Effect of nurse crops and seeding rate on the persistence, productivity and nutritive value of sainfoin in a cereal‐based production system

Direct seeding techniques often result in unsatisfactory outcomes in rangeland rehabilitation, primarily because of low seedling emergence and poor establishment. Seed processing techniques aimed at improving seedling emergence have gained interest by pasture managers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the combined effects of bracteole removal and seeding rate on seedling emergence in seven halophytic species: Atriplex halimus, A. canescens, A. leucoclada, A. nummularia, A. lentiformis, Salsola vermiculata and Haloxylon aphyllum under semi-arid conditions in Tel Hadya (Syria). Each of these species was evaluated for seedling emergence under two seed treatments (bracteoles removed and non-removed bracteoles) with three seeding rates (10, 30 and 60 seeds per pot), in a completely randomised block design. The results showed a positive effect of seed treatment on seedling emergence for all studied species. The native A. halimus had the highest emergence percentages whereas the introduced A. mummularia, had the lowest. However, there were no significant effects of seeding rates on seedling emergence. These results showed that bracteole removal could improve germination and seedling emergence, and potentially increase the rate of establishment of the species studied. Therefore, when implementing rangeland rehabilitation projects, bracteole removal needs to be considered. The native S. vermiculata should be recommended for direct seeding in the West Asia and North Africa region given its high seedling emergence, known high palatability, nutritive value, and high auto-regeneration performance.

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Effects of seeding rate, fertilizing time and fertilizer type on yield, nutritive value and silage quality of whole-crop wheat

Tropical Grasslands - Forrajes Tropicales ◽

10.17138/tgft(9)225-234 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 225-234

Author(s):

Liuxing Xu ◽

Zhaohong Xu ◽

Mingxia Chen ◽

Jianguo Zhang

Keyword(s):

Significant Interaction ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Seedling Stage ◽

Seeding Rate ◽

Compound Fertilizer ◽

Silage Fermentation ◽

Fermentation Quality ◽

Silage Quality ◽

Jointing Stage

Whole-crop wheat (WCW) is rich in nutrients and is widely used as a forage crop. This study consisted of 2 experiments: Experiment 1 studied the yield, nutritive value and silage quality of WCW at 3 seeding rates (320 kg/ha, S320; 385 kg/ha, S385; and 450 kg/ha, S450) and different fertilizing times, i.e. 60% at seedling stage and the remaining 40% at the jointing stage vs. heading stage; and Experiment 2 examined the yield, nutritive value and silage quality of WCW receiving different fertilizer types, i.e. urea, compound fertilizer (N:P:K) and urea + compound fertilizer (all iso-nitrogenous). With the increased seeding rate, dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) yields tended to increase, but relative feed value tended to decrease. Experiment 1: there was no significant interaction between time of applying the second fertilizer dose and seeding rate in terms of concentrations of CP, crude fiber, ether extract, crude ash, nitrogen-free extract, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) in wheat (P>0.05). However, a significant interaction between fertilizing time and seeding rate was observed in terms of silage fermentation quality (pH, lactic acid, butyric acid and NH3-N concentrations) (P<0.05). Experiment 2: DM yield, CP yield and concentrations of CP, ADF and water-soluble carbohydrate were not affected by fertilizer type (P>0.05). Fertilizer type had significant effects on pH of silage and concentrations of organic acids (except propionic acid) and NH3-N in WCW silage (P<0.05). Under the present study conditions, considering DM yield, nutrient composition and silage fermentation quality, an optimal seeding rate of wheat for forage appears to be about 385 kg/ha. N fertilizer should be applied at the seedling stage and jointing stage. Although applying a mixture of urea and compound fertilizer had no significant effects on yield and nutritive value of WCW relative to applying urea alone, it did improve silage fermentation quality. Results may differ on different soils.

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Establishment and productivity of cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L.) in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) or alfalfa- hybrid bromegrass mixtures

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.1139/cjps-2021-0006 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Allan Foster ◽

Bill Biligetu

Keyword(s):

Medicago Sativa ◽

Aqueous Extract ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Forage Yield ◽

Allelopathic Effect ◽

Limited Information ◽

Seeding Rate ◽

Bromus Riparius ◽

Medicago Sativa L ◽

Astragalus Cicer

Cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L.) (CMV) is a non-bloating, perennial legume that has shown persistence under grazing. Limited information is available on its seedling establishment and subsequent forage yield and nutritive value in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) mixtures. Field plots were seeded in May 2013 at Melfort, SK, Canada to evaluate ‘Oxley II’ cicer milkvetch performance in ‘AC Grazeland’ alfalfa or alfalfa and ‘AC Success’ hybrid bromegrass (Bromus riparius × B. inermis) mixtures from 2014 to 2017. Two controlled environment tests were also conducted by treating seeds of CMV using alfalfa root aqueous extract. Seed germination and seedling height of CMV were significantly reduced in aqueous extract. In field, establishment of CMV in a mixture containing alfalfa was reduced, and CMV dry matter proportion in the mixture increased only 3.5% over three years. Increasing CMV seeding rate did not increase its DM percent in the mixtures, indicating a high allelopathic effect of alfalfa. Forage DM yield of all mixtures was linearly correlated to the proportion of alfalfa, and adding hybrid brome did not increase the DM yield. Forage DM yield was higher for the three-cut than the two-cut treatments for CMV-alfalfa mixtures, but there was no difference between the cutting frequency for CMV-alfalfa- hybrid brome mixtures. Fiber concentrations decreased linearly with increased CMV seeding rate in the mixtures. This study showed CMV establishment in alfalfa mixtures was reduced in a same row seeding, and the allelopathic effect was not reduced by lower alfalfa seeding rates or adding a grass.

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Yield, Yield Components, and Forage Nutritive Value of Alfalfa as Affected by Seeding Rate under Irrigated Conditions

Agronomy Journal ◽

10.2134/agrojnl2006.0333 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 100 (1) ◽

pp. 191 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jaume Lloveras ◽

Cristina Chocarro ◽

Oscar Freixes ◽

Ezequiel Arqué ◽

Alberto Moreno ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Yield Components ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Seeding Rate

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Seeding Rate Effects on Soybean Maturity Group IV-VIII for the Southeastern Production System: I. Vegetation Indices

Agronomy Journal ◽

10.2134/agronj2010.0153 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 103 (1) ◽

pp. 32-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Guihua Chen ◽

Pawel Wiatrak

Keyword(s):

Production System ◽

Vegetation Indices ◽

Group Iv ◽

Seeding Rate ◽

Maturity Group ◽

Rate Effects

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165 Grazing evaluation of pearlillet with and without soybean hull supplementation in a forage-finished beef production system

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz053.127 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 56-57

Author(s):

Robert W McKee ◽

Deidre Harmon ◽

Dennis W Hancock ◽

Lawton Stewart ◽

Macc Rigdon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pearl Millet ◽

Production System ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Agronomic Traits ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Warm Season ◽

Beef Production ◽

Marbling Score ◽

Soybean Hull ◽

Fat Thickness

Abstract Pearl millet may be a viable forage option in forage-finished beef production systems due to favorable agronomic traits and nutritive value. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate two varieties of pearl millet with and without soybean hull supplementation in a forage-finished beef production system. In a two-year grazing trial, sixteen 0.81-ha paddocks were randomly assigned to one of four treatments in a 2x2 factorial design: ‘Tifleaf 3’ pearl millet (PM) and ‘Exceed’ pearl millet (BMR) without and with soybean hull supplementation (0.75% of body weight (BW); PM+S and BMR+S, respectively). Each year, Angus crossbred steers (n = 32; BW = 444±59 kg) were paired to minimize variability among pairs. Pairs were randomly assigned to treatment paddocks. Grazing was initiated in June when forage was approximately 60-cm in height and terminated after approximately 90 d of rotational grazing. Average daily gain (ADG) was calculated from weights taken at grazing initiation and termination following an 18-h fast. Steers were harvested in September and carcass data were collected 24-h postmortem. All data were analyzed using PROC GLIMMIX (SAS v.9.4). Supplemented steers exhibited greater (P < 0.01) ADG than non-supplemented steers. No difference (P > 0.05) was observed for ADG between forage varieties. Pre-harvest shrunk weight, hot carcass weight (HCW), dressing percent (DP), and ribeye area were similar (P > 0.05) within supplemented and non-supplemented steers across forage varieties. Shrunk weight, HCW, and DP were similar (P > 0.05) for BMR+S and BMR. Rib-eye area was similar (P > 0.05) for BMR+S, PM+S, and PM. No differences (P > 0.05) were observed for fat thickness, adjusted fat thickness, yield grade, marbling score, or overall maturity. Results indicate pearl millet is a viable warm-season forage option for forage-finished beef systems in the Southeast and soybean hull supplementation can improve animal performance over forage alone.

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Response of herbicide-tolerant canola (Brassica napus L.) cultivars to four row spacings and three seeding rates in a no-till production system

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps2013-173 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 93 (6) ◽

pp. 1229-1236 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

H. R. Kutcher ◽

T. K. Turkington ◽

G. W. Clayton ◽

K. N. Harker

Keyword(s):

Brassica Napus ◽

Production System ◽

Management Practices ◽

Plant Density ◽

Flea Beetle ◽

Row Spacing ◽

Seeding Rate ◽

Brassica Napus L ◽

No Till ◽

Herbicide Tolerant

Kutcher, H. R., Turkington, T. K., Clayton, G. W. and Harker, K. N. 2013. Response of herbicide-tolerant canola ( Brassica napus L.) cultivars to four row spacings and three seeding rates in a no-till production system. Can. J. Plant Sci. 93: 1229–1236. Appropriate management practices are important to reduce input costs and to optimize yield and crop quality. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum row spacing (23, 31, 46 and 61 cm) and seeding rate (3.2, 6.4 and 9.6 kg ha−1, or 87, 173 and 260 seeds planted m−2) for two herbicide-tolerant canola (Brassica napus L.) cultivars (an open-pollinated and a hybrid) under a no-till production system. Plant density and yield varied with row spacing, with the effect being linear in both cases. Plant density decreased with wider row spacing, from 112 plants m−2 at the 23-cm row spacing to 83 plants m−2 at the 61-cm row spacing. Yield decreased with wider row spacing, from 2397 kg ha−1 at the 23-cm row spacing to 2138 kg ha−1 at the 61-cm row spacing. Results from this study indicate that herbicide-tolerant cultivars of canola grown in no-till production systems under conditions of adequate soil fertility, effective weed management, minimal disease pressure, and good flea beetle control, produced the highest plant densities and yields at row spacing of 24–31 cm, that seeding rates in the range of 3.2–9.6 kg ha−1 had no effects on yield, and that a hybrid cultivar performed better than open-pollinated cultivars in terms of plant density, earliness and duration of flowering, and seed size. The study helps to better define the response of plant density and seed yield in herbicide-tolerant canola cultivars to changes in row spacing and seeding rate. In particular, the results of this study suggest that plant density may not be a reliable predictor of canola yield, although row spacing is an important consideration.

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Introduction of four native legumes of the Canadian Prairies in monoculture and in mixtures with meadow bromegrass (Bromus riparius)

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.1139/cjps-2020-0249 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shanna Marie Quilichini ◽

Mike Schellenberg ◽

Bill Biligetu

Keyword(s):

Dry Matter ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Block Design ◽

Legume Species ◽

Dry Matter Yield ◽

Forage Production ◽

Seeding Rate ◽

Canadian Prairies ◽

Bromus Riparius ◽

Native Legume

Many questions remain concerning the viability and productivity of seeding native legumes in the Canadian Prairies for forage production. Field research was conducted with four native legume species (Astragalus flexuosus, Dalea purpurea, Hedysarum boreale and Vicia americana) to evaluate performance in Swift Current and Saskatoon, SK. The experimental design was a Randomized Complete Block Design with four replicates to evaluate legume-grass mixtures and monoculture performance, botanical composition and effect of harvest dates (July and August) from 2016 to 2018. The native legume-grass mixtures performed differently at the sites, with greater foliar cover at Saskatoon but greater proportion of legumes in mixtures at Swift Current. The mixtures had similar forage nutritive value as monoculture Bromus riparius, with legumes contributing 10% or less of the forage dry matter yield (DMY) at both sites. A. flexuosus showed the greatest foliar cover and produced the greatest DMY in monoculture at both sites. Based on this study, native legumes would need to make up a larger proportion of forage dry matter yield to change the nutritional value of mixtures. In a subsequent seeding rate evaluation, the four legume species were planted at three seeding rates (300, 200 and 100 pure live seeds [PLS] per metre) and tested for DMY one year following establishment near Swift Current. Increasing seeding rates up to 300 PLS m-1 corresponded with an increase in seedling density and foliar cover, but DMY was not affected. Additional research with A. flexuosus is needed to demonstrate its value as a forage.

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