The Effect of Alternative Soil Amendments on the Botanical Composition, Basal Cover, Dry Matter Production and Chemical Properties of Re-Vegetated Mine Land

Coal mining impacts large grassland areas of the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. To mitigate such impacts, it is imperative to restore the once productive soils to the best possible condition. The revegetation of mine land presents a particular challenge. Soils being rehabilitated are often acidic and nutrientdeficient, which are major limiting factors in re-vegetation programmes. Conventional methods of liming and inorganic fertilisation have been used to improve the productivity of impacted soils. In the past few years the use of a coal combustion by-product, class F fly ash, and an organic material, such as sewage sludge, have demonstrated the feasibility of using such materials to amend acidic and infertile substrates (Truter, 2002; Norton et al., 1998). The objective of this research was to determine if alternative amendments can create a more sustainable system where botanical composition, basal cover, dry matter production and soil chemical properties can be improved

The Emergence and Survival of \u3cem\u3eDigitaria eriantha\u3c/em\u3e and \u3cem\u3eChloris gayana\u3c/em\u3e Seedlings on Mine Tailings Planted with Coated and Non-Coated Seed

The importance of vegetation in the process of rehabilitation and stabilisation of mined land is becoming more critical as the size of the affected areas and the impact on urban development increases. Successful establishment of vegetation on these areas are complicated by adverse physical and chemical properties of the growth mediums. These include; soil compaction, acidity, salinity and heavy metal contamination, extreme temperatures, low soil water contents and soil erosion (Oncel et al. 2000; Turner et al. 2006; Aken et al. 2007). Many of these soil/substrate conditions mentioned limit the establishment of vegetation from seed. Seed coating technologies have become a possible solution to address difficult seeding challenges to ultimately facilitate more successful establishment of vegetation in these hostile environments (Turner et al. 2006). From humble beginnings seed coating has developed into technologies that can be used to ameliorate the root zone to an extent by chemically changing the environment, aerating the root zone or by improving the seedlings health through the inoculation of seedling environment with beneficial micro-organisms (Harman 1991; Thrall et al. 2005; Turner et al. 2006). These specific attributes are not always clear and environmental specialists do not always know they have access to technologies that can change the micro-environment of a seedling

The Production Potential of Kikuyu (\u3cem\u3ePennisetum clandestinum\u3c/em\u3e) Over-Sown with Ryegrass (\u3cem\u3eLolium\u3c/em\u3e spp.) in a No-Till System

Pastures for milk production in the southern Cape of South Africa are based on no-till systems where kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) is over-sown with ryegrass during autumn to improve seasonal pasture production and forage quality. The aim of the study was to quantify the pasture and milk production potential of kikuyu over-sown with Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum var. italicum), Westerwolds ryegrass (L. multiflorum var. westerwoldicum) or perennial ryegrass (L. perenne). The study was conducted for 2 years on existing kikuyu pastures grazed by Jersey cows. Growth rate, dry matter (DM) production, botanical composition, forage quality, grazing capacity, milk composition and milk production were determined. Whilst each pasture type reached their peak growth rates during different months, the perennial ryegrass treatment maintained DM production during periods when the remaining pastures experienced a decrease in production. As a result, perennial ryegrass pasture maximised annual DM production and annual grazing capacity, and achieved a more constant grazing capacity. The butterfat and milk production per lactation were lowest for the perennial ryegrass treatment, but it recorded the highest milk production per ha. As ambient temperatures increased from winter to summer, the proportion of kikuyu increased for all pastures as did the DM and NDF content, although the ME content decreased. In summary, grazing capacity is the determining factor for milk production per ha on kikuyu-ryegrass based systems

The Impact of Surface Coal Mining on the Pre- and Post-Mining Agricultural Potential of the Grassland Biome of Southern Africa

Surface mining of coal is widespread in the grassland areas of the Mpumalanga Province in South Africa, and is the main cause of many environmental impacts in this agriculturally important region. To ensure healthy and productive vegetation after the reclamation process, disturbed soils need to be ameliorated and re-vegetated with locally adapted grass species to protect, preserve and improve soils for future agricultural use. To date, soil compaction is regarded as one of the main factors that cause severe restrictions in the effective rooting depth of plants, and the level of compaction is strongly influenced by altered soil water contents, soil texture, soil structure and often non-existing organic matter contents. Imported organic materials and enhanced plant root development may lead to reduced effects of soil compaction and an increased amount of moisture in the soil profile, which becomes available for plant growth during the growing season. This research focussed on the various amelioration aspects to alleviate and mitigate soil compaction to promote sustainable vegetation establishment and production to reinstate the agricultural potential of the disturbed environment. With associated soil amelioration, an increase in biomass production, of selected plant species was noted to be 52% higher on soil that was amended with 40 t/ha of organic amendment, in comparison to the soil that did not receive any. The correct selection of species with a known root structure and basic management requirement has, therefore, the potential to be useful in creating an organically rich, alleviated and more sustainable soil environment to ensure improved rehabilitation results of surface coal mines. It can be concluded, that sufficient data has shown that reclaimed surface coal mine soils can serve as a valuable resource to the animal production industry as well as to local communities, if managed correctly

Calibration of the Rising Plate Meter for Pasture Yield Determination in Kikuyu (\u3cem\u3ePennisetum clandestinum\u3c/em\u3e) Over-Sown with Ryegrass (\u3cem\u3eLolium\u3c/em\u3e spp.)

Accurate feed budgeting and management of forage in grazing systems requires frequent assessment of forage mass and growth of pastures (Gabriёls and Van den Berg 1993; Sanderson et al. 2001). The rising plate meter (RPM) developed by Earle and McGowan (1979) has been used widely by researchers and farmers to estimate pasture dry matter (DM) production. The advantages associated with using the RPM for the estimation of pasture DM yield include its low sensitivity to environmental conditions, stability of calibration equations across years and seasons (if pasture composition remains similar), and the fact that its robustness and ease of use makes it operator friendly, allowing a large number of readings to be taken in a short period of time (Earle and McGowan 1979; Michell 1982; Fulkerson and Slack 1993, Douglas and Crawford 1994, Martin et al. 2005). There is limited data available for the calibration of the RPM for kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) pastures over-sown with ryegrass (Lolium spp.) and grazed by dairy cows in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the calibration equations developed using the RPM for irrigated and grazed kikuyu pastures over-sown with ryegrass

\u3cem\u3eRhizobium\u3c/em\u3e-White Clover Symbiosis and Nitrogen Fixation along a Soil Organic Carbon Gradient

Sustainable cultivated pasture production in the southern Cape region of South Africa requires management practices that will support soil quality (Swanepoel and Botha 2012). Soil organic carbon (Corg) sequestration is regarded as one of the most important ways to promote soil quality. Dairy farmers in the southern Cape attempt to increase Corg by following minimum-tillage practices. These irrigated dairy-pastures require high levels of nitrogen (N) to maintain highly productive pastures. Nitrogen fertilisers have be-come very expensive and severely strain profitability of these dairy-pastures. Forage legumes are frequently incorporated into the grass pastures to overcome economic and environmental problems associated with high levels of inorganic fertiliser application. Their capacity to fixate atmospheric N contributes greatly to nutritional value, palatability and subsequently profitability of pastures (Botha 2003). Since C and N are biophilic compounds, Corg may have a direct effect on the N-fixating legume plant or the Rhizobium population that infects its roots (Swanepoel et al. 2011). The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Corg on white clover (Trifolium repens) biomass production and N-fixation by host-specific Rhizobium

Grass Diversity and Pasture Quality Baseline Assessement in Central Madagascar

Poaceae family contributes to Madagascar’s biodiversity hotspot with 217 of 541 grass species endemic to the island, although their forage value is unknown, at least in the scientific literature. Our research aims 1) to describe the diversity of native and endemic grasses thereby recognising the role of grass species diversity in forage and ecosystem management and 2) to provide new knowledge about pasture management based on the relationship between grazing capacity and productivity within experimental pastureland plots under different fire and grazing treatments. Our study seeks to provide information to inform improvements in livestock nutrition via grazing management of natural pastures in central Madagascar, specifically around the Ankafobe, Ibity and Itremo Protected Areas. Sampling in different grassy habitats was undertaken to develop a grass checklist and overview of grass diversity across the project sites. Further, in the communal and experimental pastures standardised grass surveys were carried out to compare grazing capacity and biomass productivity in the experimental pastures. Our regional survey recorded 123 Poaceae species during the first year: including 90% native species (of which 34% were endemic) and 10% introduced species. Thirty species, all C4 and belonging to PACMAD clade, are found within established pasture grasslands. Across communal pastures the most frequently recorded species and thus most frequently grazed are Loudetia simplex, Aristida rufescens, Panicum luridum, Schizachyrium sanguineum, Hyparrhenia rufa and Aristida tenuissima – these species are predominantly associated with fire. The grazing capacity baseline, at about 0.7 to 0.8 ha/zebu/year, is similar across all experimental sites that are also characterised by having a similar climate, acidic soils with low nitrogen and phosphorus, and., Annual biomass production appears to be driven by fire frequency: at both Itremo and Ankafobe, where fire is an annual occurrence, biomass yield is 2.4-2.9t/ha whereas at Ibity, where fire frequency is fire every 3-4 years, biomass productivity is 6.9t/ha. However, it is unclear how these productivity estimates relate to forage quality; the relationship will be the subject of future work

Evaluering van plantproduksie op gedegradeerde myngrond behandel met kombinasies van Klas F-vliegas en dieremis

<div style="font-size: 12px; font-family: serif; left: 225.494px; top: 507.918px; transform: scale(1.12227, 1); transform-origin: 0% 0% 0px;" dir="ltr">Biomass production for 2x optimum (B) application is either comparable or higher than that of optimum (A) application level for all soils and crops.</div