Seasonal Forage Research Articles

Modeling the impact of measured and projected climate and management systems on agricultural fields: Surface runoff, soil moisture, and soil erosion.

As global climate change poses a challenge to crop production, it is imperative to prioritize effective adaptation of agricultural systems based on a scientific understanding of likely impacts. In this study, we applied an integrated watershed modeling framework to examine the impacts of projected climate on runoff, soil moisture, and soil erosion under different management systems in Central Oklahoma. The proposed model uses measured climate data and three downscaled ensembles from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) at the water resources and erosion watershed to understand the impact of climate change and various climate conditions under three management systems: (1) continuous winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) under conventional tillage (WW-CT; baseline system), (2) continuous winter wheat under no-till (WW-NT), and (3) cool and warm season forage cover crop mixes under no-till (CC-NT). The study indicates that the occurrence of agricultural drought is projected to increase while erosion rates will remain unchanged under the WW-CT. In contrast, climate simulations imposed on the WW-NT and CC-NT systems significantly reduce runoff and sediment while preserving soil moisture levels. Especially, implementing the CC-NT system can bolster food security and foster sustainable farming practices in Central Oklahoma in the face of a changing climate.

Effective pest management approaches can mitigate honey bee (Apis mellifera)colony winter loss across a range of weather conditions in small-scale, stationary apiaries.

Managed honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies in North America and Europe have experienced high losses in recent years, which have been linked to weather conditions, lack of quality forage, and high parasite loads, particularly the obligate brood parasite, Varroa destructor. These factors may interact at various scales to have compounding effects on honey bee health, but few studies have been able to simultaneously investigate the effects of weather conditions, landscape factors, and management of parasites. We analyzed a dataset of 3,210 survey responses from beekeepers in Pennsylvania from 2017 to 2022 and combined these with remotely sensed weather variables and novel datasets about seasonal forage availability into a Random Forest model to investigate drivers of winter loss. We found that beekeepers who used treatment against Varroa had higher colony survival than those who did not treat. Moreover, beekeepers who used multiple types of Varroa treatment had higher colony survival rates than those who used 1 type of treatment. Our models found weather conditions are strongly associated with survival, but multiple-treatment type colonies had higher survival across a broader range of climate conditions. These findings suggest that the integrated pest management approach of combining treatment types can potentially buffer managed honey bee colonies from adverse weather conditions.

Registration of ‘FL12034‐10’ oat: A new dual‐purpose disease resistant cultivar for Florida and southern United States

Abstract‘FL12034‐10’ (Reg. no. CV‐389, PI 704483), a facultative oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivar, co‐developed by the University of Florida and Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, was released in October 2022. FL12034‐10 was derived from a three‐way cross LA06055SBSBSB‐79/FL11048 F1. It is well adapted across the southern United States and provides producers with a medium‐tall, mid‐season, awnless, white‐glumed, dual‐purpose oat that has high yield potential, good straw strength, and good forage yield. FL12034‐10 was observed to be uniform and stable across environments in the southern United States from 2017 to present. The line possesses a semi‐prostrate growth habit, vigorous growth, and high tillering capacity, and has large leaves that are dark green in color. It expresses moderate‐to‐high levels of resistance to most oat diseases prevalent in the southern United States. The crown and stem rust and Barley yellow dwarf virus ratings (0–9 scale) of FL12034‐10 were 1.7, 0.7, and 1.5, respectively, across different environments. The disease ratings were better than most of the checks. The grain yield average of FL12034‐10 from 41 environments during 2018–2021 was 6437 kg ha−1, which is competitive with check cultivars that are widely used in the southern part of the United States. The forage yield of FL12034‐10 ranged from 2358 to 6617 kg ha−1 (20 environments), which was higher than most of the checks. FL12034‐10 demonstrated better lodging and disease resistance, higher grain yield potential, and higher mid‐winter to late spring season forage yield potential than Horizon 720 and Legend 567 oats released by University of Florida.

The Productivity and Carbon Exchange of an Intensively Managed Pasture in Central Kentucky

Intensive pasture management that aims at providing season-long forage while minimizing soil degradation is increasingly becoming an important grazing strategy in Kentucky. Typically, it involves the use of high-yielding warm and cool season forage species that are well suited to local soil and climate conditions, meeting the dual-purpose provision of high nutritional value while remaining resilient to grazing pressure and changing climate. Monitoring carbon exchange is a crucial component for effective pasture management to promote sustainable pastureland management practices. We hypothesized that pasturelands, when intensively managed, would exhibit a small but important CO2 cumulative uptake year-round. We used the Eddy covariance method to measure the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) and productivity of an intensively managed pastureland at Kentucky State University Research and Demonstration station from 2015 to 2020. The study has two objectives: to quantify interannual variability in net ecosystem exchange, and examine the controlling environmental factors, in particular temperature, sunlight, and precipitation of NEE. Diurnal and seasonal fluctuations followed typical patterns of carbon uptake and release. Overall, the pasture site consistently was carbon sink except for 2016, in part due to a warmer winter season than usual, sequestering 1394 gCm−2 over the study period. Precipitation and temperature were critical environmental factors underpinning seasonal CO2 uptake and release. Of critical importance was the net carbon uptake during the non-growing season.

Potassium and Sulfur Fertilizer Sources Influence Alfalfa Yield and Nutritive Value and Residual Soil Characteristics in an Arid, Moderately Low-Potassium Soil

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) requires a large amount of potassium (K) for maintaining forage yield and stand persistence. Therefore, soil inherently low in K levels must be supplemented with K fertilizers. Although several commercial K fertilizers are available on the market, choosing an appropriate K-supplementing source for a particular soil can be crucial in boosting alfalfa yield and nutritive value. A two-year study was conducted in an arid southern New Mexico location near Tularosa to evaluate the efficacy of three K commercial fertilizer sources in improving alfalfa yield and nutritive value in a moderately low potassium (84 ppm) soil. Nine K treatments or combinations and a no-K control were tested in a randomized complete-block design with four replications. Overall, supplementation of 160 kg ha−1 of K2O in all treatments resulted in a significant increase in alfalfa seasonal forage yield and nutritive value compared to the control. Sulfate of potash combined with ammonium sulfate (AS) produced greater seasonal yield compared to other fertilizers (muriate of potash and potassium nitrate) or combinations with gypsum (p < 0.05). This treatment combination also showed greater crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, tissue Fe and S, and soil residual sulfate-S and nitrate-N. A positive correlation between sulfur abundance and nitrogen availability in alfalfa production was evident in the study. Addition of AS to all three K fertilizers yielded better seasonal forage yield than K fertilizers alone or K fertilizers in combination with gypsum. Adding gypsum to the K-fertilizers appeared to have negative effect on the seasonal forage yield. Future research should evaluate various combinations of the levels of K and S to determine the most reasonable balance.

Available Forage and the Conditions for Avoiding Predation of the Siberian Roe Deer (Capreolus pygargus) in the Lesser Xing’an Mountains

Our study focused on quantifying available forage and the conditions for avoiding predation provided within the home ranges of Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus). We conducted transect surveys in both winter and summer–autumn home ranges of the Siberian roe deer in the Tieli Forestry Bureau of the Lesser Xing’an Mountains. Our results revealed significant differences: (1) In terms of the quantity and quality of available forage, the summer–autumn home range had substantially more available forage than the winter home range, with meadows and cornfields showing the highest edible biomass in each, respectively. In terms of forage quality, there were differences in hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin content between the two ranges. (2) In terms of the conditions for avoiding predation, the winter home range had lower vegetation coverage and greater visibility, making escape strategies more viable. In contrast, the summer–autumn home range had denser vegetation and limited visibility, making hiding strategies more viable. Our study offers comprehensive insights into the available forage and the conditions for avoiding predation, which is crucial for wildlife conservation strategies and habitat management in the region, as it directly informs strategies that address the seasonal forage requirements and predation avoidance of these deer, ultimately enhancing their prospects for survival in the area.

"Get the best out of what comes in" - adaptation of the microbiota of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) to seasonal forage availability in the Bavarian Alps.

As an inhabitant of the Alps, chamois are exposed to significant climatic changes throughout the year and are also strongly confronted with changing forage availability. Besides horizontal and vertical migratory movements as an adaptation, it undergoes physiological transformations and dynamic changes in the ruminal microbiota. The following study used 48 chamois of different ages and genders to investigate to which extent the ingested food plants, the resulting crude nutrients in the rumen (reticulorumen) contents, and the bacterial microbiota in the rumen and their fermentation products were influenced by the changes over the seasons. Very little is known about the microbiota of wild ruminants, and many bacterial taxa could only be determined to certain taxonomic levels in this study. However, adapted microbiota reflects the significant changes in the ingested forage and the resulting crude nutrients. For some taxa, our results indicated potential functional relationships. In addition, 15 genera were identified, representing almost 90% of the relative abundance, forming the central part of the microbial community throughout the year. The successful and flexible adaptation of chamois is reflected in the chamois rumen's nutrient and microbial profile. This is also the first study that analyzes the microbiota of the chamois using rumen samples and considers the microbiota in a seasonal comparison.

Genomic prediction of seasonal forage yield in perennial ryegrass

AbstractBackgroundGenomic selection has the potential to accelerate genetic gain in perennial ryegrass breeding, provided complex traits such as forage yield can be predicted with sufficient accuracy.MethodsIn this study, we compared modelling approaches and feature selection strategies to evaluate the accuracy of genomic prediction models for seasonal forage yield production.ResultsOverall, model selection had limited impact on predictive ability when using the full data set. For a baseline genomic best linear unbiased prediction model, the highest mean predictive accuracy was obtained for spring grazing (0.78), summer grazing (0.62) and second cut silage (0.56). In terms of feature selection strategies, using uncorrelated single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) had no impact on predictive ability, allowing for a potential decrease of the data set dimensions. With a genome‐wide association study, we found a significant SNP marker for spring grazing, located in the genic region annotated as coding for an enzyme responsible for fucosylation of xyloglucans—major components of the plant cell wall. We also presented an approach to increase interpretability of genomic prediction models with the use of Gene Ontology enrichment analysis.ConclusionsApproaches for feature selection will be relevant in development of low‐cost genotyping platforms in support of routine and cost‐effective implementation of genomic selection.

Fodder Radish as a Potential Alternative Feed Source for Livestock in South Africa

The agricultural sector receives substantial support from livestock, which greatly contributes to the well-being of rural communities. Livestock offers animal-derived products, such as meat and milk, which serve as abundant protein sources for human consumption. While the majority of South Africa’s agricultural land is suitable for livestock farming within the smallholder sector, these farmers often face a variety of challenges. Among these challenges, there is insufficient access to superior forage resources, resulting in the limited availability of high-quality feed. Traditional nutrient sources for ruminants, such as soybean meal, grain, sunflower meal, and fish meal, are employed as supplementary feeds to provide exceptional nutrition and improve animal performance. Nonetheless, they present logistical, economic, and environmental challenges. To circumvent these challenges, smallholder producers have turned to leguminous trees, including Vachellia species and other locally available feed resources. They are utilized as feasible and cost-effective alternatives to supplement livestock, especially during periods of extended drought. However, these locally available feed resources exhibit inherent limitations, including thorn presence, high fiber content, low digestibility, and the presence of anti-nutritional and toxic factors. Cool season forage crops such as fodder radish present promising alternatives as autumn and winter forages for these farmers. Despite being widely used globally as a supplement for livestock during winter, fodder radish remains relatively underutilized, particularly among smallholder farmers. There is a scarcity of comprehensive information regarding its chemical composition, nutrient utilization, and remarkable potential to revolutionize livestock production, especially within the smallholder sector. Most of the available literature demonstrates the positive effects of fodder radish on soil structure, soil carbon and nitrogen levels, weed suppression, and other benefits. This paper systematically reviews the current state of knowledge on the nutritive value, opportunities, and challenges associated with the utilization of this crop in the cooler eastern regions.

Forage accumulation and nutritive value of four peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) market types in the US Southern Great Plains

AbstractDual use crops are becoming popular as resources like land and water become scarcer. Annual peanuts are an important food crop grown worldwide that can also be used as forage or hay. Replicated trials evaluated the late season (≥15 weeks after planting) forage accumulations and nutritive values (acid detergent fiber, carbon content, crude protein, invitro true digestibility, neutral detergent fiber, nitrogen content, and relative feed value) of four market types near Clovis, NM and El Reno, OK in 2019 and 2020. Statistical analyses (p ≤ .05) showed all traits were affected by the interaction between market type and growing environment. Overall, forage accumulations for all market types ranged from 2.7 to 6.5 Mg ha−1 with relative feed values of 107–155. The location average across sites was 4.45 Mg ha−1 with relative feed value of 132. The Virginia market types produced large amounts of biomass. However, the Valencia market type generated the greatest nutritive values. This study indicates harvesting late‐season biomass of peanuts for hay may be an option that allows producers to generate more income from limited land and water resources. However, both market type and environmental factors, such as rainfall/irrigation, play important roles in production and forage nutritive values of peanut forage.

Alternative hormone-free reproduction management of a dairy sheep flock disrupts the farm's annual feeding system calendar and its associated strategies

Hormone-free (HF) reproduction in dairy sheep is a way to meet current societal demands, but it requires being prepared for collateral impacts on related system components. The efficiency of HF practices (e.g., using the male effect for estrus induction and synchronization) is uncertain compared with hormonal treatment (HT). For example, these practices can lead to higher variability in the flock physiological stage patterns throughout the year, which has direct consequences for feeding regimens. The objective of this work was to simulate the impacts of HF reproduction management, including artificial insemination (AI), on the temporal distribution of productive performance and nutritional requirements of a conventional dairy sheep flock. Using the REPROsheep2.0 model, 6 scenarios were compared over one typical production season for the same flock (n = 597 Lacaune ewes) intensively reared in the Roquefort region of France. These scenarios depicted reproduction with HT and AI in mid-May (Early); HT and AI in July (Summer Late); HT and AI in November (Autumn Late); and their HF versions (HF-Early; HF-Summer Late, and HF-Autumn Late, respectively). In all HF scenarios, a reduction in the number of ewes lambing and consequently in the annual milk production of the farm was observed (-1 to -7%). This affected annual performance with a subsequent decrease of total annual nutritional requirements (-2 to -6%). The HF scenarios resulted in a staggering of lambing events with a 7- to 14-d shift in the appearance of milk production peaks and related nutritional requirements compared with the HT scenarios. Transitioning from conventional to HF reproduction management, while preserving AI, would increase farm workload, lengthen milking period operations, and necessitate a readjustment of feeding management strategies with regard to available feed resources. Depending on the production season, the observed delay in the distribution of nutritional requirements could be either an attractive or an unfavorable outcome for farmers. The delay may be concordant, for example, with the recently observed impacts of climate change on seasonal forage availability in Mediterranean regions (less spring herbage production and warmer temperatures) that are affecting farmers' decision-making about the most efficient use of forage and feed resources.

Early‐stage evaluation of grazed tetraploid bahiagrass experimental entries

AbstractBahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flüggé) cultivars used for forage in the southeastern United States are primarily diploids. Although producers favor tetraploid traits, for example, wider leaf blades and fewer inflorescences, compared to diploids, there are barriers to their greater use, including apomictic reproduction, lesser frost tolerance, and later initiation of spring growth. By overcoming the apomixis barrier, viable tetraploid options are now available. This study compared annual and seasonal forage accumulation (FA), persistence, and nutritive value of nine tetraploid experimental entries and ‘Argentine’ under ‘moderate’ (10‐cm stubble, 4‐week grazing interval) and ‘intensive’ grazing (5‐cm stubble, 2‐week grazing intervals) during 2020 and 2021. More upright‐growing entries, such as Hybrids 3 and 93, had greater annual FA than Argentine (8230 and 9160 vs. 6060 kg DM (ha year)−1). Similarly, Hybrids 3 and 93 were 50% more productive in early and late season than most entries. Decumbent entries had 30% greater FA under intensive than moderate grazing, whereas upright types generally had similar FA for both grazing managements. Most entries had comparable digestibility and crude protein as Argentine (∼503 and 124 g kg−1, respectively), and intensive grazing resulted in greater nutritive value than moderate grazing, regardless of entry. All entries maintained high ground cover across grazing treatments (88%–96%). The most striking difference was the superior annual FA and the seasonal distribution of FA for Hybrids 3 and 93 compared with other entries, particularly during spring and fall. This occurred without compromising persistence or nutritive value. Five entries showed superior traits compared to Argentine and should be selected for further evaluation under greater spatial and temporal scales prior to cultivar release.

Effects of Different Types of LAB on Dynamic Fermentation Quality and Microbial Community of Native Grass Silage during Anaerobic Fermentation and Aerobic Exposure

Silage of native grasses can alleviate seasonal forage supply imbalance in pastures and provide additional sources to meet forage demand. The study aimed to investigate the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum (LP), Lactobacillus buchneri (LB), and Lactobacillus plantarum in combination with Lactobacillus buchneri (PB) on the nutritional quality, fermentation quality, and microbial community of native grass silage at 2, 7, 15, and 60 days after ensiling and at 4 and 8 days after aerobic exposure. The results showed that dry matter content, crude protein content, the number of lactic acid bacteria, and lactic acid and acetic acid content increased and pH and ammonia nitrogen content decreased after lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculation compared with the control group (CK). LP had the lowest pH and highest lactic acid content but did not have greater aerobic stability. LB maintained a lower pH level and acetic acid remained at a higher level after aerobic exposure; aerobic bacteria, coliform bacteria, yeast, and molds all decreased in number, which effectively improved aerobic stability. The effect of the compound addition of LAB was in between the two other treatments, having higher crude protein content, lactic acid and acetic acid content, lower pH, and ammonia nitrogen content. At the phylum level, the dominant phylum changed from Proteobacteria to Firmicutes after ensiling, and at the genus level, Lactiplantibacillus and Lentilactobacillus were the dominant genera in both LAB added groups, while Limosilactobacillus was the dominant genus in the CK treatment. In conclusion, the addition of LAB can improve native grass silage quality by changing bacterial community structure. LP is beneficial to improve the fermentation quality in the ensiling stage, LB is beneficial to inhibit silage deterioration in the aerobic exposure stage, and compound LAB addition is more beneficial to be applied in native grass silage.

Effect of partial root-zone drying irrigation (PRDI) on alfalfa available soil P

ABSTRACT This study focused on alfalfa (Medicago sativa) to investigate the effect of partial root-zone drying irrigation (PRDI) on N-fixing crops available soil P. A three-year field experiment was designed with two irrigation methods and four irrigation volumes. Two irrigation methods consisted of PRDI and conventional furrow irrigation (CFI), and four irrigation volumes were set as 70% ETc (alfalfa water requirement), 85% ETc, 100% ETc and 115% ETc. This study showed that the PRDI had no effect on alfalfa seasonal forage yield but increased alfalfa P uptake. The PRDI decreased the soil available P content and stock but had no effect on the total P content and stock, which demonstrates that effect of PRDI on crop available soil P was different when different P forms were used to estimate crop available soil P. This study also showed that the variation in the coefficient was below 3% between soil P (available or total P) contents and soil P stocks, indicating that soil P contents and stocks were similar when estimating alfalfa available soil P under PRDI conditions. The findings of this study present a pattern of estimating the N-fixing crops available soil P in relation to PRDI.

Identifying priority protection areas of key food resources of the giant panda.

Animals that live in seasonal environments adjust their reproduction cycle to optimize seasonal forage quality. Giant pandas ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are seasonal altitudinal migrants that feed on bamboo shoots and leaves with different nutritional quality. However, the importance of bamboo shoots to giant pandas, especially small and isolated populations, is not fully appreciated. Here, we explored whether mating time of giant pandas is shaped by bamboo shoot phenology. We also assessed the intensity of ongoing bamboo shoot harvesting by local communities in 42 giant panda reserves based on questionnaire surveys. Varying intensity and protection levels of bamboo shoot harvesting were found. From these data, we developed a priority ranking scheme of protection areas for this key food resource. Our study showed that pandas time their mating behavior to coincide with bamboo shoot phenology due to the high nutritional demands associated with mating and pregnancy. We also found that bamboo shoots were not well protected in many places. Liangshan, Daxiangling, and Xiaoxiangling, containing the most isolated panda populations, were identified as the areas with the most urgent need of protection. Furthermore, equal attention should be paid to the QiongL-B population, as this region holds considerable potential to serve as a corridor between the Minshan and Qionglai populations. To address the challenges posed by bamboo shoot harvesting, we recommend establishing more practical bamboo shoot management policies, increasing public awareness of bamboo shoot protection, and providing alternative sources of income for local communities.

Native Bee Utilization of Sorghum and Community Richness in Western Kansas Agricultural System

Agricultural practices have significant and often negative effects on native bee populations. It is imperative that we understand how current agricultural practices affect native bees. Grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is cultivated heavily in western Kansas and is grown in rotation with winter wheat. Recent research suggests bees visit sorghum for pollen and honeydew produced by aphids. This study aims to confirm whether native bees utilize sorghum pollen in western Kansas. Additionally, we will examine the effect of sorghum, wheat, and cover crops on the community structure of native bees in agroecosystem in western Kansas. We hypothesize that native bees utilize sorghum pollen. We also expect that native bee richness will increase in agroecosystems with cover crops present. We also expect that native bee richness will increase adjacent to sorghum fields due to the availability of late season forage relative to those adjacent to winter wheat fields.

Wide-scale subdivision and fencing of southern Kenyan rangelands jeopardizes biodiversity conservation and pastoral livelihoods: Demonstration of utility of open-access landDX database

Globally, rangelands are undergoing rapid social-ecological changes, yet the scale of these changes is rarely measured. Fencing, sedentarization, and land conversion limit access by wildlife and livestock to vital resources such as water and seasonal forage, leading to rangeland degradation. In addition, these changes limit connectivity between wildlife sub-populations, triggering a spiral of decreasing biodiversity and weakening ecosystem function. Moreover, the combination of land privatization, sedentarization and fencing endangers pastoral livelihoods by reducing resilience to drought and diminishing livestock holdings per person. We provide a unique, urgent, and vital snapshot across >30,000 km2 of southern Kenya’s rangeland, covering four ecosystems renowned for their rich megafauna and pastoral people. We document and explore the drivers of extensive fencing (~40,000 km), the proliferation of livestock enclosures (>27,000), and the conversion of rangelands for cultivation (~1,500 km2). Our analyses were based on an open-access database recently synthesized for the region. Fencing is generally more prolific in areas that have been converted from community tenure to private title, especially where land values are raised by agricultural potential and proximity to Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. These factors drive the transfer of land ownership from traditional pastoralists to speculators, eventually resulting in the transformation of rangeland into agricultural, industrial and urban land uses. Space for wildlife (and traditional pastoralism) is limited on private, subdivided land, where livestock enclosures are at their highest density, and where there is less unfenced land and less untransformed land, compared to conservation areas and pastoral commons. Conflicting planning incentives, policies, and economic forces are driving unsustainable and potentially irreversible social-ecological transitions over unprecedented spatial scales. The lesson from southern Kenya is that a range of financial, policy and governance-related interventions are required to allow people and nature to coexist sustainably in African savannas.

Irrigation with desalinated and raw produced waters: Effects on soil properties, and germination and growth of five forages

Produced water is generated during oil and gas production in copious amounts daily in the United States. With increasing water shortfalls in arid and semi-arid regions, it could be a valuable source of water for irrigation purposes after treatment. The present study examined the effects of irrigation with produced waters on five perennials cool season forage, species western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), meadow bromegrass (Bromus biebersteinii), Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys junceus), and tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus). The forages were grown in a greenhouse, in loamy soil, and irrigated with desalinated reverse osmosis RO (231 mg/l), diluted RAW (1400 mg/l), RAW produced (8610 mg/l), and tap (427 mg/l) water. All forages were harvested three times at an interval of ≈ 90 days after 30 days germination period. Tall fescue germinated (100 %) and grew well under all four treatments. The higher biomass was with alfalfa, tall fescue, wheatgrass, bromegrass, and Russian wildrye, respectively. Evapotranspiration (ET) of the five species decreased with increasing soil and irrigation water salinity. Na, Cl, and B ions concentrations were 10.7, 13.6, and 42.3 mg/l, respectively in wheatgrass; 24.7, 17, and 14.5 mg/l, respectively in alfalfa; 27.7, 25.6, and 92.5 mg/l, respectively in bromegrass; 18, 14.6, and 59.6 mg/l, respectively in Russian wildrye; and 33, 35, and 207.5 mg/l, respectively in tall fescue, in plant tissues obtained after the second harvest. In soil, Na and B ions concentrations were 1173, 2.1 mg/l, respectively in wheatgrass pots; 1047, 1.7 mg/l, respectively in alfalfa pots; 874.6, 1.4 mg/l, respectively in bromegrass pots; 782, 1.6 mg/l, respectively in Russian wildrye pots; and 1974, 3.17 mg/l, respectively in tall fescue pots. Plant biomass decreased with increasing salinity; however, plants continued to grow even after the third harvest. Utilizing desalinated and diluted produced waters as a valuable source of water for irrigation after treatment could alleviate water demand in arid oil producing regions of the world.

Dry season forage assessment across senegalese rangelands using earth observation data

Strengthening of feed security in the Sahel is urgently needed given the climate change and growing human population. A prerequisite to this is sustainable use of rangeland forage resources for livestock. Many studies have focused on the assessment of rangeland resources during the rainy season, while only a few have focused on the dry season which is the longest and most demanding period for livestock in Sahelian rangelands. The objective of this study is to develop remote sensing-based models for estimating dry season forage vegetation mass. To that end, 29 vegetation indices calculated from each of the MODIS-MCD43A4 (500 m), Landsat-8 (30 m), and Sentinel-2 (10 m) satellite products were used and tested against in situ data collected during three field-measurement campaigns in 2021 at eleven monitoring sites across Senegalese rangelands. Four statistical models were tested, namely, random forest, gradient boosting machines, and simple linear and multiple linear regressions. The two main vegetation mass variables modeled from remote sensing imagery were the standing herbaceous and litter dry mass (BH) and total forage dry mass (BT) with a dry mass of woody plant leaves added to BH. Overall, Sentinel-2 data provided the best performance for the assessment of BH with multiple linear regression (R2 = 0.74; RMSE = 378 kg DM/ha) using NDI5 (Normalized Difference Index5), GRCI (Green Residue Cover Index), SRI (Simple Ratio Index), TCARI (Transformed Chlorophyll Absorption in Reflectance Index), and DFI (Dead Fuel Index) indices. For BT, the best model was also obtained from Sentinel-2 data, including RVI3 (Ratio Vegetation Index3) (R2 = 0.78; RMSE = 496 kg DM/ha). Results showed the suitability of combining the red, green, blue, NIR, SWIR1, and SWIR2 bands in monitoring forage availability during the dry season. Our study revealed that the spectral richness of the optical sensor systems Sentinel-2, Landsat-8, and MODIS-MCD43A4 allowed for accurate assessments of dry-season forage mass of semi-arid rangelands. Adding to this, the high spatial and temporal resolution of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery makes this a promising data source for timely monitoring. These findings can support the monitoring of the animal feed balance in Sahelian countries and contribute to enhancing the resilience of pastoralism toward feed shortage through early warning systems.

Trends of seasonal forage yield changes of triticale in the southern Great Plains of the United States

AbstractBackgroundThe focus of triticale breeding in the southern Great Plains of the United States has been to increase forage yield for autumn–winter seasons when most other forage species are dormant. This study aims to estimate the trends of seasonal yield changes over time.MethodsYield trials had been conducted in a randomized complete block design for up to two decades. Seasonal yield changes over time were estimated using linear regression analysis.ResultsThe analysis revealed a significant positive relation between autumn forage yield (relative to common checks) and calendar years when the trials were conducted. The estimated improvement of autumn forage yield was about 1.9% per year on medium and heavy soil at Ardmore, Oklahoma, and about 5.4% per year on light soil at Burneyville, Oklahoma. However, winter forage yield change was minimal and the spring forage yield increase was negative, although this decline was not significant. Total forage yield improvements were about 0.6% and 0.7% per year at Ardmore and Burneyville, respectively. Similar results were also observed when years of cultivars' introduction were used instead.ConclusionsThe results indicate a significant gain in autumn forage yield, but a minor gain in the total forage yield due to the yield tradeoff between the autumn and spring seasons.