High-quality Forage Research Articles

Performance of elephant grass BioGrass as in vitro breeding result in the highland of Bogor Regency, West Java, Indonesia

Low productivity of ruminants is mainly caused by the limited availability of high-quality forages as a result of reducing the area for pasture due to land conversion, lack of particular forage plantation, absence of forage breeder to control the quality, high rate of calf mortality, and low quality of forage varieties in the current period. Therefore, it is a necessity to generate a new superior variety of forages that are easily planted, adaptable to dry land, have high productivity, and high yielded. BioGrass as forage is a prospective strain of high yielding elephant grass varieties as a result of in vitro breeding that has high productivity and quality. This research aimed to determine the productivity and quality of BioGrass in the highland of Bogor Regency, West Java compared to local elephant grass and odot grass. The results showed that the speed of growth of bio grass cuttings buds was not significantly different from the speed at which local elephant grass buds and odot appeared. The bud colour of the leaf petals appeared reddish in bio grass while the local elephant grass and odot were green. The number of tillers and local elephant grass was 3-5 tillers while the number of odot tillers was 5-7 tillers. The fresh weight of bio grass and odot was 40 kg resulted from without fertilizing urea treatment and 60 kg with fertilizing urea treatment. Meanwhile, the fresh weight of local elephant grass was 60 and 90 kg, respectively based on urea treatments. Proximate analysis showed that the highest crude protein content (CP) of the BioGrass was 17.95% with the NDF and ADF value of 61.79 and 37.27%. Whereas CP of local elephant grass was 15.38% with NDF/ADF value of 63.15 and 39.01%, and CP of odot grass was 16.30 with NDF/ADF value of 33.64%.

Apparent digestibility, fecal particle size, and mean retention time of reduced lignin alfalfa hay fed to horses.

Reduced lignin alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) has the potential to provide a higher-quality forage source for livestock by improving forage digestibility. This study was conducted to evaluate apparent digestibility when feeding reduced lignin and nonreduced lignin alfalfa hay to adult horses, and to examine mean fecal particle size (MFPS) and mean retention time (MRT) between alfalfa forage types. In 2017, reduced lignin ("54HVX41") and nonreduced lignin ("WL355.RR") alfalfa hay was harvested in Minnesota at the late-bud stage. Alfalfa hays were similar in crude protein (CP; 199 g/kg), neutral detergent fiber (NDF; 433 g/kg), and digestible energy (2.4 Mcal/kg). Acid detergent lignin concentrations were lower for reduced lignin alfalfa hay (74 g/kg) compared to nonreduced lignin alfalfa hay (81 g/kg). Dietary treatments were fed to six adult, stock-type horses in a crossover study. Experimental periods consisted of a 9-d dietary adaptation phase followed by a 5-d total fecal collection phase, during which horses were housed in individual boxstalls and manure was removed on a continuous 24-h basis. At 12-h intervals, feces were thoroughly mixed, subsampled in duplicate, and used for apparent digestibility and MFPS analysis. On day 2 of the fecal collection phase, horses were fed two indigestible markers, cobalt (Co) and ytterbium (Yb), which were fed as Co-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and Yb-labeled NDF residue, respectively. Additional fecal samples were taken at 2-h intervals following marker dosing until 96-h post-dosing to evaluate digesta MRT. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS, with statistical significance set at P ≤0.05. Dietary treatment (i.e., alfalfa hay type) was included as a fixed effect, while experimental period and horse were considered random effects. Dietary treatments were similar in dry matter intake (1.6% bodyweight) and time to consumption (7.6 h). Apparent dry matter digestibility (DMD) was greater for reduced lignin alfalfa (64.4%) compared to nonreduced lignin alfalfa (61.7%). Apparent CP and NDF digestibility did not differ between dietary treatments, averaging 78% and 45%, respectively. Dietary treatments were similar in MFPS (0.89 mm) and MRT for both liquid (23.7 h) and solid (27.4 h) phase material. These results indicate an improvement in DMD for reduced lignin alfalfa hay when fed to adult horses, with no change in forage consumption, fecal particle size, or digesta retention time.

An exploration of the relationship between recruitment communication and foraging in stingless bees.

Social information is widely used in the animal kingdom and can be highly adaptive. In social insects, foragers can use social information to find food, avoid danger, or choose a new nest site. Copying others allows individuals to obtain information without having to sample the environment. When foragers communicate information they will often only advertise high-quality food sources, thereby filtering out less adaptive information. Stingless bees, a large pantropical group of highly eusocial bees, face intense inter- and intra-specific competition for limited resources, yet display disparate foraging strategies. Within the same environment there are species that communicate the location of food resources to nest-mates and species that do not. Our current understanding of why some species communicate foraging sites while others do not is limited. Studying freely foraging colonies of several co-existing stingless bee species in Brazil, we investigated if recruitment to specific food locations is linked to 1) the sugar content of forage, 2) the duration of foraging trips, and 3) the variation in activity of a colony from 1 day to another and the variation in activity in a species over a day. We found that, contrary to our expectations, species with recruitment communication did not return with higher quality forage than species that do not recruit nestmates. Furthermore, foragers from recruiting species did not have shorter foraging trip durations than those from weakly recruiting species. Given the intense inter- and intraspecific competition for resources in these environments, it may be that recruiting species favor food resources that can be monopolized by the colony rather than food sources that offer high-quality rewards.

Evaluation of yield formation and nutritive value of forage legumes and herbs with potential for diverse grasslands due to their concentration in plant specialized metabolites

The use of forage legumes and herbs in temporary grassland swards is a promising strategy to enhance productivity, protein supply, herbage quality and species diversity in forage-based low input dairy production. Species containing plant specialized metabolites (PSM; e.g. tannins or polyphenol oxidase) are associated with positive effects on ruminants’ health, performance and nitrogen use efficiency. However, plant growth characteristics and the occurrence of PSMs with potential for improved nutritive value vary greatly depending on species and environment and to date, few species have been exploited agronomically. Thus, the current study aims to screen a range of forage species that are abundant in low input and semi-natural grasslands, in terms of productivity and forage quality for dairy cows under limited nitrogen availability in a ley system. Pure stands of eight legumes, six herbs and perennial ryegrass as reference, were established in a field experiment and sampled over two years (2010 and 2013) in their first full production year. Freeze-dried plant material was analysed for crude protein (CP), enzyme soluble organic matter (ESOM), fibre parameters (ADF, NDF), total phenolics (TP) and condensed tannins (CT). The species variation was significant for each parameter (P < 0.001). In comparison to high yielding legumes, herbage production of investigated alternative species was generally low, but for Cichorium intybus and Plantago lanceolata comparable or even higher than for Lolium perenne. Differences existed in yield development throughout the year, thus exhibiting temporal asynchrony for improved performance if grown in mixtures. Apart from Onobrychis viciifolia, the CP concentration in legume species was highest while ESOM was outstandingly high in herbs (except Plantago lanceolata). TP concentration was generally higher in herbs but in Onobrychis viciifolia and Lotus corniculatus the concentration of condensed tannins exceeded 10 g kg−1 DM. The results indicate that alternative forage species exist with high forage quality and potentially promising PSM concentrations, thus making them interesting additions for temperate grasslands.

Cattle performance with Brachiaria and Panicum maximum forages in an integrated crop-livestock system

Crop-livestock integration is an efficient technique that enables cropping and animal production in the same area, takes advantage of all the benefits that this synergism provides, and results in greater sustainability and lower environmental impact. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the production, forage quality, and cattle performance with forages of the genus Brachiaria and Panicum maximum after intercropping with soybean in an integrated crop-livestock system and to assess the relationship between mulch biomass and soybean yield. The experimental design was completely randomised and consisted of a 4 × 5 factorial arrangement with four replicates. The treatments consisted of four forages, namely, Xaraes palisadegrass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés), Congo grass (Brachiaria ruziziensis), Mombaça guinea grass (Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça), and Tamani guinea grass (Panicum maximum cv. BRS Tamani), intercropped with oversown soybean, and these treatments were evaluated over five grazing cycles. The results showed that Mombaça guinea grass and Xaraes palisadegrass were associated with higher forage production, but the highest forage quality was obtained with Tamani guinea grass. Mombaça guinea grass, Xaraes palisadegrass, and Tamani guinea grass resulted in the best pasture performance of animals under grazing in the off-season and thus generated more benefits in terms of the soybean yield. Congo grass was associated with reduced production, lower forage quality and decreased animal production during the grazing cycles. The pasture establishment through soybean over sowing proved to be an efficient technique that reduced the environmental impact of livestock, because of the greater use of soil nutrients and resulted in greater sustainability.

Tamegrass Forage Options for Growing Heifers During the Summer

Abstract Developing methods to provide high quality forage through a majority of the year is important for cattle operations. The purpose of this study was to determine forage management options to off-set the summer “slump” with fescue. Four grass pasture treatments (10 pastures total; 1.67 ha each) were used in a completely randomized design and stocked with growing heifers (initial wt 190 ± 9.1 kg). Pasture treatments consisted of fescue (FES; n = 2 pastures with 4 head/pasture), crabgrass (CRAB; n = 3 pastures with 4 head/pasture), bermudagrass (BERM; n = 3 pastures with 5 head/pasture), and sorghum-sudan interseeded into fescue (SS-FES; n = 2 pastures with 6 head/pasture from April to July, then 4 head/pasture from July to November). Heifers were weighed in April, May, July, September, and November. Heifers assigned to FES/SS-FES pastures grazed from April to November (213 d) and for CRAB and BERM treatments, May through September (131 d). Heifers on FES grazed continuously, while other grass treatments were rotationally grazed. Heifers remained in treatment pasture through the entire grazing period. Data were analyzed using mixed procedures of SAS with pasture as experimental unit. Average daily gain for the entire grazing period was greater for heifers on SS-FES as compared to all other grass treatments (P = 0.001). Between April and May, FES heifers had greater ADG than SS-FES (P = 0.001); yet, heavier stocking rate in SS-FES resulted in similar BW gain/ha (P = 0.16). May to July ADG and BW gain/ha was greatest for BERM, then CRAB, with FES and SS-FES having the lowest gains (P &amp;lt; 0.001). From July through September, ADG was greater for SS-FES and CRAB as compared to FES, with BERM intermediate (P = 0.03); and BW gain/ha tended to be lower for FES compared to other treatments (P = 0.10). Average daily gain and BW gain/ha were greater for SS-FES than FES (P = 0.001) from late September to November. As a summer grazing option, warm season grass alternatives, either as the sole source of pasture or interseeded into fescue, are better options for gain as compared to fescue alone.

Intercropping Effects of Sophora davidii and Silage Maize on Soil Physicochemical Properties, Enzyme Activities and Yield

Crops-beans intercropping has the advantages of efficient utilization of light energy, space environmental resources and increasing land productivity. People have done a lot of research on the yield and soil nutrient utilization of grain crops intercropping system, which proves that crops-beans intercropping is of great significance in production practice. However, there is little research on the soil properties and yield affected by intercropping forage grass with shrub legume. In order to explore the ecological value and yield effect in the intercropping mode of shrub legume and forage grass, and to provide the high-quality forage resources in the region, we selected Sophora davidii and silage corn for field intercropping experiment. To study the benefit of intercropping and the feedback regulation between crop yield and soil fertility. The results showed that the land equivalent ratio was 1.501 under intercropping mode, and intercropping silage corn between S. davidii rows could improve the land use efficiency, and compared with S. davidii monoculture system, the land yield increased by 1286.4% in fresh matter and 738.5% in dry matter. At the same time, intercropping increased the content of available N in soil and promoted the sustainable utilization ability of soil. This has important enlightenment for the restoration area of S. davidii planting in karst area, taking into account the restoration effect, improving soil, increasing grass and increasing efficiency.

Herbage Yield, Lamb Growth and Foraging Behavior in Agrivoltaic Production System

Agrivoltaic systems are designed to mutually benefit solar energy and agricultural production in the same location for dual-use of land. This study was conducted to compare lamb growth and pasture production from solar pastures in agrivoltaic systems and traditional open pastures over 2 years in Oregon. Weaned Polypay lambs grew at 120 and 119 g head−1 d−1 in solar and open pastures, respectively in spring 2019 (P = 0.90). The liveweight production between solar (1.5 kg ha−1 d−1) and open pastures (1.3 kg ha−1 d−1) were comparable (P = 0.67). Similarly, lamb liveweight gains and liveweight productions were comparable in both solar (89 g head−1 d−1; 4.6 kg ha−1 d−1) and open (92 g head−1 d−1; 5.0 kg ha−1 d−1) pastures (all P &amp;gt; 0.05) in 2020. The daily water consumption of the lambs in spring 2019 were similar during early spring, but lambs in open pastures consumed 0.72 L head−1 d−1 more water than those grazed under solar panels in the late spring period (P &amp;lt; 0.01). No difference was observed in water intake of the lambs in spring 2020 (P = 0.42). Over the entire period, solar pastures produced 38% lower herbage than open pastures due to low pasture density in fully shaded areas under solar panels. The results from our grazing study indicated that lower herbage mass available in solar pastures was offset by higher forage quality, resulting in similar spring lamb production to open pastures. Our findings also suggest that the land productivity could be greatly increased through combining sheep grazing and solar energy production on the same land in agrivoltaics systems.

High level of conservation and diversity among the endophytic seed bacteriome in eight alpine grassland species growing at the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau.

Seed borne microorganisms play an important role in plant biology. Concerns have recently been raised about loss of seed microbial diversity by seed treatments, crop domestication and plant breeding. Information on the seed microbiomes of native plants growing in natural ecosystems is beneficial as they provide the best settings to detect indigenous plant microbe interactions. Here, we characterized the seed bacterial community of 8 native alpine grassland plants. First, seed bacterial diversity was examined using Illumina DNA sequencing, then 28 cultivable bacteria were isolated and potential functions were explored. Across 8 plant species, 343 different bacterial genera were identified as seed endophytes, 31 of those were found in all plant species, indicating a high level of conservation. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Chloroflexi were the top five dominant phyla. Plant species identity was a key determinant shaping the seed endophytic bacteriome. ACC deaminase activity, siderophores production and secretion of lytic enzymes were common functions shown by isolated bacteria. Our results demonstrate that highly diverse and beneficial bacterial populations are hosted by seeds of alpine grassland species to ensure the establishment of best bacterial symbionts for the next generation. This information is useful for crop improvement by reinstating beneficial seed microbial diversities for high-quality forage and crop seeds.

Sowing Date and Genotype Influence on Yield and Quality of Dual-Purpose Barley in a Salt-Affected Arid Region

Dual-purpose barley is an alternative approach to producing high-quality forage yield plus an acceptable grain yield in marginal environments of arid regions that are characterized by lack of forage. Field experiment was performed in two consecutive growing seasons at an arid region affected by salinity in irrigation water and soil at Western Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. The study aimed to optimize sowing date and screen salt-tolerant barley genotypes that perform better in terms of forage yield and quality as well as grain and biomass yield production in salt-affected environment. Sowing dates, genotypes, and their interaction significantly impacted most of the studied variables such as forage yield, crude protein yield, and grain and biomass yields. The early sowing in late October yielded higher than intermediate sowing in mid-November and late sowing in early December. Some of the tested genotypes performed better than others as indicated by about 50% higher forage yield, 6% crude protein content, 39% grain and 21% biological yields (total aboveground dry matter), suggesting higher adaptation capacity. Interestingly, grain and biological yields did not differ significantly between dual-purpose approach and grain-only pattern. In conclusion, dual-purpose barley was found favorable for producing grain and forage production in similar environments under early sowing date.

Effectiveness of a feed additive with a high degree of protein protection in feeding fresh cows

Intensive dairy farming in modern conditions is impossible without a solid forage base and the use of high-quality forage resources. A high level of cow productivity presupposes adequate nutrition for the animal at all physiological periods of its life. Due to the fact that cows consume relatively little feed during the first period of lactation, the primary task of livestock breeders is to provide the body of highly productive animals with the necessary amount of energy, protein and other nutrients. The article presents the data of a scientific experiment on the use of non-degradable protein in the rumen PassPro Balance in diets for fresh cows. The feed additive under study contributes to an increase in the level of dry matter consumption by animals. The average daily milk yield of the experimental group, which received the studied supplement, significantly increased by 12.0% (P &lt;0.05) in comparison with the control group. There was also established a tendency to an increase in the fat content in the milk of cows from the experimental group. According to the biochemical analysis of the blood serum of cows, the level of albumin in all animals was within the physiological norm. The content of globulins was below the norm in animals of all groups without significantly significant differences. The activity of the AST and ALT enzymes between the groups did not differ significantly. However, it should be noted that in both groups these indicators were within the normal range. The level of alkaline phosphatase tended to increase in the experimental group by 20.8% in comparison with the control group. Feeding PassPro Supplements Balance in the diets for the experimental group made it possible to receive 2565,00 rubles of additional profit, while the level of profitability of milk production increased by 2.02% relative to control.

Multispecies for multifunctions: combining four complementary species enhances multifunctionality of sown grassland

Assessing the overall performance of ecosystems requires a quantitative evaluation of multifunctionality. We investigated plant species diversity effects on individual functions and overall multifunctionality in a grassland experiment with sown monocultures and mixtures comprising four key grass and legume species. Nitrogen fertilisation rates were 50, 150, and 450 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (N50, N150, N450). Ten functions were measured representing forage production, N cycling, and forage quality, all being related to either productivity or environmental footprint. Multifunctionality was analysed by a novel approach using the mean log response ratio across functions. Over three experimental years, mixture effects benefited all forage production and N cycling functions, while sustaining high forage quality. Thus, mixture effects did not provoke any trade-off among the analysed functions. High N fertilisation rates generally diminished mixture benefits. Multifunctionality of four-species mixtures was considerably enhanced, and mixture overall performance was up to 1.9 (N50), 1.8 (N150), and 1.6 times (N450) higher than in averaged monocultures. Multifunctionality of four-species mixtures at N50 was at least as high as in grass monocultures at N450. Sown grass–legume mixtures combining few complementary species at low to moderate N fertilisation sustain high multifunctionality and are a ‘ready-to-use’ option for the sustainable intensification of agriculture.

Survival of probiotic strains of microorganisms under imitating digestion in the stomach and intestines of farm animals

The survival rate was studied of the probiotic strains of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus buchneri, Bacillus subtilis and Propionibacterium under in vitro simulation of the digestion in a four-chamber stomach and intestines in farm animals. The model media were prepared on the basis of a phosphate buffer solution and enzyme preparations of acidin-pepsin and cholenzyme. In vitro simulation of the digestion decreased the content of viable bacteria compared with the content of microbes at the beginning of the experiment. The survival rate of probiotic strains of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus buchneri, Bacillus subtilis and Propionibacterium freudenreichii in the model experiment in vitro in the omasum of the farm ruminant mammal animal was high. The application of probiotic strains provides a higher level simulation of the digestion process in the omasum. The content of bacteria after 50 hours from the beginning of experiment was almost as high as after the digestion stage in reticulum. The studied strains under the substitution therapy will allow the necessary number of probiotic microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract. An animal patient with dysbiosis will achieve a therapeutic effect. The transcendental Biogeogesystem Technique methodology will ensure the safety of the biosphere, providing sustainable high quality food and forage, ensuring the probiotics and prebiotics positive effect on the farm animal and human health.

Varietal differences in yield and nutritional quality of alfalfa (&lt;i&gt;Medicago sativa&lt;/i&gt;) accessions during 20 months after planting in Ethiopia

Feed supply in terms of quality and quantity plays an important role in livestock production and productivity. Here we report on varietal differences in yield and nutritional quality among 9 alfalfa accessions over 7 harvests following planting in Ethiopia. Experimental design was a randomized complete block with 3 replications at Chano Mille, Southern Ethiopia on a sandy loam soil where mean annual rainfall is 544 mm. Days to harvesting, plant height, dry matter yield, seed yield and the concentrations of the nutritional quality parameters crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose plus in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and relative feed value (RFV) were assessed to rank the accessions. There were significant (P&lt;0.001) differences between accessions and harvests in plant height, dry matter yield and seed yield. Accession ILRI_7323A performed best in all agro-morphological aspects. All accessions, except 1, produced forage with CP in excess of 30% and IVDMD greater than 80% with RFV greater than 150 at 50% flowering, indicating the high quality of forage produced. Further studies to assess the longevity of stands of the various accessions seem warranted along with studies in higher rainfall environments or under irrigation.

Comparison of forage production and nutritive value of 10 &lt;i&gt;Grona&lt;/i&gt; spp. accessions in Danzhou, Hainan, China

The demand for high-quality forages is increasing in tropical regions, and could be filled with legume species of the genus Grona, which have good nutritive value. In this study, a comparison of the forage production and nutritive value of 10 accessions of Grona spp. was carried out in the field at Danzhou, Hainan from 2016 to 2018. Yield, plant height, survival rate, leaf:stem ratio and concentrations of crude protein, crude fiber, crude fat (ether extract), nitrogen free extract, crude ash, calcium and phosphorus were measured. Results showed that Grona strigillosa (syn. Desmodium strigillosum) cv. Reyan No. 27 and G. heterocarpa subsp. ovalifolia (syn. Desmodium ovalifolium) cv. Maquenque displayed the best performance, owing to their 261.3% and 235.6% higher dry matter yields, respectively, compared with the Control germplasm, G. heterocarpa subsp. ovalifolia cv. Reyan No. 16 in 2018. Cultivar Maquenque had a higher survival rate than the Control (P&lt;0.05). Regarding nutritive value, cv. Reyan No. 27 exhibited higher crude fat and crude fiber but lower Ca concentrations than the Control (P&lt;0.05). Based on PCA ranking, we concluded that cvv. Maquenque and Reyan No. 27 could be used as suitable candidate materials for livestock production in tropical regions of China. Further studies on their tannin concentrations and their acceptability by animals are needed before practical recommendations can be made.

Effects of nitrogen and maize plant density on forage yield and nitrogen uptake in an alfalfa–silage maize relay intercropping system in the North China Plain

Sustainable production of high-yielding and high-quality forages such as alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is critically important for fast-growing animal husbandry regions such as the North China Plain (NCP). Alfalfa production in this region is limited during the hot-rainy summer period from July–September, but these conditions may allow the production of intercropped silage maize (Zea mays L.) following spring harvests of alfalfa to boost the overall forage production. In this study, an alfalfa–silage maize (AM) relay intercropping system was evaluated in a field experiment from 2017 to 2019 to assess the impact of maize nitrogen (N) fertilization rates of 0, 60, 120, and 180 kg N ha–1 and maize plant densities of 30,000, 45,000, and 60,000 plants ha–1 on the forage yield and N uptake. The AM system was compared with alfalfa monocropping (AA) and silage maize monocropping (MM) controls. The 3-yr average land equivalent ratio (LER) and land equivalent ratio for nitrogen yield (LERN) of AM ranged from 1.05 to 1.37 relative to AA and MM, indicating that intercropping was advantageous for improving the overall forage production and N utilization. Intercropping reduced the maize yield by 23–30 % and the maize N yield by 26–35 % compared with the monocultured maize across 3 years. Increasing N fertilization and maize plant density often enhanced the maize yield and N uptake in the AM system. The alfalfa stand density in AM was negatively affected by the increased maize plant density and was 30–55 % lower than that in AA. Spring forage production of alfalfa in the AM and AA systems was similar in most cases, but yields in the AM system were reduced in 2018 and 2019 when maize was grown with the highest N rate (180 kg N ha–1) and the highest plant density (60,000 plants ha–1). On the basis of the system yield, N yield, and LER, the AM system with a maize plant density of 45,000 plants ha–1 fertilized at 120 kg N ha–1 was the most advantageous and could be recommended as an alternative cropping system in the NCP to increase forage yields with a relatively low input of N.

Transcriptomic and chemical analyses to identify candidate genes involved in color variation of sainfoin flowers

BackgroundSainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop) is not only a high-quality legume forage, but also a nectar-producing plant. Therefore, the flower color of sainfoin is an important agronomic trait, but the factors affecting its flower phenotype are still unclear. To gain insights into the regulatory networks associated with metabolic pathways of coloration compounds (flavonoids or anthocyanins) and identify the key genes, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the phenotype, metabolome and transcriptome of WF and AF of sainfoin.ResultsDelphinidin, petunidin and malvidin derivatives were the main anthocyanin compounds in the AF of sainfoin. These substances were not detected in the WF of sainfoin. The transcriptomes of WF and AF in sainfoin at the S1 and S3 stages were obtained using the Illumina HiSeq4000 platform. Overall, 10,166 (4273 upregulated and 5893 downregulated) and 15,334 (8174 upregulated and 7160 downregulated) DEGs were identified in flowers at S1 and S3 stages, respectively (WF-VS-AF). KEGG pathway annotations showed that 6396 unigenes were annotated to 120 pathways and contained 866 DEGs at S1 stages, and 6396 unigenes were annotated to 131 pathways and included 1546 DEGs at the S3 stage. Nine DEGs belonging to the “flavonoid biosynthesis”and “phenylpropanoid biosynthesis” pathways involved in flower color formation were identified and verified by RT-qPCR analyses. Among these DEGs, 4CL3, FLS, ANS, CHS, DFR and CHI2 exhibited downregulated expression, and F3H exhibited upregulated expression in the WF compared to the AF, resulting in a decrease in anthocyanin synthesis and the formation of WF in sainfoin.ConclusionsThis study is the first to use transcriptome technology to study the mechanism of white flower formation in sainfoin. Our transcriptome data will be a great enrichment of the genetic information for sainfoin. In addition, the data presented herein will provide valuable molecular information for genetic breeding and provide insight into the future study of flower color polymorphisms in sainfoin.

Cattle Grazing Distribution Patterns Related to Topography Across Diverse Rangeland Ecosystems of North America

Livestock distribution in extensive rangelands of North America can present management challenges to land managers. Understanding the role of topography on livestock distribution, within and across diverse rangeland ecosystems, could provide land managers valuable information for adaptive management of livestock to address both conservation and production goals from these ecosystems. Here, we examine the influence of topography on grazing distribution unevenness and intensity of use of beef cattle in seven rangeland ecosystems spanning arid, semiarid, and subtropical environments. We focused on grazing distribution during the late growing season (summer and autumn) periods when topographic variation in rangelands is more coupled to low and nonuniform availability of high-quality forage. Pasture size and water sources strongly influence grazing distribution across ecosystems. High unevenness of grazing occurred in pastures with extensive distances to water, low stock density, and more rugged topography. Conversely, more uniform grazing distribution occurred in smaller, well-watered pastures that support higher stock density (animals per unit area) and gentler terrain. Comparison of two topographic indices, topographic wetness index and topographic position class index, in terms of their ability to predict cattle grazing distribution, revealed that categorical topographic position classes were more effective. For most arid and semiarid rangelands, livestock grazing distributions showed affinities for lowlands and flat plains compared with open slopes and uplands. In contrast to drier rangelands, livestock grazing distributions exhibited preference for upland and sloped areas of subtropical pastures, as low-lying areas with water-inundation likely curtailed selection. Across these diverse rangeland ecosystems of North America, results provide benchmark information on livestock grazing distribution to formulate improvements in adaptive management and decision making and incorporate technological advancements in precision livestock management to integrate abiotic environmental information with spatial movements of livestock and temporal vegetation dynamics.

Effects of cultivar and growing degree day accumulations on forage partitioning and nutritive value of common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) on the Tibetan plateau.

The use of common vetch in grassland-livestock systems has expanded greatly within recent years, partly because of its value as a high-quality forage crop but also to improve the soil nitrogen availability. In-field estimation of forage yield potential and nutritional characteristics is required for providing management decision to farmers on how to optimize the management and use of common vetch forages. The aim of this work was to study changes in forage partitioning and nutritive value responses of a late-maturing and an early maturing cultivar of common vetch in a two-year study on the Tibetan Plateau. This study provided evidence for differential patterns of forage accumulation for common vetch with contrasting maturity over 2 years. The late-maturing cultivar exhibited greater forage yield and a lower proportion of pods, compared to the early maturing cultivar. There was a tendency towards lower forage nutritive value with the late-maturing cultivar. Regressions of nutritive value parameters of common vetch forages on growing degree days were explained by the cubic (P < 0.001) models, all with high coefficients of determination (R2 ≥ 0.792). This study shows that the late-maturing cultivar harvested at end of the pod-filling stage produces high forage yield, increasing the availability of high-quality forage for ruminants, thereby improving the self-sufficiency of farmers, in terms of forage yield and high-concentration protein. For early maturing cultivars, it may be better to harvest at the early flowering stage for better nutritive value and in part to enable a subsequent double crop of oat. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Biomass yield, chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of maize leaves defoliated at different times

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of defoliation time on the productivity of maize, forage and in vitro digestibility of maize leaves (ML). The response of grain yield, plant height, days to 50% silking, ear height and leaf yield as well as the chemical composition of ML variety "Obasuper" to defoliation time were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with four defoliation treatments 3, 6, 9 weeks after planting (WAP) and undefoliated treatment replicated four times. Results showed that defoliating maize at 9 WAP and beyond did not have any significant (P&gt;0.05) effect on the grain and leaf yield as well as other yield components of maize. Grain and leaf yield at 9 WAP averaged 2778.35 and 975.74 DM kg/ha respectively. The DM, crude protein (CP) and fibre fractions contents of ML varied significantly (P&lt;0.05) among the defoliation treatments with maize defoliated at 9 WAP having a CP content of 12.6%. Ether extract and ash contents were not affected (P&gt;0.05) by defoliation time. The in vitro digestibility of ML decreased significantly (P&lt;0.05) with increase in the time of defoliation ranging from 59.2 and 66.4%. IT was concluded that maize variety "Obasuper" can produce forage of high quality and quantity when defoliated 9 weeks after planting wihout any anyadverse effect on the grain yield of maize.