Grassland Research最新文献

{"title":"Genomic prediction of forage nutritive value in perennial ryegrass","authors":"Agnieszka Konkolewska,&nbsp;Michael Dineen,&nbsp;Rachel Keirse,&nbsp;Patrick Conaghan,&nbsp;Dan Milbourne,&nbsp;Susanne Barth,&nbsp;Aonghus Lawlor,&nbsp;Stephen Byrne","doi":"10.1002/glr2.12104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/glr2.12104","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Despite its importance to animal production potential, genetic gain for forage nutritive value has been limited in perennial ryegrass (<i>Lolium perenne</i> L.) breeding. The objective of this study was to phenotype a training population and develop prediction models to assess the potential of predicting organic matter digestibility (OMD) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) with genotyping-by-sequencing data.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Near infra-red reflectance spectroscopy calibrations for OMD and NDF were developed and used to phenotype a spaced plant training population of <i>n</i> = 1606, with matching genotype-by-sequencing data, for developing genomic selection models. <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <msub>\u0000 <mi>F</mi>\u0000 \u0000 <mn>2</mn>\u0000 </msub>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 </semantics></math> families derived from the training population were also evaluated for OMD and NDF in sward plots and used to empirically validate prediction models.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Sufficient genotypic variation exists in breeding populations to improve forage nutritive value, and spectral bands contributing to calibrations were identified. OMD and NDF can be predicted from genomic data with moderate accuracy (predictive ability in the range of 0.51–0.59 and 0.33–0.57, respectively) and models developed on individual plants outperform those developed from family means. Encouragingly, genomic prediction models developed on parental plants can predict OMD in subsequent generations grown as competitive swards.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>These findings suggest that genetic improvement in forage nutritive value can be accelerated through the application of genomic prediction models.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100593,"journal":{"name":"Grassland Research","volume":"3 4","pages":"331-346"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/glr2.12104","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143248740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Similar biogeographic patterns of abundant and rare bacterial communities are driven by distinct assembly mechanisms in grassland soils","authors":"Sihao Zhu,&nbsp;Bai Yue,&nbsp;Kun Liu,&nbsp;Ning Zhao","doi":"10.1002/glr2.12108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/glr2.12108","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The regional species pool and local community assembly processes shape the biogeographic patterns of soil bacterial community diversity. However, how community assembly mechanisms regulate biogeographic patterns in rare and abundant bacterial communities remains unclear.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Soil samples of 16 grassland habitats across the Inner Mongolian Plateau and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) transects were collected to investigate the variation of β-diversity in rare taxa (RT) and abundant taxa (AT). High-throughput sequencing analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicons was implemented on an Illumina MiSeq platform.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Significant distance-decay relationships of β-diversity in RT and AT were observed at transect and habitat scales, and the turnover rate increased from desert to meadow steppe in both taxa. For variations of β-diversity along environmental gradient, the regional species pool had a limited effect on both taxa except RT in QTP. Deterministic processes, including homogeneous selection (85.1%–97.3%) and heterogenous selection (48.1%–64.2%), dominated the assembly of RT at both the transect and habitat scales. In contrast, the assembly of AT exhibited habitat specificity and was dominated by homogeneous selection (47.2%–80.6%), heterogenous selection (42.1%–54.2%), and dispersal limitation (41.8%) in different transects and habitats. Moreover, the local assembly processes of the AT community were more stochastic than those of the RT community. Mean annual precipitation (MAP) was the dominant driver of community assembly at the transect scale, with extreme MAP (&lt;200 or &gt;400 mm) resulting in more deterministic processes and a moderate level of MAP (200–400 mm) leading to more stochastic processes. However, the effects of geographical distance and soil properties on different grassland habitats cannot be ignored.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Although both bacterial taxa exhibited significant distance-decay patterns, different assembly mechanisms shaped the β-diversity of AT and RT communities in grassland soils. Our results suggested that MAP can mediate community assembly of soil bacteria on a large scale.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100593,"journal":{"name":"Grassland Research","volume":"3 4","pages":"373-384"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/glr2.12108","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143248741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A note on the reporting of stocking rate, stocking density, and “grazing intensity” in pasture and rangeland research","authors":"Cory Matthew","doi":"10.1002/glr2.12110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/glr2.12110","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;It has been an observation of mine over the last few years that in articles dealing with animal allocation to pasture or rangeland in various countries, there are differences between authors in the units used for some common terms such as stocking rate, stocking density or grazing intensity when reporting experiment treatments and data. Some authors are using units incorrectly, in my opinion. Hence, I thought that it would be useful to write an editorial for &lt;i&gt;Grassland Research&lt;/i&gt;, setting out a logical framework and units for authors' consideration when preparing manuscripts on this topic. This is neither an in-depth review nor an attempt to redefine terms and concepts, but simply a call for authors to use units correctly within the currently accepted framework and definitions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To begin, the authoritative reference is Allen et al. (&lt;span&gt;2011&lt;/span&gt;). Here, &lt;b&gt;stocking rate&lt;/b&gt; is defined as “the relationship between the number of animals and the total area of the land in one or more units utilized over a specified time,” with a note, “where needed, it may be expressed as animal units or forage intake units per unit of land area over time (animal units over a described time, per total system land area).” Meanwhile, &lt;b&gt;stocking density&lt;/b&gt; is defined as “the relationship between the number of animals and the specific unit of land being grazed at any one time; an instantaneous measurement of the animal-to-land area relationship” and &lt;b&gt;grazing pressure&lt;/b&gt; is defined as “the relationship between animal live weight and forage mass per unit area of the specific unit of land being grazed at any one time; an instantaneous measurement of the animal-to-forage relationship.” Extrapolating from these definitions, relevant units for stocking rate would be animals (of a specified species and class) per ha, and for grazing pressure, it would be kg animal body weight per kg of forage mass. Grazing pressure and its reciprocal, forage allowance (Allen et al., &lt;span&gt;2011&lt;/span&gt;; Sollenberger et al., &lt;span&gt;2005&lt;/span&gt;), are unitless ratios, with both animal live weight (kg) and forage mass (kg) expressed for the same land area. Considering stocking rate, nine sheep on 2 ha for 6 months of a year with 6 months with plots ungrazed is not the same as nine sheep on 2 ha continuously throughout the year. This distinction could only be represented in the units if time were included in both the numerator and the denominator (e.g., animal. years per ha. year) in which case, time (years) would cancel out. Hence, especially where animals graze a pasture for only a part of a year or other time period, as in extreme environments such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it should be explicitly stated over what period of time the animals are allocated to the land area and how any fluctuation in animal number, body weight or land area over the reporting period is dealt with.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Accordingly, in the writer's home country, New Zealand, stocking rate has been historically ","PeriodicalId":100593,"journal":{"name":"Grassland Research","volume":"3 4","pages":"303-305"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/glr2.12110","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143248742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of three defoliation frequency treatments and drought on perennial ryegrass herbage and root growth and water-soluble carbohydrate reserves","authors":"Katherine N. Tozer,&nbsp;Rose M. Greenfield,&nbsp;Catherine A. Cameron,&nbsp;Martin P. Upsdell,&nbsp;David E. Hume","doi":"10.1002/glr2.12105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/glr2.12105","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Grazing approaches are needed to increase the resilience of perennial ryegrass (<i>Lolium perenne</i> L.)-based pastures subject to increasing drought stress. One opportunity has focused on seedhead management in late spring. Paddock-level studies demonstrated increased pasture resilience when ryegrass seedheads are allowed to mature, but knowledge is lacking on how defoliation management affects plant carbohydrate status and hence resilience in the sward.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A glasshouse study was conducted from spring to autumn using 1 m deep root tubes. Plant growth and water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) reserves were measured every 4–6 weeks. Defoliation treatments comprised “VEGETATIVE”—regular defoliation based on leaf stage and trimmed to 4 cm; “FLOWERING”—no defoliation spring to anthesis; and “SENESCENT”—no defoliation spring to reproductive tiller senescence. Thereafter, regular defoliation was carried out for all treatments until the end of the study. From spring to the end of summer, plants were watered daily in WET (no drought, well watered) and on four occasions in DRY (drought) treatments, with daily watering thereafter.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Herbage mass, tillering, root depth, root mass, and WSC were generally higher in SENESCENT than VEGETATIVE with FLOWERING intermediate (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Nutritive values were similar in VEGETATIVE and FLOWERING, but in SENESCENT, metabolizable energy and crude protein declined and neutral detergent fiber increased (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Soil moisture effects were small, with the DRY treatment resulting in moderate suppression of herbage growth and a minor reduction in WSC reserves (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Results were consistent with field studies and recommendations to allow perennial ryegrass tillers to set seed to improve pasture resilience.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100593,"journal":{"name":"Grassland Research","volume":"3 4","pages":"347-363"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/glr2.12105","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143253284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil organic carbon increase on conversion of native savanna to improved pasture in two regions of Colombia","authors":"Sandra Loaiza,&nbsp;Ciniro Costa Jr,&nbsp;Mayesse A. da Silva,&nbsp;Ngonidzashe Chirinda,&nbsp;Idupulapati Rao,&nbsp;Jacobo Arango,&nbsp;Jeimar Tapasco,&nbsp;Glenn Hyman","doi":"10.1002/glr2.12101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/glr2.12101","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There is limited knowledge on how to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks under tropical conditions. This study investigates SOC changes after converting land from native savanna (NS) to improved pasture (IP) land use.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Two acidic soil conversion sites were examined: (i) a poorly drained slope with medium-texture soil (Casanare [CAS]₁) and (ii) flat terrain with fine-texture soil (CAS₂). Another flat site was evaluated (Atlántico [ATL]), with fine-textured to moderately textured neutral soil. Soil samples were collected and analyzed. SOC stocks (0–60 cm soil depth) were estimated, with a complex analysis of variance analyzing pasture type and soil depth.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>NS to IP conversion resulted in significant SOC accumulation in two regions, with losses in one (CAS₂). ATL showed higher SOC accumulation than CAS. IP adoption led to SOC accumulation at depth (0–60 cm) after 10 years in CAS₁. Elevated clay content in CAS₂ favored SOC storage, while poorly drained areas hindered accumulation in CAS₁. Cultivating rice before IP at CAS₂ likely depleted SOC (0–20 cm), with 4 years of IP not restoring initial levels.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Adopting IP over NS can increase SOC. Grassland type, soil properties, and land-use change all influence SOC accumulation. These data inform sustainable land management for low-emission livestock production.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100593,"journal":{"name":"Grassland Research","volume":"3 4","pages":"318-330"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/glr2.12101","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143252839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of land use intensity and habitat characteristics on butterfly community composition within the Southern Great Plains of the United States","authors":"Emily A. Geest,&nbsp;Raymond A. Moranz,&nbsp;Kristen A. Baum","doi":"10.1002/glr2.12099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/glr2.12099","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>As grasslands decline, grassland-dependent species such as grassland butterflies have experienced widespread population losses. To manage remaining grasslands, prescribed fire, grazing, and haying are common management practices across the Southern Great Plains of the United States. However, the impacts of management and land use intensity (LUI) on butterfly community composition and butterfly community traits are not well understood. Additionally, local habitat characteristics such as vegetation height and cover, as well as broader landscape categorization, including how much agriculture or urbanization is occurring around the habitat, can alter butterfly communities.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We conducted standardized butterfly and flowering forb surveys at grassland sites across north-central Oklahoma.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>LUI influenced overall butterfly community composition with sites managed only with fire having the most dissimilar butterfly community compared to three other management regimens. The amount of agriculture, urbanization, and wetlands surrounding study sites also influenced butterfly community composition. Flowering forb community measures differed by site with sites managed by fire alone having lower blooming forbs species richness, diversity, and abundance than sites with other management regimens.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Sites managed with only prescribed fire had the most disparate butterfly community in comparison to other management methods, suggesting that specialist butterfly species may be sensitive to increasing disturbance.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100593,"journal":{"name":"Grassland Research","volume":"3 4","pages":"306-317"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/glr2.12099","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143248622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Yield, silage quality, and feeding preference of late-summer sown pearl millet (Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone) in Southern Kyushu","authors":"Genki Ishigaki,&nbsp;Mitsuhiro Niimi,&nbsp;Hikaru Shigedomi,&nbsp;Yuuto Sasaki,&nbsp;Sachiko Idota,&nbsp;Yasuyuki Ishii","doi":"10.1002/glr2.12096","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/glr2.12096","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Pearl millet is characterized by its high dry matter (DM) yields with a high moisture content, which makes it difficult to process as silage.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Pearl millet was sown in mid-September for 3 years to examine its growth, DM yields in early December, and decrease in DM percentage after frost exposure. The crop was processed as round-bale silage to assess silage quality and preference by breeding beef cattle.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Plants reached a height of 160–200 cm, with heading tiller percentages of 50%–70% in early December. With frost exposure, DM percentage increased in leaves and panicles, followed by stems, reaching over 40%, 1 month after exposure. These increases were positively correlated with cumulative frost exposure. After frost exposure, in vitro DM digestibility and crude protein content declined while acid detergent fiber content increased. Repeated cafeteria feeding experiments showed a reduced preference for either pearl millet silage or Italian ryegrass hay. The silage showed moderate acidity at pH 4.73–5.40, with lactic acid at 0.58%–1.62% DM, acetic acid at 0.03%–0.10% DM, and negligible butyric acid, indicating a satisfactory quality.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In Southern Kyushu, pearl millet sown in late summer can be processed into low-moisture round-bale silage in January, the year following sowing.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100593,"journal":{"name":"Grassland Research","volume":"3 4","pages":"364-372"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/glr2.12096","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143253491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Our world is changing","authors":"Cory Matthew","doi":"10.1002/glr2.12102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/glr2.12102","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;When I was born in 1951, earth's atmospheric CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; concentration was around 310 mg kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; (i.e., parts per million), with an annual rate of increase averaging some 0.8 mg kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; per year (NOAA, &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;). When I commenced my research career in 1984, atmospheric CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; concentration was 340 mg kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;, with a decadal average increase for the 1980s of 1.6 mg kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; per year. In August 2024, atmospheric CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; concentration was reported as 423 mg kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;, with the decadal mean annual increase for the 2010s nearing 2.5 mg kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; per year (NOAA, &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;). In the same period, Earth's human population has increased from 2.5 to 8.0 billion. Science says the increase in atmospheric CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, together with other trace gases, notably methane and nitrous oxide, will decrease the proportion of insolation received by earth that is reflected back into space, and so warm the planet. The expectation of global temperature increase is the climate change story; it has been told repeatedly in many forums such as the IPCC documents and debated at great length by “believers” and “deniers.” I will not dwell on it here.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is ample evidence that the predictions are being fulfilled (see, e.g., Figure 2 of Yuan &amp; Hou, &lt;span&gt;2015&lt;/span&gt;). The acceptance of climate change as fact is now mainstream, with the global temperature rise to date frequently stated to be in the vicinity of 1.1°C (IPCC, &lt;span&gt;2023&lt;/span&gt;). Europe is leading the way among nations in transforming lifestyles to achieve carbon neutrality (EU, &lt;span&gt;2020&lt;/span&gt;). The increase in atmospheric CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; and population increase are closely linked. Fundamentally, humans need energy to drive their homes, motorcars, and industries; much of this energy comes from burning fossil fuels, thereby releasing CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; into the atmosphere that was sequestered in past geological eras. What intuitively perturbs me about the raw NOAA data is that the rate of increase in atmospheric CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; concentration is still increasing. After all the international effort, I had thought that the annual rate of global atmospheric CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; increase would be falling by now, not still rising.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I turn to the 2023 IPCC 6th Assessment report for guidance as to the status of the collective international effort in climate change mitigation. For me, the report does not join the dots and only increases my feeling of concern. “Summary for policymakers, Figure 5” is telling; it depicts annual global emissions of CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; equivalents around 55 Gt per year, and shows that this needs to be halved by 2040 to limit warming to 1.5–2°C. I wondered to myself what the current annual CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; increase of 3 mg kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; per year would convert into in units of Gt, so I looked up the weight of the earth's atmosphere—5.15 million Gt. Thus, a 3 mg kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; annual increase is about 15.5 Gt. Allowin","PeriodicalId":100593,"journal":{"name":"Grassland Research","volume":"3 3","pages":"217-218"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/glr2.12102","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142451233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Forage yield and nutritive value of plantain and chicory for livestock feed at high altitudes in Peru","authors":"Luis A. Vallejos-Fernández,&nbsp;Ricardo Guillén,&nbsp;César Pinares-Patiño,&nbsp;Rubén García-Ticllacuri,&nbsp;Yudith Y. Muñoz-Vilchez,&nbsp;Carlos Quilcate,&nbsp;Wuesley Y. Alvarez-García","doi":"10.1002/glr2.12098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/glr2.12098","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Evaluation of forage resources is vital for the sustainability of livestock farming in the South American Andes, especially under conditions of low water availability for irrigation and acid soils.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We evaluated the productivity and nutritive value of two cultivars of chicory (<i>Cichorium intybus</i> L.) and one of plantain (<i>Plantago lanceolata</i> L.) in three high-altitude sites (AL) of the northern highlands of Peru: AL-I: 2300–2800 m.a.s.l, AL-II: 2801–3300 m.a.s.l. and AL-III: 3301–3800 m.a.s.l., for 1 year. The parameters evaluated were dry matter yield (DMY), plant height (PH), growth rate (GR) and nutritional value.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Plantain achieved the greatest annual DMY (ADMY), PH and GR compared to the two chicory cultivars (9.34, 9.56 and 13.39 Mg ha⁻¹ for Puna II and Sese 100 chicory and Tonic plantain, respectively; <i>p</i> = 0.0019). The greatest ADMY and GR occurred at AL-I. Regarding nutritional value, differences were observed only for in vitro digestibility of dry matter and metabolisable energy with chicory cultivars higher than plantain.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The results indicate that the three cultivars evaluated may be used as a nutritional supplement in cattle feed, associated with grasses because they have high nutritive value suitable for milk production in the mountain regions of Peru.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100593,"journal":{"name":"Grassland Research","volume":"3 3","pages":"243-248"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/glr2.12098","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142449078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biocontrol agents enhance plant disease resistance by altering plant microbiomes","authors":"Xiang Liu","doi":"10.1002/glr2.12100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/glr2.12100","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Plants provide a habitat for a tremendous diversity of microbes, including bacteria and fungi, with the relationship ranging from mutualism to parasitism. The assemblages of microbes hosted on the stem and leaf surfaces and in internal tissues of plants are defined as plant microbiomes (Gilbert &amp; Parker, &lt;span&gt;2023&lt;/span&gt;). Plant microbiomes play a critical role in promoting host plant fitness through enhanced nutrition acquisition, stress tolerance, and also resistance to herbivores and pathogens (Trivedi et al., &lt;span&gt;2020&lt;/span&gt;). Specifically, antagonistic phyllosphere microbes can regulate plant resistance substances and signaling pathways, and influence the outcome of plant–pathogen interactions (i.e., diseases) (Agrios, &lt;span&gt;2005&lt;/span&gt;). In fact, the process of pathogens infecting host plants can be seen as the colonization by “invasive” species of plant microbiomes, in which environmental filtering and competitive exclusion processes play important roles (Liu et al., &lt;span&gt;2021&lt;/span&gt;). The process of infection by plant disease agents is also regulated by biocontrol agents (BCAs), including &lt;i&gt;Trichoderma&lt;/i&gt; and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). To better understand the relationship between plants and their microbiome, we need to go beyond the previous studies on how A affects B and clarify the interaction among all players through more rigorous and complex field and greenhouse manipulative experiments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although the interactions between plant microbiomes and pathogens have been the subject of active research in recent years (e.g., Carrión et al., &lt;span&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;; Kwak et al., &lt;span&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;; Yin et al., &lt;span&gt;2021&lt;/span&gt;), the influence and modifying role of BCAs in these interactions are still unclear. The reason for this knowledge gap is that the analysis of the complex interactions among plant microbiomes, BCAs, and pathogens requires controlled experiments, and sequencing is essential for analyzing the plant microbiome. A recently published paper in &lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;Grassland Research&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt; by Zhu et al. (doi:10.1002/glr2.12081) used greenhouse manipulative experiments, combined with high-throughput sequencing, to provide novel insights into these complex interactions. Based on their findings, the authors suggest that the BCAs can induce plant defense by shifting the community composition of plant microbiomes toward favorable phyllosphere bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both &lt;i&gt;Trichoderma&lt;/i&gt; and plant PGPR are used as BCAs for common vetch (&lt;i&gt;Vicia sativa&lt;/i&gt; L.), while anthracnose caused by &lt;i&gt;Colletotrichum spinaciae&lt;/i&gt; usually reduces the yield of common vetch. In their study, Zhu et al. manipulated the presence or absence of two PGPRs, &lt;i&gt;Bacillus subtilis&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Bacillus licheniformis&lt;/i&gt;, and also &lt;i&gt;Trichoderma longibrachiatum&lt;/i&gt;, and evaluated the anthracnose disease index 7 days after &lt;i&gt;C. spinaciae&lt;/i&gt; inoculation. They found that common vetch with PGPR and &lt;i&gt;T. longibrachiatum&lt;/i&gt; showed significant reduct","PeriodicalId":100593,"journal":{"name":"Grassland Research","volume":"3 3","pages":"299-301"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/glr2.12100","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142451235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}