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Background This 2‐year study sought to determine the influence of N application rates following alfalfa termination on biomass production and quality of the succeeding crops of maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum–sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench × Sorghum sudanense Piper) and quantify short‐term changes in soil total N (TN) under the different systems. Methods Treatments were two silage maize hybrids (“LG5470” and “NK0388”) and two sorghum–sudangrass hybrids (“Super sugar” and “Sweet six”) for a total of four entries and three N application rates (0, 80, and 160 kg N ha−1) in a 4 × 3 factorial in a randomized complete block design with four replications each. Results In the first year following termination of a 4‐year alfalfa stand, no additional N was required for maize (22.9 Mg DM ha−1, SE = 1.2) and sorghum–sudangrass (19.3 Mg DM ha−1, SE = 1.2) biomass production. Total digestible nutrients (TDNs) of herbage biomass differed only in the second year, and TDNs in Year 2 were greater for the 160 kg N ha−1 rate (675.2 g kg−1 DM, SEM = 9.6) compared to the 0 kg N ha−1 rate (638.2 g kg−1 DM, SEM = 9.6). Conclusions The results from this study offer producers the opportunity to integrate a cropping system that will lead to significant N input cost savings, provide a reliable source of feed for the ruminant livestock industry, and promote long‐term feed crop sustainability in semi‐arid environments like Nevada and other similar regions worldwide. Maize and sorghum‐sudangrass production after alfalfa.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the fresh herbage yield, fertilizer dosage, and plant characteristics of the Sorghum-Sudangrass hybrid grown in arid and semi-arid regions, as well as their interrelationships. For this reason, data from the Sorghum-Sudangrass hybrid were used to assess the predictive performance of several data mining techniques, including CHAID, CART, MARS, and Bagging MARS. Plant traits were measured in Konya and Sanliurfa during 2021 and 2022. The descriptive statistical values were calculated as follows: plant height 306.27 cm, stem diameter 9.47 mm, fresh herbage yield 10852.51 kg/da, crude protein ratio 9.66%, acid detergent fiber 33.39%, neutral detergent fiber 51.85%, acid detergent lignin 9.76%, dry matter digestibility 62.88%, dry matter intake 2.34%, and relative feed value 114.68 (average values). The predictive capacities of the fitted models were assessed using model fit statistics such as the coefficient of determination (R²), adjusted R², root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), standard deviation ratio (SD ratio), and Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). With the lowest values for RMSE, MAPE, SD ratio, and AIC (246, 1.926, 0.085, and 845, respectively), and the highest R² value (0.993) and adjusted R² value (0.989), the MARS algorithm was determined to be the best model for characterizing fresh herbage yield. As a solid alternative to other data mining techniques, the MARS algorithm was shown to be the most appropriate model for forecasting fresh herbage production.

This study aimed was the establishment of the genus Brachiaria in the Brazilian semi-arid region. The experiment was conducted from April to June 2016, as a randomized-block experimental design with five treatments and four replicates. Treatments were represented by five Brachiaria cultivars, namely, Marandu, Paiaguás, Piatã, Xaraés and Basilisk. Morphogenetic (leaf appearance rate, leaf elongation rate e stem elongation rate) and structural characteristics (final leaf length, tiller population density e number of leaves per tiller, forage mass, leaf blade mass, stem mass, senescent material mass and leaf:stem ratio) of the forage cultivars were evaluated. Canopy height fitted a linear regression model (P<0,05), with estimated daily increases of 0.50, 0.53, 0.53, 0.54 and 0.56 cm for cvs Basilisk, Marandu, Paiaguás, Piatã and Xaraés, respectively. The number of live leaves in cvs Basilisk and Paiaguás increased linearly (p < 0.05), by 4.3 and 2.8 leaves per tiller, respectively, during the 60-day period. The recommended height at which the growth of Brachiaria cultivars should be interrupted is upon reaching 25 to 35 cm. In the soil-climatic conditions of the Brazilian semi-arid region, the Brachiaria cultivars Basilisk, Marandu, Paiaguás, Piatã and Xaraés are established at 75 days after sowing, which is the recommended time for performing the first harvest or lenient grazing to stimulate tillering.

The elemental analysis of plant material is a frequently employed tool across biological disciplines, yet accurate, convenient and economical methods for the determination of some important elements are currently lacking. For instance, digestion-based techniques are often hazardous and time-consuming and, particularly in the case of silicon (Si), can suffer from low accuracy due to incomplete solubilization and potential volatilization, whilst other methods may require large, expensive and specialised equipment. Here, we present a rapid, safe and accurate procedure for the simultaneous, nonconsump-tive analysis of Si and phosphorus (P) in as little as 0.1 g dried and ground plant material using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (P-XRF). We used certified reference materials from different plant species to test the analytical performance of P-XRF and show that the analysis suffers from very little bias and that the repeatability precision of the measurements is as good as or better than that of other methods. Using this technique we were able to process and analyse 200 ground samples a day, so P-XRF could provide a particularly valuable tool for plant biologists requiring the simultaneous nonconsumptive analysis of multiple elements, including those known to be difficult to measure such as Si, in large numbers of samples.

Basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.) and fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum - graecum L.) are essential oil-bearing medicinal plants that could be used for food spice, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) promote crop growth and yield through different mechanisms. A two-year study was conducted to investigate the effects of fertilizer treatments on growth characteristics, essential oil (EO) yield and compositions of basil in intercropping with fenugreek. A factorial experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates in 2021 and 2022 in West Azarbaijan, Iran. The first factor was cropping pattern including sole cropping of basil and fenugreek, strip intercropping of basil (B)-fenugreek (F) with replacement method in the ratios of 2B:2 F, 4B:2 F, 5B:3 F and an additive intercropping of 100% basil + 50% fenugreek (100B:50 F). The second factor was fertilizer at three levels including application of local recommended dose of chemical fertilizer (RDF), 50% RDF + biofertilizer of AMF + PGPR (50% RDF + Bio) and biofertilizer of AMF + PGPR (Bio). The greatest basil height was observed in 2B:2 F cropping pattern and 50% RDF + Bio treatment (50.39 cm). The greatest yield of dry herbage was observed in 5B:3B cropping pattern with RDF and 50% RDF + Bio treatments. The highest yields of EO were observed in sole basil (0.85 g m − 2 ) and 5B:3 F intercropping (0.72 g m − 2 ), in 50% RDF + Bio treatment. Methyl chavicol, methyl eugenol, β-caryophyllene and 1,8-cineole, were the main chemical constitutes of EO. The contents of major components of EO were affected differently by cropping pattern and fertilizer. The greatest content of methyl chavicol (53.7%), was observed in 2B:2 F and Bio fertilizer treatment. Also, the highest content of methyl eugenol was obtained in 4B:2 F and 50% RDF + Bio fertilizer treatment. The results of EO compositions also were approved by principal component analysis (PCA). At all treatments, the land equivalent ratios (LER T ) were more than 1.0 that indicates the advantage of intercropping patterns compared with sole crops. The highest LER T (1.99) was obtained in 2B:2 F intercropping with 50% RDF + Bio treatment. We can conclude that application of 50% RDF + Bio fertilizer treatment in 2B:2 F intercropping, increased the productivity of basil-fenugreek intercropping, improved the EO compositions and could be recommended to the growers in sustainable production of basil.

Ours is the first proof-of-concept study to attempt to define stable isotopic ratio (δ) thresholds to ascertain the dietary proportion of grassland-based feeds (GBF) in commercial tank milk. Additionally, the isotopic profile of commercial tank milk produced in Switzerland was characterized. We collected 217 tank milk samples, from 21 dairy farms, over one calendar year to reflect and incorporate seasonal variations in feeding strategies. Thus, a wide range of feeding strategies based on contrasting proportions of total GBF (28–99%) and grazed herbage (0–96%) were represented. Based on mixed-model multiple regression, there was a significant association of δ 13 C and δ 18 O values of tank milk and the dietary proportions of GBF and grazed herbage, respectively. For every 10% increase in total GBF, δ 13 C decreased by 0.673 (R 2  = 0.57) and for every 10% increase in grazed herbage, δ 18 O increased by 0.125 (R 2  = 0.51). With this information, δ 13 C and δ 18 O values of bulk milk may be suitable starting points for the development of reliable indicators to assess and control the proportion of total GBF and grazed herbage in dairy farm diets. Commercial tank milk produced in Switzerland has a mean value of − 26.0, 5.69, − 7.03 and − 53.4 for δ 13 C, δ 15 N, δ 18 O and δ 2 H, respectively.

Grass swards in silvopastoral systems have a lower herbage production near trees than open grassland. This is related to a lower nitrogen (N) uptake in an area close to the tree lines. The N use efficiency for the whole field can then be improved when N input is spatially adjusted and the overall amount reduced. We performed a 2-year field experiment to gain insights into this idea for making savings on N inputs by studying the response of the grass sward to fertilizer N input in relation to the distance from trees. We hypothesized an interaction between N input rate and position to the tree line on grassland herbage production and N uptake and, accordingly, N use efficiency. The field trial was carried out in a silvopastoral system in Germany consisting of the factors year (2019 and 2020), position (2.5, 6.5 and 24.5 m distances to tree line), annual N application rate (0, 15 and 30 g N m −2 ) and harvest date (four harvests per year). We found significant interactions between position × N rate for all target variables, and usually also in interactions with the harvest date or year. The N application close to trees at a distance < 6.5 m had in most cases no significant influence on herbage production but significantly increased herbage production by up to 35% at positions further away. Omitting the N fertilization in a corridor of 6.5 m near the trees would contribute directly to the saving of fertilizer N without a negative trade-off in herbage production.

Pasture management is an important topic for dairy farms with grazing systems. Herbage mass (HM) is a key measure, and estimations of HM content in pastures allow for informed decisions in pasture management. A common method of estimating the HM content in pastures requires manually collected grass samples, which are subjected to laboratory analysis to determine the dry matter (DM) content. However, in recent years, new methods have emerged that generate digital data and aim to expedite, facilitate and improve the measurement of HM. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of a rising plate meter (RPM) tool in a practical setting to estimate HM in Austrian pastures. With this study, we also attempted to answer whether the tool is ready for use by farmers with its default settings. This study was conducted on the teaching and research farm of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria. Data were collected from May to October 2021 in five different pastures. To evaluate the accuracy of the RPM tool, grass samples were collected and dried in an oven to extract their DM and calculate the HM. The HM obtained from the grass samples was used as the gold standard for this study. In total, 3796 RPM measurements and 203 grass samples yielding 49 measurement points were used for the evaluation of the RPM tool. Despite the differences in pasture composition, the averaged HM from the RPM tool showed a strong correlation with the gold standard (R2 = 0.73, rp = 0.86, RMSE = 517.86, CV = 33.67%). However, the results may not be good enough to justify the use of the tool, because simulations in economic studies suggest that the error of prediction should be lower than 15%. Furthermore, in some pastures, the RPM obtained poor results, indicating an additional need for pasture-specific calibrations, which complicates the use of the RPM tool.

Optimizing fertilization strategies in L. requires an integrated assessment of biomass production and secondary metabolite synthesis. This study evaluated the effects of organic and organomineral fertilization on herbage yield, essential oil (EO) yield, and leaf rosmarinic acid (RA) content under field conditions in Ödemiş (Türkiye) during the warm and dry 2024 growing season. A split-plot design was used, with two cultivars (Melis and Quedlinburger) assigned as main plots and six fertilization treatments (G0-G5) as subplots, evaluated across two harvest times (H1 and H2). Fertilization significantly affected all parameters (p < 0.01). The highest fresh herbage yield was obtained with G3 (ammonium sulfate combined with humic and fulvic acids) at H1, reaching 15.41 t ha ¹ in Quedlinburger. Organomineral fertilization (G5; 12-12-12, 50% organic matter) maximized EO yield at H1, reaching 118.10 L ha ¹ in Melis, and maintained higher mean RA content than the control across both harvests (62.47 and 53.41 mg g ¹ at H1 and H2, respectively; mean across cultivars), corresponding to 69-99% higher RA content than the control. A marked phenological shift was observed, with EO content declining by ~50% from H1 to H2, while RA content also decreased by ~20% across harvests but remained highest under G5 treatment, which may be associated with changes in carbon allocation between the terpenoid (MEP) and phenylpropanoid pathways. Multivariate analysis supported these findings, with principal component analysis explaining 88.2% of total variance and clustering identifying G5 and G3 as the most effective treatments. Overall, integrated nutrient management enhanced both yield and phytochemical quality under heat and water-deficit conditions.