A study on the effect of sward conditions on herbage accumulation during winter and spring : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Plant Science at Massey University

Recently there has been an increased trend for farmers to adopt farm systems that operate at a reduced stocking rate, with the aim to improve per hectare production through achieving higher production per cow. The emphasis of these farming systems is on improving cow intakes and production and increasing herbage accumulation through the maintenance of pasture conditions with emphasis on pasture quality and higher post grazing residuals. A key issue at the centre of such a grazing system is whether the increase in pasture accumulation will outweigh the decrease in pasture utilisation at the time of grazing, thus increasing overall efficiency. The objectives of this study were to measure the effect of herbage mass present after grazing on subsequent net herbage accumulation rate, and to explain these differences through monitoring changes in sward components, as well as discussing the practical implications of these within a dairy farming system. Two experiments were conducted on a commercial dairy farm near Dannevirke in 1998, Experiment I over winter (June 19 – August 28) and Experiment II in spring (September 18 – October 28). The farm was situated approximately 300m A.S.L. with the soil type being a combination of an Ashhurst stony silt loam and a Dannevirke silt loam, with high soil fertility levels. Treatments involved a range of post-grazing residuals representing cow intake levels from under fed to ad-lib (900, 1200, 1500, 1800, 2100 kg DM/ha in winter and 1200, 1500 1800 2100 kg DM/ha in spring, Treatments 1-5 and 1-4 respectively). The spring experiment also involved nitrogen treatments at rates of 0, 25 and 50 kg N/ha. Heifers and dry cows were used to graze plots with grazing intensities calculated for stock to reach the targeted residuals in 24 hours (Experiment I) and 8 hours (Experiment II). Experiment I was designed as a randomised complete block design, and Experiment II as a randomised split plot design. Both experiments were replicated three times. In both experiments a range of post-grazing residuals was achieved (870, 1140, 1394, 1635, 1917 in Experiment I, and 1098 1424, 1704, 1913 in Experiment II). Post-grazing residuals in both experiments were significantly different (P<0.05). A post-grazing residual of 1394 and 1704 kg DM/ha in winter and spring respectively resulted in the greatest net herbage accumulation rates (16.3 and 81.7 kg DM/ha/day) from grazing until a pre-grazing target level of 2600-2700 kg DM/ha was achieved. Net herbage accumulation rates measured in both experiments were higher than those used in practice on the case farm. No statistical differences existed in Experiment I. In Experiment II Treatment 3 (1704 kg DM/ha residual) was significantly (P<0.05) higher than the other treatments. The relationship between herbage mass and net herbage accumulation rate showed a positive trend in both experiments. The herbage mass at which pasture accumulation was optimised was greater in spring (2900 kg DM/ha) than winter (2500 kg DM/ha). In both Experiments tiller density was greater in more intensely grazed swards, and showed a compensation effect with tiller weight. In Experiment I all treatments increased in tiller density with Treatment 1 having a significantly greater (P<0.05) increase than the other treatments. In Experiment II tiller density in all swards declined over the entire experiment, being greatest (P<0.01) in Treatment 3. Leaf extension rates had a similar trend to tiller weight in Experiment I with the laxer treatments (Treatments 3-5) having a significantly higher (P<0.01) extension rate than Treatments 1 and 2. Treatment 3 also had the fastest leaf appearance rate (17.1 days/leaf), although this was only statistically different to Treatment 5. Leaf appearance rates in Experiment II showed no trend, with Treatments 2 and 4 having the fastest appearance rates, and Treatment 3 the slowest. Tiller appearance rates showed some evidence of a trend (although not significant) with more intensely grazed swards tending to have a slightly faster appearance rate compared to more laxly grazed swards. Tiller weight and leaf extension rate were significantly correlated (P<0.05) to net herbage accumulation in winter. In spring all sward components measured were correlated (P<0.01) to net herbage accumulation with leaf appearance rate being the most significant (P<0.001). Botanical composition in Experiment I showed that more intensely grazed plots had a greater (P<0.05) proportion of leaf, lower proportion of dead material and higher clover content. In Experiment II the trend between variables and grazing level was similar but not significant. The proportion of clover and dead material in spring swards was low (averaging 9.8 and 14.9% respectively) given the herbage mass levels reached. NIR results in general reflected the changes in botanical composition. It was concluded that there is benefit in the use of sward conditions (targets) in the planning and management of grazing systems in enhancing both pasture and animal performance. Compensatory effects between sward components resulted in non-significant differences in herbage accumulation rates, and in practice, differences in pasture growth are likely to occur at extreme grazing residuals. Grazing management decisions are therefore more likely to be based on residual dry matter to achieve desired intakes for high per cow production, high pasture utilisation and high pasture quality, rather than to optimise pasture accumulation. It is recommended that residual herbage mass after grazing should be 1200-1300 kg DM/ha and 1500-1600 kg DM/ha in winter and spring respectively. The practical implications of these are discussed

Knowledge Management Activities and Strategic Planning Capability Development

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.While the strategic management literature extols the virtues of engaging in strategic planning for superior performance, how a dynamic strategic planning capability can be developed remains underexplored; a knowledge void addressed by the paper through applying knowledge-based theory. A mail survey was sent to high technology firms randomly sampled from the Kompass Directory of UK businesses. Firms were sampled at the SBU level, given the focus on strategic planning capability. An organization’s strategic planning capability derives from extensive information distribution and organizational memory. While learning values is non-significant, symbolic information use degrades the development of a strategic planning capability. By investigating the contributory activities that lead to strategic planning capability development, the findings establish how strategic planning materializes in organizations. Further, the differential effects found for knowledge management activities on strategic planning capability development extends empirical studies that suggest knowledge is always a central tenet of strategic planning. A set of key knowledge activities are identified that managers must address for strategic planning capability development: strategic planning routines and values of search, analysis, and assessment should be appropriately informed by investments in knowledge dissemination and memory on a continual basis. Meanwhile, information misuse compromises strategic planning capabilities and managers must protect against out-of-context or manipulated information from infiltrating into organizational memory. Despite the advent of the Knowledge-Based Theory and its core premise that capabilities derive from knowledge management activities, little research has been conducted into demonstrating the knowledge-based antecedents of a strategic planning capability

Optical preparation and measurement of atomic coherence at gigahertz bandwidth

We detail a method for the preparation of atomic coherence in a high density atomic medium, utilising a coherent preparation scheme of gigahertz bandwidth pulses. A numerical simulation of the preparation scheme is developed, and its efficiency in preparing coherent states is found to be close to unity at the entrance to the medium. The coherence is then measured non-invasively with a probe field.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

UK Corporate Governance and Takeover Performance

This chapter addresses the changing nature of corporate governance in the United Kingdom over recent decades and examines whether these changes have had an impact on the UK market for corporate control. The disappointing outcomes for acquiring company shareholders in the majority of corporate acquisitions, public discontent with some pay deals for top executives and some high profile corporate scandals led in the early 1990s to a call for governance reform. The scrutiny of governance in UK companies has intensified since the publication of the Cadbury Report in 1992 and has resulted in calls for changes in the size, composition and role of boards of directors, in the role of institutional shareholders, the remuneration and appointment of executives, and in legal and accounting regulations. We review the background to these changes and the consequences of the changes since 1990 for governance structures. Finally, we examine whether these changes have affected takeover performance in recent years. Our analysis is specific to the institutional circumstances of the UK although we refer where appropriate to takeover studies in other countries.Corporate governance; takeovers; UK; financial performance; Cadbury

The development of the Silurian trilobite Aulacopleura koninckii reconstructed by applying inferred growth and segmentation dynamics: A case study in paleo-evo-devo

Fossilized growth series provide rare glimpses into the development of ancient organisms, illustrating descriptively how size and shape changed through ontogeny. Occasionally fossil preservation is such that it is feasible to test alternative possibilities about how ancient development was regulated. Here we apply inferred developmental parameters pertaining to size, shape, and segmentation in the abundant and well-preserved 429 Myr old trilobite Aulacopleura koninckii that we have investigated previously to reconstruct the post-embryonic ontogeny of this ancient arthropod. Our published morphometric analyses associated with model testing have shown that: specification of the adult number of trunk segments (polymorphic in this species) was determined precociously in ontogeny; that growth regulation was targeted (i.e., compensatory), such that each developmental stage exhibited comparable variance in size and shape; and that growth gradients operating along the main body axis, both during juvenile and adult ontogeny, resulted from a form of growth control based on positional specification. While such developmental features are common among extant organisms, our results represent the oldest evidence for them within Metazoa. Herein, the novel reconstruction of the development of Aulacopleura koninckii permits visualization of patterns of relative and absolute growth and segmentation as never before possible for a fossilized arthropod ontogeny. By conducting morphometric analysis of appropriate data sets it is thus possible to move beyond descriptive ontogenetic studies and to address questions of high interest for evolutionary developmental biology using data from fossils, which can help elucidate both how developmental processes themselves evolve and how they affect the evolution of organismal body patterning. By extending similar analyses to other cases of exceptional preservation of fossilized ontogeny, we can anticipate beginning to realize the research program of “paleo-evo-devo.

Development of a Data Acquisition System for an Ecommerce Website

First Stop Sports (http://www.firststopsports.com) is a small sports collectibles and memorabilia eCommerce company, specializing in NFL and NCAA collectible football helmets and other sports memorabilia. First Stop Sports current web site has shown some inadequacies and limited capabilities with historical customer ordering information capture. They are struggling to advance business development and increase revenue.? It is the scope of this project to investigate, design, and develop a prototype data acquisition system for First Stop Sports. This prototype would only focus on one specific product line, but it would need to have the same look, feel and functionality as the existing eCommerce website, http://www.firststopsports.com. Changes would have to inevitably integrate seamlessly into the existing website to minimize impact on business. All customers ordering information, past and present would have to be captured in a relational database. That captured data can then produce intelligent reports and potentially increase revenue and profitability. Additionally, marketing campaigns with focused e-newsletters can be sent to customers. With captured customer information, profiling and advanced advertising features can be attained