Search Results (54)

Improving fruit quality is a core challenge in apple production in Southwest China, where long-term clean tillage has driven red soil acidification and fertility decline. However, how different cover crop species influence fruit quality through soil fungal pathways in this region remains unclear. Here, we compared five cover crop treatments—natural grass, alfalfa, perennial ryegrass, white clover, and orchardgrass—against clean tillage in a field experiment, integrating ITS sequencing with multivariate statistical analyses to evaluate their effects on soil properties, fungal communities, and apple fruit quality. Orchardgrass (DG) showed the most favorable performance, increasing sugar–acid ratio (+28.74%) and vitamin C content (+42.16%), followed by alfalfa and natural grass, while ryegrass had the weakest effects. Soil fertility improvement followed the same ranking, and soil pH, organic matter, and nitrogen were identified as key factors associated with fungal community shifts. Fungal community composition and diversity were closely linked to soil properties and fruit quality traits, with sugar–acid ratio co-regulated by nitrogen, pH, and fungal diversity, while vitamin C content was directly associated with cover crop treatment. These findings suggest that orchardgrass may be a promising cover crop for enhancing fruit flavor and nutritional quality under the subtropical red-soil conditions tested in this study, offering practical implications for cover crop selection, though the long-term stability of these effects requires further validation through multi-year trials. Full article

Grassland productivity and precise monitoring of animal herbage intake are key requirements for sustainable grazing management in Mediterranean upland systems. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV)-based multispectral vegetation indices (VIs) combined with machine learning (ML) algorithms to estimate forage biomass, quality parameters and daily herbage dry matter intake (HDMI) of grazing ewes at the paddock scale. The experiment was conducted in a managed ryegrass–white clover meadow–pasture in southern Italy, where four plots were grazed sequentially by lactating Sarda ewes during spring–summer 2025. Ground measurements included pre- and post-grazing biomass inside and outside exclusion cages, botanical composition and forage quality. Concurrently, UAV multispectral imagery has been acquired, from which several VIs were computed. Pearson’s correlations were used to explore relationships between VIs and forage variables, and five ML algorithms. Indices such as MCARI2, MTVI2, MTVI, MSAVI and OSAVI showed the strongest associations with biomass and quality traits, while support vector machine and neural networks provided the best prediction accuracies, particularly for HDMI (R² up to 0.91). The integrated UAV–ML approach proved effective in simultaneously capturing spatial variability of pasture productivity and animal intake, supporting the development of operational precision grazing tools for heterogeneous Mediterranean grasslands. Full article

Heracleum sosnowskyi is considered to be a dangerous invasive plant species that has successfully naturalized within a variety of plant communities across numerous countries. As a result of its superior competitiveness, the alien species is able to displace the indigenous species from their native habitats, thus changing the ecosystems and decreasing biodiversity. The phytochemicals present in the H. sosnowskyi aqueous extracts were revealed using GC/MS and HPLC/DAD/TOF techniques. Isopsoralen, methoxsalen, (iso)pimpinellin and/or bergapten were determined to be major compounds in the leaf, inflorescence and root extracts. Glutaric, quinic, linolenic, (iso)chlorogenic and other polyphenolic acids were identified in the extracts. Furthermore, a number of furanocoumarins, including hermandiol, bakuchicin, candinols (A and C) and candibirin F, and coumarins, umbelliferone and yunngnins (A and B), were identified in the roots. Additionally, the presence of flavonoids, including astragalin, quercetin 7,3,4-trimethyl ether, nicotiflorin and rutin, has been detected in the flower and leaf extracts. Allelopathic effects of H. sosnowskyi aqueous extracts were tested on four model plants, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and three native Lithuanian meadow herbs, perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), timothy (Phleum pratense L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.), using the Petri dish method. H. sosnowskyi flower and leaf extracts demonstrated the strongest inhibitory effects on the germination and growth of the tested plant seeds. At the highest relative concentrations, 0.5 and 1.0, extracts of Sosnowsky’s hogweed inflorescences inhibited timothy seedling growth by 95.47% (from 19.64 ± 2.57 mm to 0.89 ± 0.73 mm) and 100%, respectively. The leaf extracts exhibited the strongest inhibitory effects on white clover seedlings. The highest relative concentrations tested (0.5 and 1.0) suppressed clover seedling growth by 94.66% (from 41.22 ± 2.53 mm to 2.20 ± 0.63 mm) and 100%, respectively. Additionally, the germination rate and vigor index of model plants were assessed. The research is of significance for the regulation and monitoring of the spreading of aggressive H. sosnowskyi plants. Moreover, it is important for the development of natural herbicides based on active phytotoxic compounds from these plants. Full article

Continuous cropping leads to declines in soil productivity and biodiversity, as well as a deterioration of overall phytosanitary conditions. What if we rotate the intercrops instead of the main crops? In a stationary three-year field experiment, maize was intercropped with Fabaceae (faba bean, crimson and Persian clovers, and blue-flowered alfalfa), Poaceae (winter rye, annual ryegrass, spring barley, and common oat), and Brassicaceae (white mustard, spring oilseed rape, oilseed radish, and spring Camelina) intercrops in separate growing seasons. Fabaceae intercrops developed slowly and competed poorly with weeds. The highest air-dried biomass (ADM) was produced by Persian and crimson clovers (approx. 86 g m⁻²). Intercrops of the Poaceae family, particularly rye and oats, as well as ryegrass, which was the most productive at 200 g m⁻² ADM, germinated faster and competed effectively with weeds. Brassicaceae intercrops also developed rapidly, especially mustard, Camelina, and radish (the most productive 206 g m⁻² ADM). Most intercrops competed with maize and reduced its biomass productivity; however, their competitive effects were weaker than those of weeds. A strong negative correlation between maize and weed biomass was detected (max. r = −0.946; p < 0.01). Complex evaluation index (CEI) showed that the crimson clover–annual ryegrass–spring oilseed rape rotation (CC-AR-SR) was the most productive and was effective in suppressing major weeds Echinochloa crus-galli, Chenopodium album, Polygonum lapathifolium, and Cirsium arvense, less competitive with maize (CEI 4.82), and can be used as an Integrated Pest Management tool. Full article

Root exudates play a critical role in enabling plants to respond to environmental stresses and mediate information exchange within the rhizosphere. These compounds regulate plant–rhizosphere interactions and significantly influence the structural and functional properties of the rhizosphere micro-ecosystem. Under continuous cropping systems, allelochemicals derived from root exudates progressively accumulate in the root zone, thereby contributing to the development of continuous cropping obstacles. In this study, root exudates were collected from wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.) and four forages under controlled conditions to test their effects on seed germination and seedling growth in mangold (Betu vulgaris L.) and wolfberry, as well as on the root rot pathogen. Our research shows that forage root exudates could promote wolfberry seedling growth. White clover (Trifolium repens L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), especially, could have their growth increased by up to 61% and 90% (p < 0.05). Wolfberry root exudates could promote the seed germination and seedling growth of white clover and mangold, the seed germination of Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and the seedling growth of alfalfa. In addition, mangold root rots were identified as Molds, Aspergillus niger, and Fusarium solani and wolfberry root rots were Mucor cirrus, Rhizopus, Fusarium oxysporum, and Fusarium solani. What is more, wolfberry root exudates could promote Fusarium plaque expansion and mycelial growth. Ryegrass inhibited the growth of Mucor, Fusarium putrum, and oxysporum, and alfalfa and white clover promoted the plaque expansion of Rhizopus, Aspergillus niger, and Fusarium fulcrum, but inhibited the mycelial growth of related pathogens; mangold root exudates could inhibit wolfberry root rot, which affects interspecific relationships. This study provides robust technical support for elucidating interspecific relationships and promoting the development and application of the wolfberry-forage intercropping system. Full article

Grazing systems’ production efficiency is a dynamic interaction between soil, pasture, livestock, and climate. The magnitude of the changes is related to the mechanical stress applied by the livestock and their feeding behaviour. In Southern Chile, dairy cattle present a high heterogeneity in breeds, size, live weight, and milk production. This study investigated whether cows of contrasting size/live weight can improve degraded pasture and positively modify soil (Andosol-Duric Hapludand) physical features. Three pasture types were used as follows: (i) cultivated fertilised Lolium perenne L. (perennial ryegrass) and Trifolium repens L. (white clover) mixture (BM); (ii) cultivated fertilised L. perenne, T. repens, Bromus valdivianus Phil. (pasture brome), Holcus lanatus L. (Yorkshire fog), and Dactylis glomerata L. (cocksfoot) mixture (MSM); and (iii) naturalised fertilised pasture Agrostis capillaris L. (browntop), B. valdivianus, and T. repens (NFP). Pastures were grazed with two groups of dairy cows of contrasting size and live weight: light cows (LC) [live weight: 464 ± 5.4 kg; height at the withers: 132 ± 0.6 cm (average ± s.e.m.)] and heavy cows (HC) [live weight: 600 ± 8.7 kg; height at the withers: 141 ± 0.9 cm (average ± s.e.m.)]. Hoof area was measured, and the pressure applied by cows on the soil was calculated. Soil differences in penetration resistance (PR) and macro-porosity (wCP > 50 μm) between pastures were explained by tillage and seeding, rather than as a result of livestock presence and movement (animal trampling). The PR variation during the year was associated with the soil water content (SWC). Grazing dairy cows of contrasting live weight caused changes in soil and pasture attributes, and they behaved differently during grazing. Light cows were linked to more intense grazing, a stable soil structure, and pastures with competitive species and greater tiller density. In MSM, pasture consumption increased, and the soil was more resilient to hoof compression. In general, grazing with heavy cows in these three different pasture systems did not negatively impact soil physical properties. These findings indicate that volcanic soils are resilient and that during renovation, the choice of pasture type has a greater initial impact on soil structure than the selection of cow size, but incorporating lighter cows can be a strategy to promote denser pasture swards in these grazing systems. Full article

Temperate grazing systems require advanced management strategies to simultaneously enhance both productivity and resilience. Multispecies pasture (MSS) mixtures offer a promising alternative to conventional Lolium perenne-Trifolium repens (LP-TR) systems by leveraging niche complementarity through diverse and deeper rooting profiles that enhance drought tolerance and optimize nutrient acquisition from heterogeneous soil layers. In a field study, we compared LP-TR pastures with three functionally distinct MSS pastures subjected to varying rotation lengths (RL) and defoliation intensities (DIs). Seasonal and annual dry matter (DM) yield and botanical composition were assessed. MSS consistently outperformed LP-TR in total DM production, especially under shorter RL, which had a more pronounced effect on annual and spring biomass than DI. An 8 cm defoliation height generally enhances DM accumulation across systems. Species interactions significantly influenced botanical composition, with Plantago lanceolata contributing to greater pasture stability under environmental stress, accounting for 24–61% of total herbage DM. Furthermore, RL and DI interactions affected species prevalence, underscoring the need for adaptive, species-specific management strategies. These findings demonstrate that integrating strategic species selection with tailored defoliation practices in MSS mixtures can substantially enhance pasture productivity, compositional stability, and long-term sustainability of temperate grazing systems. Full article

This on-farm study explored the effects of diverse pasture systems and seaweed bio-stimulants (AgriSea NZ Seaweed Products, Paeroa, New Zealand) on sheep performance, metabolic health, milk composition, and carcass characteristics. A 3 × 2 factorial design was used to compare three pasture systems; ryegrass-white clover (RW), a 23-species diverse mix (DI), and functionally diverse strip swards (ST), with (SW) or without (CO) a seaweed bio-stimulant. Ninety pregnant ewes were stratified by live weight and allocated across six treatment groups (15 ewes per treatment). Lambing occurred on treatment paddocks. At weaning, 90 lambs (15 per treatment) were selected based on body weight and sex balance to continue through to finishing. Pasture chemical composition differed among treatments: ST had lower fibre (neutral detergent fibre, NDF; acid detergent fibre, ADF) than RW and DI, while SW increased dry matter digestibility (DMD) and metabolisable energy (ME), and reduced NDF and ADF (p < 0.05). Strip pastures improved lamb average daily gain (ADG) by 17% from lambing to weaning compared to DI, and by 14% from weaning to finishing compared to RW (p < 0.05). Seaweed bio-stimulant treatment enhanced lamb ADG by up to 12% and improved carcass traits, including loin and shoulder yields (p < 0.05). Ewes and lambs on seaweed-treated pastures exhibited lower serum non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations (p < 0.05), indicating better energy balance. Milk from ST and/or SW treated ewes had elevated omega-6 fatty acids and essential amino acids, suggesting enhanced nutritional value. These findings demonstrate that combining botanical diversity with natural bio-stimulants can improve animal growth, metabolic health, and product quality, offering a promising strategy for sustainable and welfare-oriented sheep production systems. Full article

Vegetation and soil indices are able to indicate patterns of gradual plant growth. Therefore, productivity data may be used to predict performance in the development of pastures prior to grazing, since the morphology of the pasture follows repetitive cycles through the grazing of animals. Accordingly, in recent decades, much attention has been paid to the monitoring and development of vegetation by means of remote sensing using remote sensors. The current study seeks to determine the differences between three remote sensing products in the monitoring and development of white clover and perennial ryegrass ratios. Various grass and legume associations (perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne, and white clover, Trifolium repens) were evaluated in different proportions to determine their yield and relationship through vegetation and soil indices. Four proportions (%) of perennial ryegrass and white clover were used, being 100:0; 90:10; 80:20 and 70:30. Likewise, to obtain spectral indices, a Spectral Evolution PSR-1100 spectroradiometer was used, and two UAVs with a MAPIR 3W RGNIR camera and a Parrot Sequoia multispectral camera, respectively, were employed. The data collection was performed before and after each cut or grazing period in each experimental unit, and post-processing and the generation of spectral indices were conducted. The results indicate that there were no significant differences between treatments for yield or for vegetation indices. However, there were significant differences in the index variables between sensors, with the spectroradiometer and Parrot obtaining similar values for the indices both pre- and post-grazing. The NDVI values were closely correlated with the yield of the forage proportions (R² = 0.8948), constituting an optimal index for the prediction of pasture yield. Full article

The objective of this work was to explore the effect of taxonomically and phytochemically rich swards, as opposed to ‘status quo’ monoculture of ryegrass and white clover swards, on animals and milk, by assessing the metabolomic profile of plant and milk samples. The results of this study suggest that metabolomic profiles and metabolism are altered by dietary diversity and grazing management. Several metabolites associated with enhanced consumer health were elevated in milk from cows that were grazed in functionally diverse swards as opposed to monoculture of ryegrass and white clover swards. The results show the value of metabolomics for the identification of metabolites associated with a ‘pasture-fed diet’, which is considered beneficial to human health compared with grain-fed milk products. Metabolomics also provide evidence that grazing management and the presence of key forages may be more beneficial for market differentiation of milk products that can enhance consumer health than maximisation of sward species diversification. Full article

Improving the quality of irrigated pastures can increase the profitability of ruminant production systems. Increasing pasture plant biodiversity is beneficial for ruminants, pollinators, and soil health, but it is challenging to manage weed incursion in seeded mixed-species pastures. This study assessed the weed incursion that resulted when forage legumes or grasses were seeded as binary mixtures with one of four non-legume forbs. Defoliation occurred at 6-week intervals as either mowing or mob grazing. Forbs were chicory, plantain, Lewis flax, or small burnet and forages were alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, creeping foxtail, intermediate wheatgrass, kura clover, meadow bromegrass, orchardgrass, perennial ryegrass, reed canarygrass, sainfoin, smooth bromegrass, tall fescue, and white clover. Four defoliations per year occurred between May and September for two years. Eight replications were grouped into four blocks and each pair in a block was randomly assigned to the two defoliation treatments, mob grazing or mowing. Plots were 1.5 m² and were assessed visually before each defoliation for the percentage of forage, forb, and weed. Chicory was the most dominant of the four forbs, and relative to legumes, most grasses suppressed both forb establishment and weed incursion under both grazing and mowing. There were no statistically significant effects of defoliation treatment on weed incursion. Full article

Conservation agriculture practices (CAs) are important under the increasingly serious soil quality degradation of sloping farmlands worldwide. However, little is known about how the long-term application of CAs influences soil quality at different slope positions. We conducted field experiments for a watershed sloping farmland’s mainstream planting systems in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of China. Orchard plots were treated with a conventional citrus planting pattern (C-CK), citrus intercropped with white clover (WC), citrus orchard soil mulched with straw (SM) and citrus intercropped with Hemerocallis flava contour hedgerows (HF). Crop field plots were treated with a conventional wheat–peanut rotation (W-CK), a wheat–peanut rotation intercropped with Toona sinensis contour hedgerows (TS), a wheat–peanut rotation intercropped with alfalfa contour hedgerows (AF) and a ryegrass–sesame rotation (RS). We collected soil samples from the plots at the upper, middle and lower slope positions and measured their soil properties after a nine-year experiment. We found that (1) CAs improved the soil properties at the three slope positions; (2) the effect of the CAs on the soil properties was more significant than that on the slope position; and (3) the soil quality index at the upper, middle and lower slope positions increased by 29.9%, 45.8% and 33.3%, respectively, for WC; 48.7%, 39.5% and 27.1%, respectively, for SM; and 21.7%, 25.5% and 21.6%, respectively, for HF compared to C-CK; as well as 18.7%, 23.7% and 20.4%, respectively, for TS; 16.9%, 18.6% and 16.5%, respectively, for AF; and 16.1%, 13.0% and 13.9%, respectively, for RS compared to W-CK. These findings suggest that long-term CA application enhances the soil quality of the slope position, of which SM and TS applied to orchards and crop fields, respectively, are the most effective. Full article

We conducted a four-year cutting experiment on herbage yield, with three years focused on testing the effect of perennial ryegrass (PR) cultivars ‘Elena DS’, ‘Raminta’, and ‘Verseka’, along with a cultivar mixture and compositions with white clover (WC) and red clover (RC) diversity, on crude protein (CP), modified acid detergent fibre (MADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), and dry matter digestibility (DMD) content. PR cultivars and cultivar mixtures were sown alone (N₁₅₀), and the PR ‘Elena DS’ and PR cultivar mixtures were also sown with each WC, or WC and RC (N₀). The average four-year herbage productivity was the lowest in PR ‘Elena DS’ the and cultivar mixture/WC, followed by all of the pure PR swards, and the highest in PR ‘Elena DS’ and the cultivar mixture/WC+RC; however, the PR ‘Elena DS’/WC+RC mixture had the highest legume proportion and CP content. There was less NDF but also WSC in swards with legumes, but higher CP content than in pure PR swards; however, the highest CP content was in mixtures with RC. Among the grasses, PR ‘Verseka’ had lower NDF contents and a higher WSC than PR ‘Elena DS’, ‘Raminta’, and the cultivar mixture. Overall, this study revealed significant differences in the productivity of PR cultivars with a potential yield difference of up to 1.7 t ha⁻¹. Full article

Red deer (Cervus elaphus), like other ruminants, excrete approximately 70% of the nitrogen they ingest. Developing ways in which to reduce the rate of loss, such as manipulating the diet or selecting for efficiency of growth, requires close monitoring of the plasma urea N (PUN) concentration which, in turn, requires a simple, safe, and reliable method for collecting samples. Saliva is easier to collect than blood, but the relationship between the salivary urea N (SUN) and the PUN is not known for red deer. This was therefore evaluated in two strains of mixed-sex red deer calves (Cervus elaphus): a phenotype with a high seasonality of growth (H, n = 10) and a phenotype with a low seasonality of growth (L, n = 13). Both phenotypes were divided into two groups, which were each offered one of two forage-based diets ad libitum: a medium-quality diverse treatment and a low-quality perennial ryegrass–white clover treatment. Blood and saliva samples for the determination of the PUN and SUN were collected at dawn every four weeks for five months (April to September 2022). There was a strong linear relationship between the PUN and SUN in the pooled sample (R² = 0.65, p < 0.001). The estimations of the PUN were significantly improved by adding diet and the date of sampling into the model (p < 0.001), but not phenotype (p > 0.75). SUN represents a reliable index of the PUN, and collecting saliva therefore represents a simple and inexpensive alternative to collecting blood samples in studies of nitrogen metabolism in red deer. Full article

Livestock production in the basins of the northern macro-region of Peru has as its primary source pastures of Lolium multiflorum L. ‘Cajamarquino ecotype’ (ryegrass CE) in monoculture, or in association with white clover Ladino variety, for feeding. The objective of this research work was the morphological characterisation, yield evaluation, and cutting time evaluation of two local genotypes (LM-58 and LM-43) of Lolium multiflorum L. in six locations. An ANOVA was performed to compare fixed effects and interaction. It was determined that the LM-58 genotype is intermediate, growing semi-erect, with a dark green colouring and 0.8 cm broadleaf, and can reach an average stem length of 46 cm, up to 1.6 cm. day⁻¹, achieving fourth-leaf growth at 28 days under appropriate management conditions. Despite the differentiated characteristics, according to BLASTn evaluation, the ITS1 sequences showed a greater than 99.9% similar identification to Lolium multiflorum L., characterising it as such. It was determined that the LM-58 genotype outperforms LM-43, achieving a forage yield of 4.49 Mg. ha⁻¹, a seed production of 259.23 kg. ha⁻¹, and an average of 13.48% crude protein (CP). The best biomass yield (49.10 Mg. ha⁻¹.yr⁻¹) is reached at 60 days; however, at 30 days, there is a high level of CP (14.84%) and there are no differences in the annual protein production at the cutting age of 60 and 45 days. With the results of the present study, LM-58 from a selection and crossbreeding of 680 ryegrass EC accessions emerges as an elite genotype adapted to the conditions of the northern high Andean zone of Peru. Full article