian populations of Brachypodium hybridum in response to phosphorus deficiency

AbstractNatural populations of plants may express plastic response, evolve local adaptation, or combine both mechanisms to enhance their genetic variation. Here, 79 lines from Tunisian Brachypodium hybridum populations were cultivated in two contrasting phosphorus (P) availability levels, and their genetic variation was investigated using forage quality traits to identify the mechanisms governing their genetic variation. Results revealed large variation among populations for most traits and separation between coastal and inland populations in both P levels. All traits revealed high heritability, and the response of most traits to P deficiency was influenced by the population effect which accounted 52.38% of the variation, indicating strong population differentiation. Although significant for most traits, only 18.13% of variation was attributed to P treatment, suggesting little plastic response to P deficiency. However, the lack of population × treatment effect for most traits suggested a common plastic response in populations. Moreover, 56.99% of variation was attributed to environmental factors with distance to coastline, precipitation seasonality, and annual precipitation being the major factors, suggesting that the strong population differentiation reflects local adaptation to specific environments. Contrary to coastal populations characterized by high levels of fiber‐related traits, the inland ones displayed high values of most energy‐related traits, suggesting that these latter were characterized by higher forage quality. Overall, our results suggested that the effect of local adaptation overrides the effect of phenotypic plasticity regarding the variation of forage quality traits, indicating a broad adaptive genetic differentiation among the populations of B. hybridum in response to P deficiency.

Impact of drought stress on biochemical responses, energy, and water productivity on maize forage (Zea mays L.)

Drought stress is the most important limiting factor in crop plants including maize (Zea mays L.), which is the third important world crop after wheat and rice. To examine the quantity and quality of forage as well as energy and water productivity of two maize varieties to drought stress, a field experiment was carried out as a split plot based on a completely randomized block design with three replications in Isfahan, Iran, during 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. The main and sub-plots were three irrigation regimes (100%, 80, and 60% full irrigation) and two maize varieties (704 and Maxima), respectively. Data analysis showed that drought stress harmed wet and dry forage yield and energy productivity, while its effect was positive on some forage quality such as ash, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), hemicellulose free cell wall (ADF), and lignin (ADL). Based on results, drought stress of 60% full irrigation resulted in reduced wet and dry forage maize yields. In addition, drought stress affected relationships among measured traits. According to increasing dried fodder and decreasing output energy under stress conditions, early mature variety Maxima is more proper to be used under drought stress. Besides, the Maxima variety was shown to be a suitable variety due to increasing dry matter and crude protein as well as decrease ADF and ADL than the 704 variety.Article HighlightsWe submit an original research article entitled Effect of water stress on forage yield and quality and water and energy productivity in Maize (Zea mays L.). In this paper, we indicated regarding to impacts of climate change phenomenon throughout the world on crop production, especially in arid regions such as Iran, choosing proper variety can be one of the best candidates to provide for forage. The results of present paper have shown that the drought stress had no effect on water productivity of two maize varieties. The superiority of some forage quality traits in drought stress compared to the control in maize means that in drought conditions, maize forage can be used and increase the profitability of livestock products.

Assessing Forage Potential of the Global Collection of Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.) Germplasm Conserved at the ICRISAT Genebank

Finger millet is an important drought-tolerant and grain-nutrient dense food crop grown in semi-arid regions in Asia and Africa. The forage is used as a source of dry roughage for feeding livestock. In this study, the finger millet diversity panel (310 accessions and four controls) representing the global collection of the finger millet germplasm conserved at the ICRISAT genebank was assessed for forage quality and diversity in the years 2018 and 2019. Results of the study suggested that finger millet can generate stover yield ranging from 2890 to 10,779 kg ha−1. Finger millet forage contained 6.47% to 8.15% of crude protein, >90% of dry matter content, 11.47% to 14.17% of ash content, 62.36% to 67.73% of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 33.07% to 38.37% of acid detergent fiber (ADF), 3.95% to 4.80% of acid detergent lignin (ADL), 6.18% to 6.89% of metabolizable energy (ME) and 45.21% to 49.09% of in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) with the grain yield of 810 to 3698 kg ha−1 at maturity stage. The per se performance between the races, regions, and biological status has been performed and differed significantly for important traits. The 314 accessions were grouped into five clusters based on the performance for food-feed traits. Except for crude protein, there was a positive relationship between forage quality-positive traits and grain yield, indicating that agronomic and forage quality traits could be improved simultaneously. The top 10 promising accessions for important forage quality traits and accessions with multiple forage quality traits were identified. This study provides a detailed understanding of the variability that exists in forage quality traits in crop residues and their association with agronomic traits in the finger millet germplasm. The identified top-performing accessions would be the key genetic resources for developing dual-purpose cultivars and the information from this study will be useful for future finger millet food-feed trait improvement.

Description of new high yielding forage Avena Sativa L. cultivar ‘Super Green Oats’

Oat [Avena sativa (L.)] cultivar “Super Green Oats” was developed through conventional breeding methods by the Fodder Research Institute, Sargodha, and released as general cultivar in 2020. Commercial cultivar is an advanced line of “FRI-03” which is derived from cross of parental accessions (No. 668 × No. 632) and subsequent selections in various segregating populations (F2 - F6), through pedigree methods having uniformity > 99%. Cultivar had 9% and 15% forage yield advantage over commercial check “Sargodha-Oat 2011” during 2014 and 2015 station trials while it gave 9% higher fodder yield during 2016-17 during zonal trials over commercial check.. It is green, tall, multi-tillering, with slight later in maturing cultivar and produce light brown seed. It has many desirable forage quality traits, including high palatability (82%), protein content (10%) and had resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. It flower about 10 days later than standard check variety. Moreover, it has higher stability (coefficient of regression bi = 1.06) calculated over 3 environments for 2 years. Its robust yield combine with high palatability and high protein contents than standard check and resistance to biotic and abiotic stress show that Super Green Oat will be highly useful cultivars in both irrigated and arid region of Punjab Province. Moreover, the cultivar will be potential parent for the development of new pedigrees for the genetic improvement of oat germplasm.