Stem Ratio Research Articles

Suitability Evaluation of Three Tropical Pasture Species (Mulato II, Gatton Panic, and Rhodes Grass) for Cultivation under a Subtropical Climate of Australia

Exploring improved tropical forages is considered to be an important approach in delivering quality and consistent feed options for dairy cattle in tropical and subtropical regions. The present study aimed to study the suitability of three improved tropical grasses, Chloris gayana ‘Rhodes grass cv. Reclaimer’ (RR), Megathyrsus maximus ‘Gatton Panic’ (GP), and Brachiaria ruziziensis x B. decumbens x B. brizantha ‘Brachiaria Mulato II’ (BM) evaluating their carbon assimilation, canopy structure, herbage plant–part accumulation and quality parameters under irrigated conditions. An experiment was conducted at Gatton Research Dairy (27°54′ S, 152°33′ E, 89 m asl) Queensland, Australia, which has a predominantly subtropical climate. Photosynthesis biochemistry, canopy structure, herbage accumulation, plant part composition, and nutritive value were evaluated. Photosynthesis biochemistry differed between pasture species. Efficiency of CO2 assimilation was highest for GP and quantum efficiency was highest for BM. Pasture canopy structure was significantly affected by an interaction between pasture species and harvest. Forage biomass accumulation was highest in GP, while BM produced more leaf and less stem compared to both GP and RR. A greater leafy stratum and lower stemmy stratum depth were observed in the vertical sward structure of BM. Brachiaria Mulato II showed greater carbon partitioning to leaves, leaf: stem ratio, canopy, and leaf bulk density. It also demonstrated greater nutritive value (Total digestible nutrients (TDN), acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), neutral detergent insoluble protein (NDICP), Starch, nonfibre carbohydrates (NFC), metabolisable energy (ME), mineral profile (Mg, P, K, Fe, Zn) and dietary cation–anion difference (DCAD) for leaf, stem, and the whole plant. Greater quantum efficiency, leaf accumulation, and nutritive value of BM observed in the present study suggest BM as an attractive forage option for dairying that warrants further research in pasture-based systems in tropical and subtropical climates.

Using wollastonite nanomaterials in gypsum-wood composites

In this study, the effect of wollastonite on mechanical, physical, and morphological properties of composites made of sesame stem (Sesamum indicum L.) and gypsum was investigated. The mixing ratio of sesame stem as a lignocellulosic material with gypsum at three levels (10:90, 20:80, and 30:70) and wollastonite at three levels (0%, 5%, and 10%, based on dry weight of cement) were considered as the variables. Fire resistance (weight loss) was tested according to ISO 11925-3 and DIN EN 634-1 and two specifications for the mechanical and physical properties. Microstructural properties of composites were evaluated by scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imaging. The results showed that boards containing wollastonite increased the physical and mechanical properties compared with gypsum board without wollastonite. The modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity, and internal bonding of the boards decreased with increased sesame stem content, and its maximum value was obtained when using 10% sesame stem. The addition of 10% wollastonite is recommended to significantly improve the fire retardancy of the boards. The results from SEM images showed that the wollastonite can fill in the gaps inside the boards and create a solid structure.

Growth rate, leaf:stem ratio and height in crotalaria (Crotalaria juncea L.) planted at different densities

Objetive: To evaluate the growth rate, leaf:stem ratio and height of crotalaria plants (Crotalaria juncea L.), cultivated at different densities, in the dry tropics of the state of Guerrero, Mexico.
 Desing / Methodology / Approach: The treatments were: four planting densities at 400,000, 200,000, 100,000 plants ha-1 and trickling. A growth analysis was also evaluated at 30, 38, 45, 52, 60, 68 and 75 days of growth, including that the pod was fully developed. The variables evaluated were: growth rate, leaf:stem ratio and plant height.
 Results: The best growth rate was found at a density of 400,000 plants ha-1, at 75 days of development, with 577 kg DM ha-1 d-1; similar to plant height, which at this density presented 281 cm. Contrary to the leaf:stem ratio, which was greater than 30 days. Regardless of age, a descending behavior was found in the following order: 100,000 ˃ chorrillo ˃ 200,000 ˃ 400,000 plants ha-1 with 0.65, 0.60, 0.59 and 0.55 (p < 0.05).
 Study Limitations / Implications: This study is essential for future research because these variables have not been evaluated in this crop; being important for forage production.
 Findings / Conclusions: It is recommended to sow at a density of 400,000 plants ha-1, finding a higher leaf:stem ratio at 30 days of development and a plant height at day 75, when pod production also begins

Forage evaluation based on oat on scenarios of intercrop and organic nutrition

Objective: To evaluate the behavior of yield with different varieties of oat under monoculture and association conditions, applying different sources of nutrition. Design/Methodology/Approach: Oat varieties were sown under monoculture conditions and 50% association, applying three sources of plant nutrition and a control, in the autumn-winter cycle. A completely randomized design with a factorial arrangement (3×3×4) was used, with the factors being the varieties of oats (chihuahua, turquesa, karma), the associations (monoculture, triticale and vetch) and the sources of nutrition (Glomus fasciculatum mycorrhiza, liquid bat guano, combination and control). Results: Chihuahua stood out in dry matter (DM) yield, productivity index, leaf: stem ratio, harvest index and leaf area index, the karma variety stood out in botanical composition, Land Equivalent Ratio (LER), height and number of leaves. The association with triticale stood out in DM yield, productivity index and botanical composition. The vetch stood out in LER, leaf: stem ratio, harvest index and leaf area index. The monoculture stood out in the height of plants and number of leaves. The guano highlighted the harvest index, maintaining statistical equality with the mycorrhiza in LER. Study Limitations/Implications: The results are based on the interaction of the factors with an irrigation regime in the temperate climate of the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca, Mexico. Findings/Conclusions: The variety that stood out the most was the karma variety; however, the quality of the chihuahua variety can be discussed when comparing the relationships of the variables. The crop association that generated the best results was vetch, while triticale generated higher yields. The nutrition that generated the best results was guano, and there were a large number of statistical equalities with the control

Improving water use efficiency and biomass in maize, foxtail millet, and bitter vetch by wick irrigation

Water is one of the most important environmental factors in agriculture. Drought annually damages agricultural products. This loss can be reduced by some strategies. Pot and field experiments were conducted to assess the effect of wick irrigation on growth, yield and water use efficiency of maize, foxtail millet, and bitter vetch. Irrigation treatments included wick and surface irrigation (control) methods. Results of the pot experiment showed that wick irrigation had higher total fresh weight, total dry weight, and water use efficiency as compared to surface irrigation in both foxtail millet and bitter vetch. In foxtail millet, wick irrigation also had higher leaf to stem ratio, plant height, leaf relative water content and leaf area compared to surface irrigation. Results of the field experiment showed that wick irrigation increased specific leaf weight, water use efficiency, stem diameter, leaf fresh weight, total fresh weight, leaf dry weight, total dry weight, and leaf to stem ratio, but had similar fresh and dry stem weight and plant height compared to surface irrigation in maize. It is likely that the reduction in surface evaporation, reduced water consumption, and increased dry matter resulted in increased water use efficiency in wick irrigation. Overall, wick irrigation had higher water use efficiency, biomass, and plant growth compared to surface irrigation in maize, foxtail millet and bitter vetch.

Comparison of critical factor affecting the germination of rice seeds treated by LASER and plasma

The effects of laser (single, double, and triple pulse laser) and plasma treatment (time and voltage variation) on rice seeds (KS-186) with and without seed coat are investigated in this research work. Germination rate, fungus attack, root to stem ratio and water absorption was explored. The germination rate of the seeds reached 86% and maximum water absorption for 3- and 4-min plasma treated seeds whereas 100% growth rate is observed for single pulsed LASER treated leads to best root to stem ratio. In contract to the LASER treatment, there was no fungus attack on seeds with seed coat treated with plasma as compared to untreated seed coat. The protein analysis reveals that nutritional contents of seeds were enhanced due to irradiation by laser.

Effect of Sowing Window and Phosphorus Levels on Growth and Yield of Summer Fodder Cowpea

Background: Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] has emerged out as a potential crop for meeting the requirement of high quality fodder to fast expanding cattle population. There is a large gap between the demand and supply of green fodder during the lean period which can be narrowed down through the agronomic approaches. Among them, time of sowing and fertilizer application are considered to be the most important factors determining the production potential of the crop. Keeping this in view, the present investigation was taken up in order to find out the optimum time of sowing along with the optimum dose of phosphorus for the production of fodder cowpea. Methods: The present experiment was undertaken during summer, 2019 on sandy loam soils of dryland farm, S.V. Agricultural College, Tirupati. Three time of sowing viz., I fortnight (FN) of January, II FN of January and I FN of February assigned to main plots and four levels of phosphorus viz., 0, 20, 40 and 60 kg P2O5 allotted to subplots with three replications were maintained under split plot design. Result: The plant height, number of leaves plant-1, number of branches plant-1, dry-matter production and number of nodules plant-1, leaf to stem ratio and green fodder yield were higher with early sown crop i.e. I FN of January. Application of 60 kg P2O5 ha-1 resulted in significant improvement in the growth parameters, yield attributes and yield of fodder cowpea, while the lowest were recorded under control conditions (0 kg P2O5 ha-1). The interaction between time of sowing and phosphorus levels influencing the above parameters was found to be non-significant. In conclusion, the present investigation revealed that fodder cowpea gives optimum green fodder yield with high nutritional quality on sown during I FN of January with 60 kg P2O5 ha-1.

Rise in temperature increases growth and yield of Manihot sp. plants

The selection of native forage species with yield potential under climate change scenarios can strengthen resilience of the Brazilian semiarid region. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of increasing temperature on growth and morphological and yield responses of plants of the genus Manihot. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2×9 factorial arrangement (two temperature regimes and nine genotypes). The increase in temperature promoted higher plant dry mass (PDM) for genotypes A:24, A:79, A:102, A:EL, and A:GO during establishment. The percentage of leaves was reduced with the highest temperatures in the establishment, except for genotypes A:20, A:21, and A:GO. The increase in temperature during regrowth increased leaf dry mass (LDM) and reduced the leaf to stem ratio, except for A:24, A:79, and A:102, which presented similar values at both temperatures. Species of the genus Manihot respond differently to the 4.8 °C increase in air temperature. The increase in temperature shows a positive impact on the biomass production of species of this genus.

Disponibilidad de forraje en praderas de pasto Xaraés en respuesta a fuentes de nitrógeno convencionales y tratadas con N-(n-butil) triamida tiofosfórica (NBPT)

The N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT), a urease inhibitor, has been reported as one of the most promising compounds to reduce losses by volatilization, and to maximize the use of urea nitrogen (N) in agricultural systems. A field study was carried out to examine urease inhibitors' potential about volumetric density and forage mass grass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés) to N application. The experiment was carried out from September 2017 to September 2018. The experimental design used was complete randomized blocks in the 3×2×4 factorial array, considering: three periods of the year (wet season, dry season, and the transition), two sources of urea (conventional urea and NBPT–treated urea), and four N rates (0, 80, 160 and 240 kg N ha-1 yr-1), replicated three times. Nitrogen sources promoted a positive effect (P<0.0001) on bulk density, forage mass, and in the grazing stratum during the wet season and the transition season, with increasing N rates in pastures. The leaf: stem ratio decreased linearly (P<0.0045) as increased N rates, and the higher ratio during the wet season and lower in the dry season of the year. For the rates of 80 kg N ha-1 yr-1, there was a significant difference (P=0.0042) between sources, with greater (P=0.0006) forage mass of 0–30 cm, post-grazing forage mass (P=0.0042) and forage volumetric density (P=0.0006), when utilized the conventional urea. The application of N, regardless of the source, provides an increase in forage mass and volumetric density in Xaraés grass pastures up to a dose of 240 kg N ha-1 yr-1, in the transition season and wet season.

Effect of Seeding Ratios of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and Rhodes Grass (Chloris gayana) Mixtures on Dry Matter Yield and Nutritive Quality of the Fodder

The study was conducted at Adami Tulu on-station and Shashemene (FTC) sites for two (2019-2020) consecutive years with the objective to determine the appropriate proportions of seeding ratio that could optimize the dry matter yield and quality of Alfalfa and Rhodes grass mixture. The treatment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Different seeding ratios of Alfalfa and Rhodes grass were arranged according to the following treatments: T1; 100% Alfalfa +0 % Rhodes, T2; 0% Alfalfa +100% Rhodes, T3; 50% Alfalfa +50% Rhodes, T4; 75% Alfalfa +25% Rhodes and T5; 25% Alfalfa +75% Rhodes. The results showed that number of tillers per plant of Rhodes grass and leaf to stem ratio of alfalfa, CP% content, NDF% and ADF% were showed a significance (p<0.05) difference among the seeding ratios. The result indicated that seeding ratio has significant (p<0.05) effect on the total dry matter yield of the mixture of alfalfa and Rhodes at both sites. The highest dry matter yield (8.47 t ha-1 ) was obtained from seeding ratio of 25:75, followed by seeding ratio of 50:50 (7.84 tha-1 ). The land equivalent ratios for the mixture were more than one showing that mixture of alfalfa with Rhodes is more advantageous than pure stand of forage. The highest CP% content (21.2%) was recorded from pure stand of alfalfa followed by seeding ratio 75:25 (18.5%), 50:50 (16.8%) and 25:75 (14.6%) while pure stand of Rhodes grass produced the least (11.1%) CP% value. The highest values of NDF% (34.48%) and ADF% (21.25%) were obtained from pure stands of Rhodes grass while the least values were recorded from pure Alfalfa. Thus, it can be concluded that seeding ratio combination of 50:50 could be recommended for use in the study areas and similar agro-ecologies due to its high dry matter yield, good quality and more balanced mixture of forage.

Chemical composition and fatty acid profile of a seedpropagated elephant grass genotype, ensiled at different regrowth ages

This study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition and fatty acid (FA) profile of forage and silage of a seed-propagated elephant grass genotype called “PCEA” harvested at 75, 90, 105 and 120 days of regrowth. A randomized block design with five replications was used. The results were analyzed by mixed models (P < 0.05) that included treatment (regrowth age) as a fixed effect and block as a random effect. Linear and quadratic effects of the treatments were analyzed using orthogonal contrasts. There was linear increase on total dry matter (DM) forage production and linear decrease on leaf:stem ratio as a function of the increase in regrowth age (P < 0.05). In response to the advance of regrowth age, “PCEA” forage and silage showed linear decreases on crude protein (CP) content (g kg-1 DM) and in vitro DM digestibility (g kg-1); and linear increases on DM (g kg-1), lignin (g kg-1 DM), and acid detergent insoluble protein (%CP) contents (P < 0.05). All “PCEA” silages had DM content < 200 g kg-1, pH > 4.0, and ammonia N content > 10% total N. In response to the advance of regrowth age, linear decreases (P < 0.05) were observed on forage and silage linoleic, α-linolenic, and total FA contents (g kg-1 DM). From 75 to 120 days of regrowth, the seed-propagated elephant grass genotype “PCEA” presents forage and silage with low nutritional quality for feeding dairy cattle, moderate to high linoleic acid contents, and moderate to low α-linolenic acid contents. The “PCEA” forage and silage obtained from 75 to 120 days of regrowth presents low potential for production of milk naturally enriched with bioactive FAs beneficial to human health.

Evaluation of Lablab purpureus accessions in two agro-ecologies of Benishangulgumuz, Western Ethiopia

A study was conducted to evaluate L. purpureus accessions for their agronomic traits under two agro-ecologies of Benishangul-Gumuz region. The experiment was carried out at Assosa and Kamash forage research stations of Assosa Agricultural Research Center were purposively selected to represent mid and lowland agro-ecologies respectively. Four Lablab purpureus accessions (L. purpureus 147, 11609, 11640, and 6529) were evaluated in randomized complete block design with three replications. The general linear model procedures of SAS and least significance difference for data analysis and mean separation were employed respectively. Environment (E) had significant effect on plant height at forage harvesting (P < 0.001), forage dry matter yield (P < 0.01) and leaf to stem ratio (P < 0.01). L. purpureus genotypes planted at Kamash had longer plant height and dry matter yielder than Assosa, however leaf to stem ratio was higher at Assosa. Genotype (G) and G x E (G and E interaction) had no significant P > 0.05) effect on forage dry matter yield, plant height and leaf to stem ratio. In conclusion, environment had significant effect on forage dry matter yield, leaf to stem ratio and plant height, therefore evaluations of yield performance and adaptation patterns of L. purpureus genotype in multipleenvironments are very important step in agronomic evaluation and selection of better adapted and high yielding genotype.

Uniformity evaluation of stem distribution in cut tobacco and single cigarette by near infrared spectroscopy

The determination of mixing ratio and the evaluation of cut tobacco uniformity in cigarettes are vital to tobacco manufacturing. Herein, an intelligent and fast method was developed for the evaluation of stem uniformity in cigarettes using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy according to the spectral difference between tobacco leaves and stems. Tobacco samples with different stem ratios were prepared precisely and then measured by NIR. Partial least squares (PLS) prediction model was established to bring out the accurate and rapid determination of stem ratio in a tobacco blend. The relative error of stem ratios was within 3.88% for external prediction. It is worth mentioning that this model can realize the quantitative evaluation of the uniformity for cut stems in a “single” cigarette, providing a brand-new technique for the quality assurance of cigarettes in the market as well as an extended potential in the uniformity evaluation of agricultural products with similar type and quality.

Growth, yield and economics of fodder maize (Zea mays) as influenced by Jeevamrutha formulations under varying nutrient levels

A split plot experiment was conducted at research farm of Agronomy Section, ICAR–National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana during kharif 2018–19 to evaluate various jeevamrutha formulations under the varying nutrient levels in fodder maize (Zea mays L.). In main plot four nutrient levels [Control (0), 50, 75 and 100% RDF] and in sub-plot, five jeevamrutha formulations [Control (without jeevamrutha), water based jeevamrutha @1000 l/ha, water based jeevamrutha @1500 l/ha, whey based jeevamrutha @1000 l/ha and whey based jeevamrutha @1500 l/ha] were taken as treatments and replicated thrice. Better growth attributes, viz. plant height, number of leaves per plant, stem girth and leaf:stem ratio were observed with increased nutrient levels. Application of 50, 75 and 100% RDF resulted in 35.01, 61.21 and 74.19% higher green fodder yield (GFY) over control. Jeevamrutha (whey/water based) formulations significantly improved growth. Significantly higher dry matter yield (DMY) (11.65 t/ha) was obtained with 100% RDF. Whey based jeevamrutha formulation @1500 l/ha ((52.83 and 11.09 t/ha) closely followed by water based jeevamrutha formulation @1500 l/ha (51.38 and 10.79 t/ha) resulted in higher GFY and DMY, respectively. The highest gross returns and net returns were obtained in 100% RDF with whey based jeevamrutha @1500 l/ha (`94.89 and 70.32 × 103/ha, respectively). Maximum benefit:cost ratio (2.89) was recorded in 100% RDF and water based jeevamrutha formulation @1500 l/ha. Interaction effect between jeevamrutha formulation and nutrient levels suggested that application of jeevamrutha formulation @1500 l/ha in both forms (Whey and water) can save 25%nutrient dose.

Farklı Azot Dozlarının Bazı Şeker Darısı [Sorghum bicolor var. saccharatum (L.) Mohlenb.] Genotiplerinin Yem Bitkisi Verimi Üzerine Etkileri

This study was carried out to determine the forage production potentials of different sweet sorghum genotypes under Mediterranean-type climate conditions as the second crop in 2020. Three different sweet sorghum genotypes (Erdurmuş, Uzun varieties, and M81-E line) and four nitrogen doses (0.0, 7.5 12.5, 17.5 kg da-1) were used in this research. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with three replications. Some parameters such as plant height, stem diameter, plant number per m2, leaf number, leaf and stem ratio, forage yield, and dry matter yield of sweet sorghum genotiyps were investigated in the experiment. According to the results, M81-E gave the highest values in terms of stem diameter, leaf number, forage yield, and dry matter yield parameter compared to other genotypes. Forage yield values of the genotypes were between 2969.9 and 5815.0 kg da-1 and dry matter yield values were 1105.7 and 2837.8 kg da-1. Forage yield values vary between 2920.1 and 4674.6 kg da-1 for the nitrogen doses. The highest forage yield was obtained at 12.5 and 17.5 kg da-1 nitrogen doses, which were in the same statistical group. Fertilization can be made with a 12.5 kg da-1 nitrogen dose in sweet sorghum due to the negative environmental effects of chemical fertilizers.

Principal component analysis applied to the study of yield and nutritional characteristics of forage cultivars

The objective of this study was to evaluate the importance of various yield and nutritional characteristics for the differentiation of forage cultivars using principal component analysis (PCA). Data were obtained from an experiment conducted with a complete randomized block design (RCBD) with 6 replications. Eleven cultivars of forage grasses of the species Urochloa brizantha, U. ruziziensis, Megathyrsus maximus, Cenchrus ciliaris, Andropogon gayanus and Setaria sphacelata were evaluated. For yield characteristics, PCA revealed that the first 3 components explained 82.0% of total variation between forage cultivars. Similar results were observed for nutritional characteristics with the first 3 components explaining 91.4% of total variation in leaf chemical composition and 83.8% of variation in stem chemical composition. Variables that contributed most to discrimination between forage cultivars were: number of tillers per plant; number of leaves per plant; median leaf width; stem dry matter yield; leaf:stem ratio; % dry matter, % crude protein (CP) and % neutral detergent fiber of leaves; and % CP, % ether extract and % acid detergent fiber of stems. PCA was effective in identifying the key parameters that need to be measured in evaluating grass species and allowed a reduction in the number of yield and nutritional characteristics to be assessed in experiments designed to evaluate forage cultivars. This reduced both the workload and the costs involved while still allowing valid conclusions.

Fuel Properties of Effective Greenstrips in Simulated Cheatgrass Fires.

Invasive annual grasses alter fire regime in steppe ecosystems, and subsequent trends toward larger, more frequent wildfires impacts iconic biodiversity. A common solution is to disrupt novel fuel beds comprising continuous swaths of invasive annual grasses with greenstrips-linear, human-maintained stands of less-flammable vegetation. But selecting effective native species is challenged by the fact that identifying the optimal combination of plant traits that interrupt wildfire spread is logistically difficult. We employed fire behavior simulation modeling to determine plant traits with high potential to slow fire spread in annual Bromus-dominated fuelbeds. We found species with low leaf:stem (fine:coarse) ratios and high live:dead fuel ratios to be most effective. Our approach helps isolate fuelbed characteristics that slow fire spread, providing a geographically-agnostic framework to scale plant traits to greenstrip effectiveness. This framework helps managers assess potential native species for greenstrips without needing logistically-difficult experimental assessments to determine how a species might affect fire behavior.

Evaluation of Megathyrsus maximus genotypes under water stress conditions

The objective was to evaluate the production of Megathyrsus maximus genotypes (Syn. Panicum maximum), under different levels of water in the soil. This was a 5x5 factorial completely randomized design conducted in a greenhouse, combining five genotypes of M. maximus (B55, C10 and PM30, cv. Massai and cv. BRS Tamani) and five levels of soil field capacities (20%, 40%, 60%, 100% and 140%), with three replications. Dry matter production was evaluated: leaf, stem, dead material, root, shoot and total dry matters, as well as the number of tillers and leaf:stem and aboveground:root ratios. The qualitative factor (genotypes) was subjected to Duncan test at 5% probability. The quantitative factor (% field capacity) was subjected to regression, adopting 5% as a critical level of probability. There was no interaction between the factors for any of the evaluated characteristics. Significant differences among the genotypes were detected for tiller number, dead material dry mass, root and total dry mass and leaf:stem ratio. There was no significant effect of the percentage of field capacity on most of the characteristics, except for leaf:stem and aboveground:root ratios. Cultivar Massai showed the best forage production compared to the other genotypes, regardless of the percentage of field capacity evaluated. In general, the evaluated genotypes were more tolerant to excess water stress than to water deficit

Interference of weeds in ruziziensis grass pastures

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of increasing periods of coexistence of weed plants with Urochloa ruziziensis on the canopy structure and productivity of a pasture already established with this forage species. The experiment was a randomized blocks design with four replications, and treatments consisted of seven increasing periods of coexistence of forage grass with weed plants: 0 (control), 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 days after regrowth (DAR). The main morpho-structural and productive characteristics of the forage plants were determined at the end of the experimental period (90 DAR). The ratio of the first green leaf height to the tiller height increases, while the leaf to stem ratio diminishes as the period of interaction with the infesting community increases. The number of green leaves per tiller and the tiller height diminishes as the period of coexistence with weed plants increases. The presence of weed plants interferes negatively with all parameters of the grass canopy structure and productivity of a grazing land already established with Urochloa ruziziensis, suggesting that measures of control of the infesting community should be adopted up to 17 days of regrowth of the forage plant.

STEM and HASS Disciplines in Architectural Education: Readiness of FAD-STU Bachelor Students for Practice

Since the beginning of this century, STEM education has become increasingly important in preserving prosperity and economic competitiveness. Architecture has its own specific attributes. It overarches the STEM and HASS disciplines, and it should be perceived as a cultural phenomenon rather than as a field of study. The main objective of this article is to highlight the methodology based on the statistical method evaluating the correlation rate between the Bachelor’s student performance (SP) in design studio courses and STEM and HASS categories, represented by particular subjects of various areas of study. The relationship between the admission examination procedure and the academic performance of graduates in the DESIGN category was also analyzed. Although the level of knowledge and skills required based on the study results within the curricula was more significant in the HASS category, the direct correlation between subjects in the STEM category, especially engineering, and the quality of the design studio′s outputs as the main and fundamental part of the creative architectural work, was also confirmed. The authors of the article found that STEM knowledge and STEM skills do not reach the required level and, therefore, the emphasis should be placed on changing curricula, balancing the ratio of STEM and HASS categories, adjusting the credits assigned to STEM subjects, or reviewing the classification system.