Prediction of soil seed bank of piedmont and alluvial environments of Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, Pakistan

The current focus is on the overall pattern of seed storage present in the fragments of the soil of piedmont and alluvial landscapes of the environment. The present study predicted the seed banks of both soils of alluvial and piedmont zones in different ecological conditions and evaluate the potential of seeds in the restoration of both environments. The composition of the seed bank of soil is mainly affected by the alluvial environment and the structure of cleared area shows that more species of germinating annual grasses and growable seeds with the higher total number. Extant vegetation structures have an important role in the diversity of soil seed reservoirs, whose composition corresponded with the openness of the site. When in situ soil seed bank is recruited, it helps to restore only some components of the plant community in an alluvial environment. In our current research, it was confirmed that seed richness was higher in number at lower elevation (alluvial) than that at high elevation (piedmont). Seed richness showed a significant negative correlation with anions, cations, while significantly positive with altitude that suggests the richness pattern of the overall seed bank of the area is influenced by various environmental factors.

Pollinator-friendly flora in rangelands following control of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum): a case study

Invasive winter annual grasses, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) are considered serious threats to regional biodiversity. Pollinator populations that depend on the native flora are likely to be negatively impacted as these native species may be displaced by the invasive grass species. Colonization by cheatgrass is also predicted to increase risk of wildfires, as dead plant parts provide fuel in the already dry and arid regions of the western United States. Biocontrol, grazing, prescribed burning, or use of broad-spectrum nonselective herbicides have been suggested as possible means to control B. tectorum. Efficient control may facilitate regrowth of native flora that could in turn support other ecosystem functions. Reporting our findings as a case study, we describe here the results of the application of a preemergent herbicide, indaziflam, that limits germination of B. tectorum seeds. Herbicide was applied to the study locations during the months of December 2016, January 2017, and February 2017. The data reported here on the diversity of flowering plants were collected between May through September 2018. Herbicide-treated plots showed an increase in diversity and abundance of flowering plants compared to the untreated control within two seasons after cheatgrass control was implemented, suggesting that effective reduction of the population of the invasive annual cheatgrass may help facilitate the growth of native forbs. Further studies are necessary to understand mechanisms that facilitate reestablishment of native flowering species, the long-term consequences of reducing invasive annual grasses and to document any residual effects of the herbicide on ground-nesting pollinators.

THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY OF THE AFTEREFFECT OF THE USE OF BIOMELIORANTS TO INCREASE THE PRODUCTIVITY AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF DEGRADED SOD - PODZOLIC SOIL

The paper evaluates the effectiveness of the aftereffect of the use of biomeliorants (effluent and biocompost) to increase the productivity of soils in degraded reclaimed lands, carried out under the conditions of a lysimetric experiment on a stationary site, when growing annual grasses (vetch-oat mixture). It was experimentally established that effluent and biocompost based on sewage sludge and manure had a positive effect (in the first year of aftereffect) on the productivity and biological activity of soddy-podzolic sandy loam soil of fallow reclaimed agricultural lands.

Forage production for dairy farming in terms of the Research Station “Poyma”

Важнейшей проблемой продовольственной безопасности страны является уровень обеспеченности населения молочными продуктами. В связи с этим большое значение имеет опыт работы передовых хозяйств такого профиля в определённых почвенно-климатических и природно-экологических условиях. ФГБУ «Опытная станция «Пойма» является одним из наиболее эффективных хозяйств в Московской области по производству молока. Общая площадь сельскохозяйственных угодий составляет 6135 га, из них 2000 га пашни. В структуре посевных площадей 95% и более занимают кормовые культуры, в том числе 12–14% — однолетние травы, 68–70% — многолетние травы и природные кормовые угодья, 15–16% — кукуруза на силос. Основное производство кормов сосредоточено на высокоплодородных пойменных землях, на долю которых приходится 84% кормовых угодий. В статье изложены результаты системного применения достижений науки и передового опыта по стабильному производству высококачественных объёмистых кормов. Проведён анализ состояния кормопроизводства и животноводства хозяйства с 1982 по 2020 год, освещены научные подходы к увеличению производства кормов и животноводческой продукции. Системное освоение передовых научных разработок по созданию высокопродуктивных кормовых посевов и стабильному производству высококачественных объёмистых кормов, их рациональному хранению и использованию, техническая модернизация позволили увеличить среднегодовой надой на корову с 4079 до 9708 кг, или более чем в 2,3 раза, при одновременном снижении расхода кормов на 1 кг молока с 1,37 до 0,90 корм. ед. при повышении рентабельности с 16 до 28%. Food safety of the country is highly affected by the availability of milk products. Therefore, the experience of leading farms is of great importance under certain environmental conditions. The Research Station “Poyma” is one of the leading milk producers in the Moscow region. Its fields occupy around 6135 ha. The proportion of forage crops amounts to 95% including 12–14% of annual grasses, 68–70% of perennial grasses and natural forage lands as well as 15–16% of maize for silage production. 84% of the total cultivation area are high-fertile floodlands. This article focuses on the application of the latest scientific findings and advanced experience for stable production of high-quality bulk fodder. The efficiency of forage production and Animal Husbandry was analyzed in the period from 1982 to 2020. The methods and practices were reviewed to optimize forage and animal product resources. Average annual milk yield was improved from 4079 to 9708 kg per cow, or by more than 2.3 times due to the introduction of the latest findings into the production process including the cultivation of high-productive forage crops, stabilization of bulk fodder supplies, feed effective storage and use. Forage consumption dropped from 1.37 to 0.90 feed units for the production of 1 kg of milk, payback increased from 16 to 28%.

Ecological restoration of fodder productivity of degraded pastures in the foothill desert zone of Central Asia

Irrational, ecologically unregulated economic activity in the vast deserts of Central Asia has led to biodiversity depletion, decrease in the fodder productivity of natural pastures and, as a result, deterioration in the fodder base of grassland farming. Forage production of these degraded pastures requires ecological restoration. To enrich the species composition and to increase the fodder productivity of degraded pastures we conducted strip sowing of black saxaul. Restorative succession on degraded pastures led to the formation of a long-term halophytic shrub-ephemeral pasture community consisting of two layers: upper (I) layer represented by black saxaul and lower (II) layer composed of ephemeroids, ephemerals and annual saltwort. Ephemerals are short-growing fodder plants (March–April); Haloxylon aphyllum refers to long-growing (226–242 days) fodder plants, which sprout in the period from late March to early December. Annual salsolas Salsola carinata and Halocharis hispida develop well under the crown of Haloxylon aphyllum. Here they are much larger than between the crowns. The shrub-ephemeral pasture community is dominated by annual grasses and Poa bulbosa. They are mainly concentrated on the outer border of the undercrown ring and are characterized by lush development. In the halophytic semi-shrub-ephemeroid pasture community, the total yield of forage mass of ephemera was 0.90 t/ha; the total yield of forage mass of annual saltwort was 0.14 t/ha; the total yield of forage mass of Haloxylon aphyllum was 0.89 t/ha; the total yield of forage mass was 1.93 t/ha.

Invasive Grass Dominance over Native Forbs Is Linked to Shifts in the Bacterial Rhizosphere Microbiome

Rhizosphere microbiomes have received growing attention in recent years for their role in plant health, stress tolerance, soil nutrition, and invasion. Still, relatively little is known about how these microbial communities are altered under plant competition, and even less about whether these shifts are tied to competitive outcomes between native and invasive plants. We investigated the structure and diversity of rhizosphere bacterial and fungal microbiomes of native annual forbs and invasive annual grasses grown in a shade-house both individually and in competition using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the fungal ITS region. We assessed how differentially abundant microbial families correlate to plant biomass under competition. We find that bacterial diversity and structure differ between native forbs and invasive grasses, but fungal diversity and structure do not. Furthermore, bacterial community structures under competition are distinct from individual bacterial community structures. We also identified five bacterial families that varied in normalized abundance between treatments and that were correlated with plant biomass under competition. We speculate that invasive grass dominance over these natives may be partially due to effects on the rhizosphere community, with changes in specific bacterial families potentially benefiting invaders at the expense of natives.

Pesticides Usage Pattern by Cotton and Chilli Farmers in Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh

The present study intended to know the pesticides usage pattern by cotton and chilli farmers in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. For the study Kurnool district was purposively selected as it occupies first place in gross area sown in Andhra Pradesh. Among the crops cultivated in Kurnool district, cotton and chilli were selected as the pesticide’s consumption is high in these crops. The collected data was analyzed by using percentage and frequencies. From this investigation it was found that 92.5 per cent of the sample farmers used Monocrotophos 36% SL for cotton and used as the first spray of insecticide in cotton to control sucking pests by every farmer. In chilli Pendimethalin 30% EC by 97.5 per cent by sample farmers as it controls annual grasses and broad-leaved weeds.