Factors related to productivity and persistence of lucerne (Medicago sativa) genotypes with different fall dormancy levels: a review

The lucerne productive and nutritional potential make it the most used forage legume worldwide. This wide use leads genetic improvement programs to increasingly select the main requirements for a given edaphoclimatic condition. However, in Brazil, the research on genetic improvement of lucerne has been limited over the years, which has hindered the production of this species and the domination of other legumes in animal production, as estilosantes and pigeon pea. This literature review aimed to present results from countries such as New Zealand and Australia that lead the world ranking, as weel as Argentina, in the cultivation of this crop and that can be used as showcase to understand the management of lucerne. From extensive bibliometry analyses in the period between 1963 and 2021, variables as persistence and phyllochron in these countries indicate that it is possible to produce lucerne with similar productivity, longevity and quality in Brazil. Nevertheless, to leverage this production, not only genetic improvement should be aimed, but also research and dissemination of knowledge on the ideal management of defoliation and, mainly, on the choice of the genotype and dormancy level to be cropped by the producer.

Promoting Forage Legume–Pollinator Interactions: Integrating Crop Pollination Management, Native Beekeeping and Silvopastoral Systems in Tropical Latin America

Major declines of insect pollinators are a worldwide concern. Such losses threaten human food supplies and ecosystem functions. Monocultures of pastures used to feed cattle are among the drivers of insect pollinator declines in Tropical Latin America. Plants of the legume family (fabaceae) are mostly pollinated by insects, in particular by bees. The inclusion of legumes in pastures (grass-legume system), as forage banks or the development of silvo-pastoral systems (SPS) with tree legumes, has been widely promoted to improve livestock production and soil fertility, but not to enhance ecosystem services from pollinators. Shortages of seed for the establishment of legumes as forage banks or within pastures or SPS remain a bottleneck for the improvement of ecosystem services brought about by pollinators within these systems and beyond. In this perspective paper, we provide an overview of forage legumes, their interplay with pollinators, and the ecological and socio-economic benefits of pollinator–forage legume interactions, at different scales (farm and landscape level). We further discuss the challenges and opportunities of scaling sustainably intensified cattle production systems that integrate legume forage-seed production with principles of pollinator ecology and native beekeeping. Finally, we provide interested stakeholders, policy-and decision-makers with a perspective on how such agroecosystems may be designed and scaled into multifunctional landscapes.

Soil Nitrate Nitrogen Content and Grain Yields of Organically Grown Cereals as Affected by a Strip Tillage and Forage Legume Intercropping

Reducing tillage intensity and increasing crop diversity by including perennial legumes is an agrotechnical practice that strongly affects the soil environment. Strip tillage may be beneficial in the forage legume–cereals intercropping system due to more efficient utilization of biological nitrogen. Field experiments were conducted on a clay loam Cambisol to determine the effect of forage legume–winter wheat strip tillage intercropping on soil nitrate nitrogen (N-NO3) content and cereal productivity in various sequences of rotation in organic production systems. Forage legumes (Medicago lupulina L., Trifolium repens L., T. alexandrinum L.) grown in pure and forage legume–winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) strip tillage intercrops were studied. Conventional deep inversion tillage was compared to strip tillage. Nitrogen supply to winter wheat was assessed by the change in soil nitrate nitrogen content (N-NO3) and total N accumulation in yield (grain and straw). Conventional tillage was found to significantly increase N-NO3 content while cultivating winter wheat after forage legumes in late autumn (0–30 cm layer), after growth resumption in spring (30–60 cm), and in autumn after harvesting (30–60 cm). Soil N-NO3 content did not differ significantly between winter wheat strip sown in perennial legumes or oat stubble. Winter wheat grain yields increased with increasing N-NO3 content in soil. The grain yield was not significantly different when comparing winter wheat–forage legume strip intercropping (without mulching) to strip sowing in oat stubble. In forage legume–winter wheat strip intercropping, N release from legumes was weak and did not meet wheat nitrogen requirements.

Combining crop diversification practices can benefit cereal production in temperate climates

Diversifying cropping systems by increasing the number of cash and cover crops in crop rotation plays an important role in improving resource use efficiency and in promoting synergy between ecosystem processes. The objective of this study was to understand how the combination of crop diversification practices influences the performance of arable crop sequences in terms of crop grain yield, crop and weed biomass, and nitrogen acquisition in a temperate climate. Two field experiments were carried out. The first was a 3-year crop sequence with cereal or grain legume as the first crops, with and without undersown forage legumes and forage legume-grass crops, followed by a cereal crop. The second experiment was a 2-year crop sequence with cereal or legume as the first crops, a legume cover crop, and a subsequent cereal crop. For the first time, crop diversification practices were combined to identify plant-plant interactions in spatial and temporal scales. The results partly confirm the positive effect of diversifying cereal-based cropping systems by including grain legumes and cover crops in the crop sequence. Legume cover crops had a positive effect on subsequent cereal grain yield in one of the experiments. Using faba beans as the first crop in the crop sequence had both a positive and no effect on crop biomass and N acquisition of the subsequent cereal. In cover crops composed of a forage legume-grass mixture, the grass biomass and N acquisition were consistently increased after the grain legume, compared to the cereal-preceding crop. However, differences in the proportion of legume to grass in mixture did not influence crop yield or N acquisition in the subsequent cereal. In conclusion, these results support that increased crop diversity across spatial and temporal scales can contribute to resource-efficient production and enhance the delivery of services, contributing to more sustainable cropping systems.

Effects of Autotoxicity on Alfalfa (Medicago sativa): Seed Germination, Oxidative Damage and Lipid Peroxidation of Seedlings

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a highly valuable perennial forage legume that suffers from autotoxicity, which decreases plant resistance, reduces soil fertility, causes serious soil-borne diseases, and promotes ecological imbalance. We evaluated the effects of autotoxicity on the seed germination of 22 alfalfa varieties, and then elucidated the oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation in two alfalfa varieties with contrasting autotoxicity tolerances. The technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method was used to rank the germination of the 22 alfalfa varieties when exposed to six autotoxic concentrations (0, 0.025, 0.075, 0.125, 0.175, and 0.225 g∙mL−1). We found WL656HQ and 3105C to be autotoxicity-tolerant and autotoxicity-sensitive varieties, respectively. The germination index mainly affects the comprehensive allelopathic index of WL656HQ and 3105C, which were the simple vigor index and radicle length according to the random forest model, respectively. 3105C eliminates reactive oxygen species (ROS) via antioxidant enzymes and antioxidants under T1 (0.025 g∙mL−1), but the oxidative stress system and the oxidative scavenging system cannot maintain the balance under T2 (0.125 g∙mL−1), causing oxidative bursts. In comparison, WL656HQ used its oxidative scavenging system (peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR)) to maintain its redox dynamic balance by removing excess ROS at all concentrations. In conclusion, the positive and negative indicators of autotoxicity for the two varieties were ascorbate (ASA) and hydroxyl free radicals (OH•), and proline (Pro) and dehydroascrobate (DHA), respectively. The most sensitive autotoxic concentrations of 3105C and WL656HQ were T2 (0.125 g∙mL−1) and T1 (0.025 g∙mL−1), respectively.

Pelatihan Pengenalan Pakan Kambing Perah di Kelompok Peternak Roudhatul Ghonam Kecamatan Sidamulih Kabupaten Pangandaran

Abstrak: Peternak harus mengenal jenis pakan yang biasa diberikan kepada ternak supaya menghasilkan produksi yang baik. Pakan berupa hijauan, leguminosa, dan konsentrat umumnya diberikan kepada ternak kambing perah. Tujuan pengabdian adalah memberikan pengetahuan tentang pakan kambing perah di Kelompok Peternak Roudhatul Ghonam Sidamulih Pangandaran. Pengabdian ini telah dilaksanakan di kelompok ternak Roudhatul Ghonam Kecamatan Sidamulih Kabupaten Pangandaran yang diikuti oleh peserta berjumlah 30 peserta dengan berbagai tingkatan usia. Metode pelaksanaan dengan cara memberikan penyuluhan kepada para peternak dengan pengenalan berbagai pakan untuk kambing perah. Tahapan dimulai dengan sebaran kuisioner pre test sebelum kegiatan dilakukan dengan 10 pertanyaan yang diajukan, pemaparan materi pengenalan pakan, penyebaran kuisioner post test kepada peserta dan diakhiri dengan sesi tanya jawab peserta dan narasumber. Kemudian mengenalkan pakan berupa hijauan seperti rumput gajah, raja, gamal, kaliandra dan ampas tahu yang bisa diberikan dengan potensi ketersediaan diwilayahnya, konsentrat serta teknologi pakan hasil fermentasi berupa silase. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa pengetahuan tentang pakan meningkat di tingkat peternak berdasarkan pre test dan post test sehingga diharapkan dengan ilmu dan pengetahuan tersebut produktivitas ternaknya tinggi dengan pemberian pakan yang terbaik.Abstract: Farmers must know the types of feed that are usually given to livestock to produce good production. Feed in the form of forage, legume, and concentrate is generally given to dairy goats. This service aims to provide knowledge about dairy goat feed in the Roudhatul Ghonam Farm Sidamulih Pangandaran. This service was carried out in the Roudhatul Ghonam farm, Sidamulih District, Pangandaran Regency, where 30 participants of various ages attended. The implementation method is by providing counseling to breeders with the introduction of various feeds for dairy goats. The stages began with the distribution of pre-test questionnaires before the activity was carried out with ten questions being asked, presentation of feed introduction material, distributing post-test questionnaires to participants, and ended with a question and answer session between participants and resource persons. Then introduce feed in the form of forages such as elephant grass, king grass, Gamal, calliandra, and tofu dregs that can be provided with potential availability in the region, concentrate and fermented feed technology the form of silage. The results showed that knowledge about feed increased at the farmer level based on the pre-test and post-test. It is expected that with this knowledge and knowledge, the productivity of livestock is high by providing the best feed