Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Comparison Of Degradation Gradients Of A Conventional Vs A High Pressure Grazing System, P. J. Malan, Jamie Paulse

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Grazing management is important for general ecosystem health and sustainable livestock production. Historic grazing practices caused grassland degradation. Regenerative grazing practices can improve soil and plant health. This study aimed to determine if a high pressure grazing approach, in fact improves soil and plant health, compared to a conventional grazing system. A degradation gradient (away from watering places) approach were followed. The study site is situated in the Kalahari bushveld bioregion of the North West province of South Africa. Two adjacent farms were selected, one practicing a conventional four camp rotational grazing system, and the other practicing high pressure grazing …

Feeding Concentrate Formulated With Native Irish Feed Ingredients And A Low Crude Protein Content To Grazing Dairy Cows Has No Effect On Milk Production Or Milk Composition, Z. C. Mckay, K. M. Pierce, A. G. Fahey, M. Wallace, N. Walsh, N. J. Ryan, P. Rice, A. Ryan, F. J. Mulligan

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and feeding native feed ingredients offers potential to improve the environmental sustainability of dairy production. However, improving NUE is a key challenge in grass-based systems due to high crude protein (CP) levels in grass and low nitrogen retention by dairy cows. In addition, concentrate feed typically contains imported feed ingredients which contribute to increased carbon footprint. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of concentrate CP level and ingredient source on milk production and composition. Forty-two mixed-parity Holstein-Friesian cows were blocked on parity and balanced on days in milk (DIM), milk …

Managing Interspecies Competition To Improve Spring Pasture, Kelly M. Mercier, Eric D. Billman, K. Soder, D. M. Jaramillo, Sarah C. Goslee, P. A. Adler

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) is one of the earliest maturing pasture grasses utilized in the northeastern United States. However, wet springs can delay forage harvesting resulting in advanced forage maturity and reduction in nutritive value. Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a tall, upright-growing forb that shows promise as a high-energy companion crop to orchardgrass and may delay orchardgrass maturity through shading effects on plant morphology. The objective of this study was to evaluate monocultures and mixtures of orchardgrass, chicory, and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) over two consecutive springs to determine the effects of species diversity on …

Nutritive Value Of South-Central Kentucky Forbs, Tyler M. Miller, S. R. Smith

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

South Central Kentucky pastures serve as a host for a plethora of forbs found throughout the Upper South and Midwest United States. In this region, forbs can be numerous within pastures that are under- managed. Many producers view forbs as unwanted or weedy species and may not fully understand the value that some of these forbs provide to beef cattle. With little scientific information found on the subject for the specific geographic area, the purpose of this study was to determine what types of forbs will provide adequate nutrition for lactating beef cows. Three pastures from separate farms were used …

Irrigation Effects On Forage Dry Matter Yield And Nutritive Value Of Alfalfa, Rudra Baral, Doohong Min

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is among the top four field crops in United States (U.S.) in terms of acreage harvested and economic value. Several studies have documented that alfalfa requires high amount of water compared to other major field crops. However, more than 65% alfalfa in the U.S. is grown under rainfed condition where severe to moderate drought condition has been pronounced during alfalfa growing season. The magnitude of yield loss due to water-limited conditions is still unknown. In this context, the objective of our study is to evaluate the forage dry matter yield and forage nutritive value of …

Gge Biplot Analysis Of Forage Yield Performance And Stability Assessment Of Tall Fescue Experimental Populations Selected Under Grazing Pressure In A Stress Environment, Ali Missaoui, J. L. Ford, D. R. Woodfield, A. Stewart, S. Makaju

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Integrating the yield and stability of genotypes selected under grazing pressure is an important objective in breeding forage crops. Genotype × environment (G x E) interaction is a major source of inconsistency in crop performance across locations. As a result, a genotype is considered stable if it has a low contribution to the G x E interaction. This study explores the effects of G x E interaction on yield and stability of 10 tall fescue experimental populations selected for persistence under grazing pressure outside the area of adaptation of the species (stress environment). Six standard checks were included. The populations …

Identification Of Endangered Range Plant Species And Change In Ground Cover In North Kordofan State, Sudan, Mohammed D. Elnazeir, A. A. Khatir, A. M. Morakah

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

This study was conducted in North Kordofan State. With the objectives of identifying change in ground cover, other range attributes and the endangered plant species. The primary source of data was mainly from previous studies, while secondary data were obtained from field work using loop and transect method, personal interviews, rapid rural appraisal technique and direct observation, SPSS software was used in statistical analysis. The results indicate that there were notable changes in range composition. Percentage live plants and decreased by 17.5, while litter and rock increased by 17.9% and 0.30%. Some of the species still exist, with higher percentage …

Strategies For Seed Quality Improvement In Eastern Gamagrass, A Tripsacum Species, J. I. Morrison

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In the southeastern United States, perennial warm-season grasses constitute the backbone of many forage production systems, whether for grazing or harvested feed. North American native plants offer unique ecosystem benefits as well as high forage quality when managed properly. Popular native grasses used for grazing in the southeastern US include Andropogon (bluestems), Sorghastrum (indiangrass) and members of the genus Tripsacum including eastern gamagrass (T. dactyloides) in North and Central America; Guatemala grass (T. fasciculatum syn. T. andersonii) in Latin America and the West Indies; and wide-leaf gamagrass (T. latifolium) throughout Mesoamerica. Eastern gamagrass …

Chlorophyll And Mineral Dynamics Of Perennial Grass Species Found In Semi- Arid Rangelands Of South Africa, N. H. Msiza, K. E. Ravhuhali, H. K. Mokoboki, Sydney Mavengahama, L. E. Motsei

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Minerals are essential for ruminants and are mostly provided by grass species. Their growth stage is vital in the supply of these minerals. Perennial grass species have been mostly undervalued, owing to the scarce information concerning their potential feeding value and little documentation about their potential nutritive value in different growth stages. This study was conducted to investigate the chlorophyll and mineral concentration of grass species at different growth stages under greenhouse conditions at the North-West University Experimental farm, North West province, South Africa. The soil, collected from different villages, was mixed and samples were drawn for chemical analysis before …

Farmer Experiences With Alfalfa In The Southern U.S.A., M. K. Mullenix, L. S. Silva, C. G. Prevatt, J. J. Tucker

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a forage crop of primary importance in the United States (USA); however, adoption and use in the southern USA region has been limited. The combination of adapted alfalfa cultivars and management strategies which demonstrate extended forage growing season length, improved forage nutritive value, and reduced N fertilizer inputs have renewed interest in forage-livestock farmers to consider planting alfalfa. A series of Extension-based educational strategies have been used in the southern USA to 1) create awareness on the use of alfalfa, 2) educate farmers regarding establishment and management practices, and 3) showcase opportunities and challenges …

Opportunities For Promoting The Adoption Of Forages In Kenya, Joseph G. Mureithi, Elkana M. Nyambati

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Livestock production plays an important socio-economic role in many areas across Kenya. They are kept in all the major livestock production systems including smallholder mixed crop- livestock system, crop-livestock-tree production system, and pastoral/extensive livestock production system, which occupy about 70% of land in Kenya. Livestock production is mainly constrained by inadequate feed quantity and quality. Forage forms the major source of feed for ruminant livestock as they provide high-quality forage to alleviate feed shortages. The demand for pasture and fodder production and conservation to meet livestock feed requirements, particularly during the dry seasons, has created the need to re-position the …

Evaluation Of Apomictic Megathyrsus Maximus Accessions And Ecotypes To Improve Feed Availability In Western Kenya, David Miano Mwangi, S. W. Mwendia, Joseph G. Mureithi, P. Karimi, Maurice Mudeheri, An Notenbaert, Andres Juan, Tarus David

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In Kenya, the dairy sub-sector is dominated by smallholder farmers, who keep between 1-10 dairy cows, and produce over 80% of the marketed milk in the country. The sub-sector is characterized by low milk production, long calving intervals and high calf mortality. The main constraint is the lack of year- round quality feeds hence the low lactation yield of 1,400 litres from animals capable of 3,500 - 4,000 litres. The main feed is Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus) formerly Pennisetum purpureum. However, in the last decade the productivity and reliability of Napier grass has been constrained by the emergence Napier …

Annual Clovers Around The World: Current Status And Future Prospects, P. G. H. Nichols, G. R. Smith, D. J. Moot, Serkan Ates, Claudio Porqueddu, Esteban F. Rios, Mounir Louhaichi, Alejandro Del Pozo, N. Kotze, Alan W. Humphries, K. Ghamkhar, M. H. Ryan

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

This paper reviews the distribution and importance of annual clover (Trifolium) species for pasture and fodder production systems globally. Of the 158 recorded annual Trifolium species, 65.2% are endemic to the Mediterranean basin and surrounding areas, 14.6% to sub-Saharan Africa, 17.7% to the United States of America and 2.5% to Chile. Fourteen species have been commercialised, while other endemic and naturalised annual clovers are also utilised. Key species for self-regenerating pastures include T. subterraneum, T. michelianum and T. respinatum var. resupinatum, while major dual-purpose grazing and fodder species include T. incarnatum, T. vesiculosum, T. alexandrinum and T. …

Domestication Of The Annual Legume Trigonella Balansae For Mixed Farming Systems In Southern Australia, M. G. Wilmot, H. C. Norman, J. K. Hendry, P. Young, Elizabeth L. Hulm, A. Toovey, R. J. Harrison

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

An accession of the annual legume Trigonella balansae Boiss. and Reuter. has been selected for commercial release in Australia. The annual legume has significant potential as a self-regenerating pasture within mixed farming systems. As part of a duty-of-care assessment, we tested the hypothesis that sheep grazing the trigonella cultivar will have similar liveweight, condition scores, health and wool production to sheep grazing two widely adopted annual legumes, subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L. cv Dalkeith) and French serradella (Ornithopus sativus Brot. cv. Erica). Forage dry matter digestibility (DMD), crude protein (CP), fibre, mineral content and isoflavones were measured across …

Pasture Production And Grazing System In Assist Project: Outcome And Replication Viability In Nigeria For Sustainable Ruminant Production, Okanlade A. Lawal-Adebowale, M. Jordana Rivero, John Hunt, Sarah Morgan, Hannah Fleming, R. Pywell, Jonathan Storkey

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

As important as pasture is to productive management of cattle, sheep and goats, intensive development of grassland for ruminant animals is rare in Nigeria largely due to no conscious effort at pasture cultivation in the country. Consequently, nomadic and free grazing systems remain a practice in the country, with resultant poor animal productivity and agro-related conflicts between ruminant keepers and crop farmers and/or agro-processors. The need to revert this situation underscored the exploration of the potential value of the innovative pasture production and grazing management system tested under the Achieving Sustainable Agricultural Systems (ASSIST) programmme in Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom, …

Tillering Of ‘Marandu’ Brachiaria Under Different Nitrogen Rates In The Brazilian Savannah, A. B. O. Assis, A. L. Bocchi, T. C. Pedrosa, A. O. Matos, A. P. B. Soares

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The tiller is the basic unit of grass growth and tiller density determines the horizontal ground cover, leaves production and pastures perennially. The objective in this study was to quantify the number of aerial and basal tillers and basal:aerial tillers ratio in Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu, established in Brazilian savannah, submitted to nitrogen doses (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N/ha). The experiment was carried out in the Forage and Pasture Sector of Jataí Federal University (UFJ) and after soil correction and fertilization, plots were established with Marandu palisade grass in a randomized block design, with four replications and four …

Could Formononetin Of Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense L.) Be Enhanced By Phosphorus And Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Management?, Fernando Ortega-Klose, Andrés Quiroz, L. Bardehle, P. Aguilera

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Red clover is a forage legume of importance in the world with limited persistency; in Chile this is due mainly to the root borer (Hylastinus obscurus Marsham) infestation. Our previous studies have shown that there is a strong relationship between the root borer and the formononetin content in roots of the plants; therefore, studying factors that enhance the concentration of formononetin in the plant could help to decrease the negative effect of the root borer. The purpose of this research was to assess the relationship between phosphorus availability (P) in the soil interacting with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) over …

The Influence Of High Density Grazing And Conventional, Rotational Grazing On Soil And Vegetation Parameters In The Semi-Arid And Mesic Grasslands Of South Africa, Jamie Paulse, C. Visser, P. J. Malan, G. N. Smit, F. H. De Witt

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In South Africa, multi-camp rotational grazing using ‘conservative stocking rates’ have been the conventional approach to livestock grazing management systems. However, as of late, the high-desnity approach (used interchangeably – depending on the situation – with regenerative grazing, mob grazing, short duration, high pressure grazing, rapid rotation, time controlled, ultra-high density, holistic grazing and holistic resource management) has been adopted by numerous farmers. This approach is considered to be an adaptable one, incorporating the ‘herd effect’ concept, whereby large numbers of animals occupy an area for short periods of time, and allowed an extended rest period. It claims to improve …

Investigating The Roles Of Plants, Fungi, And Biocrusts In Nutrient Movement Within Dryland Ecosystems, Catherine E. Cort

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In dryland ecosystems, plant productivity and microbial decomposition are often separated in space and time due to the asynchronous availability of soil moisture and organic matter inputs. It has been proposed that fungi play a key functional role in connecting these cycles by facilitating movement of water, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) through a network of shared hyphae between plant roots and biological soil crust (biocrust) communities at the soil surface. This connection, also known as the â??fungal loop,â?? effectively re-couples processes of nutrient release and uptake between primary producers and minimizes ecosystem N losses due to leaching, erosion, and …

Can Phytoremediation-Induced Changes In The Microbiome Improve Saline/Sodic Soil And Plant Health?, Achal Neupane, Duncan Jukubowski, Douglas Fiedler, Liping Gu, Sharon A. Clay, David E. Clay, Shin-Yi Marzano

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Increasing soil salinity and/or sodicity is an expanding problem in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) of North America. This study investigated the impact of phytoremediation on the soil microbiome and if changes, in turn, had positive or negative effects on plant establishment. Amplicon sequencing and gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer analysis compared root metabolites and microbial composition of bulk vs. rhizosphere soils between two soil types (productive and saline/sodic). Beta-diversity analysis indicated that bacterial and fungal communities from both the bulk and rhizosphere soils from each soil type clustered separately, indicating dissimilar microbial composition. Plant species also influenced both root-associated bacterial and …

Supporting Dataset For The Influence Of Tile-Water On Groundwater Nitrate Concentrations Within A Saturated Riparian Buffer Zone, Aminat Tosin Abdulsalam, Eric Wade Peterson

Faculty Publications-- Geography, Geology, and the Environment

In the U.S. Midwest, where fertile soils with high water retention are prevalent, the installation of tile drainage networks have become a common practice to drain excess soil water, which enhances plant growth and increases crop productivity. However, tile drainage networks coupled with the use of inorganic fertilizers have significant implications on water quality, contributing to eutrophication, leading to harmful algal blooms, and resulting in hypoxic conditions in surface water bodies. To mitigate excess nutrient exports to surface water bodies, edge-of-field practices have been introduced. One such practice is the saturated riparian buffer (SRB), which utilizes a diversion system to …

Analysis Of Ultra-Wideband Voltage Pulse Propagation On Dispersive Absorptive Transmission Lines, Katherine Aho

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Electromagnetic transient waves are pulsed events that occur when there is an abruptchange in the typical steady-state conditions on a transmission line. Digital pulses on integrated circuits and a lightning strike on overhead power lines are some examples of transient voltage pulses. Although transients occur within a very short time duration, they can propagate over long distances; much farther than a slowly-varying envelope signal can propagate. Lingering effects of transients can be damaging to electrical equipment if they are not properly mitigated. Despite the negative effects of transients, certain designed transient pulses may be used to an advantage in remote …

Soil And Fertiliser Management For Orchards In The Manjimup District, Neil Lantzke, Simon Yeap, Lukasz Kotula, B Goldspink, Valeria Almeida Lima, John Kammann

Horticulture research reports

This publication aims to give orchardists a broad understanding of the soils in the Manjimup district. It provides information on soil and fertiliser management that will assist in the sustainable production of fruit crops. This document was prepared for a Soils Course for horticulturalists, that was held in September 2023 at Manjimup Horticultural Research Centre.

The Manjimup local government area (LGA) is the most important horticultural district in Western Australia, particularly for fruit and in 2020 the total value of horticultural production was valued at $236 million (Figure 1). Avocados and apples were the most valuable horticultural crops, valued at …

Estimating Soil Texture By Hand, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Estimating or measuring soil texture provides valuable information about soil properties affecting crop and pasture growth. Soil texture affects the movement and availability of air, nutrients, and water in soil. A simple and quick measure of soil texture is the way a soil feels when manipulated by hand.

The department recommends laboratory testing of soil texture (and other factors) for all critical soil uses, including farm dam construction and claying.

Small-Strain Site Response Of Soft Soils In The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Region Of California Conditioned On Vₛ₃₀ And Mhvsr, Tristan E. Buckreis, Jonathan P. Stewart, Scott J. Brandenberg, Pengfei Wang

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Sites located in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region of California typically have peaty-organic soils near the ground surface, which are characteristically soft, with shear wave velocities as low as 30 m/s. These unusually soft geotechnical conditions, which are outside the range of applicability of existing ergodic site amplification models, can be anticipated to produce significant site effects during earthquake shaking. We evaluate site response for 36 seismic stations in the Delta region using non-ergodic methods with low-amplitude ground motion data. We model first-order site effects using a period-dependent relation conditioned on the 30 m time-averaged shear wave velocity (V …

Reducing The Uncertainty In Estimating Soil Microbial-Derived Carbon Storage, Han Hu, Chao Qian, Ke Xue, Rainer Georg Jörgensen, Marco Keiluweit, Chao Liang, Xuefeng Zhu, Ji Chen, Yishen Sun, Haowei Ni, Jixian Ding, Weigen Huang, Jingdong Mao, Rong-Xi Tan, Jizhong Zhou, Thomas W. Crowther, Zhi-Hua Zhou, Jiabao Zhang, Yuting Liang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems and plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change and enhancing soil productivity. Microbial-derived carbon (MDC) is the main component of the persistent SOC pool. However, current formulas used to estimate the proportional contribution of MDC are plagued by uncertainties due to limited sample sizes and the neglect of bacterial group composition effects. Here, we compiled the comprehensive global dataset and employed machine learning approaches to refine our quantitative understanding of MDC contributions to total carbon storage. Our efforts resulted in a reduction in the relative standard errors …

Simulation Of Wave Propagation In Granular Particles Using A Discrete Element Model, Syed Tahmid Hussan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The understanding of Bender Element mechanism and utilization of Particle Flow Code (PFC) to simulate the seismic wave behavior is important to test the dynamic behavior of soil particles. Both discrete and finite element methods can be used to simulate wave behavior. However, Discrete Element Method (DEM) is mostly suitable, as the micro scaled soil particle cannot be fully considered as continuous specimen like a piece of rod or aluminum. Recently DEM has been widely used to study mechanical properties of soils at particle level considering the particles as balls. This study represents a comparative analysis of Voigt and Best …

Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry For Sensing Salinity And Sodicity In Glacial Northern Great Plains Soils With Machine Learning Models, Adam Devlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Saline and sodic soils are an increasing concern across the Northern Great Plains (NGP) due to factors of climate change and land management that are drawing geologically derived salts to the land surface. Traditional laboratory assessments, such as electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), are time and resource consumptive. Portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) may be a viable proximal sensing alternative, as it is able to provide elemental data in minutes, in situ or ex situ, and can directly quantify salinity-associated elements like Ca, Mg, and S. PXRF paired with predictive models has proven useful for a range of …

Various Surfactant Soil Conditioner Effect On Plant Nutrient Concentration, Soil Nutrient Depletion, Soil Volumetric Water Content, Plant Biomass And Yield In Corn, Timothy Veldkamp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil conditioners help improve soil structure by increasing aeration, water infiltration and water holding capacity leading to nutrient availability and reduced irrigation needs. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of multiple soil conditioners (SC1, SC2, SC3, SC4, and SC5) on corn (Zea mays L.) and their ability to reduce irrigation by 30%. This was evaluated in the field in 2022 and 2023 by Aurora, SD using a Randomized Complete Block Design with six replications. Conditioners were applied as broadcast pre-emergence treatments with 70% irrigation. Control treatments of 70% and 100% irrigation, respectively were included. SC1 application …

A Gis Tool For Optimal Forage Species Selection, David B. Hannaway, Christopher Daly, Michael D. Halbleib, Linda Brewer, Sophie Baur, Chelsea Clark, Emilie Krecklow, Scott Bassett

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

To determine appropriate forage species for US ecoregions, geographic information technologies (GIS) are being used to create climatic and soil factor maps. Excel spreadsheets and RStudio are used to create response functions of forage species to minimum and maximum temperature, annual precipitation, soil pH, soil salinity, and salinity. National forage data and expert opinion will evaluate quantitative tolerances, seasonal yield profiles, and pollinator suitability. These maps and agronomic and livestock use information will be shared with forage specialists and farmers to provide alternatives for improved perenniality, increased diversity, and system circularity. Future work will include development and evaluation of climate …