Rapid Rural Appraisal for the Identification of Grassland Research Problems

Grasslands are but one subsystem of farming systems, the purpose(s) and measures of performance of which are predomi­nantly social and economic (Pearson and Ison, 1987). The adop­tion of a systems view of the role of grasslands in farming systems necessitates a review of the way in which grassland problems for research are identified. This paper describes the use and evalu­ation of rapid rural appraisal (RRA), a problem identification methodology, for identification of agronomic problems for research in the Forbes Shire, New South Wales, Australia. RRA methodologies have evolved from work in lesser developed countries (LDC\u27s) but there are indications that many factors that have led to changes in the identification of problems for research in LDC\u27s (Table 1) also apply in Austra­lia and other western developed nations. RRA is defined (Conway, McCracken and Pretty, 1987) as: - « A systematic but semi-structured activity carried out in the field by a multi­disciplinary team and designed to acquire quickly new infor­mation on, and new hypotheses about rural life». The rationale for, and features of, RRA are described in Table 1

The Effects of Graminaceous Species and Stocking Rate on Grazing Performance of Charolais Steers

High daily intakes of herbage with high digestibility are required to maximise animal production output per hectare from grazing. Tall fescue (TF) is well known for its high herbage pro­duction but its nutritive value may limit animal growth (Jacobson, 1969). Recently progress in sward species selection has provided· new TF cultivars with smooth leaves more digestible and better ingested by animals than the previous cultivars. The purpose of the trials reported here was to study, in com­parison with perennial rye grass (PRG), the influence of new tall fescue cultivars, on steers growth grazing at two stocking rates

Plant-Animal Associations in the Cereal Semi-arid Zones of Morocco

Relationships existing between cropping systems and live­stock production provide the basis for technical and socio­economic decisions in agricultural enterprises. Primov et al. (1987) reported that livestock was an integral part of crop pro­duction strategies in Abda plains of Morocco. A nation wide survey indicated that grain cereals and livestock production contributed equally to total agriculture output and 41.2 % of energy required by animals came from cereal grain and by­products; bran, straw, and stubble (Amine and Rami, 1986). Characterization of production systems for both crops and livestock and their associations was the objective of this study

Effets de la Duree de Presence au Paturage sur le Comportement Alimentaire D\u27ovins en Crau

En elevage ovin, ii existe de nombreuses situations dans les­quelles !es brebis passent la nuit en bergerie et ne sortent que 8 heures par jour au paturage, avec ou sans gardiennage. Est-ce suffisant pour satisfaire !es besoins des brebis ? L\u27 o bjet de cette etude est de determiner dans quelle mesure cette pratique modi­fie le comportement alimentaire et le niveau d\u27ingestion des bre­bis par rapport a des animaux en liberte pouvant regler eux­memes leurs moments d\u27ingestion

A Study on the Importance of Forage Trees on the Native Grazing Land

Inner Mongolia grassland has a rather simple management and low production. Artificial pasture covers 0.08 % of the total grassland, the output value of animal husbandry is only 24 % of that of agriculture. In 1984, 13.66 kg beef and mutton, 20.8 kg cow and sheep milk, 4.8 kg fine hair were produced for a hundred mu grassland(]). Herbivore value was RMB 82 Yuan. Because of coldness and shortage of forage, during the period of 1952-1985 there was a total livestock loss of 81.000.000 and per sheep lossed weight of 5 kg every winter and spring. In the heavy snowfall of 1977 in Xilingole League, 3.000.000 livestock died, taking 39.4 % of total livestock number. The long term overgrazing in some poor vegetation grassland worsened the contradiction between grass and live­stock and led to grassland degeneration. In 1960-1980, the 3.4 hundred million mu desert and the Gobi desert have been increased to 4.5 hundred million mu. In order to solve these problems, measures must be taken to increase the biomass. Forage trees are a prime factor in developing animal husbandry in native grassland. They can provide large amount of branches during snowy winter, the livestock can find survival food there. In the drought years the forage trees can at least maintain the biomass of the former years and feed the live­stock. In the heavy snow of 1977, Zhenglan Banner had a survival rate as high as 90 % because of its 15.7 % forest cover­age. Meanwhile the neighbouring Abahanar Banner with poor forestry coverage had only a 10 % survival rate. If the whole League have had the favorable condition as that of Zhenglan Banner, there could have been 2.700.000 livestock saved

The Changes of Population Structure of Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) in an Establishing Sward

To study the changes of population structure in.an establishing sward of timothy, we carried out the field experiment, and the demography and the spatial distribution of timothy plants for about a half year. Plants decreased at expotential rate and the cohort of seedlings emerging until July was dominant at the last recording date. The frequency distribution of individual tiller number shifted to more right-skewed as plants grew. Large plants were liable to survive to the succeeding recording dates, and there were positive correlated relationship in the individual tiller number between recording dates, especially high between October and November (r=0.93). Plant distributions were aggregate in early recording date but became random as time passed, and at the final recording date large plants were distributed more randomly than small ones. These results suggest that ecological regulations operate on the frequency distributions of plant size and the spatial distribution in a sward. Also, these suggest that the dominance and suppression relationships among members develop rapidly within a sward population

The Effect of Form and Concentration of Nitrogen Supply on Photosynthetic Temperature Optima and Light Saturation Levels in Selected C4 Photosynthetic Grasses

The influence of increased nitrogen supply on the carbon dioxide gas exchange characteristics of indigenous C4 photosynthetic grasses and Zea mays L. were determined in this study. The grasses investigated were Themeda triandra Forsk, Hyparrhenia hirta (L) Stapf. and Eragrostis curvula (Schrad) Nees. Previous studies had established that the carbon dioxide compensation point increased beyond the levels usually associated with C4 photosynthetic plants, within 24h of increasing the nitrogen supply either as nitrate, or as ammonium nitrogen (Grossman and Cresswell, 1974). In this study the increased supply of nitrogen resulted in a shift of both the temperature optima as well as the optimum level of light intensity for photosynthetic activity. In both cases the shift was towards a lower optimum level, approximating the levels normally found associated with C3 photosynthetic plants. The changes in carbon dioxide gas exchange characteristics resulting from an increase in nitrogen supply are discussed

Horses or Housing? Lexington\u27s Fight to Save the Horse Industry and House its Low-Income Community

Kentucky has a long and nuanced history with horseracing–one of its most impactful heritage industries. The equine industry is so integral in Kentucky that Lexington, one of the state’s largest cities, is deemed the “Horse Capital of the World.” Some of the best racehorses in the world were bred in Lexington, including American Pharoah and Secretariat. Kentucky has had racetracks since the late 1700s, around the same time as its founding, but Kentucky’s heritage industry does not stop there; it also includes the equine sales industry and equine veterinary care. Because this heritage industry is such an intrinsic part of Kentucky’s history and its future, protecting this heritage industry is an important goal for lawmakers and citizens all over Kentucky

Molecular mechanisms and comparative transcriptomics of diapause in two corn rootworm species (Diabrotica spp.)

Diapause is a programmed developmental arrest that can occur at any developmental stage depending on species, but the mechanisms that underscore embryonic diapause are poorly understood. Here, we identified molecular mechanisms underscoring distinct phases of diapause in the Diabrotica spp. complex. This species complex in- cludes economically significant agricultural pests, notably the western corn rootworm (WCR) and northern corn rootworm (NCR), which cause major losses in maize production. Rootworms undergo an obligate embryonic diapause to synchronize their life cycles with host plants, and we sequenced transcriptomes from both species at five time points (pre-diapause, diapause initiation, diapause maintenance, diapause termination, and post- diapause). Our results indicate that transcriptional regulation is dynamic during diapause. Diapause initiation involves shutdown of the cell cycle by downregulating cyclin-related genes, downregulation of aerobic meta- bolism, with concurrent upregulation of stress-related genes, especially heat shock proteins, the proteasome, and immune-related genes. During post-diapause development, there is a dramatic activation cellular respiration, which may be controlled by insulin signaling. Comparative transcriptomic analyses between WCR and NCR indicated that while many gene expression changes were conserved across species, overall gene expression profiles were distinct, indicating that many transcriptional changes are species-specific, despite the close phylogenetic relationship and phenotypic similarity between these species. This study sheds light on the suite of mechanisms that allow some organisms to pause the symphony of cellular events that occur during embryonic development and persist for several months as a tiny egg. Further, the mechanisms identified here may contribute to further research and pest management efforts in this economically important pest group