Use of functional traits to identify Australian forage grasses, legumes and shrubs for domestication and use in pastoral areas under a changing climate

Mitchell, Meredith; Norman, Hayley C.; Whalley, R. D. B.

doi:10.1071/cp13406

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 120 publications

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“…This study indicates that the water consumption and deficit of deep soil increased with increasing alfalfa planting years, especially in the four-and seven-year-old alfalfa pastures. SWS is a critical indicator for the planting and production of alfalfa pastures in pastoral areas [21]. In this study, SWS of the four-and seven-year-old alfalfa pastures decreased with increasing soil depth within the 0-350 cm range.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Soil Water Depletion in Planted Alfalfa Pastures in an Alpine Pastoral Area

Sun

Huang

Cui

et al. 2018

Water

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Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) has strong stress resistance, high nutritional value, good palatability for cattle, high yield and a drought tolerance mechanism, but long-term planting leads to soil desiccation. This research was carried out to examine the soil water conditions of alfalfa pastures with different planted ages, and determine the optimum time for alfalfa rotation in a plateau area of a sub-alpine monsoon climate. Soil water depletion, soil compaction and vegetation characteristics of alfalfa pastures of different ages (i.e., two, four and seven years) were assayed and compared with those of a cornfield which served as the control crop. Three 20 × 20 m plots and five random quadrats per plot were established at each field. Soil water contents at 0–400 cm depth and plant biomass were compared among different vegetation types, soil transects and planting years. The results showed that at the 250–400 cm depth, the soil water storage of the four- and seven-year-old alfalfa pastures was much lower than in the two-year-old alfalfa pasture and in the cornfield. Moreover, the degree of soil water storage deficit of the four- and seven-year-old alfalfa pastures was much higher than in the other fields. Soil compaction of alfalfa pastures increased with increasing planting age and reached a peak value in the seven-year-old alfalfa pasture. The highest above-ground biomass was observed in the four-year-old alpine alfalfa pasture. Thus, the best cultivation period for alfalfa pastures was four years from the perspective of higher yield and lower soil water consumption in pastoral sub-alpine areas. This study provided a basis for sustainable alfalfa pasture cultivation, timely harvest, rotation and water management measures to be implemented in alpine grazing lands.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Soil Water Depletion in Planted Alfalfa Pastures in an Alpine Pastoral Area

Sun

Huang

Cui

et al. 2018

Water

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“…When plants reached maturity stage which lasted from the end of August till the beginning of October, they were harvested and data were collected from ten tagged plants per experimental plot. Twenty two growth parameters were monitored in total and divided in five groups based on the functionality of the traits (adapted from Mitchell et al 2015;Perez-Harguindeguy et al, 2013;Chen et al, 2012). All the agronomic parameters are listed in Table 8.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since there are no references for the natural occurrence of S. bigelovii in the region and no bred material is available for planting, wild collections of the halophytic species are introduced and undergo the domestication process. Germplasm characterization is needed in order to identify the functional traits of the best performing genotypes in terms of seed and biomass yield with promising breeding value (Mitchell et al, 2015;de Galarreta and Alvarez, 2001;Gepts, 2004). Through selection of plants for desirable traits, agronomic parameters are identified that ultimately improve crop productivity (Brown et al, 2014;Ruan et al, 2010;Zerai et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the growth performance of eleven Salicornia bigelovii populations under full strength seawater irrigation using multivariate analyses

Lyra¹,

Ismail²,

Butt³

et al. 2016

Aust J Crop Sci

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Halophytes constitute an indispensable part of seawater farming systems implemented in coastal areas of desert lands where they do not compete with good quality land and water resources. Salicornia bigelovii is considered one of the most promising halophytic species that can grow in a biosaline context. However, suitable germplasm needs to be identified, domesticated and improved in order to achieve high yields to compete economically to conventional crops. In the current study, eleven S. bigelovii Torr. populations were evaluated for 22 growth parameters and irrigated with full-strength seawater (SW≈55 dS/m).The study assessed the adaptability of such plant material under the hot and dry climatic conditions that prevail in the Arabian Peninsula. High variation was observed among S. bigelovii populations for most of the characteristics under study. S. bigelovii genotypes were categorized in four groups based on their growth performance and use: for seed production, green biomass as vegetables for human consumption, and biomass as livestock feed; the fourth category was comprised of those halophytic genotypes that demonstrated poor overall performance. Pearson correlation analysis highlighted positive and negative associations among the growth parameters. Path analysis unveiled some interesting interrelationships among growth parameters that could be used for further selection to increase seed production such as number of seeds per spike, number of branches, days to flowering and duration of seed maturity. Plant height and growth cycle could be selected for biomass improvement. The multivariate statistical analyses applied in this study, i.e. clustering, correlation and path analyses were very effective in classifying S. bigelovii genotypes and revealed interrelationships among growth traits that could be selected towards S. bigelovii improvement in terms of seed and biomass yield.

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“…Numerous legumes were originally endemic to native pasture in semiarid ecosystems around the world (Mitchell et al, 2015;Ydoyaga-Santana et al, 2011). Forage and seeds of these plants can contribute as feed to native fauna, forage to domesticated ruminants, as well as N and organic matter to native soils and plants unable to fix atmospheric N (Muir et al, 2005;Noah et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Value of endemic legumes for livestock production on Caatinga rangelands

Muir¹,

Santos

Cunha

et al. 2019

Agraria

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Rangelands and other native pastures occupy a large area of the planet, with greater temporal and spatial botanical composition and productivity variability. Despite the continuous and historical use of these areas, including overgrazing and fire exclusion, endemic legume species persist in some semiarid rangelands. The objective this work was to review current knowledge of legume use, especially those of the Brazilian Caatinga rangeland. Studies that measure the qualitative and quantitative variations of native legumes are essential for ruminant feed supplementation, to the sustainability of animal production, as well as for economic and environmental improvements in rangelands. Caatinga vegetation of northeastern Brazil consists of deciduous shrubs and small trees which mostly lose their leaves at the beginning of the dry season. The legume family contributes to the greatest number of endemic species but little is known about their productivity or nutritive values. Livestock select Orelha de onça [Macroptilium martii (Benth.) Marechal & Baudet] and Mororó (Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.) Steud.) and these should, during rangeland clearing, be preserved. In addition, although Caatinga legumes have great crude protein content, their biological fixation of atmospheric N has yet to be thoroughly studied. On the negative side, some native Caatinga legumes have great levels of neutral detergent fiber-bound N (NDFN) and condensed tannin. As a result, animal performance in Caatinga is often poor, notably in the dry period. Forage legumes also provide several environmental services such as N input via BNF and rehabilitation of degraded land.

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Use of functional traits to identify Australian forage grasses, legumes and shrubs for domestication and use in pastoral areas under a changing climate

Cited by 17 publications

References 120 publications

Soil Water Depletion in Planted Alfalfa Pastures in an Alpine Pastoral Area

Soil Water Depletion in Planted Alfalfa Pastures in an Alpine Pastoral Area

Evaluating the growth performance of eleven Salicornia bigelovii populations under full strength seawater irrigation using multivariate analyses

Value of endemic legumes for livestock production on Caatinga rangelands

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