The present study compared slug, earthworm and carabid beetle abundance and slug damage to plants in minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT) autumn-sown cereals. Winter barley was sown by CT and MT for 3 years followed by winter wheat for 6 years on a light-textured soil (Trial 1). Each cultivation was split so that straw was incorporated into the soil during cultivation in one split while the other did not receive straw. A similar investigation with winter wheat, over the same period, was undertaken on a nearby heavy-textured soil (Trial 2). The effects of method of cultivation and soil incorporation of straw on slug abundance and damage, and on earthworm populations were measured. Additionally, at Trial 1, the effects of cultivation and straw treatments on carabid beetle occurrence were measured in years 5–9. Over the 9 years, the method of cultivation had a significant effect on slug numbers in each trial. Slugs were more numerous in MT than CT plots, significantly so in 3 of the 9 years in Trial 1 and in 5 years in Trial 2. In Trial 1, slug numbers were significantly greater on no-straw than straw plots in 3 years as well as for the 9 years combined. Slug numbers did not differ between straw and no-straw plots in Trial 2. Slug numbers varied significantly between years and were influenced by factors other than the method of cultivation and straw application. Slug damage to seed and seedlings was quite low in each year (1–2%). Slug damage to cereal leaves at GS 23 was widespread in both trials, and severe in some years. MT had more leaf damage than CT in 5 of the 9 years in each trial, significantly so in 3 years in Trial 1 and in 4 years in Trial 2. Straw did not affect leaf damage in either MT or CT. Slug damage was not related to, nor did it affect either ear density or grain yield. The dominant slug species was Deroceras reticulatum. Earthworm numbers were significantly greater in MT than CT, for combined years, in each trial. Annually, these differences were significant for 5 years in Trial 1 and 2 years in Trial 2. Straw plots had significantly more earthworms than no-straw, for combined years, in each trial. The latter differences were significant for 5 years in Trial 1 and 3 years in Trial 2. In MT, the positive effect of straw on earthworm numbers was significant in Trial 2 but not in Trial 1. In CT, the latter effect was significant in each trial. Lumbricus species were more numerous in MT than CT and in straw than no-straw treatments. The impact of cultivation on numbers of carabid beetles was species-specific. The large beetle, Pterostichus melanarius, was significantly more numerous in MT than CT in 2 of the 5 years and for the aggregate of 5 years. Small carabids (Bembidion species and Trechus quadristriatus) were significantly more abundant in CT than MT in 3 of the 5 years as well as for the aggregate of 5 years. Straw did not affect the number of any or all carabid species either for combined cultivations (MT + CT) or within either MT or CT. It is concluded that MT increases slug numbers, slug damage and earthworm numbers relative to CT cultivations. MT favours large carabid beetles and CT favours small beetles. Straw incorporation increases earthworm numbers but not slugs, slug damage or carabid beetles. Slug damage to cereal leaves does not affect ear density or grain yield in either MT or CT crops when sown to a depth of 40 mm and before 18 September.

Recent trends in climate change resulting in global warming and extreme dry spells during rainy seasons are having a negative impact on grain and fodder production in rain-fed crops in India. Understanding the mechanisms of drought tolerance at various growth stages will help in developing tolerant genotypes. Crosses were made between elite and drought-tolerant sorghums, and F2 and F3 progenies were evaluated for drought tolerance in multiple locations. Twenty-five F4/F5 derivatives along with drought-tolerant check plants (two high-yielding genotypes showing moderate drought tolerance: C43 (male parent of the commercial hybrid CSH 16, tolerant to drought) and CSV 17, (a pure line commercial cultivar released for drought-prone areas) were screened for drought tolerance under a factorial randomized block design with three replications during the rain-free months of April–June in 2007 and 2008 at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Kovilpatti, India. In each generation/year, four trials were conducted and water stress at different phases of crop growth, viz. vegetative, flowering and post-flowering (maturity), was imposed by withholding irrigation. Observations were recorded on grain and straw yields, plant height, number of roots, root length, leaf relative water content (LRWC), chlorophyll content and stomatal conductance under all treatments. The traits, grain yield, plant height, average root length and stomatal conductance showed significant mean sums of squares (SSs) for genotype × environment (G × E), suggesting that genotypes had significant differential response to the changing environments. Significant mean SSs due to G × E (linear) were obtained for straw yield, LRWC and chlorophyll content, indicating that the variability is partly genetic and partly influenced by environment. Grain yield was correlated with chlorophyll content (r = 0·43) at the vegetative stage, with number of roots (r = 0·49), LRWC (r = 0·51), chlorophyll content (r = 0·46) and stomatal conductance (r = −0·51) at the pre-flowering stage, and with LRWC (r = 0·50) and stomatal conductance (r = −0·40) at the post-flowering stage, under water stress. Partial least square (PLS) analysis showed that different traits were important for grain yield under water stress at different growth stages. Pyramiding the genes for the traits responsible for high grain yield under stress will help in developing stable genotypes at different stages of plant growth.

Powdery mildew is one of the most important vineyard diseases. Infection requires the interaction of a susceptible host (a vine in a phenological phase susceptible to the pathogen), a virulent pathogen (the fungus Uncinula necator (Schw.) Burr) and an environment favourable for disease development (optimal meteorological conditions). The aim of the present study was the implementation of a system to predict powdery mildew infection periods in order to optimize and reduce the application of pesticide treatments in a vineyard. The study was conducted in a vineyard of the ‘Ribeiro’ Designation of Origin region located in north-western Spain from 2006 to 2011, during the Vitis vegetative period. The phenological study was conducted following the BBCH phenological scale and infection risk index (IRI) was calculated based on the maximum temperature. Aerobiological sampling was performed using a LANZONI VPPS-2000 volumetric trap. The results of the study show that the critical phenological stages for powdery mildew infection are 5 (inflorescence emergence), 6 (flowering) and 7 (development of fruit), as consequence of the high susceptibility of the vine. The IRI allows determination of the periods in which the meteorological conditions could facilitate fungal attacks during the aforementioned phenological phases. Finally, the aerobiological model helps to identify and predict the times of real infection risk among the possible periods described by the IRI with high accuracy, in order to avoid possible reappearance of infection symptoms in the vine. The combination of these three variables provides a valuable tool to establish an accurate, modern, integrated pest-management strategy in a vineyard.

Pigeonpea is an important legume crop of the semi-arid tropics. In India, pigeonpea is mostly grown in areas prone to waterlogging, resulting in major production losses. It is imperative to identify genotypes that show tolerance at critical crop growth stages to prevent these losses. A selection of 272 diverse pigeonpea accessions was evaluated for seed submergence tolerance for different durations (0, 120, 144, 168 and 192 h) under in vitro conditions in the laboratory. All genotypes exhibited high (0·79–0·98) survival rates for up to 120 h of submergence. After 192 h of submergence, the hybrids as a group exhibited significantly higher survival rates (0·79) than the germplasm (0·71), elite breeding lines (0·68) and commercial varieties (0·58). Ninety-six genotypes representing the phenotypic variation observed during laboratory screening were further evaluated for waterlogging tolerance at the early seedling stage using pots, and survival rates were recorded for 8 days after completion of the stress treatment. Forty-nine of these 96 genotypes, representing the phenotypic variation for waterlogging tolerance, were chosen in order to evaluate their performance under natural field conditions. The following cultivated varieties and hybrids were identified as tolerant after three levels of testing (in vitro, in pots and in the field): ICPH 2431, ICPH 2740, ICPH 2671, ICPH 4187, MAL 9, LRG 30, Maruti, ICPL 20128, ICPL 332, ICPL 20237, ICPL 20238, Asha and MAL 15. These materials can be used as sources of waterlogging tolerance in breeding programmes.

The present study examined variation in sowing date on lentils (Lens culinaris) in a standard lentil–barley (Hordeum vulgare) mixed cropping system in the temperate climate of central Europe to determine the effect on crop yield and weed control. A 2-year (2009/10) field experiment was carried out at the organic research station Kleinhohenheim (KH) and at the conventional research station Oberer Lindenhof (OLI) of the University Hohenheim, southwest Germany. The crop was sown at three dates in the period from March to May. Grain yield was significantly higher at the earliest sowing both for lentils (3·0 t/ha at KH, 2·4 t/ha at OLI) and barley (1·2 t/ha at KH, 2·6 t/ha at OLI). Weed biomass at KH increased significantly with delayed sowing and was independent of lentil genotype, whereas sowing date had no significant effect on overall weed biomass production at OLI. Unlike weed biomass, weed density generally decreased significantly with delayed sowing at OLI. The results indicate that early sowing can increase the yield of lentils, and can be used as an indirect method of weed control in some organic farming systems.

The study was carried out to determine the variations among different Coffea arabica germplasm lines in hydraulic resistances under controlled nursery settings at the Jimma Agricultural Research Center in southwest Ethiopia. The experimental treatments included contrasting shade conditions (moderate shading v. full sunlight) and seedlings of 12 arabica coffee accessions of varying geographical areas in Ethiopia. Root hydraulic conductance and hydraulic resistances in the whole-shoot and different shoot parts were measured using a high-pressure flow meter. The results depicted significantly lower hydraulic resistances in the whole-shoot and in various shoot segments from the full sunlight exposed seedlings. The contribution of root and shoot resistances varied significantly in response to shade treatments. Likewise, seedlings of coffee accessions exhibited significant variation in the resistance contribution of the main stem-cut to whole-shoot resistances. The maximum hydraulic resistances in main stem-cut were noted in the order of Bonga>Berhane-Kontir>Yayu>Harenna coffee populations, suggesting a direct relationship between growth and hydraulic characteristics. The resistance contributions declined across seedling growth parts: roots>leaf>whole-shoot>lateral branch>petiole, which is consistent with hydraulic gradients and thus sensitivity to drought stress. Moreover, the findings indicate the possibility of predicating the latter stage performances of coffee genotypes at specific field locations. In support of the hypothesis, the effects of both environmental and genetic factors need to be considered in fully understanding drought tolerance strategies in coffee genotypes. In view of the continuous multifaceted threats on the untapped coffee genetic resources, due mainly to, among others, anthropogenic activities coupled with climate change, there is an urgent need for global collaborative actions for future development of the coffee sector in Ethiopia and worldwide.

Accurate information on metabolizable energy and true digestible amino acid (TDAA) content of sorghum grain is important in order to formulate sorghum-based poultry diets accurately. Estimates of ingredient nutritional values using bioassay methods require live birds and special facilities, which are time-consuming and costly. Accordingly, prediction by mathematical models would be of some considerable benefit. Sixty-eight samples of sorghum grain, representing 32 different varieties, were used to test the correlation between TDAA and nitrogen-corrected true metabolizable energy (TMEn) with total essential amino acids. Two methods of multiple linear regressions (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models were used to find the relationship between total amino acids (model inputs) with TDAA and TMEn contents (model outputs) in sorghum grain. The fitness of the models was tested using R2, mean square (MS) error and bias. There is a strong relationship between total amino acid concentration with both TDAA and TMEn content in sorghum grain. The TDAA and TMEn values were more accurately estimated by ANN model compared to values obtained from the MLR model. The R2 values corresponding to testing and training of the ANN model showed a higher accuracy of prediction than the equation constructed by MLR method. Based on the experimental evidence, it is concluded that the TDAA and TMEn values in sorghum grain can be predicted from total essential amino acids using ANN models. Consequently, this method provides an opportunity to reduce the risk of formulating an unbalanced TDAA diet for poultry.

Agricultural specialists, particularly animal scientists, tend to use process-based life-cycle assessments (LCA), which describe the production system as a series of processes, to study the environmental impact of milk production based on their experimental data. Another approach called input–output (I–O) based LCA, which uses the economic transaction tables and national environmental accounts to determine the environmental impact triggered by final demand of milk production, is often less used due to data scarcity and higher uncertainty. In the current paper, process-based and I–O-based LCA models were developed to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) and acidifying emissions from pasture-based milk production in Ireland. Process-based LCA found 1338·3 kg CO2 eq and 14·4 kg SO2 eq/t energy-corrected milk (ECM), and revealed details related to the farm management. The I–O based LCA found 1003·1 kg CO2 eq and 12·7 kg SO2 eq/tonne ECM and suggested that the agriculture, forestry and fishery (AFF) sector itself was largely responsible for the environmental impact of AFF products, rather than economic interaction with other sectors. The process-based LCA was found to be suitable for developing farm-scale sustainability strategies if variation of tactics across farms is provided, while the I–O based LCA offered potential sustainability guidance at the national scale. Further work is required to incorporate foreign production into the I–O table to account fully for imported goods and services. A detailed disaggregation within the AFF sector is also needed to gain a better understanding of the environmental sustainability of agricultural commodities. The present paper thus provides interesting results for the dairy industry, dairy researchers and LCA practitioners on further understanding of the environmental impact of milk production.

In Ireland, the largest contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is agriculture. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the impact of stocking intensities of beef cattle production systems on technical and economic performance and GHG emissions. A bioeconomic model of Irish suckler beef production systems was used to generate scenarios and to evaluate their technical and economic performance. To model the impact of each scenario on GHG emissions, the output of the bioeconomic model was used as an inventory analysis in a life-cycle assessment model and various GHG emission factors were integrated with the production profile. All the estimated GHG emissions were converted to their 100-year global warming potential carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). The scenarios modelled were bull/heifer and steer/heifer suckler beef production systems at varying stocking intensities. According to policy constraints, stocking intensities were based on the excretion of organic nitrogen (N), which varied depending on animal category. Stocking intensity was increased by increasing fertilizer N application rates. Carcass output and profitability increased with increasing stocking intensity. At a stocking intensity of 150 kg N/ha total emissions were lowest when expressed per kg of beef carcass (20·1 kg CO2e/kg beef) and per hectare (9·2 tCO2e/ha) in the bull/heifer system. Enteric fermentation was the greatest source of GHG emissions and ranged from 0·49 to 0·47 of total emissions with increasing stocking intensity for both production systems. The current study shows that increasing stocking intensity via increased fertilizer N application rates leads to increased profitability on beef farms with only modest increases in GHG emissions.

The ability to adapt to a range of edaphic conditions favours the widespread use of marandu palisade grass in high as well as low input systems of animal production in Brazil. However, little information exists regarding the influence of grazing management practices on sward structure and the carry-over effects on animal responses. The present experiment was planned to evaluate animal behaviour, herbage intake (HI) and nutritive value, herbage accumulation and body weight gain (BWG) of beef cattle heifers grazing marandu palisade grass subjected to intensities of continuous stocking management. Treatments corresponded to four sward surface heights (SSH: 100, 200, 300 and 400 mm) and were allocated to experimental units (1200 m2 paddocks) according to a randomized complete block design with four replications. Herbage accumulation rate (HAR) varied with season of the year and SSH, with highest and lowest values recorded during summer and winter, respectively. During the summer, herbage accumulation was larger on swards managed at 200, 300 and 400 mm, with the opposite occurring during winter/early spring. Stocking rate (SR) and number of grazing days (GD) followed a similar seasonal pattern of variation, with values decreasing as SSH increased. Crude protein (CP) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) of hand-plucked herbage decreased as SSH increased from 100 to 400 mm, while the inverse happened with BWG (from 0·190 to 0·930 kg/day, respectively). Bite mass (BM) increased and rate of biting and grazing time (GT) decreased as SSH increased, with daily HI being larger on tall (300 and 400 mm) relative to short (100 and 200 mm) swards. Grazing management affected the nutritive value and the amount of herbage consumed, particularly through changes in BM. However, variations in intake were relatively more important than variations in nutritive value in influencing animal performance, highlighting the importance of providing favourable harvest conditions for grazing animals by establishing adequate sward targets for management.

Two maize hybrid cultivars, early (Cisko FAO 300) and late maturing (Arma FAO 700), were sown on three different dates (March, April or May) and harvested at two stages of maturity (kernel milk line (ML) scores of 1/4 < ML < 1/3 or 1/2 < ML < 2/3) in the western Po plain (Italy) in 2008. Yield, chemical composition and in vitro digestibility and fermentation kinetics of pre-ensiled whole-crop maize and of silage were measured. Cultivar and sowing date influenced the dry matter (DM) yield of whole-plant maize, with DM yield being 40% higher in Arma than in Cisko, and DM yield decreasing with later sowing dates. Later maturity increased DM concentration at harvest for both hybrids, due to differences in kernel development. The neutral detergent fibre (NDF) content declined and starch increased as plants matured. Digestibility was estimated in vitro following the Ankom procedure. Rate and extent of ruminal degradation were estimated from gas production (GP) profiles during incubation in diluted rumen fluid. Cultivar, planting date and maturity had no effect on in vitro DM digestibility of pre-ensiled whole-crop maize, but following 240 days of ensiling significant differences between cultivars in digestibility were detected. GP kinetic parameters differed between cultivars for pre-ensiled whole-crop maize, with Cisko having higher asymptotic GP but lower fractional fermentation rates and longer lag times than the Arma hybrid. GP volumes were greater as sowing or harvest dates were delayed. Energy value and milk production were estimated using the Milk2006 Model. With the pre-ensiled whole-crop maize, a 38% greater milk yield/ha was expected with Arma than with Cisko, matching the 40% greater DM yield. The same trend was observed in maize silage, where cultivar and planting date affected milk production/ha, with greater values for Arma than for Cisko and lower values for the latest planting date. Optimal management practices, including decision making on planting and harvest time and hybrid cultivar selection, can influence the yield and nutritive value of maize silage.