Late planting due to erratic onset of the rainy season is becoming more frequent in the Sahelo-Sudanian climate where cotton is grown, causing seed cotton yield (SCY) loss and higher risk of drought at the end of the crop cycle. Therefore, cultivars should be adapted to late (from July 10) planting date (PD) in Senegal. The aim of this study was to analyse the interaction between genotypes and PD on SCY in Senegal under rainfed conditions. Field experiments were conducted in 2018 and 2019 using a split-plot design (two PDs, eight cultivars) at three experimental stations. Robust analysis of SCY was used to moderate the effect of potential outliers. The average SCY was 1404 kg/ha under early planting, and 714 kg/ha under late planting. The best SCY was obtained under early planting conditions, in environments with good rainfall. The loss due to late planting was significantly affected by cultivar choice. None of the cultivars performed best under both early and late PD. Under early PD, cultivar CS 50 gave the best SCY, while under late PD it was cultivar IRMA Q302. The best performing cultivar on average depended on the proportion of early plantings. A model was developed to identify the best overall cultivar based on the expected proportion of early planting, as a decision support tool for the cotton development company, if only one cultivar is released. The benefit of releasing a second cultivar for late-planted fields is considered.

CERES-Wheat model was used to simulate wheat yield with ensemble model data for three time slices (2030–2050, 2050–2070 and 2070–2090) and four representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios (2.6, 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5) for four agroclimatic zones (ACZs) of Punjab. The study was conducted for wheat cultivars (HD2967 and PBW725) with two adaptation measures, i.e. shift in sowing dates and shift in sowing date plus additional nitrogen doses. The results showed that 24th November was the optimized sowing date and the yield were higher when supplemented with higher N doses (190 and 230 kg/ha). For the three time slices under RCP2.6 scenario, an increase in yield with combined adaptation measures for four ACZs and respectively for cvs. HD2967 and PBW725 ranged 16–32 and 16–33% (ACZII), 11–39 and 22–43% (ACZIII), 8–47 and 20–51% (ACZIV) and 15–32 and 22–42% (ACZV). Similarly, under stabilization scenarios (RCP4.5 and 6.0) the yield increased with combined adaptation measures and respectively for cvs. HD2967 and PBW725 ranged 15–32 and 14–31% (ACZII), 10–40 and 19–52% (ACZIII), 5–44 and 7–53% (ACZIV) and 14–32 and 20–42% (ACZV). The shortening of the maturity period for the two cultivars ranged 24–34 (ACZII), 21–36 (ACZIII), 9–19 (ACZIV) and 21–32 (ACZV) days under the future scenarios. Under the RCP8.5 scenario, the wheat cultivars were unable to yield higher even with combined adaptation measures during the end of 21st century. Thus, wheat would be a sustainable crop option under climate change in the state, if the sowing date was shifted to 24th November and supplemented with higher N dose.

Mixed crop–livestock systems, the world's most widespread farming systems, promote farm resilience through diversification and allow for crop–livestock integration (CLI). Intensification and specialization challenge these systems. In Northwest Vietnam, the standard farm model is based on mixed crop–livestock family farms but is shifting towards more specialized farming systems. The aim of the current study was to identify the new balance between livestock and crops on farms in Northwest Vietnam and to examine the effects of specialization on CLI practices and production system intensification by identifying current CLI practices and performing a retrospective analysis of changes in these practices. One hundred farms were surveyed and 24 interviews on farm trajectories were conducted in Dien Bien district (Dien Bien province) between January and April 2022. Based on the level of CLI and farm diversification, seven types of farms were identified and classified into three categories: (B) mixed farms, (A) farms specializing in livestock and (C) farms specializing in crops. The study of farm trajectories revealed three main changes: the conversion of mixed crop–livestock farms into more specialized crop systems, a change from mixed crop–livestock to more specialized family livestock farms and a change in the management of large ruminant herds and their feed system from free grazing to forage-fed systems. Understanding these changes will help identify drivers and potential constraints to the development of new practices for the integration of crop and livestock farming.

Timely grazing decision-making requires routine information on the herbage mass (HM) and pasture growth rate (GR). The aim of this study was to compare the correspondence, cost and reliability of two indirect methods –the comparative yield method (COMPYLD) and the pasture-meter (CDAX)– to estimate HM and weekly GR of a 42 ha grazing area. Weekly assessments from April 2017 to October 2018 were made with both methods to estimate HM and GR of 13 individual paddocks. In addition, estimated GR were compared to aerial net primary productivity (ANPP) estimated using remote sensing (SAT). Estimated HM was 22% lower for COMPYLD than CDAX (HMCOMPYLD = 33 + 0.78*HMCDAX, R2 = 0.61, CV = 17%, RMSE = 291 kgDM/ha). The correspondence between methods of estimated weekly GR of individual paddocks was weak (GRCDAX = 0.18*GRCOMPYLD + 19.1, R2 = 0.05, CV = 73%, RMSE = 21.8 kgDM/ha/d). However, when integrated in three-week moving-averages, over the complete grazing area, COMPYLD and CDAX yielded similar GR up to 35 kg DM/ha/d. Accumulating GR of the grazing area over one year resulted similar to annual SAT-estimated ANPP. These results imply that, on one hand, decisions based on nominal HM, such as target HM and grazing strip size, would need to be adjusted depending on the method, but on the other hand, decisions based in temporal trends or GR, such as size and timing of set-aside areas for reserves, would be unaffected by method. Compared with COMPYLD, CDAX would be advantageous whenever high labour costs offset higher amortization, maintenance and fuel costs, provided there is an alternative in place to monitor during downtime periods.

Dedicated bioenergy crops such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) can be grown on marginally productive lands and positively influence soil properties. However, nitrogen management, and landscape can alter soil structural attributes under bioenergy crop production. This study investigated the impacts of long-term nitrogen fertilization (0-N, 0 kg N/ha; 56-N, 56 kg N/ha and 112-N, 112 kg N/ha) and landscape positions (shoulder and footslope) on soil organic carbon (SOC) and structural attributes under switchgrass production. The 112-N rate enhanced the proportion of 2–4 mm water-stable aggregates by 49%, aggregate associated carbon in 2–4 mm and >4 mm aggregates by 16 and 24%, respectively, aggregate associated nitrogen in >4 mm aggregates by 33% and reduced soil bulk density by 19% compared to the 0-N rate. Footslope position increased the proportion of 2–4 mm water-stable aggregates by 26% and lowered bulk density by 8% compared to the shoulder position. Results showed a significant N-rate × landscape position interaction on SOC and glomalin related soil protein content in bulk soil. Overall, this study showed that nitrogen application to switchgrass planted at footslope on a marginally yielding cropland improved soil structure and physical conditions.

Field experiment to assess the impact of radiation, temperature and foliar N application on rice was conducted. The treatments comprised of four sunlight levels, [control, 50% intensity during start to maximum tillering (R15–45), maximum tillering to booting (R46–75) and panicle emergence to maturity (R76–105) corresponding to 15–45, 46–75 and 76–105 days after transplanting] and 5 levels of foliar nitrogen [control, spray of 3% urea solution in water before (NB), midway (NM), afterwards (NA) and midway + afterwards (NMA) reduction in sunlight]. Results showed that leaf chlorophyll had an inverse relationship with radiation intensity. The R46–75 significantly reduced effective tillers (13.1–16.4%), R46–75 and R76–105 reduced grains/panicle (7.15–12.5%) as compared to control. NB produced significantly higher effective tillers (21.9–24.7%) and grains/panicle (12.2–12.9%) as compared to control. The reduction in sunlight and application of foliar nitrogen increased the minimum cooking time and decreased elongation ratio. Averaged over locations, R15–45, R46–75 and R76–105 decreased the yield significantly as compared to control by 9.29–11.3, 14.4–16.3 and 8.17–10.6%, respectively. The NB significantly increased grain yield as compared to control by 10.3% (Ludhiana) and 9.45% (Hoshiarpur). A decrease in maximum temperature (Tmax) by 2.85–5.70% (1–2°C) of 35.1°C, at 1416 μmol/m2/s of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) increased rice productivity by 10.6–21.0%, while a similar decrease in PAR by 2.85–5.70% at a Tmax of 35.1°C, decreased the productivity by 2.05–4.10%. So, decrease in Tmax due to cloudy weather might have a positive influence while negative impact of deficit radiation may be mitigated by foliar application of 3% urea prior to/during the cloudy weather.

Grass nitrogen (N) concentrations of dairy grasslands are higher on peat soil than on mineral soils. This can lead to increased N losses to air and water from dairy farming systems on peat soils. Our hypothesis was that the use of low-N perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) genotypes could be a means to lower grass N concentrations, when grown on peat soils. Our objective was to determine whether perennial ryegrass populations with different shoot tissue N concentrations, recorded on a sandy soil, would show different shoot tissue N concentrations and N use efficiencies (NUE) or N uptake efficiencies (NUptE) when grown on a peat soil. First, a pot experiment lasting 62 days was carried out with nine diploid and seven tetraploid populations, followed by a field experiment with two diploid and two tetraploid populations and a control lasting 30 months. Both experiments had three N fertilization levels. In the pot experiment, populations explained 3% of the variation in shoot tissue N concentration among tetraploids, 5 and 7% of the variation in NUE among diploids and tetraploids and 12% of the variation in NUptE among diploids. In the field experiment, populations explained 44% of the variation in NUptE. A higher NUE coincided with lower shoot tissue N concentrations among tetraploid populations in the pot experiment. We conclude that there is potential to alter the shoot tissue N concentrations of perennial ryegrass grown on peat soil, via selection for shoot tissue N concentrations and NUE.

Zinc deficiency is a common nutritional problem in calcareous agricultural soils, resulting in reduced crop yield and performance. The effects of zinc sulphate (0 and 40 kg/ha) on seed yield, its components and seed element contents of 21 wheat cultivars were investigated. Zinc sulphate application increased plant height, leaf area index (LAI), flag leaf area, biomass, spike length, number of seeds per spike, seed weight and harvest index (HI). The increase in HI indicates the greater effect of zinc on seed production compared to plant biomass. In most of the cultivars, zinc sulphate application decreased the content of phosphorus and nitrogen in seeds and increased the content of iron and potassium. The cultivars showed significant differences in all the traits measured, indicating the existence of genetic diversity in the cultivars studied. In the second year, which was hotter and drier than the first year, zinc sulphate application reduced the damage caused by drought and heat stress and improved seed yield and quality. The regression fit showed that newer cultivars had lower yields in unfertilized conditions compared to old cultivars and showed their superiority in zinc fertilized conditions. It seems that the newer varieties require more fertilizer because they have been bred on fertile soils.

This paper presents the results of a study conducted in 2016–2018 in the temperate conditions to evaluate the content and uptake of P, K, Ca and Mg in mixtures of narrowleaf lupin with spring triticale grown for green fodder. Two factors were analysed in the experiment: A – the proportion of components in the mixture: narrowleaf lupine 100%, narrowleaf lupine + spring triticale 75 + 25%, 50 + 50%, 25 + 75%, and spring triticale 100%; B – the harvest stage the flowering stage of narrowleaf lupine, the stage of flat green pod of narrowleaf lupine. Increasing the proportion of spring triticale in the sown mixtures in relation to narrowleaf lupine resulted in a decrease in the content of the analysed macroelements by 8.9%–28.7% on a g/kg DM basis. The greatest uptake on a kg/ha basis of macroelements was found in the mixture with an equal share of both components. Harvesting mixtures at a later stage of development increased the uptake of P, K, Ca and Mg by 98.7%–111.8% because of greater DM yield, but reduced the content of these macroelements by 12.6%–20.8% in the more mature fodder. Mixtures of narrowleaf lupine with spring triticale can provide valuable mineral nutrients for livestock.

In tropical regions, water stress is one of the main causes of the reduction in forage productivity, and irrigation strategies can mitigate the problem, especially for highly productive species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of irrigation, genotype and plant size on productive responses and water use efficiency (WUE) of elephant grass (Cenchrus purpureus [Schumach.] Morrone), in the rainy and dry season. The experimental design was randomized in blocks, arranged in split plots, the main plots were established based on the use of irrigation and the subplots were the tall-sized genotypes (IRI 381 and Elephant B) and dwarfs (Taiwan A-146 2.37 and Mott). The genotypes were evaluated for two years and harvested every 60 days. Water use efficiency, total forage accumulation per year and harvest, forage accumulation rate and forage density were evaluated. There was a significant difference between the genotypes in terms of total forage accumulated (P < 0.05). The most productive genotype was IRI 381, which showed the greatest total forage accumulation (42 168 kg of DM/ha in two years) in the irrigated plots. During the rainy seasons, IRI 381 stood out in terms of forage accumulated (24 667 kg of DM/ha). Irrigation favoured increases in forage accumulation around 60%, in both years of evaluation. Irrigation and plant size influenced the productivity and WUE of elephant grass harvested in 60-day intervals. Tall genotypes and Taiwan A-146 2.37 (dwarf size) stood out in most of the productive traits analysed, while Mott was highlighted by its forage density.

Crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) is an annual summer grass capable of self-reseeding and can provide forage with high nutritive value. However, knowledge is still limited about crabgrass management. Our objective was to compare the forage accumulation (FA) and nutritive value of two crabgrass varieties (Mojo and Quick-N-Big) for 2 years under combinations of nitrogen rates and harvesting management. The experimental design was in randomized complete blocks with five treatments and three replications for each crabgrass variety, totalling 15 experimental units for Mojo and 15 for Quick-N-Big, in adjacent fields. Treatments were combinations of nitrogen rates (0, 112, and 224 kg N/ha) and harvest management (harvesting once or twice during the growing season). Nitrogen fertilization increased FA in Mojo and Quick-N-Big. The combination of two harvests and 224 kg N/ha (H2N224) resulted in a total forage accumulation (TFA) of 7840 kg DM/ha/yr for Mojo in 2020 and 8550 kg DM/ha/yr for Quick-N-Big in 2021. The H2N224 management also resulted in the highest crude protein (CP) accumulation. Nitrogen fertilization accelerates plant maturity, which can increase neutral detergent fibre (NDF). In this case, harvesting twice stimulates new tissue production, limits NDF and increases CP and total digestible nutrients (TDN). Therefore, increasing harvesting frequency (twice during the growing season) as N is input increases TFA, CP and TDN, and also enhances N recovery, which may contribute to reducing animal supplementation costs and improve the economic return of forage-based livestock systems.

In pasture-based grazing systems, farm roadways are a pivotal link to connect paddocks on the grazing platform to the milking parlour. However, their effectiveness in the efficient movement of the dairy herd between the grazing paddocks and the milking parlour has yet to be fully quantified. A validation experiment was conducted on a research farm to analyse characteristics on farm roadways that may affect cow throughput, which was observed as the number of cows per minute (CPM) passing a specified location. Roadway width (R2 = 0.96) and surface condition score (SC) (R2 = 0.78, respectively) were both positively associated with CPM. Public road crossings imposed a 32.7% reduction in CPM in this study. CPM increased from 12.4 CPM on a one-metre-wide roadway with a SC of Index 1 to 107.6 CPM on a five-metre roadway with a SC of Index 5. This exercise allowed for CPM on commercial farms to be predicted. Farm roadways were examined across 55 Irish dairy farms. Greater roadway width, reduced verge width and greater water run-off were each associated with higher SC on commercial farms. Larger herd sizes had a lower CPM relative to herd size in contrast to smaller herd sizes, resulting in a significantly longer total time to move the dairy herd through any specific point on the farm roadway network. The findings from this study have quantified the parameters which affect both CPM on commercial farm roadways and parameters which may be associated with SC on commercial farm roadways.

This study aimed to quantify a latent variable for body size (BS) in pigs by using five linear body measurements including body length (BL), body height (BH), chest width (CW), chest girth (CG) and tube girth (TG), and also to identify the most associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and related genes with BS by using the genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) based genome-wide association study (GWAS) or GBLUP-GWAS methodology. To perform a GWAS on the BS latent trait, we used a mixed linear model and identified a total of 53 significant SNPs. Additionally, we found that nine genes, including Rho GTPase activating protein 12 (ARHGAP12), transmembrane protein 108 (TMEM108), T-cell lymphoma invasion and metastasis inducing factor 1 (TIAM1), ras homologue gene family member B (RHOB), POU class 4 homeobox 1 (POU4F1), follistatin-related protein 4 (FSTL4), cellular communication network factor 2 (CCN2), beaded filament structural protein 2 (BFSP2) and attractin-like protein 1 (ATRNL1) were associated with the BS trait in pigs. These genes are involved in several biological processes, including the regulation of anatomical structure, morphogenesis, the regulation of cell size and growth. The results suggest that the identified SNP and related genes may play important roles in regulating the growth and development of pigs. The results imply that these genes could be promising candidates for further exploration of the underlying mechanisms of body size variation. Furthermore, the findings have significant practical implications for enhancing the efficiency and profitability of pig farming through genetic selection.

In meat-type poultry breeding, pectoral angle (PA) is a conventional anatomical indicator for changes in body conformation and meat traits; its correlation to egg performance is however deemed controversial. In this context, we revisited, assessed and put forward evidence for the usefulness of this classic phenotypic variable and its specific integrative index of pectoral angle-to-body weight ratio (PA/BW). Specifically, we identified respective correlations and used them for distinguishing the major categories (production types) of diverse chicken breeds under the traditional classification model (TCM) and genotypic clustering models of the global chicken gene pool subdivision. Also, the usefulness of the supplementary integrative egg mass yield index (EMY) for this objective was demonstrated. Because of estimating the total mass of eggs laid (i.e. egg number times egg weight), EMY can serve as an indicator of egg production. Direct approximation of EMY values by PA and BW values did not lead to significant correlation dependences between these indicators in each of the four breed utility types according to TCM. However, using the ratio of PA to BW, instead of PA and BW alone, resulted in significant correlation of EMY with PA/BW, allowing for distinction between egg-type and non-productive breeds. The validity of the proposed correlation-based models was supported by PCA and Neighbor Joining clustering analyses. Collectively, we suggested that PA can be a potentially correlated trait for selecting hens and roosters in breeding flocks to boost egg yield. These results can also be applied to chicken breeding as well as conservation- and phenome-related research.