Forage Yield and Quality of Tall Wheatgrass Accessions in the USDA Germplasm Collection

Tall wheatgrass [Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) Liu and Wang] is a cool-season bunchgrass from southern Europe and Asia Minor that is tolerant to saline or alkaline soils. The genetic base of tall wheatgrass cultivars is narrow. The lineages of four of the six cultivars of tall wheatgrass developed and released in the USA and Canada trace to a common accession, PI 98526. The objective of this study was to determine the extent of variation in the USDA collection of tall wheatgrass for forage quality, yield, and other agronomic traits. All available accessions of tall wheatgrass (n = 50) from the USDA Western Regional Plant Introduction Station at Pullman, WA, and two check cultivars, Platte and Jose, were used in the study. Greenhouse grown seedlings were transplanted in 1989 into a replicated field evaluation nursery located about 35 km west of Omaha, NE. An evaluation plot consisted of a single row of 10 plants spaced on 1.1-m centers. The experimental design was a blocks-in-replicates design with two replications. The plots were evaluated for forage yield and quality including in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), protein content, and other traits in 1990 and 1991. Several of the PI lines had forage yields equivalent to the check cultivars. One accession, PI 98526, had higher first harvest IVDMD than the check cultivars; other accessions had IVDMD values equivalent to the check cultivars. In addition to having high yields and high IVDMD, these accessions also were equivalent to the check cultivars in other agronomic traits as indicated by high leafiness and inflorescence scores. The results indicate that superior germplasm exists in the USDA tall wheatgrass germplasm collection that can be used to develop improved cultivars of tall wheatgrass with improved forage quality as measured by IVDMD

Predicting Intake from Indigestible Fibre

Dry matter intake (DMI) of forages is often estimated as a reciprocal function of fibre concentration: DMI = fibre intake capacity / dietary fibre concentration (Mertens, 1987). This theoretical relationship is based on the concept that consumption of forage diets is limited by fill and that fibre represents the bulk of forage diets. This model, however, does not account for differences in DMI which should occur among forages with similar fibre concentrations but differing fibre digestibility. To account for these differences, we proposed an intake model where DMI is a reciprocal function of indigestible fibre concentration: DMI = c / CI, where c = intake capacity for indigestible fibre and CI is the concentration of indigestible fibre. This model assumes that livestock consuming forage diets of similar physical form but differing digestibility will consume a constant level of indigestible fibre. It applies only when DMI intake is regulated by fill and is not affected by digestible protein or energy concentrations. Since true DM digestibility is the inverse of indigestible fibre concentration, true digestible DM intake can be estimated as DDMI = c(1 - CI)/CI

A simple method to increase alfalfa yields in the establishment year

Any practice that would improve alfalfa\u27s profitability could increase its use by producers. The method tested in this stud

Iowa Pasture Management Guide

While there is a great deal of information available on pasture management and utilization, there is no one existing publication that could serve as a comprehensive source of advice on the subject for Iowa farmers. Using feedback from a focus group, a handbook to aid Iowa farmers in pasture management has been prepared

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in Delaware\u27s Inland Bays

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is an important living resource in many coastal areas throughout the world. These plant communities have been cited as some of the most biologically important in the world. ...https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1127/thumbnail.jp

The Plant Management Network: A New Online Source of Applied Plant Science Information

The Plant Management Network (PMN) is a new online, multi-disciplinary, plant science network of peer-reviewed journals and applied plant information serving as an important resource for Extension professionals and their audiences. PMN is designed to extend Extension research and information out to growers, advisors, and the Extension community. In addition to the journals, partner publications, and image gallery--presently searchable on the site--new features are being prototyped, including scripted PowerPoint presentations, online posters, and continuing education modules. Articles are published on PMN within 1-3 weeks of acceptance, without charge. Individuals and partner organizations support the PMN through annual subscriptions

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay: A Barometer of Bay Health

In 1978, a program was initiated in the Chesapeake Bay region to investigate the decline of submerged aquatic vegetation (SA V), potential factors that may have led to its decline, its distribution and abundance, and its .role and value. The program began with little available background data, but some very basic questions about SAV in the Bay were answered in the approximately three years of research that were funded. For example, it was determined that the decline of SAV was Baywide. All SA V species were affected and the decline was unprecedented in the recent history of the Bay. A second important finding was that the decline of SA V was most probably not related to any specific contaminant per se (e.g., herbicide contamination) but appeared to be related to deteriorating water quality in the Bay.https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1160/thumbnail.jp

Spatial Analysis of Species Diversity in Pastures Using GIS and GPS Technologies

The Rhodes research farm with its large topographic variability and extensive pasture acreage is an ideal site to evaluate the application of precision agriculture technologies to forage production and management. In previous studies at Rhodes it has been shown that forage legumes are adapted to sites with higher slopes (15 - 20%), and increasing species diversity with legumes at these sites improves productivity and forage quality. In the current study we are using global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) technologies to describe and map the spatial variability in pasture vegetation and examine its relationship to maps generated for slope, drainage, and electrical conductivity. Our objective is to determine whether these technologies can be used successfully to predict grass and legume distribution within the pastures based on topography and soil properties