Search Results (11)

Permanent grasslands play a crucial role in ruminant nutrition, providing cost-effective and nutritionally rich forage. Their effective management is essential for improving agricultural productivity and sustainability. This review examines factors affecting forage quality, including environmental conditions, botanical composition, conservation methods, and fertilization strategies. The impact of grassland management practices, such as cutting frequency, grazing systems, and soil fertility enhancement, on forage nutritional value is discussed. Advances in breeding, including genomic selection and molecular techniques, offer opportunities to improve digestibility and resistance to environmental stress. Furthermore, conservation methods, including haymaking and silage production, significantly influence forage quality. Special attention is given to the role of legumes and multi-species swards in enhancing protein content and mineral composition. The review highlights that optimizing forage quality requires an integrated approach, combining agronomic practices, genetic improvements, and sustainable management strategies. Future research should focus on developing resilient forage systems that maintain high nutritional value while adapting to changing climatic conditions. Full article

Intercropping perennial legumes with trees can reduce Nitrogen (N) losses, due to the high amount of N accumulated in stable forms in the soil and permanent soil cover during the whole year. Although N cycling improvement in mature agroforestry systems (AFS) was well documented, there is a lack of knowledge regarding systems in transition to AF. In this work, we studied the association of two perennial forage crops, namely ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.), with 1-year old poplars, to evaluate: (i) the agronomic performance of sulla and ryegrass with vs. without intercropped poplar trees; (ii) the N-fixing ability of sulla in association with trees; (iii) the N transfer effect from sulla and growth promoting effect on poplar; and finally (iv) the nitrate leaching reduction due to the presence of poplar trees associated to forage crops. The layout was arranged in a two-factor randomized complete blocks design (RCB) with three replicates. The first factor tested (crop species) implied two different swards, namely sulla and ryegrass. The second factor (cropping system) included two different systems: PAST i.e., a pastoral system without trees, and SIPAST, i.e., a silvo-pastoral system with one poplar tree row beside the sward. Sulla resulted more productive than ryegrass when associated with trees (+35%). No clear trend was observed about the tree influence on N-fixation in sulla, but the amount of N fixed resulted higher in in sulla grown in the SIPAST near the trees (+35%). Poplar plants, even in the first year after planting, resulted effective yet in reducing the nitrate flux from the crops towards ditches. Further investigations are needed to study other swards in young AF and better understand the N dynamics; in particular, it could be worth to assess the nutrient flux in the soil solution. Full article

One of the practices often mentioned to achieve climate change mitigation is the long-term cultivation of perennial plants. The objective of the study was to estimate changes in the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC) and its fractions in 0–10, 10–20, 20–30 cm, and within 0–30 cm soil layer of red fescue (Festuca rubra L.) swards that differ in age (5, 10 and 15 years) as well as to compare them with the arable field. Our results show that SOC accumulation at 5-year-old cultivation of red fescue is high, later this SOC increase slowed down from 71% in the 0–30 cm soil layer when land use was converted from arable field to 5-year-old sward to 1% from 10 to 15 years. The level of water extractable organic carbon (WEOC) in the 0–30 cm soil layer of swards was significantly higher compared to the arable field. The positive effect of these swards in the accumulation and stabilization of organic carbon during humification in the soil was also determined. The largest amounts of mobile humic substances (MHS) and mobile humic acids (MHA) accumulated in the 0–10 cm layer of sward soil (3.30–4.93 and 1.53–2.48 g kg⁻¹, respectively). In conclusion, the findings suggest that a conversion from arable to soil under permanent grass cover significantly improves carbon status. Full article

The excretion of nitrogen (N) in faeces and urine from beef cattle contributes to atmospheric pollution through greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions and eutrophication of land and aquatic habitats through excessive N deposition and nitrate leaching to groundwater. As N excretion by beef cattle is rarely measured directly, it is important to accurately predict losses by utilising a combined knowledge of diet and production parameters so that the effect of dietary changes on the potential environmental impact of beef production systems can be estimated. This study aimed to identify differences between IPCC and more detailed country-specific models in the prediction of N excretion and N losses at a system level and determine how the choice of model influences the interpretation of differences in diet at the system scale. The data used in this study were derived from a farm-scale experimental system consisting of three individual grazing farms, each with a different sward type: a permanent pasture, a high sugar ryegrass monoculture, and a high sugar ryegrass with white clover (~30% groundcover). Data were analysed using a mixed linear model (residual maximum likelihood analysis). The IPCC methods demonstrated significantly lower estimates of N excretion than country-specific models for the first housing period and significantly greater losses for the grazing and second housing periods. The country-specific models enabled prediction of N partitioning to urine and faeces, which is important for estimation of subsequent N losses through the production system, although the models differed in their estimates. Overall, predicted N losses were greater using the IPCC approaches compared to using more detailed country-specific approaches. The outcomes of the present study have highlighted that different models can have a substantial impact on the predicted N outputs and subsequent losses to the environment for pasture-based beef finishing systems, and the importance, therefore, of using appropriate models and parameters. Full article

The intensive use or discontinuation of the use of swards can compromise biodiversity, yields, and feed quality; thus, leading to the degradation of permanent grasslands. Various methods of renovation are employed to restore the usability of degraded swards. In the years 2013–2016, a monofactorial field experiment was carried out on the Experimental Farm in Grabów (province of Mazowieckie, Poland). The experiment involved swards being reseeded after ploughing (P) and after disking with a compact harrow (H), with a non-renovated sward as the control treatment. The plots under renovation were reseeded with a lucerne–grass mixture. Both seedbed preparation methods for the renewed sward, ploughing (P) or shallow disking to a depth of 5 cm (H), were found to be effective for increasing sward yields, restricting weed growth, and reducing the number of weeds in the sward. The ploughing-based renovation method (P) had a strongly restrictive effect on biodiversity, as expressed by the H’ function value vis-à-vis the harrow method (H) and the non-renewed control (NR). Dicotyledonous species accounted for 92.3% of the weed population in the studied treatments. Of these, Taraxacum officinale, Achillea milefolium, Capsella bursa-pastoris, and Plantago maior occurred in the highest numbers. Full article

Progressive climate changes are the most important challenges for modern agriculture. Permanent grassland represents around 70% of all agricultural land. In comparison with other agroecosystems, grasslands are more sensitive to climate change. The aim of this study was to create deterministic models based on artificial neural networks to identify highly significant factors influencing the yield and digestibility of grassland sward in the climatic conditions of central Poland. The models were based on data from a grassland experiment conducted between 2014 and 2016. Phytophenological data (harvest date and botanical composition of sward) and meteorological data (average temperatures, total rainfall, and total effective temperatures) were used as independent variables, whereas qualitative and quantitative parameters of the feed made from the grassland sward (dry matter digestibility, dry matter yield, and protein yield) were used as dependent variables. Nine deterministic models were proposed Y_G, DIG_G, P_G, Y_GB, DIG_GB, P_GB, Y_GC, DIG_GC, and P_GC, which differed in the input variable and the main factor from the grassland experiment. The analysis of the sensitivity of the neural networks in the models enabled the identification of the independent variables with the greatest influence on the yield of dry matter and protein as well as the digestibility of the dry matter of the first regrowth of grassland sward, taking its diverse botanical composition into account. The results showed that the following factors were the most significant (rank 1): the average daily air temperature, total rainfall, and the percentage of legume plants. This research will be continued on a larger group of factors influencing the output variables and it will involve an attempt to optimise these factors. Full article

High input dairy farms that are located on sandy soils in northwest Europe are predisposed to substantial nitrate leaching during a surplus of winter precipitation. Leys within integrated crop-livestock systems play an important role in soil fertility, soil C sequestration and soil N mineralization potentials. Therefore, leys are a feasible option that can be utilized to reduce local N losses to the environment, especially following maize grown for silage. We hypothesize that grass-clover leys ensure low nitrate leaching losses even when grazed intensively. The extent to which NO₃-leaching occurred across seven different pasture management systems in terms of their sward composition, cutting, grazing, fertilization and combinations thereof was investigated in integrated animal-crop grazing systems over three winter periods (2017/2018, 2018/2019 and 2019/2020). The observed grazed systems were comprised of cut-used- and grazed grass-clover swards (0, 1 and 2 years after establishment following cereals), a catch crop grazed late in the year as well as a cut-used permanent grassland for comparison. Overall, all treatments resulted in nitrate leaching losses that did not exceed the WHO-threshold (25 mg nitrate/L). The highest level of NO₃-leaching was observed in the catch crop system and the lowest in cut-used permanent grassland, with NO₃-N losses of 19.6 ± 5.3 and 2.1 ± 0.3 kg NO₃-N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Annual herbage yields were in the range of 0.9 to 12.4 t DM ha⁻¹ and nitrogen yields varied between 181 ± 51 and 228 ± 66 kg N ha⁻¹ during the study period. The highest herbage-N-yields were observed from the 1- and 2-year-old grass-clover leys. The highest N-field-balance was observed for the grazed leys and the lowest for the cut-used permanent grassland. However, no correlation was found between the highly positive field-N-balance and the amount of NO₃-leached. This indicates a high N carry-over from grass-clover swards to the subsequent cash crop unit instead of increasing the risk of groundwater contamination from grazed leys in integrated animal crop-systems and underlines the eco-efficiency of dairy farming based on grazed ley systems. Full article

Land abandonment represents a major threat to the conservation of European semi-natural dry grasslands. To ensure biodiversity and habitat conservation, in this study, sheep grazing was reintroduced in abandoned Festuco-Brometea dry grasslands of a western Italian alpine valley. The experimental design included three treatments, along a gradient of increasing disturbance: (i) not-grazed, (ii) grazed, and (iii) penning areas. Unexpectedly, two years after grazing reintroduction, a wildfire hit the study area. To investigate the short-term effects of grazing and wildfire disturbances on vegetation, 62 permanent transects were monitored from 2014 to 2018. Vegetation cover, plant diversity, and richness and abundance of three functional groups of species were analyzed through generalized linear mixed models. Grazing caused little changes in vegetation, with the greatest effects observed in penning areas: the pioneer xerothermic species group, including many rare plant species, benefited from the reduction in the litter layer and the opening of gaps in the sward induced by trampling. The wildfire led to an increase in plant diversity and to changes in plant composition: dry grassland species decreased, while pioneer xerothermic and ruderal species increased their abundance. Short-term results suggest that both disturbances may foster the conservation of alpine dry grasslands. Full article

Under the predicted conditions of climate change, the productivity of temperate grasslands may be affected by drought stress, especially in spring and summer. In this scenario, water-deficit-tolerant species such as plantain and chicory are interesting alternatives for use in sheep production systems. In this study, we compared a mixture of plantain and chicory herbage (PCH) with a grass-based permanent sward (GBS) on the weight gain and meat quality of lambs finished on these grasslands. Fifteen weaned lambs (31.3 kg and 4 months of age) were assigned to each treatment for seven weeks in late spring and live weight gain (LWG), carcass and meat quality were evaluated. There was a tendency (p = 0.09) in final weight (40.3 ± 0.8 kg) and live weight gain (173 ± 10 g/d) to be higher in PCH compared to GBS. Carcass weight, dressing percentage and meat quality in terms of pH, color and tenderness did not differ (p > 0.05) and were considered to be of good quality. We concluded that both swards result in comparable lamb performance and good meat quality. Full article

The aim of this research was to assess differences in the quantity and quality of herbage and invertebrate generalist predator abundance among permanent and temporary pastures. Two permanent pastures and four temporary ley pastures (either one year or two years since being sown) were monitored weekly for 10 weeks in the spring. Permanent pastures included a diverse range of native UK grass species, and temporary ley pastures were predominantly perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) with or without white clover (Trifolium repens). Weekly measurements of herbage height (in centimeters), herbage cover (fresh and dry matter in kg per hectare) and herbage density (fresh and dry matter in kg per hectare per centimeter) were obtained for each field, along with lycosid spider and carabid beetle abundance. Weekly pasture samples were used to obtain nutrient concentrations of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), ash, oil, sugars, digestible organic matter in the dry matter (DOMD) and metabolisable energy (ME) in the herbage as a measure of forage quality for grazing or harvesting. A linear mixed model was used to assess the effect of sward age, herbage density and height on herbage production, nutrient concentrations and invertebrate abundance. Although this study showed that permanent pastures were associated with lower nutrient concentrations of crude protein, ash, oil and ME compared to younger and predominantly perennial ryegrass pastures, the older pastures were associated with higher carabid numbers. Furthermore, permanent pastures had a higher density of dry matter herbage compared to younger pastures, and more dense and taller swards were associated with higher lycosid numbers. The study suggests that within pastures of 3 to 20 cm height, increasing the height and density of swards increases both ME and oil concentrations in herbage, therefore enhancing forage nutrient quality. Older and more permanent pastures can be beneficial for plant and invertebrate generalist predator populations, and still provide a useful source of nutrients for forage production. Full article

The sustainable use of grasslands in intensive farming systems aims to optimize nitrogen (N) inputs to increase crop yields and decrease harmful losses to the environment at the same time. To achieve this, simple optical sensors may provide a non-destructive, time- and cost-effective tool for estimating plant biomass in the field, considering spatial and temporal variability. However, the plant growth and related N uptake is affected by the available N in the soil, and therefore, N mineralization and N losses. These soil N dynamics and N losses are affected by the N input and environmental conditions, and cannot easily be determined non-destructively. Therefore, the question arises: whether a relationship can be depicted between N fertilizer levels, plant biomass and N dynamics as indicated by nitrous oxide (N₂O) losses and inorganic N levels. We conducted a standardized greenhouse experiment to explore the potential of spectral measurements for analyzing yield response, N mineralization and N₂O emissions in a permanent grassland. Ryegrass was subjected to four mineral fertilizer input levels over 100 days (four harvests) under controlled environmental conditions. The soil temperature and moisture content were automatically monitored, and the emission rates of N₂O and carbon dioxide (CO₂) were detected frequently. Spectral measurements of the swards were performed directly before harvesting. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and simple ratio (SR) were moderately correlated with an increasing biomass as affected by fertilization level. Furthermore, we found a non-linear response of increasing N₂O emissions to elevated fertilizer levels. Moreover, inorganic N and extractable organic N levels at the end of the experiment tended to increase with the increasing N fertilizer addition. However, microbial biomass C and CO₂ efflux showed no significant differences among fertilizer treatments, reflecting no substantial changes in the soil biological pool size and the extent of the C mineralization. Neither the NDVI nor SR, nor the plant biomass, were related to cumulative N₂O emissions or inorganic N at harvesting. Our results verify the usefulness of optical sensors for biomass detection, and show the difficulty in linking spectral measurements of plant traits to N processes in the soil, despite that the latter affects the former. Full article